Sunday, December 06, 2009
Julius CochardThe French strongman, Julius Cochard, possessed an unusual level of strength and endurance. His best known feat was to carry a 220-pound sack on his shoulders for a distance of 112 miles. It took him just under a week to cover that distance. He was also very adept at feats of finger strength, being able to snatch and swing 110-pound dumbbell with only one finger.
Labels: Endurance Feat, Finger Strength, French Strongman, Julius Cochard, One Finger Lift, One Finger Snatch
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Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Eagle Claw!One very interesting exercises for building grip strength is to grasp the opening of a large clay jar with each hand. As you get stronger, simply fill the jar with additional sand or rocks to increase weight to make the movement more difficult. This method is simple, but very effective, and martial artists have been using it for centuries.
This type of training had many names, for example, in Okionawan Karate, they are referred to as Nigiri Game, or gripping jars. The fellow above is from 1906, and seems to have things pretty well taken care of in the grip department from using this exercise.
Labels: Eagle Claw, Finger Strength, Grip Strength, Gripping Jars, Martial Arts Training, Nigiri Game, Traditional Exercise
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Friday, August 28, 2009
Gottfried HuberNot much is known of Gottfried Huber, the early weightlifter/strongman/wrestler from the Austrian state of Tirol. What little is remembered is that he specialized in feats of gripping power and finger lifting. Consequently, he was also a champion in the sport of Fingerhakeln (finger hooking), a test of strength in which you you try to pull your opponent across a table with your middle finger only.
Labels: Austrian Strongman, finger lifting, Finger Strength, Fingerhakeln, Gottfried Huber, Strongman
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Friday, August 21, 2009
Bruce Lee ~ Thumb PushupsThe great martial artist Bruce Lee was a big proponent of physical training and with good reason. He understood... he "got it" ... which is why he also made it a point to train his grip. Building stronger fingers, wrists, hands and forearms is obviously very important in combat settings. Here's Master Bruce doing pushups on only his thumbs in between takes while filming one of his movies - an incredible feat. Can anyone today do this?
Labels: Bruce Lee, Finger Strength, Grip Feat, Strong Grip, Thumb Strength
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Thursday, August 06, 2009
"535 lbs."In Chicago, Illinois on May 7th, 1896, Louis Cyr lifted 535 lbs. clear of the floor with one finger.
Labels: Finger Strength, Louis Cyr, One Finger Lift, Strength Feat
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Wednesday, August 05, 2009
The Baseball GripA very simple way to build your hand strength is with a simple baseball or softball. This one has been drilled and fitted with an eye-hook which allows weights to be hung from it. It's a surprisingly effective challenge.
Labels: Baseball Grip, Finger Strength, Grip Equipment, Grip Strength, Grip Tools, Hand Strength, Hand Strength Equipment
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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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Monday, June 01, 2009
The Middle Finger DeadliftIt's not often that one of Hermann Goerner's records is broken, let alone broken by over 100 pounds (!) but that is exactly what you are witnessing here. John McLoughlin, a 198 pound lifter from the German American A.C. in New York City is shown here deadlifting 411 pounds with the middle fingers of each hand.
This lift broke Goerner's old record of 308 pounds which he set back in the 1920's. I can say from experience that this type of lifting ain't exactly a walk in the park.
Labels: finger lifting, Finger Strength, Hermann Goerner, John McLoughlin, Single Finger Lifts, The Middle Finger Deadlift
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Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Basil KorolevBasil Korolev was Russian by birth but left his native land in 1919 at the start of the revolution. He settled in Japan were he was undefeated in Judo and boxing contests and held the heavyweight title in both sports until his retirement in 1936.
Here is Basil at a strength demonstration curling a pair of 80-pound kettlebells with only his little fingers.
Labels: Basil Korolev, Boxing, Curl, Finger Strength, Judo, Kettlebell, Mother Russia, One Finger Lift, Russian Kettlebells, Russian Strongman
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Saturday, March 07, 2009
Doug Hepburn's Favorite FeatOne of Doug Hepburn's favorite feats was to muscle out a 45-pound plate hanging from his pinky finger -- an amazing display of shoulder and grip strength. As evident here, Hepburn could do this with either hand.
Labels: 45 Pound Plate, Doug Hepburn, Finger Strength, Grip Feat, Grip Strength, Muscle Out, Shoulder Strength
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Thursday, February 19, 2009
The Steve Reeves DeadliftHere's a unique feat by 1947 Mr. America Steve Reeves ... he may not have invented it but he became very well known for it: The Steve Reeves Deadlift. It involves an extremely wide-grip deadlift performed by grabbing the rim on a pair of York Deep Dish Plates. It's tougher than it looks and a tremendous feat of finger strength.
