The following excerpt comes from Dan Lurie’s Body Building System, a mid-century mail-order course that reflects the commercial and cultural ambitions of the American Physical Culture movement. Lurie, a one-time Mr. America contestant and tireless self-promoter, occupied a peculiar space between showman and health educator. His system, like those of his contemporaries, blended moral advice,… Continue reading How To Lose Weight Fast And Make Your Muscles Stand Out
I love a rabbit hole. Especially when a friend or family member tips me off on it. Today’s workout came from a relative who asked me what I knew about actor Helen Mirren’s workout course. Sweet nothing was my response. Get reading was the kindly reply. So in my wisdom I began to dig into… Continue reading The 12-Minute Military Workout That Took Over the World
Listen I've been studying and engaging in fitness behaviours for a long time. Never did I think walking was going to become a 'sexy' fad. Nevermind rucking, which is effectively strapping a heavy backpack on and walking for an extended period of time. Yup... I'm not here to criticise it either. I do it twice… Continue reading When Did People Start Rucking?
Describing himself as Arnold's Seminar Nutritionist, Balik opened his short pamphlet on gaining muscle with the often forgotten law that 'nothing beats persistence.' Produced alongside a pamphlet on gaining muscle, which we'll be discussing in a future post, Balik's Total Muscularity represents a great insight into the training philosophy of 1970s Muscle Beach bodybuilding. Sparing myself… Continue reading John Balik, Total Muscularity: SuperStar Nutrition (Santa Monica, 1979)
Gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time is often held up as the Holy Grail of body recomposition. A desirable goal, that advanced or even intermediate trainees are now told is only possible for beginners or those using chemical means. Today's post examines the rather lengthy sounding Anabolic Burst Cycle of Diet and Exercise… Continue reading Gaining Muscle and Losing Fat: The ABCDE Diet Experiment
Compared with his less fortunate brothers who box and run, the lifter has no restrictions as to diet. The man who boxes requires good wind and staying power, and he, therefore, has to care- fully limit his allowance of liquid, and has to exercise great care in his selection of foodstuffs, avoiding pastry, all starchy… Continue reading Arthur Saxon, ‘My Ideas on Diet’, The Development of Physical Power (London, 1906).
Even though numerous companies worldwide started calling employees back to offices in 2025, remote work is now deeply rooted in the business culture. While we all have had the chance to experience the perks of remote work, it also comes with challenges. Contrary to popular belief, it is equally difficult to maintain healthy habits when… Continue reading How to Eat Like a Pro if You Are Working Remotely All Day
The Competitive Bodybuilder Few people in bodybuilding ever have to ask: Should I compete? When you reach that advanced stage, you will know it. In fact, if you are as motivated as I was, nothing could prevent you from stepping into the ranks of the professional bodybuilder. Competitive bodybuilders are the elite in the field… Continue reading Lou Ferrigno’s Secrets for Competitive Bodybuilding
The following extract comes from Vince Gironda’s 1984 Book: Unleashing the Wild Physique (available here). This book cannot be recommended highly enough, from VInce’s no nonsense take on steroids to his innovative training techniques. Today’s post comes from Vince’s advice on a lacto-vegetarian diet. The Lacto-Vegetarian Diet This is the easiest diet to follow because you can eat as much as… Continue reading Vince Gironda’s Lacto-Vegetarian Diet
Carbohydrates... those omnipresent fruits, yams, grains and vegetables, are older than mankind. In recorded history, it appears that the Egyptian culture was the first to 'mill' their high-energy grain, removing fiber, as well as much of the nutrition. Bingo—mankind had its first refined carbohydrates. Sugar was first introduced into Europe around 700 AD when Arabian… Continue reading Jay Jacobsen, ‘Carbohydrates Are Not The Devil! All Aboard The Carbohydrate-Glycemic Train’, Planet Muscle (March – April 2003)
