Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Neck StrengthBuilding a strong neck is a good idea... but especially if you plan on doing crazy things like this. That's me holding a full nose-to-mat neck bridge with 168-pound pat Povilaitis standing on top of me while bending a red nail. It took me a long time to build up this level of neck strength. DON'T try this at home.
Labels: Bodyweight Feat, John Wood, Neck Bridge, Neck Strength, Pat Povilaitis
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| Siegmund Breitbart was a strongman of many unusual talents... Like many of the oldtime strongmen, he performed feats such as bending steel bars, nail driving, supporting feats etc etc but one type of strength that he was simply in a class by himself was the strength of his jaw. He could pull cars or wagons with his teeth but even more amazing was that he could bite clean through steel chain links. Yes, real steel, real chains, one of which is pictured on the right. This feat is almost to incredible to be true. Amazingly enough, the Mighty Atom was able to accomplish this feat as well. |  The Actual Chain that Breitbart bit through |
Labels: Chain Biting, Nail Driving, Oldtime Strongman Feat, Siegmund Breitbart, Steel Bending, Supporting Feat
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| Iron Boots have been around for a long time and many different strength companies have their own version. The advertisement shown here is for the York iron boot, which had a unique thumb-screw attachment on the back for holding dumbbell bars in place. As the ad says, they were essentially "dumbbells for your feet." Iron boots could be used for a variety of leg exercises but were also particularly useful for abdominal work such as hanging leg raises and the like. Grimek particularly liked the standing side leg raise with iron boots. iron boots were also often referred to as "health shoes." |  Iron Boots |
Labels: Grimek Exercise, Iron Boots, John Grimek, Oldtime Strength Equipment
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Results of the 1940 AAU Mr. America Contest:
| 1. John Grimek 2. Frank Leight 3. Ludwig Schusterich 4. Chick Deutch 5. John Gallagher 6. George Lapausky - Dave Asnis - Monroe Brown - Jack Channing - Elmer Farnham - Carl Hempe - Gene Jantzen - Melvin Kahn - Terry Robinson - Tony Terlazzo - Joseph Thaler - Herman Weinsoff - Charles Whitlock |  John Grimek won the "Most Muscular" subdivision as well as the overall title |
Labels: 1940 Mr. America Contest, Bodybuilding, Frank Leight, John Grimek, Most Muscular, Mr. America 1940, Tony Terlazzo
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September, 1944 Strength and Health Magazine: Steve StankoThe great Steve Stanko on the cover of the September, 1944 issue of Strength and Health Magazine. Steve was equal parts champion weightlifter (1st man to break the 1000 pound barrier in the 3 Olympic lifts) and bodybuilder (1944 AAU Mr. America and first Mr. Universe ever in 1947. Steve Stanko is featured prominantly in Brooks Kubik's new book Legacy of Iron.
Labels: 1000 Pound Barrier, 1944 Mr. America, Bodybuilding, Cover, Legacy of Iron, Mr. Universe, Steve Stanko, Strength and Health Magazine
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Murl Mitchell's HammersInteresting thing happen around here on a pretty frequent basis... Over a year ago I put up this post of Mr. Murl Mitchell of Los Angeles who was shown levering these unusual sledge hammers in an old issue of Strength and Health Magazine. A few months later I was contacted by Marilyn and Marjorie, his two daughters, who informed me that they were still in possession of Murl's Hammers.
I asked for a recent picture of the hammers and asked if it would be OK to post it (shown on the right.) Marilyn and Marjorie said sure, their Dad would have gotten a kick out of being included among so many strength greats. Murl used to load up these hammers with buckshot until they were the desired weight. He was using well over 20 pounds in each hand back in the 1940s. They were proud of their Pop!
Marjorie informs me that Murl was good friends with many of the York Gang and they used to stop by and visit frequently when on the west coast. In addition to his hammer exploits, Murl won the 1945 California lightweight weightlifting championship and placed second in the 123-pound class in the 1945 senior nationals. Murl also had some heavy axes that he had specially made for levering, which I will feature at a later date.
Labels: Murl Mitchell, Sledge Hammer Exercise, Sledge Hammer Leverage, sledge Hammers
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Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Sig KleinSig Klein is proof that you don't necessarily have to be 'HUGE' to be impressive. I doubt Sig ever weighed more than 150 pounds and I don't think his arm ever stretched the tape to more than 16 inches yet few modern "strongmen" could duplicate his strength feats or muscularity.
