Thursday, January 28, 2010

  • 50-Pound Block Weight


  • "Every one who uses weights should have one" ... and I couldn't agree more. Blockweights are very useful and a lot of fun to train with which is why they have been a favorite of many of the Oldtime Strongmen for a long time. This particular blockweight was advertised by Alan Calvert and sold by the Milo Barbell company in the mid-1920s.

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    Thursday, January 28, 2010

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    Thursday, January 07, 2010

  • Narragansett Machine Co. Adjustable Barbell Set


  • A 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.

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    Thursday, January 07, 2010

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    Wednesday, January 06, 2010

  • Blockweight!


  • The oldtime strongmen lifted just about any weight they could get their hands on. Shown here is a blockweight, an obvious precursor to the kettlebell. These were used for "weight" mostly for measurement or scale purposes and the handle made transportation a little easier. I suspect that many of the oldtime strongmen noticed them backstage at the theaters where they performed (where they were used as ballast to counterweigh theatre props) and decided to perform interesting feats with them.

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    Wednesday, January 06, 2010

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    Sunday, November 08, 2009

  • Terry's Wrist Exerciser!


  • Throughout the years there have been a number of devices created for building grip strength. Here's a look at "Terry's Wrist Exerciser!" which was simple but effective. Terry's brand of equipment was most often advertised in the British strength publications.

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    Sunday, November 08, 2009

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    Monday, October 12, 2009

  • The Joe Bonomo Mini-Gym


  • Joe Bonomo was ahead of his time on a lot of levels. This training device -- The Mini-Gym -- is particularly useful when trying to train without equipment, or while traveling. It is portable, lightweight and can give a well-rounded workout. It'll be a while before you ever see another one with the box intact. The nifty training course booklet that came with it is particularly well-written.

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    Monday, October 12, 2009

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    Sunday, September 27, 2009

  • The Wrist Roller


  • The Wrist Roller is quite versatile for such a simple piece of equipment. You can perform heavy "singles" times holds, extended range training, "reps" and any number of other methods to build forearm strength. Look for a complete course on wrist roller training some time in the near future.

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    Sunday, September 27, 2009

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    Sunday, September 13, 2009

  • The Half Moon Bench

  • Another look at a version of the Half Moon Bench used for chest and ribcage development. These used to be quite common in gyms in the old days but are rarely found now.

    These benches work best when used in combination with leavy leg work and light dumbbell pullovers or flys.

    That's 1953 AAU Mr. America Bill Pearl demonstrating. Also note the Iron Boots on the wall, as well as the Stall Bars on the right.

    The Half Moon BenchThe Half Moon Bench

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    Sunday, September 13, 2009

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    Friday, August 07, 2009

  • Professor Anthony Barker's Herkules Exerciser


  • The need for great equipment hasn't changed much over the last hundred years which is why chest expanders work just as well today. This ad for Professor Anthony Barker, Herkules Exerciser originally appeared in 1910.

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    Friday, August 07, 2009

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    Tuesday, July 14, 2009

  • Iron Teardrops


  • People often say there's nothing new under the sun but I would disagree. Case in point, here's a unique training idea from a muscle magazine from about 20 years ago that I have never seen before or since. These "Iron Teardrops" slipped on your barbell just like plates and moved around while you lifted, adding a whole new dimension to standard lifts.

    A few years back, I called the number listed on the ad just to see what would happen. A woman answered the phone and told me that yes, it was her brother which came up with the idea for the Iron Tear Drops but he was not home at the moment. She took down my address and said she would send some info but I never did hear from them. Anyone out there ever get to train with these?

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    Tuesday, July 14, 2009

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    Saturday, July 11, 2009

  • Spalding Indian Clubs


  • A hundred years ago, if you wanted to purchase some wooden Indian Clubs, you likely would have ordered them from the Spalding company of Chicago. It is interesting to see just how many different types and styles of clubs they had available. Not the fancy exhibition clubs on the bottom left. This advertisement dates to 1913.

