Thursday, January 07, 2010
Narragansett Machine Co. Adjustable Barbell SetA look at an adjustable barbell Set from the Narragansett Machine Co., circa 1910 or so. Each plate weighs 5 pounds and the bar weighed ten pounds so when fully loaded, this set weighed 130 pounds in total which makes it just about perfect for home use. This set also featured something that I have never seen before or since: latches on the inner collars to keep the barbell plates in place.
Also of note is that fact that barbell plates and equipment from just about every other equipment company, including those who were older, is fairly "common" in comparison to this set. I know of no one who has even seen a single Naragansett Barbell or plate in the flesh, let alone owned one. If you should come across any, please let us know.
Labels: Barbell, Barbell and Plates, Barbell Set, Equipment, Narragansett Machine Company
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Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Training for GotchGeorge Hackenshmidt drew a crowd while in training to face Frank Gotch for the second time, in Chicago in 1911. Hack is shown here building his neck strength with the the wrestler's bridge. His training partners Dr. Benjamin Roller and Gus 'Americus' Schoenlein, look on.
Labels: Americus, Barbell, Benjamin Roller, Build Neck Strength, Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, Gotch vs. Hackenschmidt, Gus Schoenlein, Neck Bridge, Neck Exercise, Wrestlers Bridge
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Saturday, December 05, 2009
Dr. RouhetDr. Georges Rouhet is shown here demonstrating an overhead press with his favorite barbell.
Labels: Barbell, Dr. Georges Rouhet, French Strongman, Globe Dumbbells, Overhead Press
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Unknown Strongman #2Another unknown strongman... Don't know anything else about him but I dig his choice of equipment.
Labels: Barbell, Barbell and Plates, Unknown Strongman
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Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Sandow's EquipmentWhere did Sandow get all his great stage weights? Charles Heap and Co., of course. This was back in the 1890's mind you. Sure would be great to have a place to get weights like these now-a-days...
Labels: Barbell, Classic Equipment, Dumbbell, Eugen Sandow, Globe Barbell, Globe Dumbbell, Ring Weights
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Sunday, November 01, 2009
David ProwseA look at David "Darth Vader" Prowse at the time when he was the Heavyweight lifting champion of Britain. On this particular occasion, he was going to attempt to lift 700 pounds to break his own deadlift record of 678 pounds but the stage he was on was deemed unsafe for supporting such a heavy weight. Prowse lifted 530 pounds and performed several other feats of strength as an exhibition instead. Wag Bennett and John O' Farrel are shown judging on either side.
Labels: Barbell, Barbell Deadift, British Strongman, David Prowse, Deadlift, Wag Bennett
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Saturday, October 31, 2009
John ValentineJohn Valentine, shown here with some of his favorite weights, was a popular strength enthusiast from Leeds, England. He was a pupil of Thomas Inch and actually had a performing strongman act along with Leo Gaudreau. In later years, Valentine imported American muscle magazines such as Strength and Health and Iron Man over to England, being the source for such material over across the pond.
Labels: Barbell, Dumbbells, Iron Master Magazine, John Valentine, Leo Gaudreau, Performing Strongman, Strength and Health Magazine
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Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Karl MoerkeHere's a unique feat of strength which was often performed by the German strongman Karl Moerke in his shows. Try to hold an empty Olympic straight out overhead while laying on your back and you can appreciate just how impressive a feat this is when Moerke does it with a heavy weight.
Labels: Barbell, Feats of Strength, German Strongman, Karl Moerke, Supporting Feat
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Monday, August 10, 2009
Tommy Kono: '59 WorldsTommy Kono's winning clean & jerk at the 1959 World Weightlifting Championships held in Warsaw, Poland. Tommy totaled 425 kg that day (132.5 + 130 + 162.5) in the middleweight class. This one marked his 6th World Championship win.
Labels: 1959 World Championships, Barbell, Clean and Jerk, Olympic Weightlifting, Poland, Tommy Kono, World Champion
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Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Paul Anderson's WheelsWhat do you do when you need to squat 600+ pounds but a normal barbell won't hold enough weight? (And they didnt have 100 lb. plates back then.) This was Paul Anderson's solution, a set of wheels he found in a junk yard in his native town of Toccoa, Georgia. At first, everybody thought he was crazy, of course, they changed their tune when he came home from the '56 Olympics with a shiny new Gold Medal. I don't know of anyone who looked as relaxed as Big Paul when handling such big weights.
