The Young Apollon's Challenge

J.C. Tolson - The Young Mighty Apollon
J.C. Tolson was a British performing strongman in the 1920's who took the name "The Young Mighty Apollon" after his hero, the great French Strongman Louis "Apollon" Uni.

As he traveled the continent, he issued a strength challenge to all which included the following feats:

Bending of the shortest square bar into a horseshoe shape Bending of the shortest length of a square iron bar around the neck The lifting of a heavy steel girder with the teeth. Weightlifting tests of power: The military press and two hands deadlift

Few accepted his challenge.

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Modern Strongman Dennis Rogers

Over the last decade and a half, Dennis Rogers has become the most widely seen Strongman in history. -- More people have probably seen Dennis than all the other performing strongmen - ever! Dennis has appeared on The Discovery Channel, The Best Damn Sports Show Period, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Oprah Winfrey Show and dozens of other television shows in the US and all over the world.

Dennis Rogers

You may not believe this but Dennis Rogers weighed 79 lbs. in high school and even today tips the scales at only 160 pounds. Even though he may not fit what you think of as a typical "Strongman" Dennis has performed feats that have yet to be duplicated.

Keep an eye on this BLOG for an upcoming post taking a closer look at some of Dennis' amazing feats...

In the meantime, you can see these feats (and even learn how to do some of them) with Dennis' outstanding Oldtime Strongman DVDs:

How to Drive a Nail Without a Hammer

336 Pounds of Fury

Crazy But Powerful

Secrets of Odd Object Bending

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Arthur Dandurand

Many of the oldtime strongmen were famous for their ability to lift heavy, awkward objects.

Their reasons were simple: Not everyone can relate to a loaded barbell... but everyone knows that if you can "lift" a piano, anvil, safe or a cannon on your back you must be pretty damn strong. Here's a look at the famous Canadian strongman Arthur Dandurand as he supports a 406 lb. Ford engine block on his shoulder. Dandurand was only 5'8" and 180 pounds but possesed very unusual strength.

Arthur Dandurand

He was documented as having first accomplished this feat on January 17th, 1930 and could do it any time he was asked. -- and, even more impressive, no other strongman was ever able to duplicate it!

You can read more about Arthur Dandurand in Physical Training Simplified by Mark H. Berry

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John Grimek

There were few men more naturally impressive that John Grimek. It was no surprise why he graced the cover of a number of so many strength magazines throughout his life (The January 1940 Issue of Strength & Health pictured right.) Grimek had a physique better than any Greek statue but he was also a very accomplished Olympic Weightlifter, having represented the United States at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. The foundation of his strength and physique development was intense squatting, as taught to him by Mark Berry.

John Grimek

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The Sandow Statue

The Sandow Statue
Just over a century ago, Eugen Sandow held the very first physique contest known simply as "The Great Competition." The first place prize for this contest was a magnificent gold statue of Sandow himself, holding a globe dumbbell.

In 1977, the promoters of the Mr. Olympia contest decided to honor Sandow and Bodybuilding's past and resurrected this statue as their first place trophy -- which it has become most well known as today. (The first Mr. Olympia Sandow Statue winner was Frank Zane.)

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Thomas Inch and Hints on The Art of Expander Pulling

Thomas Inch and Hints on The Art of Expander Pulling
Just got a very rare oldtime strength booklet written by Thomas Inch. There's no date on it but I would guess it was printed in the 1920's and as far as rare training courses, this one is simply impossible to find.

I finally tracked one down after four years of searching.

Anyhow, Thomas Inch, who is probably most famous for his incredible grip strength and his "unliftable" dumbbell was actually a very well rounded strongmen who excelled in many different types of feats - and some of his favorites were with chest expanders.

In his strongman act he used to do a standard press out with a 56 lb. kettlebell hanging on each thumb, and the expander generally had 30 strands on it.

Not bad at all...

Heres a few hints from the master:

"The first thing to do is to make sure your expander is of the detachable kind."

"The Secret to great strength is gradual progression, and as there is no doubt whatever that a large majority of physical culturists only use expanders so that they may become stronger than their fellows, it behoves them to practice themselves in a position to practice on the right lines and this means using handles which will take several strands."

