Milo of Croton, (Μίλων), was a Greek athlete who was one of the the most renowned wrestlers in antiquity. By wearing the victor’s crown at Olympia no less than six times, his name is still proverbial for extraordinary strength. The Greek tale of Milo serves to date the antiquity of an interest in physical development, and an understanding of the processes by which it is acquired. Briefly, his father gave him a bull calf for his son to raise. One day, his father asked him, ‘How big is your bull today?’ Milo ran outside, picked up the calf and carried him inside to show his father. Each day, his father asked him ‘How big is your bull today?’ and each day Milo ran outside, picked up the bull and carried him to his father. This went on for a number of years. As the bull grew, so did Milo’s strength.” The moral of the story demonstrates the progressive nature of strength development which was known thousands of years. Continue reading
