Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Victor DeLamarreVictor Delamarre was another great name in the long line of Canadian Strongmen. He was one of thirteen children and built the foundation for his great strength at a young age by farming and working as a lumberjack. When he was 14 years old, DeLamarre studied the exploits of Louis Cyr and declared that he would one day break Cyr's records - a rather bold statement for someone who weighed all of 110 pounds. Amazingly, this would come to pass on April 2nd 1914, when, at age 25, DeLammare bent-pressed 309-1/2 lbs at the Arcade theater of Montreal.
Labels: Bent Press, Canadian Strongman, Louis Cyr, Montreal, Quebec, Victor DeLamarre
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Sunday, November 22, 2009
Wally ZagurskiA classic shot of Wally Zagurski bent-pressing the famous 202-pound Louis Cyr Challenge Dumbbell. Zagurski also lifted the Rolandow Dumbbell.
Labels: Bent Press, Cyr Dumbbell, Rolandow Dumbbell, Wally Zagurski, York Gang
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Friday, October 09, 2009
Bert Elliott in ActionA look at modern Bent-Press master Bert Elliott in action at the AAU Southern California Weightlifting Championships, circa early 1960s. Note how balanced (and therefor stable) Elliott is, you could draw a straight line between the arm holding the barbell and his right foot. - That's the only kind of form that will allow the Bent-Press to "work."
Labels: AAU, Bent Press, Bert Elliott
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Sunday, September 27, 2009
Sig KleinAnother look at Sig Klein bent-pressing the Rolandow Barbell. Sig was very proficient at this movement and a tremendous fan of it as a strength builder. He wrote a training course on the bent press and even held several Bent-Press Contests (won by Elwood Holbrook.)
Labels: Bent Press, Elwood Holbrook, Rolandow Barbell, Sig Klein
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Thursday, September 24, 2009
Paul Von BoeckmannPaul Von Boeckmann, of New Braunfels, Texas, was a very interesting figure in oldtime strength training lore. As a young man he excelled in wrestling and feats of strength, achieving a bent-press of 201 pounds at 21 years old and a Hand and Thigh Lift of 1652 pounds by the next year.
He could also chin himself three times using one finger only, and notch a deck of playing cards. Von Boeckmann was active in the early 1900s but his arm development would be exceptional even a hundred years later. He was big on Breathing Gymnastics for chest development, which is certainly something to explore further.
Labels: Bent Press, Breathing Gymnastics, Card Ripping, Deep Breathing, Hand And Thigh Lift, Oldtime Strongman, One Finger Chin, Paul Von Boeckmann
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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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Thursday, August 27, 2009
VulcanaKate "Vulcana" Williams, was a Welsh Strongwoman who toured music halls in Britain, Europe and Australia in the early 1900's. Among her many other feats were a bent press of 125 pounds and an overhead lift (i.e. press) with a 56 pound weight in each hand. She was quite popular in France where Professor Desbonnet verified her feats and was very impressed with her level of strength.
Labels: Bent Press, Feats of Strength, Kate Williams, Professor Desbonnet, Strongwoman, Vulcana
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Monday, August 17, 2009
Eugen Sandow's Strength FeatsThere's no question that Eugen Sandow was quite impressive in the physique department. It certainly was not all for show, though, Sandow had quite a few impressive strength feats to his credit. For example, Sandow was able to perform an overhead press with a 126 lb dumbbell in the right hand and 119 lbs in the left (total 245 lbs.), a 269 lb bent press and a 180 lb. one arm snatch.
Labels: Bent Press, Classic Physique, Dumbbell Press, Eugen Sandow, one arm snatch, Strength Feat, Two Dumbbell Press
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Friday, August 14, 2009
Bob HoffmanWhen you are serious about training it's hard to pass by a row of dumbbells without at least giving some a try... Here Bob Hoffman got in a few impromptu repetition bent presses with a 100-pound dumbbell on a visit to the Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington sometime during the fall of 1953. Bob's best bent-press was 282 pounds although he credits much of his progress in this department by practicing with the 248-pound Cyr Dumbbell.
