Once upon a time there were two skinny young men who trained in a commercial gym downtown. The gym was not overly large, nor was it especially fancy, but it had good solid equipment and lots of weight. This was probably fortunate because it was usually crowded in the evening. The gym also had lots… Continue reading John McCallum on Sleep
For my sins, I enjoy writing articles. I probably do it more often than I should for my eternal damnation. I'm currently writing an article on the evolution of the back squat, a history I've previously discussed on this website and elsewhere. As part of this research, I've been deep-diving the history of squat stands,… Continue reading When Was the Squat Rack Invented?
You cannot spend a third of a century around physical culturists and barbell men without coming to a few conclusions. You see many enthusiasts who thrive on their training schedules and attain a perfectly satisfactory degree of physical development. You see others work and strain without noticeable improvement for months or years. Quite often these… Continue reading Harry B. Paschall, ‘How Barbell Men Go Wrong’, Muscle Moulding (London, 1950)
Being a bodyguard is an important and demanding job that requires a diverse set of skills — from physical fitness and strength to combat and self-defense abilities. Bodyguards need to be physically fit and strong to handle potential threats and to respond swiftly in emergency situations. They should also be proficient in hand-to-hand combat, martial… Continue reading The Top 3 Bodyguards Who Can Compete in Bodybuilding
Earlier this week I was given a very generous gift. The gift in question was a complete set of Wills' Cigarette Cards. Produced for an Irish and English audience in 1914, the cards depicted various physical culture exercises one could engage in to keep fit and healthy. The irony that the cards could only be… Continue reading The History of the Dumbbell Pullover
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 Mark Bell, ‘One on One with Ed Coan’, Power Magazine, 1, no. 1 (2009), 28-31.
I love this website if that doesn't come across enough. It isn't really the opportunity to write and research but rather the fascinating people it allows me to meet. While some strong bonds have been forged with regular commentators, every now and then a visitor will reach out with an interesting question or enquiry. The… Continue reading Interview with Ben Gervasi, the Indian Club Maker!
Earlier this year I had the great fortune to visit the H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports in Texas. Founded by Jan and Terry Todd, the Stark Center is a playground for anoraks like me. Containing the collections of Bernarr MacFadden, Professor Atilla, Bob Hoffman and several other Iron Game legends, Stark… Continue reading Sig Klein’s Beginner Workout
As a Weider student you should be interested to know that the Weider System is the most popular and successful bodybuilding course in the world. Because of my 50 years of involvement in the sport, the Weider System is the basis of all modern bodybuilding and weight-training techniques. Literally everything in bodybuilding has sprung from… Continue reading Joe Weider, ‘How it All Began’, Joe Weider Bodybuilding System (Weider Health & Fitness, 1988), 5-7.
Conor Note Stuart McRobert's Hardgainer magazine is, and was, one of my favorite training magazines bar none. Similar to Peary Rader's Ironman magazine, it seemed to buck the trend of bodybuilding magazines which sold flashy programmes and, at times, ridiculous training systems. The magazine's ethos was simple. Not everyone is genetically gifted but, through hard… Continue reading John Christy, ‘Evening the Genetic Score,’ Hardgainer, 38, September/October 1995