Labels: 1956 Olympics, Barbell, Gold Medal, Paul Anderson, Paul Anderson's Wheels, Squatting, Unique Equipment
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Sunday, June 28, 2009
| The York Lifters all used to practice the bent press because the lift built incredible core strength. This, in turn, helped in increasing the Olympic Lifting total. One of the most talented of the bent pressers was Val De Genaro who could lift 215 pounds. Bob Hoffman said that De Genaro had the most perfect bent press technique that he had ever seen. Perhaps due in great part to his bent pressing ability, as a 148 pound lifter, De Genaro could Jerk 290 pounds. He was also an excellent hand balancer who could walk the length of a football field on his hands. |  Val De Genaro |
Labels: Barbell, Bent Press, hand balancer, lightweight lifter, Val De Genaro
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Monday, June 22, 2009
John Grimek: One-Arm Barbell SnatchMany people have ascribed John Grimek's well-rounded physique to the fact that he was very well-rounded in his training. He pressed, he squatted, he trained his grip, he used the wrist roller, he even trained upside-down. Here's Grimek performing a one-arm barbell snatch with 145 pounds - a feat that you will rarely see these days.
Labels: Barbell, Grip Training, John Grimek, one arm snatch, Press, Squat, Wrist Roller Training, York Deep Dish 45 Pound Plate
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The York Aristocrat Weight SetThe York Aristocrat Weight Set, circa 1955. Not much more to say other than you can get pretty damn strong with only what is pictured here ~ and many people did!
Labels: Advertisement, Barbell, Barbell and Plates, Dumbbell, swingbell, York Aristocrat Weight Set
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Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Humberto SelvettiThe great Olympic Weightlifter Humberto Selvetti shows his stuff in his home land of Argentina. It was Selvetti who Paul Anderson defeated to win the Gold Medal at the 1956 Olympic Games. Selvetti and Anderson both totaled 500 kg but Anderson beat him on lighter bodyweight) Selvetti also won a Bronze medal at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki where he totaled 432.5 kg. (I find the barbell set in this picture especially interesting as I have never seen anything like it before or since.)
Labels: 1952 Olympics, 1956 Olympics, Argentinian Weightlifter, Barbell, Barbell Set, Humberto Selvetti, Olympic Lifting, Paul Anderson, Total
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Tuesday, May 19, 2009
German WeightlifterBerg-Hantell barbells and plates were the inspiration for all modern Olympic sets. Here's one in use by the German lifter A. Wiedmer who shows how it's done in winning this early weightlifting contest sometime in the 1920s.
Labels: A. Wiedmer, Barbell, Barbell and Plates, Berg-Hantell, German Strongman, German Weightlifter, one arm snatch, Strength Equipment
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Monday, May 18, 2009
Never Miss a Workout!Never Miss a Workout! - The Olympic weightlifting team continued to train even while sailing aboard the SS Manhattan traveling to Berlin for the 1936 Olympic Games. Bill Good is shown practicing his jerks while the other members wait their turn. You want core strength? Try holding a heavy weight overhead while on a ship.
Labels: 1936 Olympics, Barbell, Bill Good, Jerk
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Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Doug Hepurn - Press!I wonder how different things would be if the standing press were as popular as the bench press? I suspect there would be many more strong folks walking around. Here's the great Doug Hepburn pressing 425 pounds from a rack - that's more than most people can squat! One thing's for sure, increase your press and you'll get a whole lot stronger everywhere else too.
Labels: Barbell, Doug Hepburn, Overhead Press, Upper Body Exercise
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Thursday, April 16, 2009
Paramount Olympic SetsYork was always the standard as far as quality Olympic barbell sets... but Muscletown was a long way for some folks to travel. Out on the West coast, a lot of people got their start with Paramount barbells and plates.
Labels: Advertisement, Barbell, Barbell Plates, Gym Equipment, Paramount Barbells, Paramount Olympic Sets
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Monday, March 30, 2009
John McCallumYou've probably heard a lot about him, and no doubt read plenty of his articles but probably never actually seen him... Here's a classic shot of the great strength author John McCallum doing what he does best, and that's lifting some iron.
If you're wondering the reason behind McCallum's somewhat unusual attire, this was a series of pictures illustrating his training article on 'Weight Training for the Scuba Diver' which can be found (sans pictures) in the appendix section of The Complete Keys to Progress.
