A Website Dedicated to the Study of Strength, Health, Fitness and Sport Across Centuries, Countries and Contests.
Few bodybuilders and weight trainers are unfamiliar with the dip exercise. A favourite of Vince Gironda, albeit with some modifications, the exercise is a prime builder for the chest and tricep muscles. Done correctly, the exercise is for my money, up there with the bench press. Done incorrectly, you're just flopping up and down. While... Continue Reading →
Loved and despised in equal measure, the squat has long been the iron game's go to exercise for maximum leg development. A cornerstone of most trainee's leg routines, there is certainly no doubting the exercise's popularity. Yet despite the fact that the back squat in particular has enjoyed a decades long dominance amongst gym rats,... Continue Reading →
In the first part of this article I explained how to concentrate before your workout so that you can transition from your everyday responsibilities and challenges, to the necessary mental state needed for your workout. I discussed why I feel it’s absolutely necessary, and how I do it. In the second part of the article... Continue Reading →
Mentioned at various points on this particular site, the Zercher Squat has been described by many as one of the most effective but painful methods of building big quads. Uncomfortable to the nth degree, this lift isn't exactly the most popular amongst gym goers. A point which leads us into today's post. Why invent such... Continue Reading →
Heavy training for the hips and thighs gives the trainee the most return for the effort expended, but is usually not at the top of the list of "Favorite Modes of Training" due to the discomfort one is subjected to if the training is intensive enough to stimulate gains. The earliest lifting advice I received... Continue Reading →
It was a timely moment for powerlifters. Anabolic steroids were by then de rigour. Weightlifting shoes, straps and suits had all evolved and greater attention was being paid to training and nutrition. Official powerlifting meets had been running for over two decades and the poundages were increasing with every competition it seemed. Just as the... Continue Reading →
Though few exercise programmes maintain a venerated status for long in the Iron Game, the mystique surrounding 20 Rep Squat programmes has endured. As hinted by the name, such programmes require lifters to back squat twenty times before unloading the bar, and in my own experience, lying on the ground questioning your decision-making. Primarily touted... Continue Reading →
Whether you want to get toned, lose weight, gain weight or just spend some time active, gyms have become such a staple part of our routines. There seems to be a gym on every corner, and they are all filled with an amazing variety of equipment. But have you ever wondered how this all started?... Continue Reading →
Weightlifting supplements, despite their ubiquity nowadays, are a relatively new addition to the realm of weightlifting. While the practice of eating mystical substances in the hope of improved athletic performance dates to Greco-Roman times, the marketing of explicit 'body building' supplements is a far more recent phenomenon. Dating really to the emergence of physical culture... Continue Reading →
The following extract comes from a fascinating twelve page pamphlet I recently got my hands on. Written by the Strongman and Powerlifter Bill Kazmier, the pamphlet details everything a budding strength enthusiast needs to learn to perform on the platform. Over the next few weeks we'll be dissecting Kazmier's advice for the Squat, Deadlift and the Bench Press. In the meantime,... Continue Reading →