Thursday, September 17, 2009
Anton Matysek
Anton Matysek preparing to "rock to the shoulder an enormous barbell with 16-in spheres, which weighs 231 pounds empty, and is 7-1/2 feet long over all. After this picture was taken, Matysek placed this bell on the floor, raised it to the shoulder with two hands, jerked it until it rested across his shoulders behind his neck, jerked it aloft again and replaced it on the floor.
The handle-bar is nearly 3-inches thick: it takes a tremendous grip to use a thick handle-bar like this. Some of the athletes who witnesses this feat of Matysek's were unable to lift the bell from the floor.
After performing the above feat, Matysek stood the bell on end, as shown in this picture, rocked it to his shoulder and then pressed it to arm's length with one hand.
Labels: Anton Matysek, Bent Press, Bent Press Feat, Grip Strength, Thick Bar, Thick Bar Lifting, Thick Handle
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Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Anton MatysekThe great strongman Anton Matysek was born in Czechoslovakia in 1893 but emigrated to the U.S. when he was 12 years old. At 17 years old, he broke the AAU record for the Bent Press with a lift of 241-1/2 lbs at a bodyweight of only 167 lb. In addition to his weight lifting exploits, Matysek was a master of Muscle Control.
Labels: Anton Matysek, Bent Press, Kettlebell, Muscle Control
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Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The Reverse Curl"One of the greatest tests of forearm strength is to curl a thick bar with the over-grip. Once I bought a round steel bar, about 3 feet long and 2 inches thick, which weighed 65 lbs. To do a two-arm curl with this steel bar was a cinch if you used the under-grip; but when you tried to curl it with the over-grip, the bar would slip out of your hands when the arms were bent half way.
Lots of lifters who could do a back-hand curl easily with a thin-handled 100-lb. bar-bell, utterly failed to do the same thing with the thick 65-lb. bar. Anton Matysek could do it easily; Juvenal, the oarsman, could do it with even greater ease; and Zottman simply played with it.
In order to curl the bar successfully, it was necessary to have tremendous gripping power in the hands and great strength in the muscles on the outside of the forearm; but the gripping power was more important.
This stunt interested me so much that I had a special bar made, which consisted of a 2 inch pipe, and from each end of that pipe projected a 1-inch iron rod. We could load up the handle by slipping plates over the 1-inch rods. At one of our exhibitions Matysek demonstrated the exercise while I explained the principles involved.
Joe Nordquest, who was present, demanded that he be allowed to try his strength, and soon there was a competition in progress. According to our rules, the lifter had to stand bolt upright and keep his elbows at his sides, in order to prevent him from getting any advantage from a swing of the body or a movement of the upper arms.
One of the two claimed that the other one was not playing fair; so before each attempt we bound a belt around their upper arms, as in shown above. Matysek finally won with 88 lbs., which was harder than curling a thin-handled 125-l.b bar-bell. Tests like that interest me far more than lifts in which a man's ability is dependent on skill as well as strength."
~ Alan Calvert
Super Strength, Chapter 17
Labels: Alan Calvert, Anton Matysek, Forearm Exercise, Forearm Strength, George Zottman, Grip Exercise, Grip Strength, Joe Nordquest, Reverse Curl, Super Strength
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Monday, June 23, 2008
Matysek was much more than a master of muscle control, for many years he was one of the premier strength performers in the entire world and excelled at a variety of feats. This Roman Chair feat is especially difficult. It requires a great deal of abdominal power but also depends very heavily on the strength of the frontal thigh muscles.
Antone Matysek and the Roman ChairLabels: Abdominal Strength, Anton Matysek, Oldtime Strength Equipment, Roman Chair, Unusual Strength
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Friday, January 18, 2008
| I count the reverse curl as one of the true "secret" exercises -- it is simple to do, very effective and will hit one of the most important areas of your body that no other exercise will match. To do it, simply curl with your palms facing down instead of up -- Keep your elbows tight, the bar should move in a semi-circle, this is not a "clean." Anton Matysek could perform this lift with a 3" thick-bar loaded to 88 pounds and tied a belt around his arms to keep it strict. |  The Reverse Curl - Anton Matysek |
Labels: Anton Matysek, Exercise, Oldtime Lift, Oldtime Strongman Feat, Reverse Curl, Thick Bar, Upper Body Movement
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Monday, January 07, 2008
| Heavy one-arm overhead supports were very popular with oldtime strongmen since they could work up to some truly impressive weights which always wowed their audiences. Sandow was able to lift a horse in this manner. Here Anton Matysek supports well over a quarter ton overhead. |  Heavy One-Arm Overhead Supports |
Labels: Anton Matysek, Eugen Sandow, One Arm Support, Overhead Support, Supporting Feat
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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, November 20, 2007
| You have to admit, classic globe kettlebells like this one make great pictures. Here's famous strongman Anton Matysek lifting a rather large Milo Kettlebell. Interestingly enough, the "traditional" kettlebell exercises such as snatches and clean & Jerks, are often nowhere to be found in most oldtime strongman training literature. |  Anton Matysek Lifting a Classic Kettlebell |
Labels: Anton Matysek, Kettlebell, Kettlebell Exercises, Press, Strongman Equipment
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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
Monday, November 12, 2007
 Anton Matysek | Anton Matysek is well-known for his Muscle Control skills but he was no slouch when it came to lifting heavy barbells and other weights. He won the "America's Strongest Man" contest put on in 1922 by Bernarr MacFadden. And here's a good reason why: This classic Milo Globe "Show" barbell that Matysek is holding is 7-1/2 feet long with 16 inch diameter globes, a 3 inch thick handle, and the entire affair weighs in at 231 pounds. |
Several of the athletes who witnessed this feat could not even lift this barbell off the ground.
Labels: Anton Matysek, Forearm Strength, Globe Barbell, Grip Strength, Jerk, Muscle Control, Strongman Feat, Thick Bar
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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