Monday, November 16, 2009
Beach muscles? Perhaps, but these three individuals are some of the strongest men who ever lived... and they got that way by training for "strength" first and foremost. The impressive arm development shown here was a matter of basic exercises done well and constant improvement over time. From the top down Dave Sheppard, Ike Berger and Chuck Vinci.
Labels: Arm Development, Chuck Vinci, Dave Sheppard, Ike Berger
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Here's a stamp commemorating the weight lifting event at the 1964 Olympic Summer Games held in Tokyo, Japan.
Among the Medal winners featured on this site are Waldemar Baszanowski of Poland, who won Gold in the Lightweight Class, and Yoshinobu Miyake of Japan, who bested the field in the Featherweight division. Ike Berger took Silver behind Miyake, and Vlasov and Schemansky took Silver and Bronze behind the Russian Champion Zhabotinsky.
Labels: 1964 Olympics, Gold Medal, Ike Berger, Norb Schemansky, Olympics, Stamp, Tokyo, Waldemar Baszanowski, Yoshinobu Miyake, Yuri Vlasov
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Monday, May 11, 2009
A shot of Ike Berger cleaning and jerking 325 pounds to set the world record and win the Gold Medal in the featherweight class at the 1958 Senior World Weightlifting Championships. Berger was known for his flawless technique in all three lifts.
Labels: Clean and Jerk, Ike Berger, olympic weightlifter, Senior Nationals, World Record
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
You never knew what might happen at Muscle Beach with so many crazy strong folks around. Here's a bit of horse play with Ike Berger on the bottom and record-setting shot putter Parry O'Brien up top. O'Brien grew up in Santa Monica and no doubt his exposure to weightlifting and physical culture with the Muscle beach gang contributed to his success.
O'Brien was the first man to put the shot over 60 feet and won more than 116 consecutive competitions. He competed in four consecutive Olympic games, winning the Gold in 1952 Helsinki Games and the 1956 games in Melbourne, Australia.
Labels: 1952 Olympics, 1956 Olympics, Barbell Lift, Ike Berger, Muscle Beach, Parry O'Brien, Santa Monica California, Shot Put, Supporting Feat, York Deep Dish 45 Pound Plate
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Monday, April 06, 2009
The Incline Press | Ike Berger does include, occasionally, some presses on the incline bench to build pressing power. |
Labels: Arm Strength, Ike Berger, Incline Press, Pressing Exercise, Upper Body Exercise, Upper Body Movement
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
The York Barbell Broad Street Gym One of the great training halls was the old York Barbell gym, located on Broad Street on York PA. It was an old factory converted to a gym, with nothing but a couple lifting platforms, a climbing rope, a few old dumbbells and plenty of iron.
It was hot, dark and cramped (just like a great gym should be)and the equipment was old, but solid and it produced an untold number of strength Champions in bodybuilding and Olympic weightlifting.
That's Ike Berger on the platform working on his press while Bob Hoffman, Tommy Kono and others look on.
Labels: Bob Hoffman, Broad Street Gym, Classic Gym, Classic Strongman Gyms, Ike Berger, Olympic Weightlifting, Tommy Kono, York Barbell Company
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Isaac "Ike" BergerIke Berger is one of America's most successful Olympic Weightlifters -- he was the first featherweight in history to lift more than 800 pounds and the first to press double body weight.
Over his career he was the owner of 23 world weightlifting records, a 12-time United States national titleholder, 2-time World Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist at the 1956 Games in Melbourne Australia (along with two more Silver medals at the next two Olympic Games.)
At the 1964 Olympic games, he estabilished a record of 152.5 kg (336 lb) in the jerk, at a bodyweight of only 130 pounds (59 kg). This lift made him pound-for-pound the strongest man in the world, a record that stood for nine years.
Ike Berger was elected to the United States Weightlifter's Hall of Fame in 1965.
Labels: 1956 Olympics, Clean and Jerk, Gold Medal, Ike Berger, Olympic Weightlifting, Olympics, Press, weightlifter, weightlifting, World Champion
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Welcome to the Strongest Blog on the Net!
This is THE PLACE where you will find interesting bits of Iron Game history, lore and training tips from the strongest men of all time.

Arm Development
1964 Tokyo Olympic Stamp
Ike Berger
Blame it on Muscle Beach
The Incline Press