Friday, July 04, 2008
 45 Plate Hub Curl | Rocky Erickon of Chicago, Illinois performs an incredible feat of grip strength: a hub "lift" and curl of a pair of old York Barbell "deep dish" 45-pound plates. Lifting a 45-pound plate by the hub is impressive, but Rocky takes it to a whole new level with this feat. |
Labels: Barbell Plate, Curl, Exercise, Finger Strength, Grip Exercise, Grip Feat, Grip Training, York Deep Dish 45 Pound Plate
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Monday, May 26, 2008
| 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. |  The Leg Press |
Labels: Equipment, Exercise, Exercise Machine, Leg Press Machine, Sig Klein, The Leg Press, Tomb of Hercules, Vintage Strength Equipment
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Tuesday, May 13, 2008
| What weighs more than one kettlebell? - Two kettlebells! (How's that for logic?) In many cases the Oldtimers didn't have an easy method to add weight to their equipment -- so they made due with what they could. Hence, why you will sometimes see them holding two dumbbells or two kettlebells in one hand which also added a level of difficulty to their exercises as they trained. |  The 2-Kettlebell Deadlift |
Labels: Exercise, Kettlebell Lift, kettlebell lifting, Kettlebells, Milo Kettlebell, Oldtime Strength Equipment
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Wednesday, May 07, 2008
The Front SquatOne useful variation of the squat is the front squat, where the bar is held on the front of the shoulders instead of on the back (hence the name). This exercise is one of the most effective supplmentary exercises for Olympic weightlifting as it builds leg power coming out of the clean.
Speaking of Olympic Weightlifters, in the picture that's Dave Ashman front squatting 435-pounds at Muscle Beach in the 1950s. Ashman was a three-time Sr.National weightlifting champ (1957, 1958, 1959) and briefly held world records in both the snatch and clean and jerk.
Labels: Barbell Exercise, Dave Ashman, Exercise, Olympic Weightlifing Exercise, The Front Squat
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Sunday, May 04, 2008
The Dumbbell BenchpressThe Dumbbell Benchpress is an excelllent alternative to the more commonly done barbell version. By performing the benchpress with dumbbells, you can get a greater range of motion and since you can't bounce the barbell off your chest, there's little chance for monkey business.
Here's Sanford Kapner of Pittsburgh, PA using a pair of 130s for sets of 5. How about that bench he's using?
Labels: Dumbbell Benchpress, Dumbbell Exercise, Dumbbell Training, Exercise
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Tuesday, April 08, 2008
The Press-UpThe Press-Up is an intermediate handbalancing movement that you must master of you want to move on to more advanced moves.
Be sure not to straighten your legs too quickly or it will cause you to lose your balance and fall foreward. Practice and master this move on parallettes before moving on to the bare floor. (You can find our more tips on this move on page 32 of Bill Hinbern's Handbalancing for Muscular Development.)
Labels: Balance, Bodyweight Exercise, Bodyweight Feat, Exercise, Hand Balancing, Hand Balancing Feat, Intemediate Handbalancing Move, Parallettes, Press-Up
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Thursday, February 14, 2008
 Plate Curls | One of the most effective exercises for developing grip and forearm strength can be done with a simple barbell plate. The steep strength curve from the leverage involved can impose quite a challenge -- even when using a very light plate. |
Labels: Exercise, Forearm Strength, Grip Exercise, Grip Feat, Grip Strength, Hand Strength, Plate Curls
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Wednesday, January 30, 2008
| The "side press" is a looser version of the dumbbell press - contrast the picture on the right with the one here. Because it's a bit of an "anyhow" lift, much more weight can be used than a strict dumbbell press. You should be able to press well over a hundred pounds in this manner. Paul Anderson could side press over 300 pounds with ridiculous ease. |  The Dumbbell Side Press |
Labels: Dumbbell Press, Dumbbell Exercise, Exercise, Feat, Paul Anderson, Press, Shoulder Exercise, Side Press
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Friday, January 18, 2008
| I count the reverse curl as one of the true "secret" exercises -- it is simple to do, very effective and will hit one of the most important areas of your body that no other exercise will match. To do it, simply curl with your palms facing down instead of up -- Keep your elbows tight, the bar should move in a semi-circle, this is not a "clean." Anton Matysek could perform this lift with a 3" thick-bar loaded to 88 pounds and tied a belt around his arms to keep it strict. |  The Reverse Curl - Anton Matysek |
Labels: Anton Matysek, Exercise, Oldtime Lift, Oldtime Strongman Feat, Reverse Curl, Thick Bar, Upper Body Movement
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| The "Muscle Out" is an oldtime lift where a weight is held at arms length to the front or side of the body. Generally a block weight or ring weight was used. This lift is quite a test of shoulder strength. If you can accomplish this feat with a 56-pound weight, like the French gentleman on the right, you are indeed strong. |  The Muscle Out |
Labels: Blockweights, Exercise, French Strongman, Muscle Out, Oldtime Strongman Feat, Ring Weights, Shoulder Exercise
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Wednesday, January 09, 2008
The One Arm Chin-UpIt is estimated that not more than one person in a hundred thousand can perform a chin-up with one hand. Here Paul Holloway, one of the lesser-known members of the York Weightlifting team, shows the three stages of the feat.
