Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Demetrius TofalosDemetrius Tofalos was a Greek weightlifter who survived a serious childhood injury and went on to defeat Josef Steinbach to win the Gold Medal at the 1906 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. The winning lift for Tofalos in the "two-hand barbell lift" (i.e. clean and jerk) was 142.4 Kilograms.
It really was a "clean" and jerk - lifters were penalized if the barbell touched any other part of their body as they brough it to their chest..
Tofalos was also a very successful professional wrestler although a defeat and injury by American Champion Frank Gotch forced his retirement. Tofalos eventually went on to manage Jim Londos, "The Golden Greek."
Today, a sports arena is named in Tofalos' honor in his hometown of Patras, Greece.
Labels: 1906 Olympics, British Wrestler, Clean and Jerk, Demetrius Tofalos, Gold Medal, Greek Weightlifter, Jim Londos, Joseph Steinbach, Olympic Sport
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Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Ernest CadineErnest Cadine was a French Weightlifter who won the Gold Medal at the 1920 Olympic Games held in Antwerp, Belgium. He set six World records over his competitive career.
In 1925, Cadine performed a one-arm swing with 90 kilos which was actually greater than his own bodyweight. He could also right hand snatch 211 pounds and one-hand deadlifted the famous Apollon Wheels.
Labels: 1920 Olympics, Apollon's Wheels, Ernest Cadine, French Strongman, French Weightlifter, Gold Medal, Olympics
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The Magic SquareYou've heard of the Magic Circle... but have you heard of the Magic Square?
It was another experiment to make intense leg work more "comfortable." However, like the Magic Circle, it also changed the lifter's center of gravity which was somewhat problematic.
Still, the Magic Square was GREAT for Hise Shrugs and calf work.
Labels: Equipment, Hise Shrugs, Leg Development, The Magic Circle, The Magic Square
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Monday, July 28, 2008
Maxick - Muscle Control"The serious student of muscle control will soon become aware of the fact that his will-power has become greater and his mental faculties clearer and capable of increased concentration.
Thus, it will be observed that the controlling of the muscles reacts upon the mind and strengthens the mental powers in exactly the same proportion that the control of the muscles strengthens the body and limbs."
- Muscle Control by Maxick, chapter IV, written in 1910
(looks like it works!)
Labels: Maxick, Muscle Control, Muscle Control Course, Muscle Control Feat
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Karl Norberg: Plate Muscle-OutLifting an old York deep-dish 45-pound plate by the hub is impressive enough, but this feat is out of this world. At 69 years of age, "The Mighty Norseman" Karl Norberg not only pinched the plate, he lifted it and performed a Muscle-Out with it - a simply incredible feat of strength!
Labels: Finger Strength, Grip Feat, Grip Strength, Hub Lift, Karl Norberg, Muscle Out, York Deep Dish 45 Pound Plate
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Sunday, July 27, 2008
| Here's an ad for a training course you won't be seeing anytime soon: The Kings of Arm Strength by George R. Weaver and David P. Willoughby This course has all the great ones and covers a variety of feats for building bigger and stronger arms: hand balancing,card tearing, horse shoe breaking and many more... I'm fortunate enough to own a copy (and no, it isn't for sale.) This was actually Weaver and Willoughby's second course on arm building with the first titled: Powerful Arms for You. |  The King's of Arm Strength by George Weaver |
Labels: Arm Strength, Card Tearing, David Willoughby, George R. Weaver, Hand Balancing, Horseshoe Bending, The Kings of Arm Strength, Training Course
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The Mighty Atom - A Different Kind of Horseshoe BendingMany of the Oldtime Strongmen bent horseshoes but nobody could do it like The Mighty Atom - Yow! The cool thing is, Slim The Hammer Man still has the Mighty Atom's bending post in his Dungeon Gym.
Labels: Feat, Horseshoe Bending, Steel Bending, The MIghty Atom, Unusual Strength
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Jean Baillargeon - Finger LiftingJean Baillargeon, of the famed Baillargeon Brothers lifts what looks to be around 260 pounds with his little finger! Finger lifting was a favorite feat of many Oldtime Strongmen - some men were able to work up to 500-600 pounds in this lift.
