Monday, October 26, 2009
Milo Barbell Company Ad, 1903Here's one I doubt you have ever seen before, this advertisement for the Milo Barbell Company dates to 1903, back around when it was first established. One thing you will notice about the early Milo dumbbells is that they were not Globes but canister shaped. Oh, and that incredible "system" that they are talking about? It's called "Progressive Resistance Training" and it still works wonders a century later.
Labels: Advertisement, Milo Barbell Company, Milo Dumbbell
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Saturday, October 03, 2009
 Walter Donald | The great physique star and strongman Walter Donald is shown here finishing up a swing with a great Milo Dumbbell (left) and a "Hack Squat" (below). Donald was featured demonstrating the lifts and exercises in Alan Calvert's book "Super Strength" and several of Calvert's other publications. Hailing from New York, Donald was a good friend of Sig Klein and also served as the physical education director at Briarcliff Manor, Briarcliff, New York.  |
Labels: Alan Calvert, Milo Barbell Company, Walter Donald
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Sunday, September 13, 2009
What is a Bar-Bell?A look at a Milo Barbell Co. Ad from 1924. In those days, "lifting weights" was not as popular as it is today, hence the need for Alan Calvert to use an ad like this to educate the public as to what a "bar-bell" was and what it could do for someone when they used it correctly. Sig Klein is pictured demonstrating the equipment.
Labels: Advertisement, Alan Calvert, Globe Barbell, Globe Dumbbell, Kettlebell, Milo Barbell Company, Milo Kettlebell, Sig Klein
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Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Robert B. SnyderThere have been more than a few great strongmen who are not giants. A perfect example is Robert B. Snyder of Hagerstown, Maryland. As a boy he was inspired by the strongman from the Forepaugh & Sells circus and began training by lifting barrels and stones. He also taught himself hand balancing - something which he would become exceptionally good at.
At the age of 14 (weighing 116 pounds) Snyder lifted his first barbell -- a MILO barbell owned by a local strongman. Shortly afterward, Snyder began following MILO barbell course #1 and showed tremendous improvement... so much so that he was featured in Bernarr MacFadden's Physical Culture Magazine as well as Alan Calvert's STRENGTH Magazine.
At his heaviest, Snyder weighed only 139 pounds yet was incredibly strong easily performing multiple one-arm chins with each hand as well as lifting poundages well above bodyweight. Above, Snyder performs the one-arm get up lift with a human weight.
Labels: Alan Calvert, Barrel Lifting, Circus Strongman, Hand Balancing, Human Lift, Milo Bar Bell Courses, Milo Barbell Company, One Arm Getup, Robert B. Snyder, Stone Lifting, Strength Magazine
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Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Jowett Barbell PlatesLike many strongmen, George Jowett had his own brand of barbell plates. These were likely cast by the same foundry which produced equipment for the Milo Barbell Company. Jowett and Alan Calvert were both based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the time and also worked together on several projects.
Labels: Alan Calvert, Barbell Plate, Equipment, George Jowett, Jowett Barbell Plates, Milo Barbell Company, Oldtime Strength Equipment
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Sunday, March 15, 2009
Early Milo Barbell Company AdBack in 1902 when Alan Calvert established the Milo Barbell Company this is the type of equipment he started out with: a canister shape which had a compartment for barbell plates as well as a compartment which could be shot-loaded for micro progression. The Milo Barbell Company switched to the more practical Globed equipment shortly afterwards. The $7.50 price tag in 1902 equates to around $180 in today's money when adjusted for inflation.
Labels: Advertisement, Milo Barbell, Milo Barbell Company, Shot Loaded, Shot Loaded Barbells
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Friday, March 06, 2009
Milo Barbell PlatesAlan Calvert began the Milo Barbell Company in 1902 and manufactured primarily globe barbells and dumbbells. In 1935, The Milo Barbell Company was purchased by Bob Hoffman as he established the York Barbell Company. Hoffman, however, still kept the name alive and sold "Milo Barbell" plates and bars for years afterwards. This is an example of one of the later "Milo Barbell" plates. -- Not quite the same as the old globes but still fun to train with.
