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The History of Weight Training
Weight
training, strength training and resistance training are all methods
adapted to improve the resistance and size of the skeletal muscles.
Weight training involves the application of a variety of equipments to
target specific muscle groups and types of movement, such as weighted
bars, dumbbells, Kettlebells, and weight stacks. Though weight training
differs from body building and weightlifting, it forms a vital component
of any well rounded fitness routine. Weight training is not just for
athletes but also for all types of men and women, since it offers a
continuum of benefits such as increased muscle strength, enhanced muscle
tone, better flexibility as well as balance, prevention of muscle and
joint injury, minimized risk of osteoporosis, and decreased risk of
cardiovascular disease and stroke. Above all, weight training has been
proven to be effective in building endurance, thereby enabling your body
to work harder.
Now that we
know how beneficial weight training is for the human body, let's take a
tour of the origins of weight training. Weight training has a long
history dating back to ancient China as well as the Greek culture.
Ancient Greek texts report that Hippocrates described the principle on
weight training while writing "that which is used develops, and that
which is not used wastes away." Furthermore, some texts elucidate that
mighty Hercules took resistance training under the supervision of his
tutor and coach, Chiron. It was also the ancient Greeks that invented
the Olympic games, where weight lifting was a very popular sport.
According to some Chinese texts, many of the great emperors utilized
strength training for their subjects. Likewise, during the reign of the
Chou dynasty (1122-249 BC), soldiers were required to undergo a strength
test in order to gain enrollment into the army. References to weight
training are also mentioned in the Indian culture. As a part of weight
training in India, blood sacrifices were made to their gods during Vedic
Soma festivals. Also, included was drinking ceremonial hallucinogenic
liquor called vajpeya meaning "the drink of strength."
Weight
training became more popular in the 6th century, during which such
competitions as athletes lifting heavy stones were conducted. Later,
this period came to be known as the "age of strength." It was during
this period, Milo of Crotona, a military hero, developed a form of
progressive resistance exercise. The importance of weight training is
also found mentioned in Preservation of Health, a treatise by
Galen, one of the ancient physicians and philosophers. Additionally,
weight training and its significance were written by Roman poets like
Martial. As a result, the Romans originated formal weight training,
which resulted in the development of one of the most feared armies in
history.
The actual
text on weight training grew with the introduction of paper as well as
printing. In 1531, Sir Thomas Elyot published a book on exercise to
build strength. Weight training first became a part of the curriculum in
Europe in 1544 when some of the universities in Germany and France
offered weight training classes coupled with certain books. They also
recommended weight training as an integral part of a school's
curriculum. Later, weight training became vital in the field of physical
rehabilitation, followed by John Paugh's publication A Physiological,
Theoretical and Practical Treatise on the Utility of Muscular Exercise
for Restoring the Power to the Limbs, in 1728. After a century, the
British Army introduced a formalized training regimen, which included in
it the application of dumbbells and barbells.
With the
onset of the 20th century, many innovative techniques were employed in
the weight training arena. However it was in the 1960s, that exercise
equipment gradually entered strength training gyms. Weight training
gained much fame in the 1980s, with the release of the bodybuilding
movie "Pumping Iron." Later in the 1990s, women began to take up weight
training, influenced by such programs as Body for Life.
Whether it
is men or women, it is now estimated that people around the world
consider weight training as an essential part of their training regimen.
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