The Nautilus Pullover

The Nautilus Pullover
1969 AAU Mr. America Boyer Coe pictured with a vintage Nautilus Pullover circa 1972.

The Nautilus Pullover took the strength world by storm in the early 1970's and it will work just as well today -- provided it's used correctly. A few hard sets (per week) will build incredible back and upper-body development, again, if it's used correctly.

There aren't many pullovers of this generation left these days, if you have access to one, consider yourself lucky.

---

Traditional Indian Club Training

Traditional Indian Club Training
The swinging of "jori and gada" (heavy indian clubs and maces) holds a special place in the ancient art of Kushti - (Traditional Indian Wrestling and Physical Culture Training.)

In the akharas (wrestling gyms) these traditional impliments are decorated in many unique ways. Some are painted with lively decorative patterns, others, used only by the most skilled masters, are studded with nails. Some of these decorative indian clubs weigh as much as 35 KG.

---

Charles Sampson

Charles Sampson
Charles Sampson was a turn-of-the-century strongman who, unlike any of his contemporaries, claimed his great strength was not from physical training but a result of having been struck by lightning as a small child!

As noted in Physical Training Simplified by Mark Berry, Sampson did perform a Harness Lift with 4008 pounds and frequently collaborated with the famous coin breaker Franz "Cyclops" Bienkowski.

Sampson and Cyclops were both handily defeated by Eugen Sandow in a famous challenge match in 1889.

---

Slim The Hammer Man

Slim The Hammer Man
In 1975, Slim the Hammer Man got his chance...

With his mentor The Mighty Atom and the crowd of 21,000 screaming fans watching, he went to establish a record that will never be broken: to lever a pair of twenty eight pound hammers, 56 pounds on 31 inch handles, with 1736-inch pounds of pressure on his wrists.

-- The torch had been passed!

Shown above, The Hammer Man levers a weighted Ax, DO NOT try that feat at home.

---

"The Great" Joe Rollino

"The Great" Joe Rollino
The Deadlift -- a great exercise then and now... "The Great" Joe Rollino gets in a deadlift workout in a shot taken a few decades back. Joe learned how to rip playing cards and bend horse shoes as a protege of Warren Lincoln Travis. Joe recently celebrated his 103rd birthday and is as feisty as ever.

---

Bert Elliott - Stone Lifting

Bert Elliott - Stone Lifting

When the great weightlifter Bert Elliott was stationed overseas during the Korean War -- did he miss any workouts? No... he just lifted rocks instead of weights. That's a pretty hefty sized boulder that Bert is Bent-Pressing.

---

Arthur Saxon - Master of the Bent Press

Arthur Saxon - Master of the Bent Press
It is pretty safe to say that Arthur Saxon's records will never be broken. Saxon was certainly not a large man, but the rugged, functional muscle he possessed is especially evident in these shots.

Moving or holding heavy weights in the bent press (more of a supporting feat than a lift) likely contributed to Saxon's tremendous upper-body power.

---

Sandow's Pushup Machine

Sandow's Pushup MachineWhen someone says "the old timers never used machines" it's because they really don't know their strength history...

Here's Eugen Sandow (about as "Oldtime" as you can get) back in 1902, using a unique training machine of his own design -- using chest expander strands, Sandow devised a machine which could add resistance to the simple pushup, thus making it a more intense exercise.

---

The Neck Strap

The Neck Strap

A strong neck not only looks impressive, it can save your life too - especially if you play football. Not to mention that since you should train every part of your body, neck strength is simply a part of a complete program. Also, since your neck may not be used to intense training, you will likely experience impressive results rather quickly. The neck strap has long been an effective method for building neck strength, it's quick, portable and can be used by just about any athlete -- plus, if your name is Pat Povilaitis, you can hang an engine block from it while you bend a horse shoe...

---

Another Incredible Hand Balancing Feat by Bob Jones

Bob Jones again shows why he was one of the greatest hand balancers who ever lived... a one-arm planche while simultaneously holding a 55-pound dumbbell in the other hand. You won't be seeing this one again any time soon...

Bob Jones

---

The Back Press

The Back Press
The "Back Press" is one of the best and most effective Chest Expander exercises -- a great one for tricep development and widening the shoulders.

The back press cannot be performed with any other piece of equipment other than a chest expander. That's 1943 Mr. America Jules Bacon demonstrating.