Labels: Alan Calvert, Barbell Plate, Bob Hoffman, Equipment, Milo Barbell, Milo Barbell Company, Milo Barbell Plate, Weight Plate
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Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Handstands!You won't see many pictures like this these days. This is a group of six Chicago "Turners" each doing a handstand on a set of parallel bars. Note the sets of Indian clubs, wooden dumbbells and Milo weights on the wall in the background. The picture dates to 1905.
Labels: Classic Gym, Gymnastics, Hand Balancing, handstand, Indian Clubs, Milo Barbell Company, Physical Culture, Physical Culture Equipment, Turnverein, Vintage Gymnasiums, Wooden Dumbbells.
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Sunday, January 04, 2009
Two Kinds of Overhead PressSig Klein demonstrates two different kinds of overhead press: the 'strict' press on the left and more of a 'push-press' on the right. The merits of both are discussed in The Milo Bar Bell Courses.
Labels: Milo Bar Bell Courses, Milo Barbell Company, Overhead Press, Push Press, Sig Klein, Strict Press
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Saturday, December 20, 2008
Vintage Milo Barbell Company AdHere's a look at a vintage ad for the Milo Barbell Company circa 1910. Read the words carefully. Interestingly enough, the messages of proper training and necessity for good equipment have not changed one bit over the last hundred years.
Labels: Advertisement, Milo Barbell Company
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Friday, December 05, 2008
Strength MagazineStrength Magazine began in 1914 and was originally a house organ for Alan Calvert'sMilo Barbell Company. It was used primarily to educate customers of the fine art of using their newly purchased weight set.
The first dozen or so issues were digest size and printed on acid free paper... certainly ahead of its time. The magazine then went through several format changes focusing primarily on athletic training. Eventually the format shifted back to magazine size with strength training and physical cultrue making up the bulk of the material, with articles on other related athletic pursuits, boxing, wrestling, baseball, golf etc thrown in.
Each month you would find training articles by many of the greatest strength writers in the pages of Strength Magazine. Men like George Jowett, Mark Berry, Handbalancer Bob Jones and many others. Copies are extremely difficult to come by. This is the cover of the January 1928 Issue.
Labels: Alan Calvert, Bob Jones, Cover, George Jowett, Mark Berry, Milo Barbell Company, Strength Magazine
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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, November 03, 2008
Mark H. BerryMark Berry was well known for his excellent training courses but his contributions to the strength world extended far beyond that. He was a very successful featherweight lifter in the American Continental Weight-Lifter's Association (ACWLA) during the mid-1920's.
He also became the editor of Strength Magazine, director of the Milo Barbell Company and helped establish the Association of Bar Bell Men (ABBM) which was a governing body for weightlifting and bodybuilding.
In addition to these accomplishments, Berry was also a coach for the 1932 and 1936 Olympic weightlifting team and was an early mentor to a young John Grimek.
Labels: ABBM, ACWLA, Barbell, John Grimek, Mark Berry, Milo Barbell Company, Strength Author, Strength Magazine
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Thursday, June 26, 2008
Hip LiftMr. 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.
Labels: Alan Calvert, Exercises, Feat, Hip and Leg Strength, Hip Lift, Leg Strength, Milo Barbell Company, Roy L. Smith, Train Wheel
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Thursday, February 14, 2008
Alan CalvertA very rare picture of Milo Barbell Company founder and noted strength author Alan Calvert.
Calvert established the Milo Barbell company in 1902, one of the very first training publications "Strength" Magazine in 1914, wrote several training books and courses and helped pave the way for thousands of trainees to develop size and strength.
Gotta love those classic 'bells!
Labels: Alan Calvert, Globe Barbell, Globe Dumbbell, Milo Barbell Company, Strength Author, Strongman Equipment
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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, January 07, 2008
Milo Triplex KettlebellsMany people think kettlebells are uniquely Russian, but while they certainly have a long history in Russia, kettlebells also have a long tradition in America as well.
In 1902, Alan Calvert established the Milo Barbell Company and kettlebells were among his first products.