Notice he is chinning himself with only two fingers -- he was actually able to chin himself using only one finger with ease, but had to use two for this series in order to hold himself still long enough to obtain the pictures.
In the October, 1937 Issue of Strength and Health Magazine Holloway outlines his exact training in detail: a series of progressive chin-up exercises until he was able to reach his goal. This training approach should really come as no surprise...
Labels: Back Exercise, Bodyweight Feat, Bodyweight Training, Exercise, Finger Strength, Grip Exercise, One Arm Chin up, Paul Holloway, Strength and Health, Strongman Feat
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Saturday, January 05, 2008
Sig Klein Demonstrates The Tiger Bend PushupSig Klein was a master of many bodyweight feats in addition to his weight lifting prowess. He credits the Tiger Bend Pushup for taking his overhead press to championship levels. The tiger bend pushup is also one of the best supplementary exercises for building hand balancing skill.
Labels: Bodyweight Training, Exercise, Hand Balancing, Overhead Press, Pushup, Sig Klein, Tiger Bend Pushup
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 Barrel Lifting | Lifting Barrels and Kegs has long been a Oldtime strongman Tradition since it builds a unique kind of strength -- especially is the barrel is only partially filled... If water (or beer) is sloshing around inside the barrel, it becomes a "live" weight, and a tremendous test of strength -- and it takes a lot less weight than you think. A partially-filled barrel weighing as little as fifty pounds can give you a tremendous workout. Suggested barrel lifting exercises include: |
Labels: Barrel Lifting, Barrel Lifting Exercises, Barrels, Exercise, Keg Lifting, Lifting Barrels, Odd Object Lifting, Press, Strongman Equipment, Wooden Barrel
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Friday, January 04, 2008
 Angled Rope Climbing | Another training option for using climbing ropes is to climb on an angle. While this exercise still builds upper body and grip strength it stresses these muscle groups in a whole new way than traditional up-and-down rope climbing. This rope climbing exercise is also especially useful if your ceilings are not very high. William Bankier aka "The Scottish Herculese" used angled rope climbing specifically to build his biceps. It was said that his only bicep exercise was a single ascending and descending of an angled 30-foot climbing rope. |
Labels: Angled Rope Climbing, Bicep Exercise, Bicep Training, Climbing Ropes, Exercise, Manila Climbing Rope, Rope Climbing
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 Steve Stanko Demonstrates The Barbell Pullover | It used to be that benches didn't have uprights on them which mean if you wanted to do "the bench press" (or the supine press, as it was originally called), you had to do a pullover off the floor with the weight to get it in the proper position. ... And it was found that the pullover by itself turned out to be a fine exercise. That's Mr. America and Mr. Universe winner Steve Stanko demonstrating the barbell pullover off a 16" bench with 322 pounds -- pretty impressive! |
Labels: Back Exercise, Barbell Exercise, Exercise, Pullover, Steve Stanko
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Thursday, January 03, 2008
| 1. Take a light barbell and place it across the shoulders or grasp a dumbbell in either hand. 2. Standing erect, raise one foot off the floor and balance on the other foot. 3. Begin the exercise by sitting down into the deep knee bend keeping the raised leg straight and pointing forward, not allowing the leg to touch the floor as shown. |  Harry Good - One-Leg Squat |
5. Inhale when lowering, exhale when lowered, inhale when raising and exhale when erect.
6. Work up to 10 repetitions with each leg then increase the weight 2-1/2 pounds or 5 pounds.
7. Hold the position shown, Bending forward greatly simplifies the exercise.
Labels: 1 Leg Squat, Exercise, Good Brothers, Harry Good, Leg Exercise
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Wednesday, November 21, 2007
| When you see that the many of the strongest men who ever lived all trained with the same exercise, you ought to start paying attention. This picture was taken at the Los Angeles Athletic Club on December 22nd, 1941. Grimek and the York Gang toured the country promoting weightlifting. At these exhibitions, Grimek performed military presses with 290 pounds. |  John Grimek: Military Press |
Labels: Barbell, Bodybuilding, Exercise, John Grimek, Military Press, Press, York Gang
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Tuesday, November 20, 2007
The Overhead PressThe standing barbell press is a great lift -- one of the simplest, and one of the best -- for building upper-body power.
This exercise should be a part of your program.
Here Doug Hepburn presses 361 pounds at the Pacific Coast Championship in the 1950's.
Labels: Barbell Exercise, Doug Hepburn, Exercise, Overhead Press
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Friday, November 09, 2007
 George Zottman | "The very best forearm exercise is the one invented by George Zottman. He used to do it with a pair of 50-lb. Dumbbells, and you can start it with a pair of 20-pounders. Stand erect, with the arms hanging at the sides. Then bend your right arm and bring the bell up in front of your chest, with the palm of the hand up and the wrist bent strongly inward. |
The right hand describes a complete circle.
When your right hand is in front of your shoulder, start your left hand coming up. Both hands work at the same time, but as the right hand is coming down the left hand is coming up, and vice versa.
The elbows should be kept close to the sides throughout the whole exercise."
- From Super Strength by Alan Calvert (1924)
Labels: Alan Calvert, Dumbbells, Exercise, Forearm Strength, George Zottman, Grip Strength, Strongman Feat, Super Strength, Zottman Curl
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