Thursday, June 18, 2009

  • Karl Moerke


    • The famous German strongman Karl Moerke was a man of many unusual talents. Among them, this unusual and quite impressive "leg press" support of the front end of a fire truck. The weight was said to top 4000 pounds.

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    Posted by John Wood @ Thursday, June 18, 2009

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    Wednesday, May 20, 2009

  • Louis Abele


    • Louis Abele, lifting out of the Lighthouse Boy's Club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was a three-time Sr. National Silver medalist and briefly held the American Record in the press. He would also have lifted at the 1940 Olympic games although unfortunately they were canceled. Had he been born a few years earlier Abele would probably be a lot more well-known since he was in his prime right around the same time as Steve Stanko and later John Davis.

    Abele was adamant about the incredible strength benefits of heavy, high-rep squatting (something which is pretty evident in the picture.) His best marks were: 400 lbs. x 18, 450 lbs. x 10, 475 lbs. x 7 and 500 lbs. x 3.

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    Posted by John Wood @ Wednesday, May 20, 2009

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    Wednesday, April 15, 2009

  • Paul Anderson


    • Sure, plenty of people have come along who have squatted more than Paul Anderson but no one has made it look as easy. Here 'Big Paul' squats 800+ pounds in nothing but a singlet without even breaking a sweat.

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    Posted by John Wood @ Wednesday, April 15, 2009

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    Monday, March 23, 2009

  • The Good Morning


    • If you want to build strong legs, you need to build a strong back. Paul Anderson knew this, and it was a big reason he was squatting with 1200+ pounds back in the 1950's. A plain Olympic set will work for most people, of course, when you move the kind of weight that Paul Anderson could, you may need something a little more heavy duty.

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    Posted by John Wood @ Monday, March 23, 2009

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    Tuesday, March 10, 2009

  • Sled Pushing


    • Oldtime football players used to push wooden sleds to build leg strength and stamina. This was good for conditioning although not so much for football technique -- either way, it's a great workout. This picture shows the Harvard football team training circa 1910. Sleds like these are actually still made for training purposes although if you don't have one, you can always push a car for a similar effect.

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    Posted by John Wood @ Tuesday, March 10, 2009

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    Wednesday, February 04, 2009

  • The Hammer Strength Leg Press


    • The Hammer Strength Leg Press is the very best leg press that I've ever used. This machine can also be an excellent alternative to the squat for building leg strength. Consider yourself lucky if you can find one though.

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    Posted by John Wood @ Wednesday, February 04, 2009

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    Thursday, June 26, 2008

  • The Hip Lift


    • Mr. Roy L. Smith demonstrates a Hip Lift of a train axle weighing 2250 pounds. Smith did not begin to lift weights until he was over 30 years of age, but using MILO Barbell methods he put on over 40 pounds of muscular bodyweight and was featured in the MILO Barbell Company advertisements.

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    Posted by John Wood @ Thursday, June 26, 2008

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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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    • Posted by John Wood @ Monday, November 19, 2007

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