These guys emphasized specially on something that's widely missing even today in the Indian bodybuilding culture: a science-based approach. They Believed In Systematic And Scientific Approach To Muscle Growth This is when they took it upon themselves to author this book. Both the guys together travelled across Bengal and found that neither was there any awareness about muscle training and nor were any gyms. He authored the muscle control part of the book.īy the looks of it, both were hardcore muscle-heads and packed on very good mass according to 1930 standards. He authored the Barbell training part of the book. Hands down, this is as raw as it can get. There's in fact a detailed chapter in the book about 'isolating thoughts from every distraction and focus on lifting'. These guys still pushed ahead and built muscle. No proper gymnasiums, make shift equipment, no books to read and no internet to find gurus. So it's anybody's guess that what all equipment these bodybuilders would have had access to. Safe to say, India was anything but prospering. Half the country struggled for Independence while the British were busy looting whatever was left. This book alone challenges the notion that bodybuilding was a western giving. There was a small but highly enthusiastic bodybuilding that thrived here even 17 years before the birth of Arnold Schwarzenegger, the God of bodybuilding. What we very well know that this book was authored by two very-well-built and highly-educated-science-graduate- muscle heads. Well, we don't really know anything about it. Now a lot of people can debate that East India Company officers bought bodybuilding to India. If this doesn't shock you, I don't what will. This book was authored a good 25 years before the rise of Aich on the world bodybuilding arena and even served him as a guide. His bodybuilding legacy still inspires millions.
Indian bodybuilding history usually starts with Manohar Aich, the very first Mr. India has a rich history of wrestling and other martial arts but who knew that we had thriving bodybuilders almost 100 years back?! Yes, this book is proof of the culture that nobody knew about. The mere fact that this book was authored by two Indian men – Ghosh and Sen Gupta in the pre-independence era is enough to get the surprise going. Here's why it's a gem of Indian bodybuilding history. Soon I got hold of it and of course, I went through it. Before you think it's a western giving, let me tell you that it was written right here in India in 1930. A true example of what I am talking about here is this book called 'Muscle Control And Barbell Exercise'. It's sad that history often finds itself buried under layers of dust.