It is entirely possible that our Mesolithic and Neolithic ancestors noticed that lifting rocks made them more ripped and stronger in the process. In earlier times our Palaeolithic forebears may have been even more motivated to pump rock so that they could flex over their neighbouring Neanderthals and Denisovans, but then again they may have been too busy developing recipes that could be used in 21st-century cafés. So, while our Stone Age relatives probably did do strength training, they just couldn’t be bothered drawing pictures of themselves doing it.
With the coming of the Vanity Age (otherwise known as the Bronze Age), however, humans decided that what they do deserves to be recorded, and in the process we find evidence of strength training dating back around 4000 years. On the walls of Egyptian tombs we find pictures of humans using bags filled with sand and stone in swinging and throwing exercises. Weightlifting competitions date back to early Greece and similar things were done in Rome, Germany, Scotland and Spain.
This story is from the WellBeing 197 edition of WellBeing.
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This story is from the WellBeing 197 edition of WellBeing.
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