"When starting out, enter the number of strands you find comfortable and easy to exercise with, going right through your movements without a pause, if possible, thus developing endurance as well as mere muscle."

"Start with, say, only five or six repetitions each hand of each exercise, and gradually work up to ten each hand. Keep at ten for a week or two, then return to five or six repetitions, and add another strand."

"The weight lifter will be advised to use a strong pull in every day work, and each day, or every other day, try himself out on strength tests I have previously quoted with a view to increasing pushing power for different lifts."

All good info, and all very useful if you happen to be paying attention.

Just goes to show you that sound training info never gets old. Chest Expanders, of course, make a great addition to any training program.

If Thomas Inch were alive today, here's the expanders he would be training with: Strongman Chest Expanders

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Louis Cyr's Barrel Lifting Feat

Louis Cyr's Barrel Lift

As reported in David Willougthby's Super Athletes book, Louis Cyr could lift a heavy barrel to his shoulder with only one hand by grabbing the chines, tilting it on to his leg and maneuvering it up his body. Needless to say, lifting a barrel like this takes quite a bit of brute strength. Cyr's best barrel lift was a barrel filled with a combination of sand and water and weighed in at just under 450 pounds!

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The Strength of Paul Anderson

The Many Strength Feats of Paul Anderson
Back in the mid-1940's, Paul Anderson started lifting weights to get bigger for football and just kept growing. He eventually became one of the strongest men of all time while establishing many strength records and winning the Gold Medal at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia.

Paul Anderson was also a Senior World Champion and a 2-time Senior National Champion in Weightlifting. He set nine World Records and Eighteen American records during his career and retired undefeated.

He was also incredibly strong in what would eventually become the three Power Lifts: the squat, bench press and deadlift.

Here's a look at some of Paul Anderson's record lifts:

Squat: 1185 lbs. Bench Press: 625 lbs. Deadlift Record without Straps: 780 lbs. Deadlift Record with "Hooks": 820 lbs. Clean & Press: 485 lbs. Clean & Jerk: 485 lbs. Snatch: 375 lbs. Push Press: 545 lbs. Back Lift: 6270 lbs. Dumbbell Side Press: 240 lbs. x 40 / 300 lbs. x 11

Paul Anderson Deadlifting

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Alexander Zass: The Amazing Samson

Alexander Zass: The Amazing Samson
As far as Oldtime Strongmen go, few were more impressive than Alexander Zass.

Bending or breaking nails, twisting horse shoes, driving nails, supporting feats, scrolling steel, breaking chains, carrying horses, -- he did it all.

The Amazing Samson attributed much of his strength to isometric training.

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Oldtime Strongman Joseph Steinbach

Joseph Steinbach Austrian Strongman
Joseph Steinbach of Vienna, Austria, officially performed a Two Hands Continental Jerk of 387 pounds, a Two Hands Snatch of 264 3/4 pounds and a Two Hands Continental Press of 335 pounds (besting Louis Cyr's mark by 34 pounds.)

At the same time, he held the world's records on lifts performed with two dumb bells and narrowly missed winning a gold medal at the 1904 Olympics.

You can read more about him in Physical Training Simplified by Mark H. Berry or The Truth About Weight Lifting By Alan Calvert

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Clevio Massimo

Clevio Massimo
CLEVIO MASSIMO SABATINO, professionally known as Clevio Massimo , was born in Opi Labruza, Italy in 1895. When only a small boy he immigrated into this country and made Buffalo, New York his home.

During his early school days his love for athletics found him participating in all sports, and by other systematic forms of bodybuilding built for him a musculature which even today is envied by many bodybuilders.

Shortly after finishing high school, Clevio Massimo toured the country performing strongman feats, hand balancing, adagio dancing and muscle control. For a time he even ventured into professional wrestling.

You can find out more about Clevio Massimo in The Mark Berry Bar Bell Courses.

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Joe Nordquest Presses a Milo Dumbbell

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.

