Mac Batchelor and the Neil Lewis Armwrestling Trainer

Mac Batchelor and the Neil Lewis Armwrestling Trainer

Mac Batchelor was undefeated at armwrestling for over a quarter century. Here's Mac taking the Neil Lewis Armwrestling Trainer for a spin. Looks like a good one.

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Mac Batchelor's Challenge

If you were ever out near L.A. and wanted to stop by Mac Batchelor's tavern and challenge the big man, you were more than welcome to. One of Mac's challenges was to place his hand, palm-up, on the bar and have someone try to hold down one of his fingers, with a quick flip the would-be challenger always went flying. You can read more about it in the "Grip and Forearm Development" Chapter in John McCallum's Key's to Progress.

Mac Batchelors Challenge

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Mac Batchelor Plays the Violin

Mac Batchlelor Plays the Violin

Mac Batchelor was a man of many talents...Besides Arm Wrestling and Bending Bottlecaps he could also play the violin... Of course, like any strongman, he added his own unique twist, that's a pair of 50-pound Milo Kettlebells hanging from his right arm.

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Mac Batchelor's 2000-Pound Hip Lift

Mac batchelor's 2000-Pound Hip Lift
Mac Batchelor was well-known for his grip strength but he excelled at many other different types of strength feats.

Here's Mighty Mac performing a harness or hip lift with over 2000 pounds.

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Mighty Mac Batchelor - Undefeated Armwrestling Champ

Mighty Mac Batchelor - Undefeated Armwrestling Champ
"Mighty" Mac Batchelor doing his thing -- Mac was undefeated for over a quarter century at armwrestling.

Mac was quite the athlete - at a bodyweight of 330 pounds, he could run the hundred yard dash in 11 seconds and hurl the javelin 190feet.

He also could squat 400 for reps, perform the Zottman Curl with 90 pound dumbbells and Stiff Leg Deadlifts with 500 pounds.

I sure wouldn't want to be across the table from ol' Mac...

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An Unusual Grip feat from Mac Batchelor

The great Mac Batchelor had quite a set of strong mitts. As reported in by John McCallum in The Complete Keys to Progress, Mac could pinch a wine cork between forefinger and thumb, press down as shown and split the cork in half.

An Unusual Grip feat from Mac Batchelor

Try it...

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Backlifting with Mac Batchelor

Mac Batchelor was most well-known for his feats of grip strength but he was no one-trick pony -- Mac trained many different lifts and was exceptional in all of them. In this classic shot, "Big Mac" warms up with 30 or 40 reps in the Backlift with half a ton.

Mac Batchelor

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Mac Batchelor

Mac Batchelor

"I was in L.A. about ten years ago. I went into one of the gyms and asked about a man named Mac Batchelor. They told me how to find the tavern where he worked and that night I drove over to see him.

The tavern was full of thirsty customers, but there was no doubt who was Batchelor. He weighed about 330 and most of it was muscle. I climbed up on a bar stool and introduced myself.

"Tell me Mac, "I said, "You still the world's best arm wrestler?"

He laughed. "I think so." He propped an arm like an elephant's leg up on the bar.

"Wanta try?"

I looked at the arm. "No Thanks."

He looked surprised. "No? How come?"

Mac, I'll tell ya, I said. "You might break my arm and I don't think my insurance would cover it."

He smiled broadly. "You know," he said, "you're one of the very few people who ever walked in here and didn't think they could beat me.

"Good grief," I said," I ain't too bright, but I'm not crazy. I tell you what I would like, though. I'd like to see some of those strength feats of yours I've heard about."

"Sure," he said. "Here." He reached under the bar and brough our four bottlecaps. He jammed one betwen each finger on his right hand and held his hand out. "Watch." He squeezed lightly and the four caps crumpled like Kleenex..."

- from "Grip and Forearm Development"in The Complete Keys to Progress by John McCallum

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Ian "Mac" Batchelor

Ian "Mac" Batchelor of Los Angeles, California was a great Oldtime Strongman who specilized in feats of grip and forearm strength. He could easily bend metal bottle caps between his fingers and was for many years recognized as a champion of "wrist-wrestling" (in which he was undefeated.) This picture shows one of his more outstanding feats of grip strength: "walking" his fingers up a long, heavy wine bottle. Try it!

Ian "Mac" Batchelor

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