History of Strength and Strength Training

3 Hours

Explore the history of the physiological understanding of human strength, training methodologies to promote strength, the evolution of the profession of strength coaching, gendered-attitudes toward the possession of physical strength, and the rise of competitive strength sports. Using a cultural studies approach, consider ideas about strength (and muscularity) from Ancient Greece and Rome. Examine the rise of circus strongmen and strongwomen, the professional physical education community's shunning of "strength" as a desirable physiological goal, and the rise of non-professional entrepreneurs like Bob Hoffman, Joe Weider, and Arthur Jones who helped debunk the myth of muscle binding.