The following post is taken directly from Thomas Inch's 1920s work, On Strength. Inch, as we have previously discussed on Physical Culture Study, was one of the early and influential British physical culturists. Inch was a weightlifter, weightlifting organizer and a prolific writer. He wrote for several decades with Health and Strength magazine, likely contributed... Continue Reading →
Forgotten Exercises: The Dumbbell Swing
Almost a half-century ago the one and two hand swing lifts were very popular among lifters and bodybuilders alike, especially the one hand lift. Over the years, however, both of these lifts have slumped into oblivion so that today there are very few who ever practice them, either as an exercise or for record-breaking performances.... Continue Reading →
How Do You a Single Handed Dead Lift? 1920s Style
The following post is taken directly from Thomas Inch's 1920s work, On Strength. Inch, as we have previously discussed on Physical Culture Study, was one of the early and influential British physical culturists. Inch was a weightlifter, weightlifting organizer and a prolific writer. He wrote for several decades with Health and Strength magazine, likely contributed... Continue Reading →
How Do You a Single Handed Dead Lift? 1920s Style
The following post is taken directly from Thomas Inch's 1920s work, On Strength. Inch, as we have previously discussed on Physical Culture Study, was one of the early and influential British physical culturists. Inch was a weightlifter, weightlifting organizer and a prolific writer. He wrote for several decades with Health and Strength magazine, likely contributed... Continue Reading →
Beer During Workouts? Arthur Saxon Approves!
Should you drink beer during workouts? It may seem a ludicrous suggestion but this is exactly what famed German strongman, Arthur Saxon, did in the early 1900s. Previously on this website we have discussed the huge appetite Saxon and his traveling trio of strongmen had during the height of their careers. In the space of... Continue Reading →
Thomas Inch in Later Life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnh9fI106_Q Thomas Inch is one of the most fascinating physical culturists of the twentieth century. He was a pivotal figure in the organisation of British weightlifting, helped coach Arthur Saxon and was a great strong man in his own right. Rarely do we get to see weightlifters in the twilight of their careers. Produced in... Continue Reading →
Thomas Inch, Comedy Weightlifting Routine (1915)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrWuhtm__5A For previous readers of the blog, you'll recall my fondness for old British Pathé videos. The above clip features Thomas Inch performing a comedy weightlifting routine from 1915. Physical culture aficionados will no doubt appreciate this insight into the sort of vaudeville performances physical culturists used to earn a living in the late nineteenth... Continue Reading →
Forgotten Exercises: The Dumbbell Swing
Almost a half-century ago the one and two hand swing lifts were very popular among lifters and bodybuilders alike, especially the one hand lift. Over the years, however, both of these lifts have slumped into oblivion so that today there are very few who ever practice them, either as an exercise or for record-breaking performances.... Continue Reading →
Forgotten Exercises: The Dumbbell Swing
Almost a half-century ago the one and two hand swing lifts were very popular among lifters and bodybuilders alike, especially the one hand lift. Over the years, however, both of these lifts have slumped into oblivion so that today there are very few who ever practice them, either as an exercise or for record-breaking performances.... Continue Reading →
Thomas Inch and His Dumbbell (Old Physical Culture Footage!)
Famed for his remarkable strength and at times, his flair for the theatric, the early twentieth-century physical culturist Thomas Inch has left quite a mark on the current strength training population. Not least for competitors of the World's Strongest Man competition who are often tasked with lifting a replica 'Inch Dumbbell' overhead. This being no... Continue Reading →