A Website Dedicated to the Study of Strength, Health, Fitness and Sport Across Centuries, Countries and Contests.
I should be untruthful did I follow the example of certain strong men who have made it their business to say they are weakly invalids at the commencement of their training, but, by the secret method, made themselves into strong men … Arthur Saxon, The Development of Physical Power (London, 1905), 3. I'm hurt, I'm... Continue Reading →
"And now for something completely different" I'll be spending a few weeks discussing various writings on lifting weights that have left an imprint on me in many ways. As anyone who has dedicated themselves to the gym for a prolonged period will attest, lifting weights is about so much more than exercise. It is a... Continue Reading →
Ed Coan entered his first powerlifting competition at 16 years old, he went on become one of the best (if not THE best) powerlifters in the world. Here is my candid conversation with The Legend, Ed Coan. POWER: How did you get into powerlifting? ED: I saw Kaz [Bill Kazmier] on TV. That was the... Continue Reading →
WITH regard to the routine of training, I again repeat, my idea is not to develop muscle at the expense of either health or strength. It is really impossible for me to prescribe special exercises with fixed time limits for same, and fixed days for each individual who may ready this book, as we are... Continue Reading →
Playboy, character or revolutionary? Rarely are such terms used to describe the same person and that is what made Malcolm Alexander Allison such an enigma to those who knew him. Allison was hugely influential in the introduction of modern training systems in 1960s England but his reputation as a trainer was often overshadowed by matters... Continue Reading →
Let's face it, very few people in the business of muscle building seem to respect the Tricep Kickback. Indeed a cursory glance online sees it described as pointless, useless and ineffective. Strong words for a relatively simplistic exercise. From my own observations, it is interesting to note in my own gym that women tend to... Continue Reading →
Parents! I might add wives, sisters, brothers and friends. Now, I am going to put it right squarely up to you; if you happen to be a young bar-bell enthusiast. When you bought your bar-bell, did your father and mother applaud your decision? Or did they beg you not to take the risks attendant on... Continue Reading →
a Having previously examined weight lifting belts and weightlifting shoes, the time seems right to examine weightlifting straps. For some weightlifting straps are just another everyday piece of equipment. They boost your numbers on the dead lift, the barbell row and just about anything else that requires grip strength. Yet for others weightlifting straps signify... Continue Reading →
Let's face it, very few people in the business of muscle building seem to respect the Tricep Kickback. Indeed a cursory glance online sees it described as pointless, useless and ineffective. Strong words for a relatively simplistic exercise. From my own observations, it is interesting to note in my own gym that women tend to... Continue Reading →
Massive muscle growth...a Cold War defection and a Romanian scientist with a cool sounding name. What could be more impressive and appealing that German Body Composition Training? Popularised in the US at the turn of the twenty first century GBC training has floated around the fitness industry between those who praise it as revolutionary and those... Continue Reading →