Thursday, February 26, 2009
Sig Klein: Train Your Grip!"Bodybuilders do not have the grip they should have. I know. For many years I have found that few of them possess the grip that their large biceps would indicate..."That was written by Sig Klein about sixty years ago, and it's still true today. Although bodybuilder or not, everyone should train their grip. Sig's equipment of choice is a simple pinch block, attached by a chain to one of his "Klein Bells. Sig really liked the pinch grip exercise since it was such a favorite of many Oldtime Strongmen.
In fact, at his gym, Sig had a 20 Kilo French blockweight which he placed a $10 bill under, and which had an open challenge that anyone who could pinch-lift the blockweight could keep the bill. The prize was safe for many years until a football player named Harry Kloppenburg finally lifted it!
Labels: Blockweights, Challenge Feats, Grip Strength, Hand Strength, Pinch Grip, Pinch Lift, Sig Klein, Sig Kleins Gym
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
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Arthur LeslieArthur Leslie was just a guy who trained at Sig Klein's Gym in New York City. The reason Leslie began training in the first place is that he became tired of being weak and overweight. At 46 years years old he had never touched a weight before but soon after he began training he began to see tremendous results. In fact his results were so dramatic, Sig Klein featured him in several occasions in his publication Klein's Bell. Here he is with a great Thick-Handled show barbell. Leslie was 59 years of age when this picture was taken.
Labels: Arthur Leslie, Globe Barbell, Kleins Bell, Sig Klein, Sig Kleins Gym, Thick Handle
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Tuesday, October 14, 2008
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.
Klein's GymLabels: Classic Gym, Classic Strongman Gyms, New York, Sig Klein, Sig Kleins Gym
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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 26, 2008
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.
Sig Klein's GymHere'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.
Labels: Antique Equipment, Classic Gym, Classic Strongman Gyms, Globe Barbell, Sig Klein, Sig Kleins Gym
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
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
| 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 |
Labels: Abdominal Strength, Oldtime Strength Equipment, Professor Attila, Roman Column, Sig Klein, Sig Kleins Gym, Strongman Equipment, Training 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
Friday, May 02, 2008
Elwood Holbrook - Master of the Bent PressElwood Holbrook took 4th at the 1941 AAU Mr. America Contest AND took home the "Best Arms" award (He had also competed in the afternoon's weightlifting contest where he finished 6th with a 715-pound total in the 165-pound class.)
While Holbrook was a very talented strength athlete and equally good at bodybuilding as well as weightlifting, his real gift was the bent press -- he won the national Bent-Press Championship in a contest held by Sig Klein.
Holbrook was also one of the few men to bent press the famous Rolandow Dumbbell - a feat which he did on his first try and without a warmup.
Here's a shot of a 48-year old Elwood Holbrook bent-pressing 240 pounds -- 75 pounds above his bodyweight. That unique dumbbell belonged to Paul Anderson.
Labels: 1941 Mr. America Contest, AAU, Bent Press Arthur Saxon, Best Arms, Bodybuilding, Elwood Holbrook, Olympic Weightlifting, Paul Anderson, Rolandow Dumbbell, Sig Kleins Gym, Total
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
Sunday, February 17, 2008
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.
Labels: Classic Strongman Gyms, Globe Barbell, Globe Dumbbells, Oldtime Strength Equipment, Sig Klein, Sig Kleins Gym, 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
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
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.
Labels: Classic Strongman Gyms, Gymnastic Rings, Sandow Statue, Saxon Statue, Sig Klein, Sig Kleins Gym, Steve Reeves
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
Friday, February 01, 2008
The Famous Rolandow DumbbellThe 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
Labels: Bent Press, Challenge Weight, Famous Dumbbell, G.W. Rolandow, Globe Dumbbell, John Davis, Rolandow Dumbbell, Sig Klein, Sig Kleins Gym, Strongman Equipment, Wally Zagurski, Warren Lincoln Travis
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
Saturday, January 05, 2008
The Roman ColumnAs 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.
Labels: Equipment, Eugen Sandow, Professor Attila, Roman Column, Sig Klein, Sig Kleins Gym, Strongman Equipment, Vintage Strength 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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