For those of us whose bodybuilding heroes are from the IronAge, finding our place in the land of modern bodybuilding has been tough. We feel out of place. Our heroes and our IronAge ideals often seem incompatible with the world of bodybuilding. As we struggle to reconcile bodybuilding's past with its changes, it is our… Continue reading Robert Paris, ‘Defining the Iron Age’, Ironage.us (c. 2003)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIIPv2TqXZ8 The internet can be a truly wonderful way to occupy one's time and recapture childhood memories. As a child of the 1990s, who grew up with television shows from the 1980s, I had two twin loves, wrestling and the World's Strongest Man (WSM) competitions. Sadly for me, television broadcasting in Ireland during that time… Continue reading Two Worlds Collide: Bill Kazmaier and Cactus Jack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIIPv2TqXZ8 The internet can be a truly wonderful way to occupy one's time and recapture childhood memories. As a child of the 1990s, who grew up with television shows from the 1980s, I had two twin loves, wrestling and the World's Strongest Man (WSM) competitions. Sadly for me, television broadcasting in Ireland during that time… Continue reading Two Worlds Collide: Bill Kazmaier and Cactus Jack
The World's Strongest Man competition is undoubtedly one of my favourite events each year. We get to see some of the world's strongest athletes push, pull and push a variety of objects. As slick as the modern contests are, there is a certain undeniable magic to the early iterations. From cheese deadlifts to sumo wrestling,… Continue reading Fridge Racing at the World’s Strongest Man
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6o3dct When I say mid-century fitness programme, you're probably thinking of Jack LaLanne's long running programme broadcast across the USA. While this is a fair assumption to make, old Jackie boy was not the only individual concerned with improving America's health and wellbeing. Broadcast in 1962, the following 'Dennis the Menace' episode revolves around… Continue reading Fitness Programmes in the 1960s: Dennis the Menace, Mr. Wilson’s Uncle
For those of us whose bodybuilding heroes are from the IronAge, finding our place in the land of modern bodybuilding has been tough. We feel out of place. Our heroes and our IronAge ideals often seem incompatible with the world of bodybuilding. As we struggle to reconcile bodybuilding's past with its changes, it is our… Continue reading Robert Paris, ‘Defining the Iron Age’, Ironage.us (c. 2003)
Image Source. When beginning a book on physical training, I feel it is only natural to begin with the most basic concept used in any barbell endeavor. We all use this training aid in one form or another and its use makes possible the goals of which our dreams are made. By single and double… Continue reading Anthony Ditillo, ‘The Single and Double Progression Method’, The Development of Physical Strength (Wm F. Hinbern, 1982).
The below text is something I'm rather excited about. Earlier this month, I stumbled across Doug Hepburn's website from the late 1990s and early 2000s. Hepburn was one of the strongest men of the mid twentieth century, famed for his seemingly inhuman feats of strength. You can imagine, then the joy I felt when I… Continue reading Doug Hepburn, ‘The Challenge’ (c. 1999)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnfiV8-NOog In the past I've made my fondness for British Pathé videos pretty clear and the above video perhaps demonstrates why. While I cannot endorse many of the claims found in the video - weaker sex, light weight training, blatant chauvinism etc. - the image of gym owner/wrestler, Lou hypnotising his gym members is something I haven't… Continue reading Exercise By Hypnosis Aka Gym Hypnotist (1958)
The passing of Dr. Fred Hatfield in 2017 saw the passing of one of the lifting community's most prolific coaches. Known as 'Dr. Squat' thanks to his own immense strength, Hatfield also helped to popularise scientific forms of training. The above article, written sometime before 2001 is perhaps the most comprehensive guide I've come across… Continue reading Fred Hatfield, ‘I May Know Diddly, But I Know Squat!’ (2001)