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    Saturday, July 11, 2009

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    Wednesday, July 08, 2009

  • York Simplex Weight Training Sets


  • Need a weight set? York has long been the standard as far as barbells and dumbbells are concerned. Here's a few of the weight sets you could have ordered back in the 1950s. There's no telling how many people built a heck of a lot of size and strength with this very equipment. This was back in the days when you could address an envelope with only "Muscletown USA" and it would be delivered promptly to Bob Hoffman in York, PA.

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    Wednesday, July 08, 2009

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    Friday, June 12, 2009

  • The Half-Moon Bench


  • To the oldtime bodybuilders and strength athletes "Chest Development" used to mean stretching and enlarging the ribcage, not working the pecs (which is what it has become today.) The theory behind this was simple, the deep breathing from intense leg work (i.e. squats combined with light pullovers did so very effectively. Enlarging the rib box meant wider shoulders and a much greater potential for upper-body growth.

    To make the technique more effective, a half-moon bench was often used. These unusual pieces of equipment used to be commonplace in many gyms although you're more likely to win the lottery than find one these days.

    To find out more about leg work, pullovers and chest expansion techniques, you'll want to check out: Super Squats by Randall J. Strossen, The Complete Keys to Progress by John McCallum and The New Bodybuilding for Oldschool Results by Ellington Darden.

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    Friday, June 12, 2009

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    Monday, May 04, 2009

  • Black Iron Strength Kettlebells


  • Kettlebells are pretty common these days but you probably haven't seen anything like these before: precision diamond-point knurled handles, polished stainless steel, 25 ton press through construction AND made in the USA.

    These kettlebells were made by Black Iron Strength the same folks who make our thick bars. Of course the inevitable question is going to be "How do they compare to cast iron kettlebells?"

    The answer is "they don't" - both styles are good but in their own way and for different reasons. We may carry these at some point in the future...

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    Monday, May 04, 2009

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    Friday, March 27, 2009

  • Sandow's Adjustable Grip Testing Dumbbells


  • A rare look at the box for a later version of Eugen Sandow's grip dumbbells. Unlike earlier versions, which had only springs, these had molded handles and rung a bell when the handles were squeezed together.

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    Friday, March 27, 2009

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    Tuesday, March 24, 2009

  • Jowett Barbell Plates


  • Like many strongmen, George Jowett had his own brand of barbell plates. These were likely cast by the same foundry which produced equipment for the Milo Barbell Company. Jowett and Alan Calvert were both based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the time and also worked together on several projects.

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    Tuesday, March 24, 2009

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    Monday, March 23, 2009

  • Ring Weights


  • One of the most interesting pieces of training equipment often used by many of the oldtime strongmen were ring weights. An early version of the kettlebell, ringweights were most often used for a variety of training techniques including throwing, such as in the Scottish Highland Games (in which the 56-pound weight for height is contested) as well as the popular oldtime lift "the muscle out."

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    Monday, March 23, 2009

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    Sunday, March 15, 2009

  • York Dumbbells


  • For a long time, the solid dumbbells produced by the The York Bartbell Company were of the globe variety. Sometime around the early 80's they switched to the dumbbell shown here. This style was made until the late 90's. Today, they are quite rare. If you have any dumbbells like these, hang on to them, but don't let them just gather dust, use 'em!

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    Sunday, March 15, 2009

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    Thursday, March 12, 2009

  • The York Calflex


  • One interesting training 'gizmo' from strength training yesteryear is the York Barbell Calflex. According to the literature the York Calflex allowed the tension to be increased in both directions for complete calf development. Nice.

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    Thursday, March 12, 2009

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    Wednesday, March 11, 2009

  • Chinese Stone Padlocks in Action


  • The Shaolin Monks referred to traditional stone lock training as Shi-Suo and have been using them for centuries. These stone weights are lifted, pressed, thrown and caught in a variety of ways in order to build upper body strength and stamina. Based on how they are used, stone locks are obviously a distant relative of the kettlebell.

