A Website Dedicated to the Study of Strength, Health, Fitness and Sport Across Centuries, Countries and Contests.
We all know at least one thing about CrossFit, and that is chiseled men and women repping fast pull-ups one after another and lifting and throwing around crazy weights. It might look crazy from the outside, but once you learn a few things about the history of CrossFit, you’ll see how amazing and effective this... Continue Reading →
Divorce is not a pleasant experience for anyone, but if you’re a big sports star with a fat wallet, this part of life can sting…a lot. Many sports stars had to make huge pay-offs to their exes once their marriages came to an end. But which public divorces came out with the biggest checks? Here... Continue Reading →
In 1894 Eugen Sandow traveled to the United States. While this was not the birth of Sandow's celebrity, it marked an intensification of interest in the Strongman's life. Under the tutelage of Flo Ziegfeld, Sandow's time in the United States, which lasted from 1894-1896, was spellbinding. It was in America that Sandow reinvented his posing... Continue Reading →
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o20TY1LGlqI As part of my writing with Barbend I'm currently in the middle of an article on Naim Süleymanoğlu, the great Turkish weightlifter from the 1990s. Naim's story is one of Cold War politics, individual athleticism and raw feats of strength. The above video, found on the Olympics' own Youtube channel is such a wonderful... Continue Reading →
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 →
New Zealanders are well-known for being active, outdoorsy and healthy people, so it’s not a surprise that sport has been something that unites the population and makes them proud of their identity and their country. Small countries like New Zealand treat sporting success as something very significant since it can help put them on an... Continue Reading →
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o20TY1LGlqIAs part of my writing with Barbend I'm currently in the middle of an article on Naim Süleymanoğlu, the great Turkish weightlifter from the 1990s. Naim's story is one of Cold War politics, individual athleticism and raw feats of strength. The above video, found on the Olympics' own Youtube channel is such a wonderful idea... Continue Reading →
Photo by Obi Onyeador on Unsplash Golf is one of the oldest sports in the world. Since the time of Caesar to modern golf stars like Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy, this game went through a lot of changes, but it endured all of them. While you can appreciate this game without knowing anything about... Continue Reading →
Image source: The first Olympics, inspired by the Olympian Gods, was held in Greece in 776 BC. Centuries on, the game has been carried from country to country, through a range of wars, political developments, boycotts and above all, great human achievements. 120 years since the first modern Olympics took place in Athens in 1896,... Continue Reading →
Readers of this blog will undoubtedly be familiar with my fondness for Indian club swinging, that great Hindu and Persian practice which became all the rage in England and the United States during the nineteenth and early twentieth century. The history of Indian club swinging has been previously covered here with one big exception. I... Continue Reading →