The year is 2008. Mariusz Pudzianowski has just won his fifth World Strongest Man title and I am in a heated discussion with my cousin about who the strongest man ever is. My cousin said Pudzianowski and I, being the strength nerd that I am, argued for Vasily Alekseyev. While we all know that I… Continue reading Why Strongman Trading Cards Are an Awesome Idea
So admittedly I am a massive fan of the World's Strongest Man competition having grown up watching clips from the 1980s and 1990s. As a child I marvelled at the strength of Geoff Capes, the 'Viking' Jón Páll Sigmarsson and I even had a soft spot for Rick 'Grizzly' Brown. There was one strongman however, who… Continue reading Forgotten Exercises: Kazmaier Shrugs
This, admittedly, is an article promoted by the Covid-19 pandemic. For the past three months, gyms in my area have been closed or reopened on restricted times. The market for home gym equipment has seen unprecedented levels of demand and adjustable dumbbells are selling for two or three times their original value. Today's post looks… Continue reading The History of Powerblock Dumbbells
I am constantly fascinated with learning how strongmen and women trained. For me, one of the most interesting things about the history of fitness is learning how and why people trained, and for what reason. Today's post looks at Pat Casey, one of powerlifting's early celebrities. Pat Casey was one of the strongest men in… Continue reading The Pat Casey Workout (1963)
Conor's Note: The first part of this article was published on Wednesday. Please do check back! In the 1920′ s Coney Island described itself as ‘The Greatest Carnival Show on Earth’. Here, amongst the freaks, sawdust and tinsel, Travis was billed as ‘The Strongest Man in the World’. At each performance he would flash a… Continue reading David Gentle, ‘The Fairground Strongman Who Challenged the World.’ (Part II)
Today’s post comes primarily from the Ma Strength weightlifting book written by Manuel Buitrago, an expert on Chinese weightlifting techniques. I'm delighted to say that Manuel has offered to write a series of articles on the history of Chinese weightlifting so I would like to extend my thanks at the outset. This is a fascinating and… Continue reading Guest Post: History of Chinese Weightlifting Part 1: The Imperial Era
Conor's Note: For those who don't know, the late David Gentle was one of the foremost collectors and writers on physical culture and weightlifting. David was kind, considerate and incredibly generous in his dealings with others in the strength community. For many years he ran davidgentle.com, which unfortunately no longer exists. David's website contained many… Continue reading David Gentle, ‘The Fairground Strongman Who Challenged the World.’ (Part I)
In 90% of the training you do the emphasis should be on picture-perfect form AND heavy weights. Cheating is undesirable, and while it SEEMS that you are working harder because you are lifting moreyou are, in fact, working less intensively since the “heavier” work is being distributed over many hefty muscle groups – instead of… Continue reading Bradley Steiner, ‘Partials, Rack Work And Isometrics’, POWERLIFTING (1972), 16-17
How did you become a strength performer in the early 1900s? It's not a trick question but something that I've become fascinated with in the past two weeks. This was a time before mainstream competitions. This was a time before social media and it was a time when to be strong was to be truly… Continue reading How did you become a strength performer in the early 1900s?
Is the bicep curl a test of strength? Gym bros rejoice for I am about to fight your corner. The bicep curl is one of the most basic exercises in the fitness industry. It's so simple that when people refer to working out, they may even mimic doing a bicep curl. I am not one… Continue reading Is the Bicep Curl a Test of Strength?