Labels: Arm Development, Sig Klein
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Sunday, December 28, 2008
York BarbellsA selection of York Barbells and dumbbells in a classic wooden rack. They were marketed as "second to none" and they were. Notice the plates are positioned on the bars to minic a globe shape.
Labels: Barbell Plates, Barbells, Barbells Dumbbells, Dumbbell, York Barbell, York Equipment
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Arthur Saxon - The Two Dumbbell Lift"... For position I place both bells parallel to each other between the feet. Now stoop down and raise same up so that the discs or globes rest on the thighs, the bells being held together. By leaning backwards you will be able to pull the bells on to the body, from whence by a jerk you get them partly on the chest, and so to the shoulders, after which you stand in a firm position ready to sink below the weights and to move your feet to enable you to dip beneath your dumb-bells as they go aloft.
This is done by a vicious jerk, after which you sink and so get the bells overhead, the eyes to be on them as they go aloft for fear you lose the balance. If you would lift them in the clean English style, then they may be taken from between the feet, or from the sides of the feet, you to lean backwards as you pull them up and split the feet in two opposite directions, one to the back, and one to the front.
Still another way is to stand with them at the sides, and whilst in this position give them a swing to the front and then to the back and so up to the shoulders.
Take advantage of this swing, and by a movement similar to the one last described regarding the feet, you will find the bells at the shoulder. The latter position is more suitable to tall men than to short men..."
~ Arthur Saxon, The Textbook of Weightlifting (1910)
Labels: Arthur Saxon, Dumbbell Exercise, Dumbbell Lift, The Textbook of Weightlifting
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Vintage Earle E. Liederman AdA vintage ad for Earle E. Liederman's training courses. Notice the exercises: being touted: bent over row, Jefferson Lift, Overhead Press, Bent Press, Bridging -- all serious muscle builders. You sure won't see 'em like this these days.
Labels: Advertisement, Bent Over Rowing, Bent Press, Earle E. Liederman, Jefferson Lift, Neck Bridge, Overhead Press
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John GrimekIt has been said that it was impossible to take a bad picture of John Grimek, and I believe it. Today, there there are bodybuilders who outweigh Grimek by over a hundred pounds, yet few are more impressive...
Labels: Bodybuilding, John Grimek
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Friday, December 26, 2008
 Roy Hilligenn | Roy Hilligenn Mr. America 1951 and 1952 Jr. Light-heavy weightlifting champ is a strongman athlete of rare ability. Here he is in mid-clean with Ed Yarick's 142-pound dumbbells while weighing less than 180 pounds himself. The average man would be lucky to clean a pair of 100's. These are the same dumbbells that John Davis is cleaning and pressing here. |
Labels: Clean, Dumbbell Lift, Ed Yarick's Gym, John Davis, Roy Hilligenn
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MaxickEven a hundred years later, there aren't many men who can compete with Maxick in terms of pure muscularity. His incredible condition came about mostly from practicing Muscle Control but he was no slouch when it came to moving some heavy iron either. Maxick could "swing" a 150-pound dumbbell - a dumbbell as heavy as his own bodyweight. He could also overhead "press" over 230 pounds - impressive feats for any sized athlete.
Labels: Dumbbell Swing, Maxick, Muscle Control, Press
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 The York Hand Balancing Course | The name York Barbell is synonymous with freeweights -- barbells, dumbbells and the like, but they were all about "Strength" in all its many forms. Hand Balancing was, of course, a very popular method of training even with the typical "barbell" man. Articles with hand balancing techniques regularly appeared in Strength and Health Magazine. And, as many past champions demonstrated, hand balancing was a good method for improving one's barbell overhead press. An advertisement for the York Hand Balancing course is shown at the left. |
Labels: Advertisement, Hand Balancing, Strength and Health, Training Course, York Barbell, York Hand Balancing Course
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Arthur Saxon's Unusual Challenge BarbellA rare look a Arthur Saxon's unique challenge barbell - The great Sandow failed on five attempts to bent-press. Saxon, however, eaily lifted this mighty weight overhead on a daily basis.
