Wednesday, February 03, 2010
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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Thursday, January 28, 2010
Anvil LiftingThe anvil has long been a symbol of power and many, many strongmen have built tremendous strength by using it as a training tool. Here we have Mr. Peter C. Morse of Coffeyville, Kansas who likely never touched a barbell in his life. But one day way back when, he wanted to see if he could lift the old anvil in the back of his barn.
At first, he could not, but every few days decided to come back and have a go. Eventually he could not only pick it up but perform this pretty impressive holdout by the horn - something that you won't find many people able to replicate even a hundred years later.
Labels: Anvil, Anvil Lifting, Grip Strength, Hold Out, Odd Object
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Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Galen GoughBilled as "The World's Miracle Strongman," Galen Gough from Howard''s Grove Kentucky certainly lived up to his title. Gough was terribly injured while serving in World War I, but built himself back to health and strength through physical training. His results were so dramatic that a career as a performing strongman soon followed.
Gough performed feats of strength in carnivals, fairs and vaudeville houses all over the country. In addition to "traditional" strongman feats such as The Human Link, Nail Driving, and bar bending, Gough came up with many of his own including dangling from a rope tied to an airplane by his teeth, with a 50 pound weight in each hand, biting keys in half, juggling a 300-pound anvil!
One of his many adventures was to perform feats of strength as publicity stunts for the Louisville, Kentucky- based Oertel Brewing Company which is the origin of the Barrel barbell pictured above.
Labels: Anvil, Anvil Lifting, Bar Bending, Barrel, Barrel Barbell, Barrel Lifting, Feats of Strength, Galen Gough, Human Link, Jaw Strength, Kentucky Strongman, Nail Driving, Oldtime Strongman, Teeth Lifting
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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, May 11, 2009
| |
A short video clip featuring Brooks Kubik and Dinosaur Training in action. Log lifting... Barrel Lifting... Anvil Lifting... John Davis... Doug Hepburn... John Grimek... Arthur Saxon... Heavy Dumbbells... Basement lifting... Power Rack Work... Grip Training... If you don't want your own copy after watching this then you had better check your pulse.
Labels: 1 Leg Squat, Anvil Lifting, Arthur Saxon, Barrel Lifting, Brooks Kubik, Dinosaur Training, Doug Hepburn, George Jowett, John Grimek, Odd Object Lifting, Press, Video
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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, April 29, 2009
George Jowett: Anvil Lifting"...Talking about feats with an anvil reminds me of a particular feat that I performed impromptu which takes a great amount of confidence as well as strength. It happened at one of the times that I picked up an anvil by the horn in a smithy shop, and after that stunt I pressed the anvil to arm's length by lying it on its broadside upon the flat of my hand, which is not as easy as it sounds. After I had done this I put the anvil on the floor on its base.George Jowett
We began to talk about various anvil feats being so difficult because of its awkward unbalanced construction. One man remarked that it would be some stunt to balance the anvil on the hand upside down. That meant the face would rest on the hand and the heavy wide base on top. Somehow I conceived the notion I could do it, and accordingly I took hold of the face with my right hand, and with the help of the left arm got the weight to the shoulder.
Despite the wide base and the bad balance caused by same and the horn, I not only succeeded in balancing the anvil by its face, but pressed it to arm's length, to the amazement of all. I have done it many times since, and for this volume I performed the same feat, thinking it might interest my readers. The anvil weighed one hundred sixty-eight pounds..."
The Key to Might and Muscle, Chapter 9
Written in 1926
Labels: Anvil Lifting, George Jowett, Grip Feat, Grip Training, Odd Object Lifting, The Key to Might and Muscle
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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, January 15, 2009
Madame Yucca - The Female HerculesA rare poster featuring Madame Yucca as perforoming in the Forepaugh and Sells Brother Circus. The Female Hercules was shown lifting various globe weights overhead, harness liftnig several animals including an elephant and even lifting an anvil with her teeth. Note the use of kettlebells for one and two arm lifts. The poster dates from 1898.
Labels: Adam Forepaugh, Anvil Lifting, Circus, Circus Poster, Feat, Globe Barbell, Globe Dumbbell, Harness Lifting, Madame Yucca, Sells Brothers Circus, Strongwoman, Teeth Lifting
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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 07, 2008
The Mighty Atlas You've probably seen the old feat of strength where a strongman puts an anvil or large stone slab on his chest and lets someone hit it with a sledge hammer...
I guarantee you haven't seen this feat before though, -- "The Mighty Atlas," Morris Shapiro, a professional wrestler from Brooklyn, New York, teeth-lifting an anvil while someone else hits the anvil with a sledge hammer.
Now that's impressive!
Labels: Anvil, Anvil Lifting, Mighty Atlas, Oldtime Strongman, Oldtime Strongman Feat, Teeth Lifting, Wrestler
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
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Kevin TolbertKevin Tolbert is Dr. Ken Leistner's adopted son - and easily one of the strongest men who ever lived. If you've read any of Dr. Ken's writings, especially The Steel Tip Newsletter, you know Kevin's name pretty well.
Kevin went on to play running back at the U.S. Naval Academy. At 5'9" and 220 pounds, Kevin could run a legit 4.5 forty yard dash. As for his marks in the weightroom, here's a few:
Those aren't misprints...
Here's Kevin doing a couple anvil curls while finishing up a workout in Dr. Ken's basement in the mid-1980's. I was fortunate to have Kevin as a strength coach at the University of Michigan for a few years.
Labels: Anvil, Anvil Curls, Anvil Lifting, Bench Press, Dr. Ken Leistner, Kevin Tolbert, Odd Object Lifting, Squat, Steel Tip Newsletter
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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
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Anvil Lifting - Roy Hilligenn 1951 Mr. AmericaHow's this for odd object lifting? 1951 Mr. America Roy Hilligenn does some squats with a pretty big anvil on his back.
Roy Hilligenn weighed around 175 pounds and I bet that anvil isn't too far off...
Labels: Anvil, Anvil Lifting, Mr. America, Odd Object Lifting, Roy Hilligenn, Squat
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
Monday, November 19, 2007
| Training with an Anvil is always a lot of fun. Presses and cheat curls for high reps and, for the very strong handed, lifting it by the horn always present a nice challenge. -- Plus, its a lot of fun to lift with something unusual. If you can press a 100 pound anvil like this you are one strong hombre. |  Anvil One-Arm Press |
Labels: Anvil, Anvil Lifting, Odd Object, Odd Object Lifting
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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, November 07, 2007
Anvil Lifting"It would be very beneficial for any competitive athlete to obtain an anvil... Lifting it in various positions will greatly add to one's upper and lower body strength."
-- Dr. Ken Leistner, THE STEEL TIP, Vol 1, No 12, December 1985
Labels: Anvil Lifting, Dr. Ken Leistner, Odd Object Lifting, Steel Tip Newsletter
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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