It is a well-known fact that the majority of men to-day are relatively weak, whereas the struggle for existence demands now more than at any previous epoch that we should all be strong! The reader may think that physical strength is not a necessity, but I will try and prove to him that man cannot… Continue reading George Hackenschmidt, ‘Why Should We Be Strong?’
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?
So often in today's world of World's Strongest Man, Olympic Weightlifting and Powerlifting, the assumption that strength is defined by maximum weight lifted goes unchallenged. It is as if we accept unquestioningly that the person who can lift 500 pounds once is stronger than the those who can 'only' lift 400 pounds for reps. It's… Continue reading How do we define strength?
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)
What does $50 mean to you? If you lived here in Indianapolis, Indiana, that's what you would have to hand over every hour that you worked with me. Would you listen, and at least try everything I told you to? Would you be patient? I'm sure you would. So, please make sure you listen to… Continue reading John Christy, ‘Learning to be Patient,’ Hardgainer Magazine, 58 (1999)
Earlier this year we were treated to perhaps the most exciting Arnold Strongman Classic to date. We saw Hafthor Bjornsson win the event for the second year in a row with a domineering display of power. The 'Wheel of Pain' from Conan the Barbarian made an appearance and it was joined by an exact replica… Continue reading When Was The Arnold Strongman Classic Created?
The kettlebell is probably the weirdest looking of all gym weight training equipment. It looks like a cannonball with a handle on the top. The kettlebell is becoming more and more popular in gyms everywhere. This is because many trainers recommend it for a wide range of specialized strength building exercises. You can also lose… Continue reading Guest Post: The History of Kettlebells
Whether you bodybuild, power lift, cross fit or simply keep fit, there's no denying the importance of the barbell to your training. Easily adjustable, stable under enormous weights and challenging to the nth degree, barbells are a time honoured means of building muscle and strength. Yet despite the barbell's unrivalled popularity amongst the current gym… Continue reading When Was the Barbell Invented?
For more than a century, the art and science of muscle building has been evolving and gaining popularity around the world. From the very early days and the pioneers of bodybuilding like Eugene Sandow and his predecessor, Ludwig Durlacher, all the way to the golden era of bodybuilding and the modern giants – this is… Continue reading Guest Post: The Science of Building Muscle: Principles that Withstood the Test of Time
During the past twelve months or so that I've been writing for HARDGAINER, I've received hundreds of letters and phone calls with various comments and many questions. After receiving all this input, one thing has become very clear to me – you're reading the information in HARDGAINER, but many of you are failing to get… Continue reading Do you really understand ‘The Message?’, Hardgainer Magazine, 42 (1996)