Labels: Arthur Saxon, Bent Press, Challenge Weight, Eugen Sandow, Globe Barbell
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Thursday, December 25, 2008
Cannonball Richards Takes on Nine MenTalk about "core strength! Frank "Cannonball" Richards pictured just a moment before impact.
Labels: Abdominal Strength, Cannon Ball Richards, Strongman Feat
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Saturday, December 20, 2008
 Swingbell Exercises | The swingbell is a dumbbell with the weights loaded in the middle instead of either end. This configuration has a great feel for exercises such as curls, wrist curls and swings, as the name implies. |
Labels: Arm Exercise, Swing, swingbell, Swingbell Exercises, Unique Equipment
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Jackson Barbell Company AdIf you want to know why equipment manufactured by The Jackson Barbell Company was and is so well thought of, just read the ad and see how much care went into production. Having trained with a "No. 1" set just like the one in the picture, I can tell you it was no exaggeration.
Labels: Advertisement, Barbell, Jackson Barbell Company
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Antonino "Argentina" RoccaAntonino "Argentina" Rocca was one of the greatest pure athletes to ever enter the squared circle. His incredible jumping feats and aerial maneuvers left an indelible mark on the world of pro-wrestling. His signature move was the "Argentine Backbreaker" although it was flying dropkick after flying dropkick which often put his foes down for good. Rocca was trained by Stanislaus Zbyszko
Labels: Antonino Rocca, Argentina Rocca, Pro Wrestler, Stanislaus Zbyszko, Wrestling
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Vintage Milo Barbell Company AdHere's a look at a vintage ad for the Milo Barbell Company circa 1910. Read the words carefully. Interestingly enough, the messages of proper training and necessity for good equipment have not changed one bit over the last hundred years.
Labels: Advertisement, Milo Barbell Company
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Friday, December 19, 2008
 Sig Klein at 57 years of Age | "I have always found the kettlebell to be one of the most useful and fascinating pieces of weight training apparatus. It can be handled in so many diverse manners that its application in the field of body-building exercises is almost without limit. You will have to hunt for a long time to find a more versatile piece of training equipment." - Sig Klein |
Labels: Bodybuilding, Kettlebell, kettlebell training, Sig Klein
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An Interesting ComparisonAn interesting comparison of bent-press techniques. On the left, Real Lacombe of Toranto, Canada bent-presses a heavy dumbbell. On the right, grandmaster martial artist Wang Zi Ping bent-presses a Chinese stone lock.
Labels: Bent Press, Chinese Stone Lock, Dumbbell, Wang Zi Ping
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Pole Climbing - George HackenschmidtAn incredibly rare snapshot from the training of George Hackenschmidt. In addition to lifting, road work, and wrestling practice, Hack also liked to climb telephone poles to build his upper-body strength. "Hugging" the telephone pole built the perfect kind of strength for throwing and grappling. His training partner Dr. Roller looks on in amazement.
Labels: Benjamin Roller, Bodyweight Exercise, Dr. Roller, George Hackenschmidt, Pole Climbing
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Chest Expander Training - Earle E. LiedermanEarle E. Liederman was one of the many Oldtime Strongmem who were big proponents of Chest Expanders. Here he demonstrates the "front pull," a great exercise for building shoulder strength.
Labels: Chest Expander Exercises, Chest Expanders, Earle E. Liederman, Front Pull
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Alan P. MeadAnother shot of Alan P. Mead who was known as "The Human Anatomy Chart" for good reason. He developed his incredible condition primarily through practicing Muscle Control.
Labels: Alan P. Mead, Human Anatomy Chart, Muscle Control
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Thursday, December 18, 2008
Mac Batchelor: Barrel LiftingWhen you run a tavern, like Mac Batchelor once did, you had better be adept at lifting barrels. The Barrel Press as Mac demonstrates here is a great upper-body developer, especially if the barrel is partially filled with beer.