Labels: Bent Press, Bob Hoffman, Cyr Dumbbell, Dumbbell Bent Press, Dumbbell Lift, One Arm Lift
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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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Wednesday, August 05, 2009
 Harold Ansorge | Harold Ansorge, the strongman from Grand Rapids, Michigan, was one of the great masters of the bent press. At a bodyweight of around 220 lbs., he was able to bent press 335 lbs. (left handed!) Although he was primarily known for his bent pressing ability, Ansorge was a fine all-around strength athlete. He curled over 200 lbs. and was an excellent deadlifter with an achievement of 680 lbs. in that lift. In fact he credited much of his strength success to his deadlift specialization - which is a good thing to keep in mind if you are looking for a "secret" to getting stronger. Ansorge performed many other strength feats as well in an act with his sister Jean. They were billed as Ames and Ansorge. |
Labels: Bent Press, Curl, Deadlift, Deadlift Training, Grand Rapids Michigan, Harold Ansorge, Jean Ansorge
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Tuesday, July 14, 2009
John Y. SmithJohn Y. Smith, shown above bent pressing a 185 lb. dumbbell, was another great strongman who was small in stature but large in strength. He was 5'7" and weighed around 165 lbs. in his prime yet could perform feats such as a right hand one-arm deadlift of 450 pounds (435 lbs. with the left), a hand and thigh lift of 1640 pounds and a press with a pair of dumbbells totaling 225 pounds. Smith was also a lifelong lifter, even winning the New England's Strongest Man Contest at 60 years of age.
Labels: Bent Press, Dumbbell Press, Hand And Thigh Lift, John Y. Smith, New England's Strongest Man Contest, Oldtime Strongman, One Arm Deadlift
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Hector DecarieHector Decarie first achieved notoriety around 1904 when he Bent Pressed 317 pounds. A few years later he met Louis Cyr in a famous challenge match. Despite the fact that they tied in the contest, Cyr passed on his title of "World's Strongest Man" to his young challenger. It was a fitting mantle, Decarie surpassed several of Cyr's feats. Interestingly, Decarie is not as big as you would think based on the pictures of him. He stood 5'7" and weighed only around 191 lbs.
Labels: Bent Press, Canadian Strongman, Challenge Match, Hector Decarie, Louis Cyr
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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
Gregory Paradise: 1-Finger/1-Arm Chin The great strongman Gregory Paradise, from New Hampshire, could perform a middle finger chin up with either arm. He is also one of the few men in history to bent press double bodyweight.
Labels: Bent Press, Finger Strength, Gregory Paradise, One Arm Chin up, One Finger Lift
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Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Bob HoffmanOne of Bob Hoffman's favorite lifts was The Bent Press - and he was exceptionally good at it. Here's Bob bent-pressing 260 pounds on Christmas Eve of 1940 at Vic Tanny's Gym in Santa Monica, California.
Labels: Bent Press, Bob Hoffman, Vic Tanny's Gym
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Friday, May 01, 2009
Abe BoshesTo provide further proof that one can be impressive without being "huge" here is the famous Brooklyn strongman Abe Boshes. Boshes stood 5'3" at a bodyweight of around 150 pounds and was very well-known for his shoulder development (which was obviously a big contributor to his stature.) Boshes did quite a bit of training with chest expanders.
Boshes could bent-press around 220 lbs for a single and a 100 lb. dumbbell 18 times in succession. In the early 1900s he won a contest put on by Bernarr MacFadden and the fame from doing so allowed him to travel the country on the Vaudeville circuit. Like many strongmen of the time he also did some wrestling.
Labels: Abe Boshes, Bent Press, Bernarr Macfadden, Chest Expanders, Early Bodybuilder, Shoulder Development, Vaudeville, Wrestling
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Sunday, April 19, 2009
The Gittleson DumbbellThe 'Gittleson Dumbbell is so named because it sat on my college strength coach Mike Gittleson's desk for all the years that I was at Michigan, and likely at least a decade before that. (Mike was the University of Michigan football strength coach for 30 years and produced more All-Americans and NFL Draft picks than any other college strength coach in history.)
As you can see this unforgiving chunk of Iron weighs 120 pounds - I've bent pressed it, snatched it but not yet strictly overhead pressed it ~ something I am on track to do sometime this summer.
Labels: Bent Press, Challenge Weight, Dumbbell, Dumbbell Training, Football Training, Mike Gittleson, one arm snatch, University of Michigan
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Thursday, April 16, 2009
Kurt SaxonAmong the members of the Saxon Trio it was Arthur who got most of the spotlight but the other members were quite strong in their own right. Kurt Saxon for example, could bent-press over 300 pounds at a bodyweight of only 170. His exceptional muscularity is evident even in this old photo.
