Oddly given the site's extensive interest, we have yet to detail Eugen Sandow's most exciting remnant, a short film clip taken in 1894. Taken during Sandow's extensive promotion tour of the United States, which began in 1893 and included everything from posing sessions to fights with lions, Sandow's film is one of the earliest movies we… Continue reading Eugen Sandow and Thomas Edison
Tag: Retro
Fridge Racing at the World’s Strongest Man
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
Guest Post: The History of Personal Training and Its Role in Fitness Today
The career in personal training is a relatively new one. Sure, the ancient Greeks and other past civilizations had their athletic traditions, but they were mostly aimed towards keeping people fit for combat, not for personal reasons. Exercising for health and hiring fitness experts is a new practice less than 100 years old. A typical… Continue reading Guest Post: The History of Personal Training and Its Role in Fitness Today
Arnold Schwarzenegger on Johnny Carson (1979)
Part of his impressive press junket in the years following his then temporary retirement from bodybuilding, the following clip shows Arnold Schwarzenegger at his approachable best. Part of the wonders of YouTube, the clip is well worth a watch. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2AiLbpkngA
Mike Katz, Iron Age Interview, C. 2005
Earlier this year I had the chance to speak with legendary Mr. America and Mr. Universe Mike Katz by phone. In contrast to the seemingly introverted and passive figure he was portrayed as in "Pumping Iron", I found Mike to be a gregarious and competitive-minded man, but no less the gentleman than his screen persona.… Continue reading Mike Katz, Iron Age Interview, C. 2005
Fitness Programmes in the 1960s: Dennis the Menace, Mr. Wilson’s Uncle
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
Frank Zane as The Silver Surfer
A recent trawl through Ebay uncovered a story which for me, has a very unhappy ending. Stumbling across a 1979 movie poster for the Silver Surfer, the Marvel superhero capable of travelling through space aboard his trusty surfboard, I was shocked to find name of the legendary bodybuilder and three time Mr. Olympia Frank Zane… Continue reading Frank Zane as The Silver Surfer
Strength! Featuring Saxon Brown (1930)
Born in England in the early 1900s, Saxon Brown (real name Henry Brown) was briefly lauded during the 1930s as 'Britain's strongest youth' & 'the world's strongest young man'. Though his time in the physical culture spotlight was short lived, Brown's strength was immortalised thanks to the below British Pathé footage. Featuring a number of… Continue reading Strength! Featuring Saxon Brown (1930)
Peary Rader, ‘Training for the Older Man’, The Rader Master Bodybuilding and Weightgaining System (1946)
After a man reaches the age of 50, and sometimes even 40, he sometimes feels that he is an old man, and tho he realizes the need for exercise for health’s sake, he thinks that he might be getting for heavy work. This all depends on how he has trained in years past. If he… Continue reading Peary Rader, ‘Training for the Older Man’, The Rader Master Bodybuilding and Weightgaining System (1946)
Bradley J. Steiner, ‘Diet And Rest’, Powerlifting (1972)
Aside from your mental state, which is entirely within your capacity to control, there are two other items that you can fully regulate most of the time as well: your diet and the amount of rest you obtain. Both are as essential in building strength and size as is exercise. Strength is built on solid… Continue reading Bradley J. Steiner, ‘Diet And Rest’, Powerlifting (1972)