Strength training is a practice that has been around for centuries and can be dated to times as far back as the Chou Dynasty (3600 B.C.) when subjects would have to pass weight lifting tests before entering the military (www.cscca.org/news/legendsaward/2007/epley). It was used as military training throughout time until the 19thcentury. Circus performers would use strongman feats as an act in their shows to draw in large crowds of people (strongmanvsbodybuilder.wordpress.com/.../the-circus-the-strong-man). Although strength and conditioning is an ancient practice, until recent years these practices were very primitive; guys tossing weights around to be strong but with no real structure to what they were doing. It was this lack of methodical approach to strength and conditioning that made it a taboo practice for traditional sports teams in America. Many coaches believed that lifting weights was detrimental to the performance of their athletes. These coaches thought that strength training made their players “muscle bound” and hindered their ability to move during play. It was not until 1969 when a University of Nebraska track athlete’s career was ended due to a back injury that the need for a profession in the strength and conditioning field was considered necessary (www.cscca.org/news/legendsaward/2007/epley).
Keep an eye out for the next installment of my blog. We will be looking into who, what and where that unfortunately injured Nebraska athlete came from and what he did to revolutionize the world of college athletics with some heavy pieces of iron.
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