Labels: Arthur Saxon, Bent Press, Kurt Saxon, Oldtime Strongman, Saxon Trio
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Two Masters of the Bent-PressYou never knew who might pop in for a visit at the York Barbell Company in this case, two of the great masters of the bent-press: Bert Elliott on the left and Al Beinart on the right. They were both in town for the 1963 Senior Nationals.
While at York, they couldn't help but take a crack at bent-pressing the famous Cyr Challenge Dumbbell. Each man was able to bent-press the dumbbell for two reps joining a very exclusive club of strongmen.
Labels: Al Beinart, Bent Press, Bert Elliott, Louis Cyr Challenge Dumbbell, Senior Nationals, York Barbell Company
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Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Ellwood HolbrookA look at strength star Ellwood Holbrook at the time when he rightly took home the 'Best Arms' sub-category and placed fourth overall at the 1941 AAU Mr. America Contest. Holbrook weighed only 165 pounds or so and routinely bent-pressed well over his bodyweight. Hollbrook didn't do any special training other than his focus on the bent-press. After a long day of construction work he trained in his garage with nothing more than an Olympic set.
Labels: 1941 Mr. America, Bent Press, Best Arms, Ellwood Holbrook, Elwood Holbrook
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Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Andre ReverdyAndre Reverdy was a Massachusetts strongman who was most active in the 1920's. He weighed only 113 pounds but could bent press 168 pounds, tear cards, bend steel and, as shown above, pull a car with his teeth. He was coached in these classic strongman feats by Professor Attila.
The above photo was taken at one of Bernarr Macfadden's Physical Culture shows held at Madison Square Garden. Reverdy pulled this car full of passengers -- with his teeth -- the entire length of the arena.
Labels: Andre Reverdy, Bent Press, Bernarr Macfadden, Car Pulling, Professor Attila, Steel Bending, Teeth Lifting
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Harry RobinsonHarry Robinson, the secretary of the Australian Weight Lifting Association, gets in a quick bent press workout circa 1929. These particular weights once belonged to the great Scottish Highland Games Champion Donald Dinnie.
Labels: Australian Strongman, Bent Press, Classic Equipment, Classic Kettlebells, Donald Dinnie, Globe Barbell, Globe Dumbbells, Harry Robinson, Kettlebells, Weight Set
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Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Wally Zagurski Lifts The Cyr DumbbellWally Zagurski was one of the few men who could bent press the famous Louis Cyr Dumbbell, pictured above. He was also a great weightlifter and competed in the 1932 Olympics. The Cyr Bell can still be seen at the York Barbell Hall of Fame.
Labels: 1932 Olympics, Bent Press, Cyr Dumbbell, Louis Cyr Challenge Dumbbell, Wally Zagurski, York Barbell Hall of Fame
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Thursday, April 02, 2009
Sandow and the Human DumbbellA very happy birthday to Mr. Sandow who was born on this date in 1867. Sandow's greatest fame came with the legendary Florenz Ziegfeld (of Ziegfeld Follies fame) as his manager. Sandow's performance of muscle control and unique feats of strength thrilled audiences as he traveled from coast to coast. One of his most famous stunts is pictured above -- bent pressing a large "human dumbbell."
Labels: Bent Press, Bent Press Feat, Eugen Sandow, Human Lift, Performing Strongman
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Thursday, March 26, 2009
Dan LurieBrooklyn-born Dan Lurie won the "Most Muscular" subdivision and finished second in the AAU Mr. America contest in 1942, 1943 and 1944. He went on to become a very successful gym owner, magazine publisher and TV strongman. He also established the Dan Lurie Barbell Company which produced barbells and plates primarily on the east coast.
As a strongman, he performed 1655 push ups in 90 minutes, a bent press of 285 pounds (at a bodyweight of 168 pounds) and backlifted 1810 pounds.
Labels: Back Lift, Bent Press, Dan Lurie, Globe Dumbbell, Most Muscular, Mr. America, Mr. America Contest, Pushups
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Friday, March 20, 2009
Young Thomas InchThomas Inch as he looked when he looked at the time when he won the World's Middleweight weightlifting title (around 1907). His potential for great strength is obvious even at that young age.
As time passed he only grew stronger...
Inch went on to achieve a Two Hands Anyhow lift of 356-1/2 pounds, a two dumbbell jerk of 276 pounds, a one-arm push of 201 pounds, and a bent-press of 304-1/2 pounds.