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    Wednesday, March 11, 2009

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    Friday, March 06, 2009

  • Milo Barbell Plates


  • Alan Calvert began the Milo Barbell Company in 1902 and manufactured primarily globe barbells and dumbbells. In 1935, The Milo Barbell Company was purchased by Bob Hoffman as he established the York Barbell Company. Hoffman, however, still kept the name alive and sold "Milo Barbell" plates and bars for years afterwards. This is an example of one of the later "Milo Barbell" plates. -- Not quite the same as the old globes but still fun to train with.

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    Friday, March 06, 2009

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    Thursday, March 05, 2009

  • The York Health Shoe

  • York Health ShoesThe York Health Shoe"This is what the new York "IRON BOOT" is. A super leg developer. Merely strap the five pound Iron Boot on your foot and attach your adjustable dumbbell to it. There you have the most progressive leg builder ever devised. It is like being able to pick up a dumbbell with your feet.

    Back your legs with that snappy, springy power! No use dragging around as if your feet weighed a ton. Get speed and lightness into your stride. The Iron Boot will increase your running, jumping, gymnastics and lifting."

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    Thursday, March 05, 2009

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    Thursday, February 26, 2009

  • Nautilus Leverage Machines


  • When most people think of Nautilus Machines they picture cams and weight stacks, which were certainly the case... But later on, Nautilus came out with a series of leverage pieces with the look of machines but the feel of free weights. Pictured here is Cincinnati Bengals All-Pro Linebacker Reggie Williams demonstrating the shrug/row combo piece. This photograph was taken in the world famous "Kong Room" and if you were ever there, you sure never forgot it.

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    Thursday, February 26, 2009

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    Tuesday, February 24, 2009

  • Chinese Stone Locks


  • Kettlebells go back a long way but Chinese Stone Locks predate them by several thousand years. Martial artists in China have been using stone weights like these to develop their bodies for centuries. There are, of course, many 'kettlebell' exercises that can be done with stone locks, but they carry with them their own specific kind of training -- and a specific set of results. Stone locks training is particularly good for grip and forearm work.

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    Tuesday, February 24, 2009

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    Sunday, February 22, 2009

  • Vintage Hand Grippers

  • Hand grippers go back a long way, even farther than plate-loaded barbells, in fact.

    While the materials and spring quality have changed with modern advancements, you can see that the overall design has not changed one bit over the last century.

    The very first advertisement for spring nutcracker-type hand grippers is pictured on the right and dates to 1901.
    Vintage Hand GrippersVintage Hand Grippers

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    Sunday, February 22, 2009

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    Wednesday, February 18, 2009

  • Sandow's Combined Developer


  • One reason why Sandow is still such an influential figure over a century later was that he laid the foundations for things that are commonplace today. He was quite the entrepreneur. His Grip Dumbbells and the Developer shown here were among the very first commercially available fitness equipment. This Developer mimicked the exercises normally done with a Wall Pulley without, of course, the need for weight stacks.

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    Wednesday, February 18, 2009

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    Friday, February 06, 2009

  • Reg Park and The Iron Shoe Exerciser


  • Mr. Universe Reg Park showing how it's done with the Iron Shoe Exerciser. The Iron Shoe was a very good exercise choice for building upper body strength and a strong grip and was a favorite of many oldtime strength athletes.

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    Friday, February 06, 2009

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    Monday, February 02, 2009

  • Competitive Strand Pulling


  • A look at the setup used for competitive Strand Pulling which came directly from over across the pond many moons ago. Note the 10 springs and that the handles can be adjusted. A list of the 20 official "pulls" can be found here.

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    Monday, February 02, 2009

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    Wednesday, January 14, 2009

  • Standard Barbell


  • Many a strength athlete began his strength career on a standard barbell set just like this one. Note the plates positioned to resemble globes.

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    Wednesday, January 14, 2009

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    Wednesday, December 10, 2008

  • The Neck Helmet


  • A "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.)

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    Wednesday, December 10, 2008

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    Tuesday, December 09, 2008

  • Steve Minnaji's Custom Barbell

  • 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.
    Custom BarbellSteve Minnaji's Custom Barbell

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    Tuesday, December 09, 2008

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    Monday, November 10, 2008

  • York Chest Expanders


  • The York Barbell Company was most famous for selling barbells, but they featured a variety of other types of equipment as well. One of the most popular was chest expanders which were much easier to transport places than heavy weights.

