ABSTRACT
Since ancient civilisations, humankind has been fascinated by the pursuit of strength. The earliest reference to formal strength training occurs in Chinese texts dating as far back as 3,600 BC when emperors made their subjects exercise daily. There is also evidence that strength training has been performed in several ancient civilisations-perhaps most famously typified by the Greek Milo of Croton, six-times wrestling champion at that the ancient Olympiad who trained by lifting a growing calf which provided an overload effect as it gained weight. Whether for the purposes of warfare, competition or art, amply recorded by the artefacts of the ancient Greek and Roman empires, strength was perceived as highly functional.