Labels: Barbell, Barbell Curls, John McCallum, Keys to Progress, Strength Author
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Tuesday, March 10, 2009
"Big Steve" MarjanianOne of the fixtures at the old Muscle Beach scene was "Big Steve" Marjanian... and here's one reason why they called him "Big Steve" ... an incline press with 440 pounds which was close to, if not the, World record.
Labels: Barbell, Incline Press, Muscle Beach, Steve Marjanian
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Sunday, March 08, 2009
Bob Hoffman: The Bent PressBob Hoffman's favorite lift was the bent press. Here's Bob pressing about 240 pounds. Note the sweat-shirt, this helped create more friction for the upper body and prevent slippage during the lift.
Labels: Barbell, Barbell Lift, Bent Press, Bob Hoffman
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Thursday, February 26, 2009
Paul Anderson: All in a Day's Work...Paul Anderson takes a breather after a tough workout. All in a day's work...
Labels: Barbell, Paul Anderson
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Friday, February 20, 2009
One Secret of Strength and PowerOne Secret of Strength and Power... you want to get strong? Work your legs like you mean it. John Davis understood this better than most. Here he is rock-bottom squatting over 500 pounds. You sure don't see squatting ability like this very often these days... nor men with the kind of all-around strength that Davis had.
Labels: Barbell, John Davis, Leg Development, Leg Exercise, Squat, Squatting Feat, Strength and Power
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Monday, February 16, 2009
ApollonSomething that you may not have noticed is that the great French Strongman Apollon rarely performed two-arm lifts, instead preferring to train with heavy barbells or dumbbells by lifting them with each hand individually. Even a hundred years later that's still a great way to get strong...
Labels: Apollon, Barbell, Dumbbell, One Arm Lift
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Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Arthur Saxon: Master of The Bent Press'The Iron Master' Arthur Saxon shows his form on the Bent Press. These pictures are well over a hundred years old but Saxon's incredible upperbody strength, especially in terms of back development, is quite evident.
Labels: Arthur Saxon, Barbell, Bent Press, Feat
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Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Standard BarbellMany a strength athlete began his strength career on a standard barbell set just like this one. Note the plates positioned to resemble globes.
Labels: Barbell, Equipment, Standard Barbell
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Saturday, December 20, 2008
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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Friday, December 05, 2008
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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Thursday, December 04, 2008
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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Tuesday, December 02, 2008
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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Monday, November 03, 2008
Mark H. BerryMark Berry was well known for his excellent training courses but his contributions to the strength world extended far beyond that. He was a very successful featherweight lifter in the American Continental Weight-Lifter's Association (ACWLA) during the mid-1920's.
He also became the editor of Strength Magazine, director of the Milo Barbell Company and helped establish the Association of Bar Bell Men (ABBM) which was a governing body for weightlifting and bodybuilding.
In addition to these accomplishments, Berry was also a coach for the 1932 and 1936 Olympic weightlifting team and was an early mentor to a young John Grimek.
Labels: ABBM, ACWLA, Barbell, John Grimek, Mark Berry, Milo Barbell Company, Strength Author, Strength Magazine
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Thursday, October 16, 2008
Big Paul shows why he's called "Big Paul" - That's 420 pounds overhead.
Labels: 420 Pounds, Barbell, Paul Anderson
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Monday, September 22, 2008
The Jackson Barbell CompanyA famous picture of Andy Jackson of the Jackson International Barbell company of Springfield, New Jersey. For years, Andy Jackson labored by himself in his basement manufacturing high quality barbells, plates, dumbbells and the like.
He did all the milling and machining by hand. Needless to say, his equipment was very highly thought of and used by many of the top names in the strength world. If you happen to own any Jackson equipment, consider youself very lucky.
Labels: Andy Jackson, Barbell, Jackson Barbell Company
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Friday, August 01, 2008
Doug Hepburn - 1953 Heavyweight World ChampionDoug Hepburn's final lift to win the 1953 Heavyweight World Weightlifting Championship held in Stockholm, Sweden. (defeating John Davis) The lift pictured here was a 363-pound clean and jerk -- the highest of the contest. Doug's other lifts of the day were a 371-pound press and a 297-pound snatch for a total of 1031 pounds.
Labels: 1953 World Championships, Barbell, Canadian Strongman, Clean and Jerk, Doug Hepburn, John Davis, Olympic Lifting, Olympic Weightlifing Exercise, Olympic Weightlifting, Press, Snatch, Sweden, Total
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Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Bob Peoples' Barrel BarbellA look at Bob Peoples'first barbell, which he made out of a couple barrels in which he would load weight: chunks of metal, concrete -- anything he could find. Peoples trained alone in his garage gym and deadlifted over 700 pounds back in the 1940's. That sure doesn't leave much room for excuses...
