Alan Calvert: The Strength Legend You've Never Heard Of

“History is not the past but a map of the past, drawn from a particular point of view, to be useful to the modern traveler.” -Henry Glassie

Long before the online battles over which Exercise Science “Doctor” (is it PhD or PD now?!) was more evidence-based, and which social media influencer could blast the most Tren while dry-scooping pre-workout, a small group of physical culture enthusiasts had already figured this stuff out. Lift progressively heavier weights with good technique and give the body time to recover. It really is that simple.

One of the most important—and most overlooked—names from the turn-of-the-century group of strongmen is Alan Calvert.

Born in 1875, Calvert became a weightlifter, businessman, publisher, and author before his passing on June 24, 1944. He wrote numerous books and published Strength, one of the first magazines in the United States focused on strength training. One of his more information-dense books, Super Strength, details how to train every muscle in the human body, along with many of Calvert’s observations and experiences throughout his career.

Some of my favorite works by Alan Calvert.

In 1902, Calvert founded the Milo Barbell Company, one of the first barbell manufacturers in the world. Thirty years later, Bob Hoffman purchased the Milo Barbell Company and renamed it York Barbell.

Calvert promoted a system of strength progression that is both simpler and more sophisticated than many of the periodization concepts being peddled today: the double progression method. In a nutshell, start with a weight you can lift for 10 reps but only do 5. Every third workout, add 1 repetition. Once you hit 10 reps, add 5–10 lbs to the exercise, start over at 5 reps, and repeat. Simple, safe, and effective. Sadly, most of the tripod warriors in gyms today lack the attention span for such training.

In addition to promoting effective training, Calvert made it a point to expose charlatans in the strength and fitness community. Apparently, even back then, the industry was riddled with scam artists looking to separate people from their hard-earned money.

I have a feeling that if Calvert were alive today, most still wouldn’t know about him. He doesn’t strike me as the type of individual to spend his days posting on social media.

If you’re interested in learning how the founding fathers of the physical culture movement trained, the works of Alan Calvert are a great place to start.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s article, and until next time, stay strong and healthy!