He went through several different designs, the patent shown above is for the Milo "Triplex" Kettlebell which was patented in 1919.
The Milo Triplex shown did not have a shot-loaded compartment but instead had globed plate "slices" inside the outer shell.
The rotating handle should also be noted.
Labels: Alan Calvert, Kettlebell, Milo Barbell Company, Milo Triplex Kettlebell, Strongman Equipment
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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 06, 2008
The Hip LiftThe Hip Lift is an old time exercise for building leg power. -- It involves using a belt attached to a heavy weight that will just clear the floor when the legs are straightened.
Several thousand pounds are able to be lifted in this manner.
On the left, Charles MacMahon hip lifts a heavy barbell circa 1917 at the Milo Barbell Company.
On the right, John Grimek uses the very same setup to train for Warren Lincoln Travis' Challenge at the York Barbell Company in 1949.
Labels: Charles MacMahon, Exercises Leg Strength, Hip Lift, John Grimek, Leg Power, Milo Barbell Company, Oldtime Strongman Feat, York Barbell Company
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Sunday, November 04, 2007
| Here's another look at the lovely Pudgy Stockton gracing the cover of the March 1948 issue of Strength and Health. As was customary in most pictures of Pudgy, she was holding aloft some great weight, in this case, a very nice MILO globe dumbbell. I wonder how many reps she could have gotten? |  Pudgy Stockton |
Labels: Globe Dumbbell, Milo Barbell Company, Pudgy Stockton, Strength and Health
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Friday, October 26, 2007
 Henry "Milo" Steinborn | Henry "Milo" Steinborn was a German strongman and wrestler who came the the U.S. in 1921 and immediately caused a big splash in the world of physical training. At a bodyweight of 210 pounds, he could snatch 220 pounds with one hand, military press 265 pounds and clean and jerk 347-1/2. He was most well-known for introducing hard and heavy squatting to this side of the world. |
Labels: Clean and Jerk, Globe Barbell, Henry Milo Steinborn, Military Press, Milo Barbell Company, Oldtime Strongman, one arm snatch, Squat
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Monday, October 22, 2007
Sig Klein One Arm Dumbbell PressThe One Arm Dumbbell Press is a great power builder for the shoulders and upper body. -- You should include it in your program and work up to well over a hundred pounds. Here's a look at the great Sig Klein pressing an old Milo Globe Dumbbell. At a bodyweight of only 150 pounds, Sig Klein could do a ten reps with each arm in a 'see-saw' press with a pair of 100 lb. dumbbells.
Labels: Globe Dumbbells, Milo Barbell Company, Oldtime Strongman, Overhead Press, Sig Klein, Strongman Equipment, Strongman Feat
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Wednesday, October 10, 2007
The MILO Barbell Company ShowroomA look at one corner of Alan Calvert's MILO Barbell Company showroom circa 1915. - Globe and stage dumbbells as far as the eye can see. That must have been a great place to train.
Labels: Alan Calvert, Classic Strongman Gyms, Globe Dumbbells, Milo Barbell Company
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Thursday, October 04, 2007
The Iron Master DumbbellFrom 1989 to 2000, Osmo Kiiha published "THE IRON MASTER" one of the most informative periodicals ever produced on the history of strength training.
What made this publication stand out from anything before or since was the focus on training, -- every issue focused on one or more of the all-time greats but it wasn't just talk, there was always a number of workouts included so that readers could learn exactly how the champs trained.
At one point, Osmo decided to create a further link to the past by coming out with his own classic equipment. He created a series of globe barbells, dumbbells and kettlebells which were reminiscent of the kind of equipment that the MILO Barbell Company had produced a century before.
The "Iron Master" Dumbbell is shown above.
Like the MILO models, these had hollow globes which could be filled either with shot or loded with smaller plates through the handle. They were cast in either aluminum or steel and were machined, one at a time, by hand ~ true works of art.