Labels: Barbell, Barrel, Barrel Barbell, Barrel Lifting, Bob Peoples, Deadlift, Odd Object Lifting, Unique Equipment
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Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Bert Elliott's 276 Pound Bent PressBert Elliott performs a bent-press with 276 pounds on a russian Olympic set at a strength show at Pasedena, California in the 60's. This lift was approximately 100 pounds over bodyweight for Bert. That's Pat Casey spotting on the right.
Labels: Barbell, Bench Press, Bert Elliott, Feat, Pat Casey, Russian Olympic Set
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Friday, April 18, 2008
Paul Baillargeon I have said many times that Arthur Saxon's records would never be broken... and they won't be... but the man who has come the closest was Paul Baillargeon of the famed Baillargeon Brothers of Quebec.
These six brothers (who I will feature in another post), were all incredible wrestlers and strength athletes who toured their native Canada and the US taking on all comers.
Paul, who was quite possibly the strongest of the brothers, often lifted a horse as the finale of their strength performances.
Anyhow, this picture shows him oficially bent-pressing a barbell loaded to 321pounds, a feat which he achieved on May 11, 1951, in front of Harry B. Paschall and other reliable witnesses at the Apollo Health Studio in Columbus, Ohio.
Paul Baillargeon actually did succeed in bent-pressing 375 pounds in practice a few times.
Labels: Arthur Saxon, Baillargeon Brothers, Barbell, Bent Press, Harry B. Paschall, Horse Lifting, Paul Baillargeon, Quebec, Quebec Strongman
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Tuesday, April 08, 2008
| The Mighty Norseman Karl Norberg could perform many incredible strength feats -- one of which involved a simple Olympic barbell. Norberg could do a front holdout with the bar (which is pretty impressive by itself.) |  Karl Norberg Olympic Bar |
Labels: Barbell, Forearm Strength, Grip Feat, Grip Strength, Hand Strength, Karl Norberg, Leverage Feat, Oldtime Strongman, Oldtime Strongman Feat, Olympic Barbell, Wrist Power, Wrist Strength
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Sunday, March 30, 2008
"The Great" Joe RollinoThe 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.
Labels: Barbell, Deadlift, Joe Rollino, The Great Joe Rollino, Warren Lincoln Travis
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Friday, February 15, 2008
 Jack Walsh's Bridging Feat | The great strongman Jack Walsh from New Jersey performed some very unique feats of strength over the years. Here he holds 300 pounds in the wrestler's bridge position -- he claimed to have once held 520 pounds like this! |
Labels: Barbell, Feat, Jack Walsh, Oldtime Strongman Feat, Wrestlers Bridge
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Friday, February 08, 2008
Vasily Alexeev's Unusual TrainingThe Russian Champion Vasily Alexeev is one of the greatest weightlifters who ever lived.
One of Alexeyeev's most unusual training techniques was to practice his cleans in waist-deep water. This famous shot was taken of Alexeev as he trained in the Don River in Mother Russia.
Unconventional... but certainly effective:
Alexeev set the first of his 80 world records in 1970 and was undefeated for the remainder of his career which also included two Olympic Gold medal winning performances (1972, Munich and 1976, Montreal)
Labels: Barbell, Clean and Jerk, Gold Medal, Mother Russia, Olympic Weightlifting, Olympics, Russian Strongman, Unusual Training Equipment, Vasily Alexeev
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Armand Tanny's Favorite Exercise: The One Arm CleanArmand Tanny (brother of Vic Tanny) was a very successful bodybuilder in the late 40's and 50's, and a regular at the original Santa Monica Muscle Beach scene.
Tanny competed in many major bodybuilding contests and won the Pro-Mr. America in 1950. His favorite exercise was one you don't often see these days: the one arm clean.
Its hard to tell how heavy the bar is loaded to in this shot -- I'd say at least 225 or so, and you sure won't find any bodybuilders who could do that these days.
