The basic concept of lying on a bench and taking a bar from arm's length to the chest and back is a very simple one. However, bench pressing with maximum efficiency and power is an extremely exacting art relying on many major and minor principles and utilizing the coordination of the many muscles involved. While there is… Continue reading Bill Kazmaier, ‘Bench Pressing Style And Technicalities’, Bill Kazmaier and the Bench Press (1981), 4-6
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)
The past few years in particular, have been a wonderful time for strongman and strongwoman fans. For me, one of the most exciting developments has been the renewed interest shown in stone lifting. As a World's Strongest Man fan who grew up watching Kaz or Jon Pal dominate the competition, the sport has always had… Continue reading When did Strongmen Begin Using Atlas Stones?
Is it suddenly cool to care about the history of strength? One of the joys of the internet has been, for me at least, the immense interest weight lifters from around the world have shown in learning more about the strong men and women who went before them. In the past, people were forced to… Continue reading Film Club: The Rogue Legends Series Louis “Apollon” Uni
Strength sports, as an endeavour, are simultaneously a modern, and pre-modern, sport. Accounts of men engaging in contests date back to the Chinese practice of lifting heavy stones and cauldrons in 6000 BC (Hai-sheng, 2012). Likewise, Ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt, among other regions, had strength cultures (Crowther, 2007). That withstanding, strength contests and feats,… Continue reading A Brief History of Strongman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE5DnJXFcyw&feature=youtu.be Named after Scottish strongman and athlete extraordinaire, Donald Dinnie, the Dinnie Stones are seen by many in the strength world as one of the toughest challenges around. Rediscovered in 1953 by physical culture historian and strongman contest organiser David Webster, the two stones - which both have unforgiving metal handles - have a combined… Continue reading Dinnie Stones at the 1982 Britain’s Strongest Man Contest
I have spoken so much of Louis' great strength that now I must tell you of his great weakness - eating. His excuse for eating so much was that his great expenditure of strength required it. That was just his joke, though, for he was a slave to the table all his life. He could… Continue reading How Much Could Louis Cyr Eat?
