History of Strength Sports Podcast History of Strength Sports

On this show, we chat to James R. Fuller (@strongmn_archaeolgy) who has built a community around old-time strongman training and has been a go-to resource for us around the old-time lifts and training philosophies. James is incredibly well versed in strength history and is helping to keep old-time training alive through the content he produces around his own unique training style.

We discuss his strength resume, the evolution of training and how social attitudes towards training and competing has changed. James provides insights on influential athletes and strength feats as well as incredibly valuable tips on how and why to implement some of the old-time lifts into modern routines. James also reveals more about the antique equipment he uses and resources he recommends for further reading.

If you don't already, follow @strongman_archaeolgy on Instagram, find James on Facebook and watch his videos on Dailymotion. You can find us @historyofstrengthsports and historyofstrengthsports.com

If you enjoyed, please leave us a review and we look forward to seeing you in the next one!

Eugen Sandow is one of the most prolific figures in the history of strength sports. Born in 1867, he arguably made more of an impact on strength and physical culture than any other during the late 19th and early 20th Century. Appearing on stage, in newspapers, writing books, creating products, publishing strength routines and overlapping into the medical world, Sandow is a unique and respected pioneer of strength.

David Chapman is the foremost historian on the life Eugen Sandow, having written the leading book on Sandow: 'Sandow the Magnificent: Eugen Sandow and the Beginnings of Bodybuilding', in 1994. This 13 year project revealed aspects of Sandow's life previously not researched and in this exciting podcast episode, Chapman reveals further findings on the magnificent man.

You can find Chapmans book at all good book retailers and he is excited to announce his 2 new projects: Muscles in the Movies, which is currently available and The Kings of Strength (a translation of Edmond Desbonnet's great literary feat on early strongmen) which will be published later this year.

If you enjoyed the podcast, hit the 5* rating and leave us a review - it really does help other people find and enjoy the content.

Don't forget to follow @historyofstrengthsports on all social media platforms for more content you'll love.

In this episode we dive into strength in the ancient world. From the Olympic games to notable athletes and from ancient strength legends to the research in this area...this episode covers it all.

Our guest for this episode is Asa Williams. Asa is a scholar of ancient history, philosophy and strength sports. He's a long time friend of the page and has given us some phenomenal guest articles on 'The Great Belzone', Herakles and Milo of Croton.

You can find Asa @litttleasa and his art and essays on similar topics are @bullofdionysus

Asa also mentioned @myo_minds, a phenomenal movement that helps exercisers and athletes share and tackle their experiences with mental health issues which could be an incredibly valuable resource for so many.

We'd also like to thank the formidable powerlifter Dan Bell for providing us an introduction to this episode.

As usual, you can find us at @historyofstrengthsports and historyofstrengthsports.com

Jon Valgeir Williams is a 2 x World strongest man competitor with standout performances in the tyre flip event. He trained in Iceland at Jon Pall Sigmarsson's Gym 80 and Magnus Ver Magnusson's Jakabol. Jon was Magnus Ver's longest standing training partner and he now works as a personal trainer, sharing the Icelandic spirit of strength with clients.

In this episode we dive into the rich strength history of this small island and reveal why Iceland has and continues to produce some of the finest strength athletes ever. Jon recalls stories of his training there and we discuss the historic lifting stones that have gained notoriety worldwide. Jon also reveals his former sponsorship with a cupcake company and how 'improvement muffins' were the envy of his fellow strongman competitors.

Jon also runs 'Strength Trips' a unique travel company where he takes strength enthusiasts to lift the famous historic stones and train at the most well known gyms in Iceland. You can find more information about Jon and his incredible travel company @jonvwilliams, valgeirs_strengthtrips and at https://valgeirstrengthtrips.com/

As usual follow @historyofstrengthsports and check out the new look historyofstrengthsports.com for more great strength history!

A year on since the 'History of strength sports' project began, we give you a glimpse into how the project started and what's driving the page as we grow with an interview of creator, Jacob Hawkins, on the 'Barbell Strikes Back' Podcast with James McDermott.

We also dive into our favourite moments in strength history, what the most impressive feat ever is, as well as an evolution of the barbell.

Thank again to James for hosting this conversation and we hope you enjoy!

Follow @historyofstrengthsports on Instagram and find James' podcast on your podcast app and @thebarbellstrikesback on Instagram.

In this episode hosts Jacob and Hayden chat with ‘The King of the Circus,’ Jordan ‘Biggie’ Steffens about the history of strength sports in Australia. We go back thousands of years and explore the history right up until the present day in this fantastic conversation with Jordan.

Jordan 'Biggie' Steffens has been a competitive strength athlete since he was 15 years old and has travelled the world and competed with some of the biggest legend in strength athletics. He holds many records and is incredibly knowledgable on the history of strength in his native Australia

Jordan is now a strength performing athlete and has semi-retired from the competitive scene but is now enjoying coaching the next generation of athletes.

To follow Biggie, head over to: www.instagram.com/jordan_biggie

Follow the 'History of strength sports' on Instagram @historyofstrengthsports and at historyofstrengthsports.com