Labels: Bent Press, Dumbbell Jerk, Dumbbell Lifts, One Arm Push, Thomas Inch, Two Hands Anyhow
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Thursday, March 12, 2009
Arthur SaxonArthur Saxon could lift more weight overhead with one arm than most people could with two. In his performances though, audiences were far more impressed with when he lifted human weights than when he lifted iron.
In fact, the feat that often 'brought the house down' was when Arthur lifted his two brothers (Kurt on the left, Herman on the right) with this specially made barbell.
Labels: Arthur Saxon, Bent Press, Bent Press Feat, Herman Saxon, Kurt Saxon, Saxon Trio
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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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Wednesday, February 18, 2009
How to Bent Press by Sig KleinIf there ever were someone qualified to teach the bent press it was Sig Klein. He wrote this nifty little training guide in the 30's. Copies are pretty hard to come by.
Labels: Bent Press, How to Bent Press, Sig Klein, Training Course
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Thursday, February 05, 2009
The 2 Hands AnyhowA step-by-step look at the 2-Hands Anyhow. It has been said that this lift is the ultimate test of strength, endurance and agility: it is the method by which the greatest weight has ever been lifted overhead with one hand, the complete lift lasts 12-15 seconds, and it requires practice, balance and the perfection of having to do two things at once.
Once the lifter completes a Bent Press an additional weight, in the form of a dumbbell or kettlebell is cleaned to the shoulder and pressed overhead. The greatest performance of all time in this lift is 448 pounds, lifted by Arthur Saxon in 1905.
Labels: 2 Hands Anyhow, Arthur Saxon, Bent Press, Kettlebell, Oldtime Lift, Two Hands Anyhow
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Monday, February 02, 2009
The Bent PressA good look at the sequence of the bent press. Notice that it's more of a supporting feat than a "lift" since the weight essentially stays in the same place while the body increases the leverage under it. The bent press has become a lost art and very few people in the modern strength world know how to perform it.
Labels: Bent Press, Oldtime 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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Monday, January 26, 2009
Carl BuschCarl Busch was a great strongman and wrestler who was active in the early 20th century. After winning the 1901 German national title, he toured europe performing feats of strength and wrestling all comers. He even wrestled the great Frank Gotch to a draw under Greco-Roman rules. Busch also wrestled the likes of George Hackenschmidt, Professor Roller, and even Farmer Burns.
As far as feats of strength, Busch could bent press 250 pounds at a bodyweight of 175. Here he does a Crucifix with a pair of German Kettlebells.
Labels: Bent Press, Carl Busch, Crucifix, Farmer Burns, Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, German Strongman, Greco-Roman Wrestling, Kettlebell, Strongman Feat, Wrestler
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Sunday, January 11, 2009
| Over a century later, Arthur Saxon still holds the greatest bent press poundage ever recorded. The man who has come the closest under official conditions was Al Beinart who managed 330 pounds and trains at Yaco's Gym in Detroit. The hardest part of the lift, according to Beinart, is getting the weight to the shoulders. This is the style that he used. and with 300+ pounds, that's an impressive feat by itself. |  Al Beinart |
Labels: Al Beinart, Arthur Saxon, Bent Press, Dumbbell, Yaco's Gym
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Sunday, December 28, 2008
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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Friday, December 26, 2008
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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Friday, December 19, 2008
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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Friday, October 24, 2008
Joe NordquestOne of the true unsung strongman is undoubtedly Joe Nordquest. His name is rarely mentioned at the top of the list of all-time greats yet his strength feats would certainly rank him among them.
He could jump from a table to the floor while maintaining a handstand position, curl 180 pounds and bent press 277-1/2 pounds. He could military press 124-1/4 pounds with one hand, an American record at the time and did a "bridge press" with 388 pounds (breaking Arthur Saxon's record.) -- and he did it all on one leg, having lost a limb in an accident as a boy.
Labels: Bent Press, Curl, Dumbbell Press, handstand, Joe Nordquest
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Friday, September 05, 2008
| Longtime reader Carl Linich has been hitting the iron for a long time, and, as you can see by his choice of equipment, has been doing so in style. Carl is quite the strongman in his own right, check out his best lifts: Standing Press - 270 lbs. Bench Press - 402 lbs. Behind Neck Press - 245 lbs. Jerk from the Rack - 310 lbs. One Hand Clean and Press - 150 lbs. One hand side press - 175 lbs. One Hand Bent Press - 215 lbs. One Hand DB Bent Press - 205 lbs. Carl was also a very good wrestler, winning the New York State Y.M.C.A Heavyweight wrestling championship twice and eventually turned pro in 1956.(Much thanks to Carl for sending in the picture.) |  Carl Linich - Man of Iron! |
Labels: Bent Press, Carl Linich, Jerk, Side Press, Standing Press, Wrestler
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Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Gregory ParadiseOne of the strongest men who ever lived was a man named Gregory Paradise of Hudson, New Hampshire. He could perform single-finger one-arm chins with ease, bend quarters in his teeth and was a wiz at the bent press, having the only distinction of being able to bent-press double-bodyweight.