    In fact, York had several different types of chest expanders, the flat band type, similar to Noe's Graduated Xercisor, the round cable type, similar to modern chest expanders and the metal spring type, similar to those used in Strand Pulling Contests.

    Regardless, you can get a great workout with all of them (but be sure to wear a shirt if you're training with metal springs!)

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    Monday, November 10, 2008

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    Tuesday, July 29, 2008

  • The Magic Square


  • You've heard of the Magic Circle... but have you heard of the Magic Square?

    It was another experiment to make intense leg work more "comfortable." However, like the Magic Circle, it also changed the lifter's center of gravity which was somewhat problematic.

    Still, the Magic Square was GREAT for Hise Shrugs and calf work.

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    Tuesday, July 29, 2008

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    Thursday, June 26, 2008

  • Bob Peoples' Deadlift Ring

  • Bob Peoples always felt that the key to a strong deadlift was a super strong lower back -- he would know, since he's history's strongest deadlifter.

    To accomplish certain tasks in his training, Bob often had to make his own equipment.

    For example, in order to gain a deeper range of motion, Bob created what he called a "Deadlift Ring," which is demonstrated here by young Bob Hise. This ring allows for roughly an extra foot of "pull."

    A similar exercise can be performed very effectively with a Gerard Trap Bar
    Deadlift RingDeadlift Ring

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    Thursday, June 26, 2008

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  • The Dymek Curling Bar


  • The Dymek Curling Bar -- every gym in the county has one although you probably know it by its more common name of the "EZ Curl bar." The angled handles stress the biceps in a much different manner than a normal straight bar. I don't particularly care for them but a lot of people swear by an EZ Curl Bar for their arm workouts. Today there are many copy-cat versions but this one is the original.

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    Thursday, June 26, 2008

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    Monday, May 26, 2008

  • The Leg Press

  • Sig Klein came up with a number of innovative training ideas. One day he took the board he had often used for the Tomb of Hercules Feat, chained it to the wall and devised an early version of the "Leg Press" machine.

    He eventually discarded this design as the resistance decreased too much at the top of the movement due to the physics involved.

    Leg PressThe Leg Press

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    Monday, May 26, 2008

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    Saturday, April 19, 2008

  • The Neil Lewis Arm Wrestling Trainer

  • Some of our eagle-eyed Ironman Magazine readers might remember this one from the back cover of the August-September 1970 issue: The Neil Lewis Arm Wrestling Trainer.

    It was not only featured on the back cover but the inside back cover, the inside front cover and a two-page spread in the magazine with Chuck Sipes, 1970 IFBB Mr. Canada Vince Basile, "Big" Jim Forsythe and several other notables.

    Looks pretty nifty -- Wonder how many they ended up selling?
    The Neil Lewis Arm Wrestling TrainerThe Neil Lewis Arm Wrestling Trainer

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    Saturday, April 19, 2008

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    Monday, March 31, 2008

  • Traditional Indian Club Training

  • Traditional Indian Club TrainingTraditional Indian Club Training

    The swinging of "jori and gada" (heavy indian clubs and maces) holds a special place in the ancient art of Kushti - (Traditional Indian Wrestling and Physical Culture Training.)

    In the akharas (wrestling gyms) these traditional impliments are decorated in many unique ways. Some are painted with lively decorative patterns, others, used only by the most skilled masters, are studded with nails. Some of these decorative indian clubs weigh as much as 35 KG.

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    Monday, March 31, 2008

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    Tuesday, February 05, 2008

  • Traditional Indian Physical Culture Training Equipment: The Mace

  • The Gada, or Mace, is one of the traditional pieces of training equipment in Indian Physical Culture.

    The Gada consists of a heavy iron or stone ball attached to the end of a stick. Maces of various weights and heights are used depending on the athlete's strength and skil llevel.

    For training purposes, the Gada is swung behind the back in several different ways and is particularly useful for building grip strength and shoulder endurance.


