Klein's Gym

Klein's Gym

I've shown plenty of shots of the inside of Sig Klein's Gym but here's a rare shot of the outside. Klein's Gym was located at 717 Seventh Avenue and was hard to miss with the huge picture of Sig out front.

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Sig Klein Climbing Rope Chins

Sig Klein Climbing Rope Chins

Like every great strongman, Sig Klein employed a variety of exercises to build his strength. Here's one of his favorites for building grip power: chin ups on a thick climbing rope. This rope looks to be about 2-inches thick making any number of chin ups quite a challenge.

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Klein's Bell

For over four decades, Sig Klein owned and ran his famous gym in downtown New York city and something that he did for a while was put out his own newsletter: "Klein's Bell."

This short 4-8 page publication was distributed to members of Klein's gym and highlighted training articles, physique photography and any other topics of interest and it was actually a pretty radical idea for the time. This is the cover of the August 1932 issue featuring the "15-inch Arm Club" - Also goes to show you don't need a huge arm to be impressive.

Klein's Bell ran for 19 issues although in 1933 it merged with Alan Calvert's THE STRONGMAN Magazine

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Yet Another Look at Sig Klein's Gym

Sig Klein's Gym

Yes, we have shown it before but Sig Klein's gym never goes out of style.

Here's another shot clearly showing the rich, oak panneling, great collection of oldtime globe barbells and antique weights and the Persian rug on the floor (better take your shoes off before you train at Sig's place!)

This shot was taken before Sig had a shelf built around the perimeter of the gym for his world-famous beer stein collection.

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The Leg Press

Sig Klein came up with a number of innovative training ideas. One day he took the board he had often used for the Tomb of Hercules Feat, chained it to the wall and devised an early version of the "Leg Press" machine. He eventually discarded this design as the resistance decreased too much at the top of the movement due to the physics involved.

The Leg Press

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Bob Harley

Bob Harley
Bob Harley, of Sig Klein's Gym was one of the world's greatest masters of the bent press. In fact, Bob Harley was the winner of the New York City Bent Press contest and was one of the few men to bent press the Rolandow Dumbbell.

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Sig Klein's Roman Column

A look at Sig Klein using the Roman Column at his famous gym. It was actually Sig's father-in-law Professor Attila who invented the Roman Column. The Roman Column was actually used more as a demonstration of strength than as a means of developing strength. When used for strength feats, the performer would lower his body directly to the ground, pick up a weight and then sit up with it. Eugen Sandow was a master at this strength feat.

Sig Klein's Roman Column

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Sig Klein Demonstrates The One Arm Getup

Sig Klein Demonstrates The One Arm Getup
Sig Klein demonstrates one of most popular of the "oldtime" lifts: the one arm getup (also called the Turkish getup.)

This was a favorite lift of the vaudeville performers of yesteryear who performed it with live weight, dumbbell or kettlebell as shown here. The athlete begins with back flat on the floor and the weight pressed to arm's length. Then, through a series of movements, ends up with standing with the weight overhead.

Some performers did not consider the lift completed until the sequence was reversed. This lift requires great stamina and a good sense of balance.

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Sig Klein's Neck Bridge Feat

The era of Strongmanism, several generations ago, used to feature many strongman stunts that baffled and amazed the public. Here's a rare shot of one of the feats performed by Sig Klein and his stage partner Jack Bier. Here Sig holds a Neck Bridge while holding a globe barbell at arm's length as his partner stands on his chest. -- that's several hundred exta pounds supported by Sig Klein's neck alone. Having accomplished a similar feat, I can say this is NOT easy!

Sig Klein's Neck Bridge Feat

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Another Look At Sig Klein's Gym

Another Look At Sig Klein's Gym
What a place to train! -- Here's another look at Sig Klein's Gym located in Times Square, downtown New York.

The thing that makes a gym truly great is the atmosphere -- and Sig's place had it. You can just tell that many great workouts took place here.

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Sig Klein's Gym

Sig Klein's Gym
You've seen Sig Klein's Gym plenty of times on thsi Blog before, but I guarantee you've never seen it from this angle. This candid shot was actually reflected in a mirror. That's the old master Sig Klein in the middle, teaching someone how to use the gymnastic rings.

To the right, you can just make out Steve Reeves.

Klein's Gym sure had a lot of character, plenty of dark wood and globe dumbbells. Notice the Sandow and Saxon statues and Klein's world famous beer stein collection.

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The Famous Rolandow Dumbbell

The Famous Rolandow Dumbbell
The Rolandow Dumbbell has a very interesting history. It was originally cast by the McLoughlin Iron Foundry in Brooklyn, New York in 1896 at the request of Warren Lincoln Travis who wanted to use it in his act.

The dumbbell was supposed to be 200 lbs. but came out of the mold just over it at 209lbs.

A few years went by and fellow strongman G.W. Rolandow offered to purchase it from Travis, on the condition that Travis deliver the bell himself.

Travis grabbed the bell, hopped on the nearest street car, transfered twice and carried the bell two blocks and up two flights of steps to Rolandow's office.

Rolandow then stated that unless he could lift the dumbbell, there would be no sale. And with that, we walked over to it, hefted it to his shoulder and commenced to bent-press it no less than seven times!

After several decades, Rolandow closed his gym and his famous dumbbell eventually became acquired by Sig Klein who featured it as a challenge weight in his gym.