Paradise only weighed around 120 pounds but at a professional strength show in Canada performed a bent-press with 250 pounds. After this photograph was taken the dumbbell was weighed at 203 pounds.
Labels: Bent Press, Gregory Paradise, One Arm Chin up
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Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Bob Harley Bob Harley, of Sig Klein's Gym was one of the world's greatest masters of the bent press. In fact, Bob Harley was the winner of the New York City Bent Press contest and was one of the few men to bent press the Rolandow Dumbbell.
Labels: Bent Press, Bent Press Feat, Bob Harley, Rolandow Dumbbell, Sig Klein, Strength Feat
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Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Karl AbsKnown as the father of German Strength Sports, Karl Abs was the first man in Germany to jerk 130 kg. He could also bent press 242 pounds and was a very good professional wrestler, often billed as "The German Oak."
Labels: Bent Press, German Oak, German Strongman, Jerk, Karl Abs, Oldtime Strongman, Wrestler
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Friday, April 25, 2008
 George Jowett And The Bent Press | The great oldtime strongman and strength author George Jowett as he prepares to bent press a heavy globe barbell. Jowett was a master of many different strength feats, most notably, lifting a 168-pound anvil by the horn and other feats of grip strength Jowett's best bent press performance was 304-1/2 pounds. Note the great Milo Kettlebells in the background. |
Labels: Bent Press, George Jowett, Globe Barbell, Kettlebell, Oldtime Strongman Exercise, Oldtime Strongman Exercises, Oldtime Strongman Feat, Strongman Equipment, Supporting Feat
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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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Saturday, March 29, 2008
 Bert Elliott - Stone Lifting | When the great weightlifter Bert Elliott was stationed overseas during the Korean War -- did he miss any workouts? No... he just lifted rocks instead of weights. That's a pretty hefty sized boulder that Bert is Bent-Pressing. |
Labels: Bent Press, Bert Elliott, Odd Object Lifting, Rock Lifting, Stone Lifting
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
Friday, March 28, 2008
Arthur Saxon - Master of the Bent PressIt is pretty safe to say that Arthur Saxon's records will never be broken. Saxon was certainly not a large man, but the rugged, functional muscle he possessed is especially evident in these shots.
Moving or holding heavy weights in the bent press (more of a supporting feat than a lift) likely contributed to Saxon's tremendous upper-body power.
Labels: Arthur Saxon, Bent Press, Oldtime Strongman 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
Thursday, March 20, 2008
 Bert Elliott Bent-Press | The great weightlifter Bert Elliott was also a specialist in the bent-press. He had a special 201-pound globe "Challenge" Dumbbell that few could budge but which he could lift with ease. It was thought by many "old time" weight lifters that due to the incredible midsection strength that was developed by the bent-press, improving that lift would also improve one's total. Sure looks that way here. |
Labels: Bent Press, Bert Elliott, Challenge Weight, Globe Dumbbell, Oldtime Strongman Feat, weightlifting
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
Friday, February 15, 2008
Reg Park's Arm WorkoutSome of the most impressive arms in history belonged to Reg Park. Reg built his arms with basic exercises and focused on getting stronger through time. In his many training courses, Reg recommended a lot of overhead pressing for tricep work and the simple barbell curl for biceps.
Labels: Arm Development, Arm Workout, Bent Press, Big Arms, Bodybuilder, Curl, Exercises, Reg Park
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
 Harold Ansorge | Harold Ansorge, the great strongman from Grand Rapids, Michigan, was a bent-press specialist. He never broke Arthur Saxon's record of 336 pounds but came very close with a lift of 335 pounds. Here is Ansorge bent-pressing a great 200 pound dumbbell. His gym, the Harold Ansorge Health Studios, was listed at the following addresses: 2124 Plainfield Ave., N.E and 141 28th Street, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Anybody know what's there now? |
Labels: Bent Press, Classic Strongman Gyms, Harold Ansorge, Oldtime Strongman, Oldtime Strongman Feat
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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