Labels: Dumbbell, Globe Barbell, Iron Master Magazine, Milo Barbell Company, Osmo Kiiha
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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, October 01, 2007
 The Kettlebell Handle | Kettlebells have taken many forms throughout the years. From the classic Globed MILO Kettlebells... to the Blockweights that were so common in many Oldtime Strongman acts of decades past... and to the many other unique forms which will be featured at a later date. One type of kettlebell that you don't often see mentioned much is the plate-loaded kettlebell handle, which has a very long history by itself. Of course, this type of kettlebell was used a bit differently in terms of training than what is often recommended these days. |
Labels: Blockweights, Equipment, kettlebell handles, Kettlebells, Milo Barbell Company, Milo Kettlebell
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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, August 20, 2007
The MILO Barbell ShowroomAlan Calvert established the MILO Barbell company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the turn of the century. It was the very first source for barbells and heavy dumbbells in the United States.
Located at 1116 Olive Street, the MILO Barbell showroom must have been quite a sight to see with its grand selection of globed barbells, dumbbells and kettlebells.
Unfortunately the MILO Barbell Company is long gone but we do have a number of Alan Calvert's training materials left to instruct future generations:
The Milo Barbell Courses
The Truth About Weight Lifting
Super Strength
Labels: Alan Calvert, Dumbbell, Globe Barbell, Kettlebells, Milo Barbell Company
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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, August 05, 2007
Joe Nordquest Presses a Milo Dumbbell
Oldtime Strongman Joe Nordquest presses one of Alan Calvert's Milo Dumbbells circa 1915. Joe could also perform 28 handstand pushups in a row and bent-press 277 pounds with his left arm.
Labels: Joe Nordquest, Milo Barbell Company, Strongman, Strongman Equipment
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Sunday, July 29, 2007
| Someday I may get around to putting together the Secret history of Kettlebells -- there's more to it than what most people would have you believe. Here's something that will make a good chapter: blockweights. These were an offshoot of the kettlebell "handled-weight" concept and used for many of the same exercises, at least in Strongman Lore (which is an important distinction.) The real function for blockweights is to provide ballast (i.e. just "weight") to hold down the scenery/props etc backstage in the theater. My theory is that many oldtime strongmen noticed these unusual weights during their performances in various places and thought they would make an interesting implement to train/lift with. The top ad is for a blockweight sold by the Milo Barbell Company circa 1926. The bottom two are vintage blockweights, weighing 50 and 30 pounds respectively. |    |
Labels: Antique Equipment, Blockweights, Classic Equipment, Kettlebells, Milo Barbell Company, Strongman Equipment
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Check out this great oldtime ad for Super Strength by Alan Calvert.
The third paragraph says:
ABSOLUTELY THE BEST BOOK OF ITS KIND
If you are one of that class, we earnestly recommend that you get a copy of this book "SUPER STRENGTH." It approaches the problem of body-building, health -improvemnet and strength making from an entirely new angle."
To get your own copy, Click here.
The third paragraph says:
| The book "SUPER STRENGTH" was planned and written to help the individual reader. At the present time there are tens of thousands of men of all ages who are seeking physical perfection - who are not satisfied with merely keeping themselves fit, but whose ideal is to bring their bodies to the highest state of physical beauty, bodily strength, andmuscular development. Those are the men who are not satisfied with bing "just one of the crowd," and who are working to get that personal supremecy which comes from a superb physical equipment. |  SUPER STRENGTH by Alan Calvert |
To get your own copy, Click here.
Labels: Alan Calvert, Milo Barbell Company, Super Strength
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Thursday, June 21, 2007
| While kettlebells do certainly have a history in Russia and many other Eastern European countries, what many people don't realize is that kettlebells also have a long tradition in the United States as well. Back in 1902, Alan Calvert founded the Milo Barbell Company -- the very first commercial strength equipment company in America. Along with barbells and dumbbells, Calvert also manufactured kettlebells, one version of which is shown on the right. The Milo Kettlebell consisted of an outer "shell," with the inner plates sectioned to allow for easy progression. |   |
Labels: Alan Calvert, Kettlebell, Milo Barbell Company, Strongman Equipment
www.oldtimestrongman.com
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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