Kim Wood's Gym

Kim Wood's Gym

No, it's not Professor Desbonnet's Paris Gym or Professor Attila's Health Studio but the private gym of Kim Wood. Look closely and you'll see a barbell that once belonged to Warren Lincoln Travis a Jackson Barbell Set an oak climbing ladder from the Narragansett Machine company and more than one Milo Kettlebell. There's no finer gym in the land.

---

Harry Houdini

Harry Houdini

While not a traditional "Strongman" Harry Houdini did engage in specific physical training in order to accomplish his many daring escapes. Houdini also held great respect for several strongmen who he had met during his travels, in particular John Grunn Marx and Warren Lincoln Travis.

---

Legendary Iron: Warren Lincoln Travis' Globe Barbell

Legendary Iron: Warren Lincoln Travis' Globe Barbell

Speaking 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.

---

Cannon Lifting with Warren Lincoln Travis

Warren Lincoln Travis

You aren't a real Oldtime Strongman until you lift a Cannon... The great Warren Lincoln Travis shows he's still got it as an old man, Harness Lifting a Cannon and a Globe Barbell - combined weight: over 1500 pounds.

---

"The Great" Joe Rollino

"The Great" Joe Rollino
The Deadlift -- a great exercise then and now... "The Great" Joe Rollino gets in a deadlift workout in a shot taken a few decades back. Joe learned how to rip playing cards and bend horse shoes as a protege of Warren Lincoln Travis. Joe recently celebrated his 103rd birthday and is as feisty as ever.

---

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

---

Warren Lincoln Travis' Challenge

Warren Lincoln Travis

If you wanted to win the Richard K. Fox Heavyweight Strongman Champiionship Belt you had to beat Warren Lincoln Travis at his own game in a challenge match. Here's the list of Travis' ten strength challenges: 1. 100 lb.barbell brought from the floor with both hands, pressed overhead with both hands, while seated(thirty seconds). 2. Pair of ninety pound weights brought from side of body to shoulders, then slowly pressing to arm's lengh over the head. 3. Teeth Lift from floor, hands behind back, 350 lbs. 4. 350 lbs. from floor with one finger, eight times in five seconds. 5. One finger lift from floor, 560 lbs. once. 6. Two-hand grip lift, straddling the weight from floor, 700 lbs. twenty times in ten seconds. 7. Hand and knee lift from floor, 1600 lbs. once. 8. Back lift, 3660 lbs. once. 9. Harness lift, 3580 lbs. once. 10. 2000 lb. back lift, 250 times, seven minutes.

(Did I mention all these lifts must be accomplished in 30 minutes or less if you want to win the belt?)

---

The Richard K. Fox Heavyweight Strongman Championship Belt

The Richard K. Fox Heavyweight Strongman Championship Belt

Warren Lincoln Travis, wearing his Championship Belt

Richard K. Fox was the publisher of "The Police Gazette" a 19th century magazine which reported on boxing, wrestling and feats of strength that might interest the public. It was Richard K. Fox who introduced the idea of the "Championship Belt" to the United States -- bestowing "The Police Gazette" championship belt to Jake Kilrain (and won shortly afterwards by John L. Sullivan in a greuling 75-round bare knuckle match.) The idea was simple -- whomever wanted the belt had to win it in a challenge match. Richard K. Fox also created a similar belt for the "Heavyweight Strongman Champion" of the world, with the first "title holder" being Louis Cyr whom Fox had managed on several tours of England.

Cyr retired undefeated and eventually passed his title on to the great Warren Lincoln Travis who held it for his entire life. I will provide Travis' Challenge feats on a diiferent date.

The Richard K. Fox Heavyweight Strongman Championship Belt now resides at the York Barbell Company Hall of Fame in York, Pennsylvania.

---