Labels: Barrel, Barrel Lifting, Barrel Press, Mac Batchelor, Wooden Barrel
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| Another great shot of the champion French Weight lifter Ernest Cadine at the conclusion of a heavy one-arm snatch. Even though the quality of this old picture is not perfect, Cadine's incredible muscle density is evident. It's not hard to see why he won the gold medal at the 1920 Olympic Games, likely around the same time this picture was taken. Note the cannon on the wall behind him. Yes, it was used specifically for lifting purposes. |  Ernest Cadine |
Labels: 1920 Olympics, Cannon, Ernest Cadine, French Strongman, French Weightlifter, Globe Barbell, Gold Medal, one arm snatch
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Monday, December 15, 2008
Yuri Vlasov - Russian KettlebellsAs young trainees, many Russian weightlifters were introduced to physical training in the form of Kettlebells. Many of them maintained this practice even in later years as they became great champions. Among them is the great Soviet lifter Yuri Vlasov, who was a Gold Medal winner at the 1960 Rome Olympics, a four-time Senior World Champion (1959, 1961-1963) and Six-time Consecutive Senior European Champion (1959-1964). Vlasov set 34 World records over his career. You may not be able to make it out but the kettlebell at his feet is marked "32" i.e. 32 kilograms or just over 70 pounds.
Labels: 1960 Olympics, Kettlebell, Olympic Weightlifting, Russian Kettlebells, Russian Weightlifter, Yuri Vlasov
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El Increible (The Incredible) Profesor Zovek"El Profesor" Zovek is the greatest strength athlete you've never heard of. In the late 1960's Zovek became a national hero in his native Mexico when he performed a number of incredible strength feats and escapes on television to raise money for charity.
Among them: he performed 17,800 situps without stopping (!) in an eight hour span... he skipped rope for nine consecutive hours... smashed through wooden boards with his fists and even held back a team of motorcycles with his teeth. He went on to star in a few Mexican wrestling movies with the likes of Blue Demon.
Labels: Mexican Strongman, Profesor Zovek, Situps, Wrestling, Zovek
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Sunday, December 14, 2008
Arthur LeslieArthur Leslie was just a guy who trained at Sig Klein's Gym in New York City. The reason Leslie began training in the first place is that he became tired of being weak and overweight. At 46 years years old he had never touched a weight before but soon after he began training he began to see tremendous results. In fact his results were so dramatic, Sig Klein featured him in several occasions in his publication Klein's Bell. Here he is with a great Thick-Handled show barbell. Leslie was 59 years of age when this picture was taken.
Labels: Arthur Leslie, Globe Barbell, Kleins Bell, Sig Klein, Sig Kleins Gym, Thick Handle
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Friday, December 12, 2008
| Sig Klein inherited much of his great equipment when he married Professor Attila's daughter and took over his gym in New York. Of course, Sig had pretty good taste in equipment anyway often having custom-made barbells, dumbbells and kettlebells made. |  Sig Klein |
Labels: Globe Barbell, Kettlebell, Oldtime Strength Equipment, Professor Attila, Sig Klein
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The Mighty Atom - Nail DrivingThe Mighty Atom was a master of many unusual strength feats, one of which was driving a nail through thick wooden boards with his bare hand. He performed this feat for decades, even into his 70s. In fact, in his Dungeon Gym Slim The Hammer Man still has the last nail the Might Atom ever drove.
Labels: Nail Driving, Slim The Hammerman, Strength Feat, The Dungeon, The MIghty Atom
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Nautilus Bulletin No. 1 Iron Man Ad Thought you might like to see this -- an advertisement for Nautilus Bulletin No. 1 from the pages of the May, 1972 issue of Iron Man Magazine. If the ad looks interesting, imagine reading the whole book...
Labels: Advertisement, Arthur Jones, Iron Man Magazine, Nautilus, Nautilus Bulletins, Nautilus Training
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De Arte Gymnastica by Hieronimus Mercurialis It doesn't get any more "Old School" than De Arte Gymnastica by Hieronimus Mercurialis. Published in 1569, this is the oldest book ever written on physical training. It describes exercises as practiced by the classical Greeks and Romans: the value of walking, throwing the discus, climbing ropes, training with heavy balls (i.e. Medicine Balls) and, as seen in the wood cut above, dumbbells and heavy stone tablets called "plummets" -- history's first odd object lifting!
Labels: Ancient Greece, Climbing Ropes, De Arte Gymnastica, Hieronimus Mercurialis, Medicine Balls, Odd Object Lifting
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Mickey HargitayOne bodybuilder who "made good" was Mickey Hargitay, who married the famous blonde bombshell Jayne Mansfield in 1958. Hargitay rose through the ranks in the AAU Mr. America contests in the early fifties before winning the NABBA Mr. Universe title in 1955. He trained at Bob Higgins' Gym in Indianapolis, Indiana and in York, PA on occasion. Hargitay appeared on the cover of a number of strength magazines throughout his career.