Labels: Armand Tanny, Barbell, Bodybuilding, Feat, Golden Age Bodybuilder, Mr. America, Muscle Beach, One Arm Clean, Pro Mr. America, Vic Tanny
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Wednesday, February 06, 2008
| William Boone was a well-known lifter in the 1930's and 1940's who became tremendously strong training by himself in the back yard with nothing more than a set of squat racks and some rusty weights. He also liked to perform his overhead pressing with a specially made 10-foot olympic bar, shown right. |  William Boone |
Labels: Barbell, Oldtime Strongman, Overhead Press, WIlliam Boone
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Friday, February 01, 2008
 John Y. Smith | Gotta love some of the unique and usual weights that many of the strongmen found to lift. Here's a rare shot of the great Oldtime strongman John Y. Smith as he shoulders an unusual barbell, in his later years. Smith was a very good bent-presser (with a lift of 275 lbs. at a bodyweight of just 160 lbs.) so that is probably what he is getting ready to do. |
Labels: Barbell, Bent Press, John Y. Smith, Oldtime Strongman Feat, Strongman Equipment, Unusual Training Equipment
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Monday, January 07, 2008
 Pudgy Stockton | There has never been, nor will there ever be anyone like Pudgy Stockton. -- A pioneer for women in strength training, as you can see here she was power and grace in action. Pudgy promoted the first women's weightlifting contests and also had her own column "Barbelles" which ran in Strength and Health Magazine for ten years. Here, Pudgy Stockton clean and jerks 135 pounds (at a bodyweight of just 118 pounds) on the sands of the original Muscle Beach Santa Monica, California. |
Labels: Barbell, Pudgy Stockton, Santa Monica California, Strength and Health Magazine, weightlifting
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Wednesday, December 19, 2007
The Rolandow BarbellThe Rolandow Barbell once belonged to the Swiss Strongman G.W. Rolandow who would bent-press it each night in his performance. This barbell has been lifted by many famous strongmen, including Eugen Sandow.
The Rolandow Barbell has had many famous owners over the years. It was purchased by Professor Attila, then Sig Klein (as shown). The Rolandow Barbell can currently be seen in the York Barbell Company Museum in York, Pennsylvania.
Labels: Barbell, Bent Press, Challenge Weight, Eugen Sandow, Famous Barbell, G.W. Rolandow, Professor Attila, Rolandow Barbell, Sig Klein, York Barbell Company Museum
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Tuesday, December 18, 2007
The York Big 12 SpecialThis is the weight set that helped put a lot of muscle on a lot of people - The York Big 12 Special as advertised on the back of the June, 1952 issue of Strength and Health Magazine.
That's Jack Delinger (Mr. America, 1949) on the left, and John Farbotnik (Mr. America, 1950) on the right.
This set included 240 pounds of barbell plates, long barbell bar, short dumbbell/swingbell bar, health boots, a head strap for building neck strength, wrist roller, kettlebell handles, collars and four York training courses (York Dumbbell course 1 & 2, Leg Development and Swing Bar Training.)
Labels: Barbell, Big 12 Special, Collars, head strap, Iron Boots, Jack Dellinger, John Farbotnik, kettlebell handles, Mr. America, swingbell, Training Course, Training Equipment, wrist roller, York Barbell
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Sunday, December 16, 2007
German Strongman Karl MoerkeKarl Moerke was a German Strongman in the early 1900's. At a bodyweight around 250 pounds at a height of only 5'2 Moerke was quite the powerhouse.
He could deadlift 650 pounds, jerk 375 pounds (shown here), and had a 19-inch neck. It was Moerke whom Milo Steinborn defeated to win the German Heavyweight Weightlifting Championship.
Labels: Barbell, Clean and Jerk, Deadlift, German Strongman, Henry Milo Steinborn, Karl Moerke, Oldtime Strongman Feat
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Monday, December 10, 2007
The York Olympic BarbellIf there's one thing that every Strongman needs, it's a quality barbell. Here's a look at a York Olympic Set circa 1939. Kind of amazing that the barbell hasn't changed much since it was invented in the early 1900's -- and equally amazing that a century later it's so difficult to purchase a quality set. (Note the "Deep Dish" plates.)
Labels: Barbell, Olympic Barbell, Training Equipment, York Barbell
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Friday, December 07, 2007
| The undisputed King of the "2 Hands Anyhow" Lift was Arthur Saxon. First he bent-pressed a 336 pound barbell with his right arm, then he reached down and lifted a 112 pound Kettlebell in the other. The total poundage was 448 pounds lifted overhead - a feat that will never be broken in this style. |  Arthur Saxon's 2-HandsAnyhow Lift |
Labels: Arthur Saxon, Barbell, Bent Press, Kettlebell, Strongman Feat
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