---

The Wrist Roller

One of John Grimek's favorite grip training exercises was the wrist roller. Wrist rollers range from a simple piece of wood with a cord tied around it, to a more detailed and durable steel version -- either way a couple rolls in either direction with a wrist roller will give you a great forearm workout. We're currently working on our own version, look for it soon...

The Wrist Roller

---

Doug Hepburn Presses the Jowett Dumbbell

Doug Hepburn Presses the Jowett Dumbbell
During his pro-wrestling career, Doug Hepburn often performed feats of strength in the ring. Here Doug presses the 169-1/2 pound George Jowett dumbbell overhead. This special dumbbell was said to have a handle "four-times" thicker than a normal dumbbell. -- Yet another incredible pressing feat from the great Canadian Strongman.

---

The Hammer Strength Squat Machine

The Hammer Strength Squat Machine
If you're a "free-weight" guy, don't be affraid of machines - there are several that can benefit your routine greatly when used right. Here's one of them, and one of the best leg workouts you'll ever get: The Hammer Strength Squat Machine.

Use one if you can find it, or get one for your home gym, if you happen to have a lot of room -- this one's over 10 feet tall!

---

Melvin Wells

Melvin Wells
Melvin Wells was a great bodybuilder during the 1940's and 50's.

He won the "Most-Muscular" title but finished second in the 1949 AAU Mr. America contest to Jack Dellinger. He repeated this feat the next year, finishing second at the 1950 AAU Mr. America contest, this time to John Farbotnik. but again winning the "Most Muscular" award.

Wells did eventually win a contest, finishing first at the 1951 "Mr. Strength and Health" contest.

What is most interesting about Melvin Wells though is that he didn't lift barbells and dumbbells, he lifted rocks in an unheated garage at his home in Buffalo, New York.

---

Paul Anderson "A Wonder of Nature"

Paul Anderson "A Wonder of Nature"
The great Paul Anderson warms up before a weightlifting exhibition at Dynamo Stadium in Russia, circa 1955 (at the height of the Cold War), as Bob Hoffman, Tommy Kono and other members of the York Gang look on.

At the time, the World record in the Olympic press was 330-1/2 pounds, set by the Russian champion, Medvedev. In front of a crowd of 15,000 people on a rainy day, Paul Anderson pressed 402-1/2 pounds.

The Russian crowd gave Anderson a standing ovation and rightfully began calling him "Chudo Prirody," which means "a wonder of nature."

---

Frank Leight - Mr. America 1942

Frank Leight - Mr. America 1942
Frank Leight, AAU Mr. America 1942, with some classic globe barbells and kettlebells on the cover of the July, 1942 issue of Strength and Health Magazine.

Frank Leight finished 2nd in 1940 (losing to John Grimek and 3rd in 1941 (again behind Grimek, and Jules Bacon)before finally winning the Mr. America contest himself in 1942.

---

The Kennedy Lift

The Kennedy Lift
Back in 1890, Richard K. Fox, the publisher and founder of The Police Gazette held a competition to determine the strongest man in America with the prize being this belt.

Fox's challenge was to lift an unusual weight that he devised - a huge block of metal, 24-inches square, weighing in at 1030 pounds, with two handles sunk into the top. The challenge was to lift this weight clear of the floor with the hands alone.

On the day of the contest over a dozen strongmen arrived to test their strength. None lifted the weight, save J.W. Kennedy of Quincy, Illinois, who straddled the weight and grasped a handle in front and behind.

Thus, that lift became forever known as "The Kennedy Lift."

---

Bert Elliott's Bent-Press

Bert Elliott Bent-Press

The great weightlifter Bert Elliott was also a specialist in the bent-press. He had a special 201-pound globe "Challenge" Dumbbell that few could budge but which he could lift with ease. It was thought by many "old time" weight lifters that due to the incredible midsection strength that was developed by the bent-press, improving that lift would also improve one's total. Sure looks that way here.

---

John McWilliams: Dumbbell Curls

John McWilliams

Many people have wondered exactly how it was that John McWilliams built such big arms... The reasons for that should be as straightforward as can be: a)Genetics b)Progressive resistance exercise I hear dumbbell curls are a good bicep exercise -- looks like they worked well enough for John McWilliams. Can't do much about your genetics,but you certainly CAN use this great exercise to build bigger arms.

---