Labels: Bob Higgins, Bodybuilder, Higgins Gym, Indianapolis, Jayne Mansfield, Mr. America, Mr. Universe, NABBA
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Thursday, December 11, 2008
 Reg Park | The thing about many of the oldtime bodybuilders is that they didn't need to pump up to be impressive, they just were impressive. Here the great Reg Park gets in a few sets of arm work. and below, one of his favorite routines: Mon - Wed - Fri |
Labels: Arm Exercise, Bodybuilding, Reg Park, Reg Park Workout, Tricep Press, Tricep Work, Workout. Routine
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Dr. Benjamin RollerDr. Benjamin Franklin Roller was an early catch wrestler who sparred with the likes of Gotch, Hackenschmidt, Great Gama, and Zbyszko. Aside from wrestling, Roller was a great athlete in other sports, captaining the football and track teams at DePauw University where he attended in the late 1800s.
Upon graduating from medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, he accepted a professorship at the University of Washington. Shortly after, he instead chose to chase fame and fortune -- mostly fortune -- as a professional wrestler. Roller was a very good (but not great) wrestler although he did win his fair share of matches. Eventually he became a training partner for George Hackenschmidt
Labels: Benjamin Roller, Catch Wrestler, Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, Wrestling
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Wednesday, December 10, 2008
The Great GamaAfter seeing this picture it is not difficult to see why The Great Gama was known as the greatest of all the Indian Wrestlers. In a match against Benjamin Roller the great Indian Champion "threw" his opponent 13 times in 13 minutes! From then on it was tough for the Great Gama to get matches. It was said that George Hackenschmidt and Frank Gotch both refused to face him in the ring. This rare picture was taken in 1934 - Gama was 51 years of age at the time.
Labels: Benjamin Roller, Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, Indian Wrestler, The Great Gama, Wrestling
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Henry Rollins"...It took me years to fully appreciate the value of the lessons I have learned from the Iron. I used to think that it was my adversary, that I was trying to lift that which does not want to be lifted. I was wrong. When the Iron doesn't want to come off the mat, it's the kindest thing it can do for you. If it flew up and went through the ceiling, it wouldn't teach you anything. That's the way the Iron talks to you. It tells you that the material you work with is that which you will come to resemble. That which you work against will always work against you..." (Click Here to Read More)
Labels: Henry Rollins, Iron
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The Neck HelmetA "strongman" should be strong everywhere and that means building a strong neck too. One of the best ways to build a thicker stronger neck is by using a "neck helmet" a football helmet with a retrofitted weight horn. This setup makes it very easy to train the neck from several different directions. This particular neck helmet was using some plans from an old issue of Iron Man Magazine and has been in use for over 10 years (no, it's not for sale.)
Labels: Equipment, Iron Man Magazine, Neck Exercise, Neck Helmet, Neck Strength, Unique Equipment, Unusual Training Equipment
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Tuesday, December 09, 2008
George Eiferman: Pushups on Benches1948 Mr. America George Eiferman demonstrates pushups on benches in what looks to be the old York Broad street Gym. A Simple... but effective exercise. Eiferman was well known for his chest development and this movement was one of his favorites.
Labels: 1948 Mr. America, Broad Street Gym, George Eiferman, Mr. America, Pushups
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| Today you can go to a sporting good's store and get a barbell and a weight set but this wasn't always the case. Years ago, some folks had to be resourceful if they wanted to get strong. Here Steve Minnaji of East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania presses a great thick-handled custom barbell made of automobile parts. Steve is 71 years of age in this picture. |  Steve Minnaji's Custom Barbell |
Labels: Custom Barbell, Equipment, Thick Handle
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Bruno and the lil' GuysIt's not often that Sergio Oliva and that other fellow on the right look small but Bruno Sammartino makes it happen.
Labels: Arnold, Bruno Sammartino, Sergio Oliva
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The Mighty Atom - Chain BitingAmong the Mighty Atom's incredible feats was the ability to bite steel chains and nails clean in half. The results are shown in the inset. Amazingly, The Atom was not the only strongman who could perform this feat Siegmund Breitbart could do it as well.