If someone could succeed in bent-pressing the Rolandow Dumbbell, Klein put their name on an Honor Roll, here's how it looked:

(1) G.W. Rolandow...................1900
(2) John Grimek.........................1934
(3) Bob Hoffman........................1936
(4) Wally Zagurski..................1936
(5) John Davis............................1936
(6) Jack Kent..........................1937
(7) Frank Bates........................1937
(8) Bob Harley.........................1937
(9) Siegmund Klein...................1939
(10) Aurele Velleux..................1939
(11) George Hobby...................1940
(12) Elwood Holbrook...............1941

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The Tiger Bend Pushup

Sig Klein Demonstrates The Tiger Bend Pushup
Sig Klein was a master of many bodyweight feats in addition to his weight lifting prowess. He credits the Tiger Bend Pushup for taking his overhead press to championship levels. The tiger bend pushup is also one of the best supplementary exercises for building hand balancing skill.

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The Roman Column

The Roman Column
As mentioned several times on this blog, it was Professor Attila who invented the Roman Column.

Shown here, the Roman Column is an actual column in which the traineee hangs suspended vertially and moves to a horizontal position using the power of his legs and abdominal muscles.

Eugen Sandow used to perform this feat either holding a heavy barbell or a human being.

On the left is the original Roman Column, in one corner of Sig Klein's Time's Square Gym.

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The Rolandow Barbell

The Rolandow Barbell
The Rolandow Barbell once belonged to the Swiss Strongman G.W. Rolandow who would bent-press it each night in his performance. This barbell has been lifted by many famous strongmen, including Eugen Sandow.

The Rolandow Barbell has had many famous owners over the years. It was purchased by Professor Attila, then Sig Klein (as shown). The Rolandow Barbell can currently be seen in the York Barbell Company Museum in York, Pennsylvania.

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An "Ice Cold" Strength Feat

An "Ice Cold" Strength Feat

Joe Mongelli, a former pupil of Sig Klein, was an iceman by trade. He could carry a 325 pound block of ice on his back, then, using ice tongs, could pick up a 120 pound block of ice with his right hand and a 60 pound block with his left. Joe could walk the length of a city block carrying the entire 505 pound load!

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Kettlebell Training with Sig Klein

Sig Klein

It was through Sig Klein's Kettlebell course that I first learned how to train with kettlebells -- and that was over a decade and a half ago -- a long time before "kettlebell" became a household word. I think Sig had the right idea -- he was very proficient in a number of different strength "disciplines" - weight lifting, kettlebell lifting, gymnastics, hand balancing, and all along with an incredible physique to match his great strength.

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The 1-Leg Squat

Sig Klein Demonstrates The 1-Leg Squat

The 1-leg squat has long been a popular exercise with the old-time physical culturists -- Sig Klein recommended it as one of the top leg developing exercises. Here's a look at Sig Klein demonstrating the 1-leg squat while holidng a classic globe barbell.

To become proficient at this exercise, you will need to actually practice it although it may actually be slightly "easier" to perform it while holding a barbell since it counterbalances the rest of your bodyweight.

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Sig Klein Dumbbell Clean and Press

Sig Klein Dumbbell Clean and Press
Sig Klein called the two dumbbell clean and press THE ONE BEST EXERCISE because of its simplicty and tremendous training effects on upper body strength.

In the 1940's Klein suggested to get started with this exercise with 20 pounds less than your two arm press and build from there. He also questioned whether there were a dozen athletes in the country who could do 10 clean and presses with a pair of 75 pound dumbbells... Hmmm.

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Sig Klein One Arm Dumbbell Press

Sig Klein One Arm Dumbbell Press
The 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.

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Louis Durlacher aka Professor Attila

Louis Durlacher aka Professor Attila
It was Louis Durlacher aka Professor Attila who trained a young Fredrick Mueller and changed his name to Eugen Sandow.

It was also Professor Attila who invented many of the feats of strength we know today, such as the Roman Column, the Roman Chair, supporting feats in the human bridge position, tearing packs of playing cards; and the the hollow globe-ended barbells and dumbbells we know today.

Attila was also the first man to bent press over 200 pounds and in addition to Sandow, Professor Attila could also list many other famous strongmen among his students:

Including: Warren Lincoln Travis, Anthony Barker, Horace Barre, Arthur Dandurand, Lionel Strongfort, George Rolandow, Louis Cyr, Bobby Pandour and Adolph Nordquest.

In 1894, Professor opened his famous Studio of Physical Culture in downtown New York city. His daughter, Grace, later married Sig Klein.

If Eugen Sandow was the "Father" of Oldtime Strongmen, surely Professor Attila, was the Grandfather.

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Sig Klein's Gym

Sig Klein's Classic Old-Time Gym
Here's another look at one of the classc gyms we have featured before: Sig Klein's place in New York City. This was the original location -- he moved into a facility overlooking Times Square later on.

Notice the mirror on the right revealing a set of globe barbells on the far wall, block and ring weights in the foreground and you can just make out a Roman Column on the extreme left.

There's nothing like Classic Equipment to make your training special. You can tell a lot of great workouts happened down at Sig's Place.

Sig Klein inherited much of the equipment after he married Professor Attila's youngest daughter in 1927. Professor Attila, of course, was the man who taught Eugen Sandow how to train.

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Sig Klein

Sig Klein was one of the most recognizable of the Old Time Strongmen, because of his classical physique as well as his great strength.

Though he ever tipped the scales over 150 pounds, many of his strength feats still stand the test of time and would be impressive if he weighed twice that.

Here's a look: 1. Two arm pullover and press off his back with 288 lbs. 2. Two arm military press from behind the neck with 206 lbs. 3. Two arm dumbbell crucifix: 63.25 lbs. left hand, 63.5 lbs. right hand 4. One arm stiff-legged side press, 174.25 lbs. 5. Ten reps each arm 'see-saw' press with a pair of 100 lb. dumbbells

Sig Klein

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