Labels: 1947 Mr. America, Deadlift, Finger Strength, Grip Feat, Grip Strength, Mr. America, Steve Reeves, York Deep Dish 45 Pound Plate
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Sunday, January 11, 2009
 Finger Lifting | Finger Lifting is always popular due to the fact that a person can truthfully prove he can lift more with one finger than another can lift with both hands. Beyond a doubt, the greatest men in the world on this exercise who can handle the greatest poundages are Warren Lincoln Travis, Adolph Nordquest, John Y. Smith and Ottley R. Coulter, who, at 132 pounds could out lift many heavyweights. All four men here owe most of their success in this lift to their knowledge of muscular leverage and know just how to apply their muscular power. |
Labels: Adolph Nordquest, finger lifting, Finger Strength, Grip Feat, John Y. Smith, One Finger Lift, Ottley Coulter, strongman lift, Warren Lincoln Travis
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Monday, November 17, 2008
One Finger Zen Shaolin Monks are not "Strongmen" per se, but they certainly share a lot of similarities, one of which is training for one specific feat for years until it is mastered. This one is referred to as "One Finger Zen" or a handstand held on a single finger!
Labels: Finger Strength, One Finger Zen, Shaolin Monks
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Monday, July 28, 2008
Karl Norberg: Plate Muscle-OutLifting an old York deep-dish 45-pound plate by the hub is impressive enough, but this feat is out of this world. At 69 years of age, "The Mighty Norseman" Karl Norberg not only pinched the plate, he lifted it and performed a Muscle-Out with it - a simply incredible feat of strength!
Labels: Finger Strength, Grip Feat, Grip Strength, Hub Lift, Karl Norberg, Muscle Out, York Deep Dish 45 Pound Plate
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Sunday, July 27, 2008
Jean Baillargeon - Finger LiftingJean Baillargeon, of the famed Baillargeon Brothers lifts what looks to be around 260 pounds with his little finger! Finger lifting was a favorite feat of many Oldtime Strongmen - some men were able to work up to 500-600 pounds in this lift.
Labels: Baillargeon Brothers, Finger Strength, Grip Feat, Jean Baillargeon, One Finger Lift, Single Finger Lifts
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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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Sunday, May 04, 2008
Steve Stanko and The Hub LiftOne of the classic classic grip feats was to pick up a York Deep-Dish 45 Pound barbell plate just by the hub, something weightlifting and bodybuilding champ Steve Stanko could do with ease, even with an added 10 pounds. Steve's best was with over 90 pounds!
Labels: 45 Pound Plate, Bending Feat, Finger Strength, Grip Feat, Hub Lift, Steve Stanko, York Barbell, York Deep Dish 45 Pound Plate
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Sunday, April 13, 2008
Cyclops The Coin BreakerAnother look at Franz Bienkowski, aka Cyclops, whose fingers were so powerful that he could bend and break coins with his bare hands. On the right is one of the 10 centimes coin that Cyclops broke, a feat witnessed and authenticated by several other notable strongmen.
Cyclops possessed considerable strength and possessed a 14-1/2-inch forearm, 18-inch upper arm and 52-inch chest. He often partnered with Charles Sampson.
Labels: Charles Sampson, Coin Bending, Coin Breaking, Cyclops, Finger Strength, Fingertip Strength, Grip Feat, Grip Strength, Paris France
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Sunday, April 06, 2008
 Al Berger | Al Berger was a great strength athlete and classic bodybuilder during the 1940's. Berger was a very good bodybuilder but was most well-known for his ability to perform incredible feats of strength while "pinch gripping" rafters in his basement. |
Im addition to his pinch-gripping feats, Berger could perform a reverse curl with 165 pounds.
Labels: Al Berger, Bodybuilder, Finger Strength, Grip Feat, Grip Strength, Hand Strength, Oldtime Strongman Feat, Pinch Grip, Pinch Grip Chinup, Pinch Lift, Rafter Chinup, Reverse Curl, Thumb Strength
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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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Friday, January 04, 2008
The Quarter-Sized Deck Tear by Dennis RogersEvery Strongman should be able to rip a deck of playing cards in half, but you truly need a whole other level of strength to accomplish this feat.
Like only Paul Von Boeckmann before him, Dennis Dennis Rogers is able to tear this quarter-sized chunk out of a deck of playing cards - a simply incredible feat of finger strength.
Labels: Card Ripping, Dennis Rogers, Finger Strength, Grip Feat, Grip Strength, Paul Von Boeckmann
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