The History of 20 Rep Squats

Though few exercise programmes maintain a venerated status for long in the Iron Game, the mystique surrounding 20 Rep Squat programmes has endured. As hinted by the name, such programmes require lifters to back squat twenty times before unloading the bar, and in my own experience, lying on the ground questioning your decision-making. Primarily touted... Continue Reading →

Leroy Colbert’s Health Store

A health shop is admittedly, an odd thing to write about. In today's world of GNC's and stores with fanciful names like 'Vitality' or 'Mr. Pump', modern gym goers are blessed with a wealth of pill peddlers to call upon. This, shockingly, was not always the case. While health stores did exist in some guise... Continue Reading →

Forgotten Exercises: The JM Press

The Westside Barbell club run by Louie Simmons, is one of the current institutions of the iron game. Known for producing champion powerlifters and even effective machines such as the Reverse Hyper Extension, there is little doubting the club's importance for lifters, whether or not they adhere to powerlifting itself. In today's short post, we're... Continue Reading →

The History of Calisthenics

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of speaking with someone interested in the history of calisthenics. While this is not my main research area (sadly I'll be a free weight fan boy for the foreseeable future), it comes up repeatedly in my studies. We know, for example, that many cultures in the Ancient World... Continue Reading →

Book Review: Alyssa Ages, Secrets of Giants

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of speaking with Alyssa Ages, an independent journalist who is also a strength fanatic. At the time Ages was working on a novel about the mindset of strength athletes (specifically those competing in World Strongest Man/World Strongest Women style events). The book has subsequently been published and I... Continue Reading →

The History of the Glute Ham Raise

Owing to the inquisitive nature of a PCS reader, I've finally gotten my act together, or at least come close enough to some semblance of normality, to go down the rabbit hole once again. The topic of todays post, is the rather more niche but nevertheless effective Glute Ham Raise (GHR) machine. Having spent years... Continue Reading →

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