Tuesday, July 14, 2009
John 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
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, April 03, 2009
One of the first strongman contests in this country was "New England's Strongest Man" contest, which was sponsored by the Boston Globe in 1926. The contest consisted of four lifts:
When the dust settled John Y. Smith was the winner by 15 pounds. He was sixty years old at the time.
Labels: Continental, Deadlift, Jerk, John Y. Smith, New England's Strongest Man Contest, One Arm Deadlift, Strongman Contest
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
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
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 01, 2008
John Y. Smith | Gotta love some of the unique and usual weights that many of the strongmen found to lift. Here's a rare shot of the great Oldtime strongman John Y. Smith as he shoulders an unusual barbell, in his later years. Smith was a very good bent-presser (with a lift of 275 lbs. at a bodyweight of just 160 lbs.) so that is probably what he is getting ready to do. |
Labels: Barbell, Bent Press, John Y. Smith, Oldtime Strongman Feat, Strongman Equipment, Unusual Training Equipment
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, December 10, 2007
John Y. Smith | John Y. Smith was a great strongman in the New England area in the early 1900's. Among his many impressive feats were a right hand bent-press of 275-1/2 pounds (which broke Louis Cyr's mark) and a left hand bent-press of 248 pounds (Which stood as an American record for many years.) It was said that Smith's hands resembled "Iron Claws" due to his extensive training with Thick Bars. |
Labels: Bent Press, Hand Strength, Iron Claws, John Y. Smith, Oldtime Strongman, Thick Bar Training, Thick Bars
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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John Y. Smith
New England's Strongest Man Contest 1926
Finger Lifting
John Y. Smith
John Y. Smith