Labels: Baillargeon Brothers, Finger Strength, Grip Feat, Jean Baillargeon, One Finger Lift, Single Finger Lifts
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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, July 15, 2008
Indian Club Swinging at the 1904 Summer OlympicsWhen you think of the Summer Olympics, the events that most immediately come to mind probably include track and field, weightlifting, swimming, and other popular forms of competition... but Olympic history is full of several unusual sports that garnered much less attention, and which existed as a competitive event for only a brief period.
You may be surprised to learn that at the 1904 Summer Olympics (held in St. Louis, Missouri) indian club swinging made its first (but not only) appearance as an Olympic contest.
Classified as a gymnastics event, the original competition featured only three athletes -- all from the United States: Edward Hennig of Cleveland, Ohio took home the Gold Medal, narrowly edging his countryman Emil Voigt by a score of 13-9. Ralph Wilson took Bronze with a score of "5."
Indian Club Swinging was again on the docket for the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, but that was its last moment in the spotlight, at least on the Olympic stage. We sure won't be seeing any late-night coverage of club swinging from Beijing this year.
Although no longer a competitive sport, club swinging still remains a great way to build upper body strength and stamina even a hundred years later.
Labels: 1904 Olympics, Edward Hennig, Emil Voight, Gold Medal, Gymnastics, Indian Club Swinging, Olympic Sport, Olympics
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Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Chuck Sipes Lifting His TruckChuck Sipes was one of the strongest bodybuilders of all time. Chuck, who won the 1959 IFBB Mr. America, 1960 IFBB Mr. Universe and 1968 Mr. World Bodybuilding titles, could also could perform several incredible feats of strength.
As he was training to accomplish a 600 pound(!) bench press, Chuck used to train using a variety of techniques involving heavy supports and negatives -- he even had a special handle welded to the underside of his pickup truck which he used to lift and support the whole affair.
Sipes would first lift the pickup truck as high as he could with his arms then wedge his legs underneath. In the top position, he estimated that he was supporting 1600 pounds.
Labels: Chuck Sipes, IFBB, Mr. America, Mr. World, Odd Object Lifting, Supporting Feat, Truck Lifting
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Monday, July 07, 2008
| "The natural invigorating remedy for an exhausted body is rest, both in the physical as in the mental direction, and a healthy sleep. This is the only means by which the various organs and muscles may rid themselves of the "fatigue poison" and collect and develop fresh energy." ~ George Hackenschmidt, The Way to Live, Chapter 6 |  George Hackenschmidt |
Labels: George Hackenschmidt, Recovery Techniques, The Way to Live
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Friday, July 04, 2008
 45 Plate Hub Curl | Rocky Erickon of Chicago, Illinois performs an incredible feat of grip strength: a hub "lift" and curl of a pair of old York Barbell "deep dish" 45-pound plates. Lifting a 45-pound plate by the hub is impressive, but Rocky takes it to a whole new level with this feat. |
Labels: Barbell Plate, Curl, Exercise, Finger Strength, Grip Exercise, Grip Feat, Grip Training, York Deep Dish 45 Pound Plate
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Tuesday, July 01, 2008
One Corner of Ed Yarick's GymThis picture represents approximately 50% of Ed Yarick's Gym out in Oakland, California. As you can see, there wasn't much to it -- a couple rows of dumbbells, a few platforms, barbells and benches -- but that is all it takes.
These spartan surroundings produced some of the greatest strength champions the world has ever known: Olympic Champion John Davis, THE clasic physique, bodybuilding champion Steve Reeves, Mr. Americas Roy Hilligenn, Clancy Ross and Jack Dellinger all trained there. As did Doug Hepburn and Reg Park when he visited the west coast.
Labels: Clancy Ross, Classic Gym, Doug Hepburn, Ed Yarick's Gym, Oakland California, Reg Park, Roy Hilligenn, Steve Reeves
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