At this point in my series of articles I think it is appropriate to introduce one of the greatest Super Stars in the physique world past or preset. The man is Boyer Coe. From my observations of people who are interested in physical development and physique contests, there are usually one or two men who … Continue reading Dennis Weis, ‘Bits of Advice & Routines Number 6’, Iron Man Magazine, March (1977).
Ah the low-carbohydrate diet, a form of eating that has become so ingrained in 21st century culture that you could be forgiven for thinking it was a relatively new idea. The truth is that low-carb diets have existed since the 19th century, when an Englishman named William Banting began promoting a low-carb way of life. … Continue reading The History of the Low-Carb Diet
While researching the regular strongman and bodybuilding articles (as we history PhD people do on the daily) I stumbled across this newspaper clipping that was featured in the National Police Gazette in 1893 asking “Is Eugen Sandow Afraid?” In this post I would like to address not only this specific clipping, but also the use … Continue reading A Challenge to Sandow; Strongmen in the Press.
Bodybuilding and physical culture has, at its core, always been about pushing the limits of nutritional consumption. After all, no other sport promotes periods of intense dieting in the manner of the iron game. The quest for new nutritional approaches has led to some rather interesting diets, Armand Tanny's raw meat diet being a case … Continue reading Armand Tanny and Raw Meat Bodybuilding
In a previous post I discussed how fitness entrepreneurs Joe Weider and Bob Hoffman used their bodybuilding magazines as an outlet to promote nation strength and army success during the Second World War and the Korean War. Although this was happening in the 1940s and 1950s, it was not a novelty within the realm of … Continue reading “Debased Bodies”: The Cause of Neurasthenia, aka Shell Shock
Having previously detailed forgotten physical culture devices like the Iron Boots and the Swingbell, the time has come to discuss another treasure from bodybuilding's past, namely the 'half moon bench'. Promoted heavily by the Dan Lurie Barbell Company during the sixties and seventies, the "Half-Moon" or "Round Bench" promised to stretch the ligaments and cartilage around the … Continue reading Dan Lurie’s Half Moon Bench
It seems like every time we write a piece on the history of a certain exercise we start with a mention that history is murky business. Well, once again dear readers, this history is murky. After scouring the amazing world of the internet and digging into a handful of books, here's what we came up … Continue reading “Bring Sally Up, Bring Sally Down.” The History of the Push Up
