The Original Body Builders: How Greek Halteres and Celtic Gabal Stone Lifts Built the World's First Strongmen

The Original Body Builders: How Greek Halteres and Celtic Gabal Stone Lifts Built the World's First Strongmen

Fad workouts have been with us for decades, but they go back much further than we realize. Long before CrossFit, Zumba, P90X, Tae Box, Jazzercise or Jack LaLanne, we had 19th century strongmen. These mustachioed showmen were the first global fitness influencers. They hauled trunks of weights onto steamships, toured the world, then sold exercise equipment through the mail. The most famous was Eugene Sandow, who broke chains, and created with his own body a "manned cavalry bridge" where he would lie down while men, horses, and a carriage were driven over his body. He even fought a lion in front of an auditorium and won, although the lion was almost definitely sedated.

Today’s guest is Connor Heffernan, author of “When Fitness Went Global: The Rise of Physical Culture in the Nineteenth Century.” In this episode, we discuss:

  • Ancient Egyptians were basically doing CrossFit thousands of years ago. They trained with swinging sandbags that look exactly like modern kettlebell flows.
  • One of the first exercise practices to experience globalization was Indian club-swinging. Indian club-swinging, originating from the heavy training clubs used by Indian wrestlers and soldiers for centuries, was observed and adopted by British military officers stationed in India during the early 1800s.
  • Early diet culture was a carnival of quack science. Victorian fitness magazines were filled with miracle tonics, starvation cures and pseudoscientific meal plans. Many of our “new” diet trends are rebranded versions of schemes first marketed with sepia portraits and dubious testimonials.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jaksot(1073)

Last Night on the Titanic: The Writers

Last Night on the Titanic: The Writers

The sinking of the Titanic is memorable for its countless stories, and the reason that so many of them have found their way down to us today was the many writers that were onboard the ship. The first ...

11 Huhti 201938min

Last Night on the Titanic: The Popcorn Vendor

Last Night on the Titanic: The Popcorn Vendor

One legendary fixture on the Titanic was a gregarious popcorn vendor known as Popcorn Dan (Coxon). He was one of America's first food truck operators and a highly successful purveyor of popcorn. He wa...

9 Huhti 201929min

Teaser: Rendezvous With Death

Teaser: Rendezvous With Death

Subscribe today for access to all premium episodes! https://patreon.com/unpluggedSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

6 Huhti 20194min

Last Night on the Titanic: The Bakers

Last Night on the Titanic: The Bakers

In this episode we are looking at the life of Charles Joughin, a colorful character who has appeared in both film version of the Titanic. After the sinking, Joughin claimed he knew it was an iceberg t...

4 Huhti 201937min

The Last Night on the Titanic: Overview of the 1,500 Passengers and Crew Who Lost Their Lives

The Last Night on the Titanic: Overview of the 1,500 Passengers and Crew Who Lost Their Lives

On the night of April 14, 1912, in the last hours before the Titanic struckthe iceberg, passengers in all classes were enjoying unprecedented luxuries. Innovations in food, drink, and decor made this ...

2 Huhti 201925min

ANNOUNCEMENT: Special Series 'Last Night on the Titanic' Starts Next Week

ANNOUNCEMENT: Special Series 'Last Night on the Titanic' Starts Next Week

An announcement for a forthcoming series coming to the History Unplugged Podcast called "Last Night on the Titanic."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

30 Maalis 20193min

Light-Horse Harry Lee: A Founding Father's Journey From Glory to Ruin

Light-Horse Harry Lee: A Founding Father's Journey From Glory to Ruin

The history of the American Revolution is written by and about the victors like Washington, Jefferson, and Adams. But separating the heroes from the villains is not so black and white.So how should we...

28 Maalis 20191h 3min

Bad Puns and Dirty Jokes in Rome and Ancient Greece

Bad Puns and Dirty Jokes in Rome and Ancient Greece

"A student dunce went swimming and almost drowned. So now he swears he'll never get into water until he's really learned to swim." That was a decent dad joke to be sure. But it's not a joke your dad c...

26 Maalis 201935min

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