Labels: Chain Biting, Jaw Strength, Siegmund Breitbart, Strength Feat, The MIghty Atom
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Monday, December 08, 2008
Pat PovilaitisBefore he was "The Human Vise" Pat Povilaitis was just a guy lifting in his basement and getting stronger. Here's a shot of Pat from a few years back lifting a 292-pound honed granite stone. You won't find many folks of any bodyweight able to do that, Pat was only 180-pounds at the time.
Labels: Granite Sphere, Granite Stone, Human Vise, Lifting Stones, Pat Povilaitis, Stone Ball, Stone Lifting
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Sunday, December 07, 2008
George Hackenschmidt - The Russian Lion"...Any man who is normally of good physique, who has indulged in any form of athletics, or who has practised the series of exercises dealt with previously, for a period, say, of six months, should, however, devote his principal attention to muscular development. He may secure and maintain a condition of fair physical fitness by means of exercise without weights, but he cannot hope to become really strong unless he exercises with weights; for it is only by so doing that he can develop muscle of really good quality, and, as already hinted, it is important, both from the Health and the Strength points of view, that every muscular group throughout the body should be of the best quality attainable..."- The Way to Live by George Hackenschmidt Chapter 9
Labels: George Hackenschmidt, Physical Training, Strength Author, The Russian Lion, The Way to Live
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Friday, December 05, 2008
Strength MagazineStrength Magazine began in 1914 and was originally a house organ for Alan Calvert'sMilo Barbell Company. It was used primarily to educate customers of the fine art of using their newly purchased weight set.
The first dozen or so issues were digest size and printed on acid free paper... certainly ahead of its time. The magazine then went through several format changes focusing primarily on athletic training. Eventually the format shifted back to magazine size with strength training and physical cultrue making up the bulk of the material, with articles on other related athletic pursuits, boxing, wrestling, baseball, golf etc thrown in.
Each month you would find training articles by many of the greatest strength writers in the pages of Strength Magazine. Men like George Jowett, Mark Berry, Handbalancer Bob Jones and many others. Copies are extremely difficult to come by. This is the cover of the January 1928 Issue.
Labels: Alan Calvert, Bob Jones, Cover, George Jowett, Mark Berry, Milo Barbell Company, Strength Magazine
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European Strongmen A rare photo of European strongmen taken in the early 1900's. The great strongman/wrestler Stanislaus Zbyszko can be seen in the center of the photograph. Gotta love that great oldtime training equipment.
Labels: European Strongmen, Oldtime Strongmen, Stanislaus Zbyszko
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Squatting with CaseyIf there is a "secret" to super strength it's hard, intense leg work. Here's 1971 Mr. America Casey Viator getting in a quick squat workout at the infamous quonset hut, Deland Florida, circa 1971 or so. I count well over 500 pounds on the bar -- not bad for a "training weight."
Labels: 1971 Mr. America, Barbell, Casey Viator, Leg Development, Squat, Squat Workout
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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 Samson Cable SetMike Brown was always a big fan of expander training and came up with his own unique st which he used to advertise in the back of Ironman Magazine. The handles actually unscrew apart so the bands can be looped on to them - an ingenius design really.
Labels: Cable Training, Cables, Chest Expanders, Iron Man Magazine, Mike Brown, Rubber Chest Expanders, Samson Cable Set
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Thursday, December 04, 2008
Eugen Sandow"...Strength enthusiasts of today should feet a debt of gratitude towards Eugene Sandow, who thrilled audiences in Europe and America during the last decade of the nineteenth century with his wonderful showmanship and the remarkable shapeliness of his physique. Witnessing the perfection of his muscular development and apparently super human strength undoubtedly caused more men and boys to become interested in the improvement of the human body than the efforts of any other single human... "- Physical Training Simplified by Mark Berry, Chapter 30
Labels: Eugen Sandow, Mark Berry, 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
The Wrestler's BridgeThe wrestler's bridge is a great exercise, but it isn't for everyone. Regardless, one of the areas that you should pay particular attention to building is the strength of your neck. Here's the course that taught me how to bridge correctly: Combat Conditioning.