    Traditional Indian Physical Culture Training Equipment: The MaceThe Gada (Mace)

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    Tuesday, February 05, 2008

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    Wednesday, January 30, 2008

  • Harry Shafran's Gym

  • Harry Shafrans GymHarry Shafran's Gym

    Harry Shafran was an oldtime lifter who owned a couple successful gyms in New York back in the 1920's. Eventually he grew tired of big city lift and retired to a farm near Scranton, Pennsylvania where he converted the large barn in the back of his house into one of the greatest gyms of all time.

    Here's a look back in time... Globe dumbbells, climbing ropes, Milo kettlebells, gymnastic rings, swedish bars -- note the double handled kettlebells used for swingbell exercises.

    A half-moon bench can be seen in the foreground. This unique piece of equipment was used specifically for chest expansion exercises and used to be quite common.

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    Wednesday, January 30, 2008

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    Sunday, January 06, 2008

  • The Hammerman's Hammers

  • The Hammerman's HammersThe Hammerman's
    Hammers
    Took this shot a few years back at a special dinner honoring Slim the Hammerman.

    That's Slim's Challenge Ax on the left followed by his two sledge hammers with their distinctive markings on the handles and chromed weights. They are sitting on a special oak carrying case.

    If those hammers could talk I bet they could tell some stories...

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    Sunday, January 06, 2008

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    Saturday, January 05, 2008

  • The Roman Column

  • The Roman ColumnThe Roman Column

    As mentioned several times on this blog, it was Professor Attila who invented the Roman Column.

    Shown here, the Roman Column is an actual column in which the traineee hangs suspended vertially and moves to a horizontal position using the power of his legs and abdominal muscles.

    Eugen Sandow used to perform this feat either holding a heavy barbell or a human being.

    On the left is the original Roman Column, in one corner of Sig Klein's Time's Square Gym.

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    Saturday, January 05, 2008

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    Friday, January 04, 2008

  • The Swingbell

  • The SwingbellThe Swingbell

    A piece that you used to see all the time in the old magazines that has all but disappeared these days is the Swingbell -- essentially a combination of traditional free weights and medicine ball training exercises.

    As you can see, a swingbell consists of a dumbbell bar loaded in the middle rather than the ends. It is grasped at either end and used for a variety of rotational and "circular" movements.

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    Friday, January 04, 2008

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    Thursday, January 03, 2008

  • Unusual Training Equipment: Sang (The Shield)

  • This unique piece of equipment, know as Sang, is from Traditional Iranian Martial Arts and is quite literally a "Shield" - just like the ancient warriors used to take into battle, albeit adapted into a training exercise in the "modern" age.

    Each of these shields are made of hardwood and weigh between 20-40 kilograms. The method for training with these impliments is for an athlete to lie on his back and alternate twisting and turning them in the air for maximum repetitions without letting them hit the ground.

    A respectable score in youth and adult tournaments is 72 times in 7 minutes.
    Unusual Training Equipment: Sang (The Shield)Unusual Training
    Equipment: Sang
    (The Shield)

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    Thursday, January 03, 2008

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    Thursday, December 13, 2007

  • The Nautilus Squat Machine

  • The Nautilus Squat MachineThe Nautilus Squat MachineCasey Viator uses the Nautilus Squat Machine during the Colorado Experiment.

    You may recall that Casey put on 63 pounds of muscle over the course of the 28 day experiment and this machine was a big reason behind that.

    It has been well understood that intense leg work is the key to super strength. This machine allowed the hips and legs to be trained in a manner more intense than any other method created before or since.

    This particular Nautilus machine never actually went into production.
    If you were to position yourself wrong in a fatigued state it could conceivably "catapult" you right out of it!

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    Thursday, December 13, 2007

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    Tuesday, December 11, 2007

  • The Good Brothers

  • The Good BrothersThe Good Brothers

    The Good Brothers, Harry, Walter and Bill, were a trio of weightlifters and Strongmen from Eastern Pennsylvania. Bill was the strongest of the three, winning seven Senior National Weightlifting Titles (1930-1937) and competing in two Olympic Games (1932 Los Angeles, 1936 - Berlin). Bill Good was the first American to Clean & Jerk 350 Pounds.

