Thursday, September 17, 2009
Anton Matysek
Anton Matysek preparing to "rock to the shoulder an enormous barbell with 16-in spheres, which weighs 231 pounds empty, and is 7-1/2 feet long over all. After this picture was taken, Matysek placed this bell on the floor, raised it to the shoulder with two hands, jerked it until it rested across his shoulders behind his neck, jerked it aloft again and replaced it on the floor.
The handle-bar is nearly 3-inches thick: it takes a tremendous grip to use a thick handle-bar like this. Some of the athletes who witnesses this feat of Matysek's were unable to lift the bell from the floor.
After performing the above feat, Matysek stood the bell on end, as shown in this picture, rocked it to his shoulder and then pressed it to arm's length with one hand.
Labels: Anton Matysek, Bent Press, Bent Press Feat, Grip Strength, Thick Bar, Thick Bar Lifting, Thick Handle
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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, January 15, 2009
Hermann Goerner's Challenge BarbellA look at Hermann Goerner's challenge barbell: 330-3/4 pounds with a 2-3/8-inch thick handle. Goerner could easily clean and jerk this unique barbell without moving his feet, a feat no one else was ever able to duplicate.
Labels: Challenge Weight, Hermann Goerner, Thick Bar, Thick Handle
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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 09, 2008
Legendary Iron: Warren Lincoln Travis' Globe BarbellSpeaking of challenge weights, here's one you don't see every day. This globe barbell once belonged to the great strongman Warren Lincoln Travis. The botton inset is the man himself lifting this very barbell from some old newsreel footage. Notice the star collars and canister around the handle is now missing -- probably sold off for scrap years ago.
I got to lift that barbell at Slim the Hammer Man's place last summer. There were plenty of strong guys there although I was the only one who managed to lift it with one hand. The thick handle makes for quite a challenge.
Labels: Globe Barbell, Thick Bar, Thick Bar Lifting, Warren Lincoln Travis
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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
Friday, January 18, 2008
| I count the reverse curl as one of the true "secret" exercises -- it is simple to do, very effective and will hit one of the most important areas of your body that no other exercise will match. To do it, simply curl with your palms facing down instead of up -- Keep your elbows tight, the bar should move in a semi-circle, this is not a "clean." Anton Matysek could perform this lift with a 3" thick-bar loaded to 88 pounds and tied a belt around his arms to keep it strict. |  The Reverse Curl - Anton Matysek |
Labels: Anton Matysek, Exercise, Oldtime Lift, Oldtime Strongman Feat, Reverse Curl, Thick Bar, Upper Body Movement
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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
Thick Bar TrainingAn impromptu shot from a training session last summer. Should there be any question why so many of the oldtime strongmen lifted with Thick Bars?
This thick-handled globe "dumbbell" once belonged to the French Strongman Apollon.
Labels: Apollon, Forearm Strength, Globe Dumbbell, Grip Strength, John Wood, Thick Bar, Thick Bar Lifting, Thick Bar Training
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, December 04, 2007
Apollon Thick Bar Strength FeatThe great Oldtime Strongman Apollon used to perform a number of unusual strength feats in his act -- many of them involved thick-handled equipment to take advantage of his incredible grip and forearm strength.
One of his signature feats involved a a unique 4-globed barbell with a 2-1/2 inch diameter handle. The two inner globes were solid while the outer globes were hollow which allowed the weight to be adjusted by filling them with sand or shot.
When full, the whole affair weighed 314 pounds. Apollon would "clean" the weight to his chest then press it with two hands...
While the barbell was overhead, he would balance it on one hand, lift his leg out in front of him, then allowed the bell to drop and caught it in the crook of his elbows.
Labels: Apollon, Grip Strength, Oldtime Strongman, Strongman Feat, Thick Bar, Thick Bar Lifting
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
Monday, November 12, 2007
 Anton Matysek | Anton Matysek is well-known for his Muscle Control skills but he was no slouch when it came to lifting heavy barbells and other weights. He won the "America's Strongest Man" contest put on in 1922 by Bernarr MacFadden. And here's a good reason why: This classic Milo Globe "Show" barbell that Matysek is holding is 7-1/2 feet long with 16 inch diameter globes, a 3 inch thick handle, and the entire affair weighs in at 231 pounds. |
Several of the athletes who witnessed this feat could not even lift this barbell off the ground.
