Monday, February 08, 2010
Indian Club SwingingSwinging the light clubs is a training methods that has been practiced for thousands of years in other cultures but has only been going on in the U.S. relatively recently. Traditionally this method has been used to build upper body strength and promote shoulder stability -- and they work just as well today. This sequence is from The Encyclopedia of Indian Physical Culture.
Labels: Encyclopedia of Indian Physical Culture, Indian Club Training, Indian Clubs, Light Clubs, Shoulder Stability, Shoulder Strength, Traditional Exercise, Traditional Physical Training
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
John B. GagnonJohn B. Gagnon, of Caribou, Maine, is a strongman that you do not hear much about but laid claim to some very impressive feats which are as follows:
Finger Lift – 794 pounds One Hand Lift – 1,111 pounds Two Hand Lift – 1,575 pounds Two Hand and Knees Lift – 2,195 pounds Neck Lift – 1,317 pounds Harness Lift – 2,689 pounds Teeth Lift – 627 pounds One Arm Lift – 924 pounds Two Arm Lift – 1,248 pounds Back Lift – 4,170 pounds Total – 16,650 pounds lifted in only 25 minutes
Labels: Back Lift, Challenge Feats, finger lifting, Harness Lift, John B. Gagnon, Neck Lift, One Finger Lift, Performing Strongman
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Sunday, February 07, 2010
John Robinson's $25,000 Challenge FeatureIt was during the season of 1898 that Louis Cyr traveled and performed with The John Robinson Circus. According to records, Cyr's measurements at the time were as follows:
John Robinson's challenge was whether any man could equal or better any one of Cyr's feats... needless to say, the money was very safe.Width across shoulders: 27 inches Neck: 23 inches Forearm: 19 inches Bicep: 21.5 inches Waist: 52 inches Thigh: 29-3/4 inches Calf: 24 inches Chest: 59.5 inches
Labels: Challenge Match, Circus Poster, Circus Strongman, John Robinson Circus, Louis Cyr, Performing Strongman
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Tullus Wright: The American Sampson Another rare look at Tullus Wright, The American Sampson and a few of his great stage weights. Note the thick handles on his equipment. He was good friends with George Zottman.
Labels: Classic Equipment, George Zottman, Globe Barbell, Globe Dumbbell, Performing Strongman, The American Sampson, Tullus Wright
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Chuck AhrensChuck Ahrens was never interested in showing off so no one really knew what he was capable of. Things like this had a lot of people wondering just exactly what his limits were. I count twelve 10-pound plates and 2 smaller ones, likely 7-1/2 pounders, for each dumbbell -- that's approximately 135 pounds per hand - and Chuck reportedly pressed them with ridiculous ease. Even dressed in a baggy, flannel shirt, you can tell Chuck Ahrens was built for some serious horse power.
Labels: Chuck Ahrens, dumbbell lifting, Muscle Beach, Two Dumbbell Press
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Tug O' War at the 1906 Olympic GamesHere's a rare look at the Tug O' War event at the 1906 Olympic Games held in Athens Greece. It looks like the Gold Medal -winning German team is on the right - notable because several of its members were also champion weightlifters, namely Heinrich Rondi and Heinrich Schneidereit. The Greek team took Silver while Sweden took Bronze.
Labels: 1906 Olympics, Gold Medal, Heinrich Rondi, Heinrich Schneidereit, Tug O War
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
The Mighty Atom: The Human BridgeYes, that's "The Mighty Atom supporting that bridge on his chest (while lying on a bed of nails). I think Slim the Hammer Man has The Atom's bed of nails in his Dungeon Gym.
Labels: Bed of Nails, Dungeon Gym, Feats of Strength, Human Bridge, Slim The Hammerman, Supporting Feat, The MIghty Atom
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Vansittart: The Man With The Iron GripGiven his penchant for ripping tennis balls in half and bending railroad spikes, it is not hard to see why Vansittart was known as the man with the "Iron Grip. Though this photo is well over a hundred years old, you can still plainly see that Vansittart had the genetics to be a strength champion. You can read about some of Vansittart's favorite exercises here.
Labels: Charles Vansittart, Forearm Development, Grip Exercise, Grip Strength, Iron Grip
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Charles G. JeffersonYou remember the Jefferson Lift? Well meet Mr. Jefferson. Charles G. Jefferson once partially deadlifted 1571-1/2 pounds with this special apparatus. Needless to say, all that heavy partial deadlifting did wonders for his grip strength. At a bodyweight of 170 pounds, Jefferson could also lift a 176 lb. Anvil by the horn.
Labels: Anvil Lifting, Charles G. Jefferson, Grip Strength, Jefferson Lift
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Les WilloughbyLes Willoughby, the great light-heavyweight British weightlifter, is shown here about to perform the 2-dumbbell press, one of the seven best power building exercises.
His best performance in this lift was a press of 230 pounds for two reps. He could also press 245 lbs., snatch 242-1/2 lbs. clean & jerk 330 pounds and just may have done some squatting in his day.
Labels: British Champion, British Strongman, Dumbbell Press, Leg Development, Les Willoughby, Snatch, Two Dumbbell Press
www.oldtimestrongman.com
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
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