    Walter Good competed in the 1936 Olympics as well.

    Harry was the U.S. Professional Champion in 1933 in addition to writing training articles for a number of different strength publications and training courses. Harry Good went on to establish the "Good Barbell Company" in the late 1930s.

    Mark Berry also used the Good Brothers to demonstrate several of the exercises in his book Physical Training Simplified (1930).

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    Tuesday, December 11, 2007

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    Saturday, December 01, 2007

  • Indian Club Swinging

  • Indian Club SwingingIndian Club Swinging

    "Indian club swinging can be described as circular weight training and can exercise the shoulder, wrist and elbow in ways not possible with traditional linear weight training.

    Club swinging strengthens muscles and ligaments, maintains joint flexibility and improves range of motion.

    Regular practice with Indian Clubs will improved grace, rhythm and eye-hand coordination due to the concentration and neural demands necessary to perform the movements. The benefits of Indian Club Exercises are enormous and can greatly enhance the performance of any athlete."

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    Saturday, December 01, 2007

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  • York Dumbbells

  • York DumbbellsYork Dumbbells

    The York Barbell Company used several different designs for their dumbbells over the years. In the 1970's they came out with the distinctive "hocky puck" design shown above.

    This particular design, with its slighly sloping sides, was adopted as a grip challenge with half of the heaviest available dumbbell (the 100 pounder)known as "The Blob."

    This design was discontinued in the late 1990's.

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    Saturday, December 01, 2007

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    Wednesday, November 28, 2007

  • Vintage Strength Machines

  • Vintage Strength Machines PulloverOldtime PulloverI've recently read in a few places that there were "no such thing" as machines back when the oldtime strongmen trained...

    Here's an oldtime pullover (used for expanding the ribcage and deepening the chest) which was installed at Hemenway Gymnasium circa 1885.

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    Wednesday, November 28, 2007

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    Monday, November 19, 2007

  • Al Gerard and The Gerard Trap Bar

  • Al Gerard and The Gerard Trap BarAl Gerard and The Gerard Trap Bar

    Al Gerard was a powerlifter from North Carolina who devised a unique "frame" which allowed him to increase his deadlift without putting undue stress on his back.

    He named his invention the "Trap Bar" because of its shape -- using the Trap Bar, Al was able to deadlift over 745 pounds. Soon the Gerard Trap Bar was featured in many strength publications such as Iron Man Magazine, Powerlifting USA and Hardgainer Magazine (above.)

    Once people understood its unique advantages, The Gerard Trap Bar became one of the "must have" pieces of training equipment for leg and back development..

    Here's a few reasons why:

  • The knees don't interfere with the bar while the lifter assumes a more upright position when starting a lift.

  • The weight moves directly upward instead of sideways, placing more emphasis on the target musculature.

  • The lifter has better control of the bar throughout the full range of motion.

  • The weight moves in line with the ankles which improves leverage.

  • Lower back stress is reduced while the weight is moved in line with the natural center of gravity.

  • Shearing forces on spine and knees are reduced.

  • The shrug exercise is an integral part of every strength athlete's program. Strong upper back, neck and shoulder muscles are essential in all sports. The Gerard Trap Bar makes "shrugs" more comfortable because there is no bar contact with the upper thighs and lower front torso area; thus, more range of movement yields more muscle use and development.

  • It's easier to maintain good form -- elbow and wrist-joint strain is reduced by eliminating opposite grips, and standing shrugs yield improved trapezius development because the bar never contacts the thighs interfering with range of motion.

  • The Gerard Trap Bar moves the weight mass 16% closer to the perpendicular plane of the lower back than a conventional straight bar.

    Unlike most of the classic equipment that is featured on this blog, The Gerard Trap Bar is still available, and you can get your own right here: The Gerard Trap Bar - It's Back!

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  • Monday, November 19, 2007

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    Welcome to the Strongest Blog on the Net!

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