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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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Joe Bonomo: Hercules of The Screen

Joe Bonomo
Joe Bonomo was one of the early "Mail Order Muscle" stars and a contemporary of Charles Atlas.

As a young boy Joe he met a Polish strongman named Ladislaw who taught him how to train. Soon the boy they used to call "toothpicks" became a star football player, gymnast. Right out of highschool Joe won a talent search contest in the Daily News for "The Modern Apollo" -- which led to a role in a motion picture.

He went on to star in dozens of movies as both an actor and a famous stuntman. His performances in serials and adventure films earned him many fans, many of whom wrote in asking how he had developed his rugged physique.

Joe created a form letter detailing his training and sent it to anyone in need of advice. The demand became so large that an outright mail-order business soon followed. In addition to his work in Hollywood, Joe Bonomo inspired millions of young men around the workd with his strength building courses.

You can own a copy of his original Strongman Chest Expander training course right here.

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The Strongman: The Arthur Saxon Trio

Back in the 30's Alan Calvert created a magazine devoted specifically to strength training and called it "The Strongman" Here's an early issue featuring The Saxon trio (which I spruced up a bit.) One interesting thing about this publication is that he used very high-quality paper and not the pulp newsprint that was used for many other strength training literature of the time. Calvert obviously put a lot of thought and effort into his publications.

The Saxon Trio

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Bert Elliott and Classic Equipment

Bert Elliot was a bodybuilding champ in the 1950's and 60's who had an interest in real oldtime strength training. He even shaved his head and dressed like a turn of the century strongman to complete the effect. Here he is standing in front of some pieces of his famous collection of oldtime equipment: globe barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells and indian clubs. (Notice the very old Hand Grippers on the wall.) Wonder were his stuff is now?

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371 Pounds with One Hand!

Arthur Saxon Bent Press
Arthur Saxon has a legitmate claim for the greatest strength feat of all time with his bent-press of 371 pounds (he was said to have unofficially done 385 pounds.) Either way, it's a tremendous feat, to lift more weight overhead with one hand than most people can squat with!

Here's a little bit from the man himself on how he did it:

"I have often been asked what it feels like to press 350 lbs. with one hand, and perhaps to my readers the different sensations experienced will be
interesting.

In the first place, immediately I start to press the weight away from the shoulder I become perfectly oblivious to everything except the weight that I am lifting.

The spectators are obliterated from my mind by the effort of intense concentration which is necessary to enable me to press the weight. I immediately engage myself in a terrific struggle in which the weight and I are competitor, and only one can win, either the weight must be lifted or else I fail.

This concentration is, of course, one of the secrets of success in lifting, as I have explained in another part of my book. It enables me to bring forward the last ounce of pushing power, and for the time being to exert strength beyond that normally possessed.

As the weight steadily rises aloft perhaps half way it wavers, the balance alters, and I have immediately, yet very carefully and quietly, to adjust my position to the altered balance of the bell.

Then I must proceed with the press, my body gradually falling lower towards the left knee, my eyes fixed all the time upon the ponderous weight balanced over my head, ready to fall at a moment's notice should I weaken or place myself in a false position, and should at this moment anyone shout out, it might startle me, make me waver, and cause the weight to fall.

Therefore, if I am attempting a world's record in this position, I generally ask for complete silence until I have either failed or succeeded, and I might mention here that to think of failure is to fail, and I always tell myself all the time that I am certain to succeed even though I am attempting a weight more than I have hitherto lifted.

Eventually, my arm is straight, and before coming to an upright position I engage in another tussle with the enormous barbell, in which I have to exert all my will power to hold together the flagging powers of tired muscles, which have been strained by the tremendous pressure which 350 lbs. brings on to them in the effort of pressing aloft.

By supreme effort of the will I fix the bell in a good position and then stand upright. Often the bar will roll on to the fingers instead of being directly over the wrist, in which case severe pain is inflicted and I have to persevere with the lift under doubly hard conditions, or drop the weight and try again."

For more information about Arthur Saxon and his training methods, pick up copies of his two great training books: The Development of Physical Power (1906) and The Textbook of Weight-Lifting (1910)

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