Labels: Anton Matysek, Forearm Strength, Globe Barbell, Grip Strength, Jerk, Muscle Control, Strongman Feat, Thick Bar
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, November 02, 2007
The Louis Cyr Challenge DumbbellThis incredible dumbbell belonged to the famous Quebec strongman Louis Cyr who used it in his act as a challenge for anyone to lift it.
Due to the 1-5/8 inch thick handle the bell is difficult to lift but it was specially designed for Cyr who had a very strong grip. It weighed 202 pounds empty and at its heaviest, packed with metal pellets, Cyr's Dumbbell weighed 273 pounds. Cyr handled it easily using the overhead "side press" style.
To this day only a handful of men have been successful in lifting it overhead with one arm.
Among them John Grimek, Sig Klein, and Wally Zagurski as shown above using the bent press style (Yes, that's the exact dumbbell above being lifted by those individuals at different points in time.) The Cyr Dumbbell currently resides in the York Barbell Company Hall of Fame in York, Pennsylvania.
Labels: Bent Press, Challenge Weight, Dumbbell, Globe Dumbbells, John Grimek, Louis Cyr, Side Press, Strongman Equipment, Strongman Feat, Thick Bar, Wally Zagurski, York Barbell Hall of Fame
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
Monday, October 22, 2007
John Davis Lifts The Apollon WheelsSeptember 13th, 1949 -- American Olympic Weightlifting Champion John Davis succeeds in cleaning & jerking the famous Apollon Wheels. This weight once belonged to the great French Strongman Louis "Apollon" Uni who would lift it each night in his act.
The wheels themselves weigh 366 pounds connected by a 1.93" diameter axle making this feat an incredible test of grip strength. The widest diameter of each disc is 26 inches.
After passing out on a previous attempt, (dropping the weight and slightly bending the axle) John Davis cleaned the ponderous weight with a mixed grip, switched hands in mid-air, and jerked it overhead.
Labels: Apollon, Apollon's Wheels, Grip Strength, John Davis, Olympics, Strongman Equipment, Strongman Feat, Thick Bar
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
Circus Strongman George Levasseur's Classic Stage WeightsGeorge Levasseur was the "Strongman" at the Ringling Brothers Circus during the early part of the 20th century. He was famous for his Backlifting ability but he performed all manner of classical strongman feats, including lifting several unusual "stage" weights as pictured here: Globe barbells, dumbbells and kettlebells.
Notice the Thick Handles on the globe barbells.
Labels: Backlift, Barbell, Circus, Dumbbell, George Levasseur, Kettlebell, Oldtime Strongman, Strongman Equipment, Thick Bar
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, September 25, 2007
Norb Schemansky Lifts The Apollon WheelsAt the turn of the century, the French strongman Apollon introduced his famous challenge weight -- a pair of railcar wheels attached by a thick axle.
The whole affair weighed 366 lbs. but the real challenge laid in the 1.93 inch thick axle which meant that only the strongest pairs of hands would ever have a shot at breaking it free of the ground.
Apollon, who likely had the strongest grip in history, was the only man who ever lifted it for decades...
Many a strongman tried but all failed until the great french weight lifter Charles Rigoulot finally achieved the feat in 1930 after having trained for it over the course of several months.
Nearly two decades later the American weightlifting champion John Davis was able to lift the wheels on his second try (after passing out on his first attempt.)
On October 14th, 1954 another American weightlifting champion, Norbert Schemansky, "cleaned" the Apollon wheels and jerked them three times in succession, thus writing his name (again) in the record books.
Labels: Apollon, Apollon's Wheels, Charles Rigoulot, Grip Strength, John Davis, Norb Schemansky, Strongman Equipment, Strongman Feat, Thick Bar
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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