Labels: Bodyweight Exercise, Neck Exercise, Neck Strength, Wrestlers Bridge
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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 Close Grip CurlThe close grip curl is an excellent variation on the basic movement. Grasp the barbell with hands no more than six inches apart, preferably touching. It is more difficult to curl in this position so less weight must be used.
Labels: Barbell Curls, Barbell Exercise, Bicep Exercise, Close Grip Curl, Curls
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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 Lemm"The Swiss Hercules" John Lemm, a champion wrestler, was one of the first men to squat with over 500 pounds. Judging by this picture it is not hard to see why as his thick bone structure and naturally rugged musculature is evident.
Lemm won a famous 1908 wrestling tournament in London billed as "The Battle of Giants" where he defeated (among others) then-title holder Russian Ivan Poddubny and the great French wrestler/strongman Apollon.
Labels: Apollon, Ivan Poddubny, John Lemm, Squat, Swiss Hercules, Swiss Strongman, Wrestler
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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
Gord VenablesGord Venables, one of the original members of the York Gang strikes a heroic pose on the cover of the February, 1936 issue of Strength and Health Magazine. A one-hand barbell snatch of 145 pounds was impressive then but even more-so today.
Labels: Barbell, Cover, Gord Venables, one arm snatch, Strength and Health Magazine, York Gang
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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, December 03, 2008
Ernest Cadine Lifts Some Classic IronAn extremely rare shot of the great French Weightlifter Ernest Cadine deadlifting a classic globe barbell. Is this the same globe barbell that Tommy Kono lifted here? It's certainly possible.
Labels: Deadlift, Ernest Cadine, French Strongman, French Weightlifter, Globe Barbell, Globe Dumbbells, Tommy Kono
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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
Kim Wood's GymNo, it's not Professor Desbonnet's Paris Gym or Professor Attila's Health Studio but the private gym of Kim Wood. Look closely and you'll see a barbell that once belonged to Warren Lincoln Travis a Jackson Barbell Set an oak climbing ladder from the Narragansett Machine company and more than one Milo Kettlebell. There's no finer gym in the land.
Labels: Classic Gym, Classic Strongman Gyms, Globe Barbell, Jackson Barbell Company, Kim Wood, Milo Kettlebell, Oldtime Strength Equipment, Strongman Equipment, Warren Lincoln Travis
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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
Steve Stanko Cable CurlsSteve Stanko, 1944 AAU Mr. America, often used cables for training his arms. In this shot Steve appears to be using the "flat band"-type of York Chest Expander and I'd say it's doing the job pretty well.
Labels: 1944 Mr. America, Bicep Exercise, Chest Expander, Curl, Steve Stanko
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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, December 02, 2008
Indian Club Swinging With Calvin CoolidgeWhen you swing Indian Clubs you're in pretty good company. Here's Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the United States takng a few minutes to swing the clubs around in the 1920's. You have to admire that. Coolidge also liked to ride a mechanical horse (which he had installed at the White House) and pitch hay for exercise. Note the rack of wooden dumbbells and clubs and wall pulley in the backgound.
Also see Hooverball for another excellent example of presidential physical fitness.
Labels: Calvin Coolidge, Indian Clubs, Physical Culture, Wooden Dumbbells.
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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
If you ever take a visit to Dr. Ken's place, don't expect to leave without getting in at least one squat workout. Here's a classic shot from Dr. Ken's now-legendary 23 reps x 407 pounds squat session. If I recall Doc weighed in around 165 pounds at the time. You won't find many heavyweights these days who could go that low with 407 pounds once, let alone 23 times!
Dr. Ken Squatting 23 Reps with 407 PoundsLabels: Barbell, Dr. Ken Leistner, Dr. Ken Workout, Squat Workout
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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
Barrel Lifting at "The Pit"No matter how you slice it, barrel lifting is a great workout, as shown on this classic cover of Hardgainer Magazine (#30, May-June 1994). In this shot, Bob Farris from Dick Conner's place "The Pit" Barbell Club in Evansville, Indiana presses a 150-pound water-filled barrel for 13 reps. If you've ever trained with barrels, you know this is STRONG!
Labels: Barrel, Barrel Lifting, Bob Farris, Hardgainer Magazine, Odd Object Lifting, Press, The Pit Barbell Club
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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
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