Wladyslaw Kurcharczyk, or 'Bobby Pandour' is one of the most fascinating physical culturists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. A gymnast by trade who published little in the way of training material, Pandour is widely regarded as having possessed one of the finest physiques of his time. That he claimed to have built… Continue reading Bobby Pandour: The Mysterious Muscle Man
Born in Nelson Flats, New York, in 1854 Dowd was, if his own accounts and obituaries are to be believed, a somewhat unathletic child in his youth. Writing some decades after Dowd’s passing, W.A. Pullum, a renowned British physical culturist, claimed that Dowd “showed nothing in his youth to indicate that destiny marked him out… Continue reading The Life and Times of Professor Dowd
Since beginning my study of physical culture several years ago, I have been fascinated by  the extent of Irish physical culture. Part of the British Empire in the early twentieth century, Ireland was very much influenced by the broader spread of physical culture in Great Britain. So close were the two regions that the Irish… Continue reading Ireland’s First Bodybuilding Show
Harvey Green’s Fit for America is written for curious gym goers and professional historians alike. The book demonstrates that the American pursuit of health and fitness started long before Arnold Schwarzenegger’s bodybuilding career, or the running boom of the 1970s. Published in 1986, Green’s work was among the earliest books to address the history of… Continue reading Guest Post: Brawny Books – Harvey Green, Fit for America
This website has, at time of writing, been operating for a little over six years. When I began Physical Culture Study my intent was to shed some light on the weird and wonderful of the fitness industry. Little did I know at the time of all the things I could write on! Somewhat shamefully it's dawned… Continue reading P.H. Clias: An Early Pioneer
That stone had lain in that place as long as the oldest traditions in the village could remember. And from time immemorial it had been the custom of the young men of the village to test their strength by lifting it …[i] Liam O’Flaherty, 1937. Simply titled, ‘The Stone’, Liam O’Flaherty’s short Irish story from… Continue reading Informal acts of weightlifting in Ireland
The secret of my strength explained. Many physical culturists possess large-size muscles, yet they lack something-something fundamental. Some possess it in a degree more than others, but they have not specialized in its training. Have you seen my performance on the stage? If so, you have probably noticed that my movements, when performing a feat… Continue reading Samson, ‘The Secret of My Strength Explained’, Samson’s System and Methods (c. 1920s)
While many credit Eugen Sandow as the father of modern day bodybuilding, very little is said about William, 'Billy', Murray, the world's first recognisable bodybuilding champion. Today's post will look at the interaction between Sandow, the unofficial father of bodybuilding and Murray, its first official king. So who was William Murray? How did he win? And why… Continue reading Bodybuilding’s First Champion: William Murray
Theoretically, at least, we all pay tribute to the value and importance of physical education. We admire physical strength and beauty, and recognize, though only faintly as yet, the inter- relation of mind and matter. We know, moreover, that a healthy, active brain is sadly handicapped by an ill-developed, sickly body. We see around us… Continue reading Eugen Sandow, ‘The Jar and Fret of Business Lift,’ Sandow on Physical Training (New York, 1894).
