Tuesday, January 12, 2010
"The Great" Joe RollinoA closer look at the great man in honor of his passing. Joe Rollino learned the strongman trade as an assistant to Warren Lincoln Travis at the famed Coney Island. In the 1920's, Rollino branched out into his own strongman act, performing all the traditional feats such as back lifting, finger lifting, nail bending, phonebook and playing card tearing and, shown here, bending a spike in his teeth.
Rollino was also a boxer under the name "Kid Dundee" and, like many strongmen of the day, was a very good hand balancer.
Labels: Coney Island, Coney Island Strongman, hand balancer, Jaw Strength, Joe Rollino, Kid Dundee, Oldtime Boxers, Spike Bending, The Great Joe Rollino, Warren Lincoln Travis
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Monday, December 21, 2009
Travis ~ The Get Up LiftThe great strongman Warren Lincoln Travis is shown here in mid "get up" lift. That is one of Professor Anthony Barker's weights that he is holding aloft. We'll have more on these interesting pieces of equipment very shortly.
Labels: Dumbbell Lift, Oldtime Lift, One Arm Getup, Professor Anthony Barker, Warren Lincoln Travis
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Monday, December 07, 2009
Warren Lincoln Travis ~ The Human Link!Here's a classic shot of Warren Lincoln Travis performing the classic strength feat "The Human Link". Although out of the frame, travis actually has a pair of horses looped over each elbow, and it's all he can do to stop from being torn limb from limb!
Labels: Classic Strongman Feats, Coney Island Strongman, Horses, Human Link, Warren Lincoln Travis
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Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Warren Lincoln Travis Run Over by Car! "Warren Lincoln Travis Run Over by Car!" ~ don't worry folks, it's all part of the show. As part of his act, Warren Lincoln Travis did, in fact, let a car run over his body. This rare picture of WLT in action was taken in 1915 at Coney Island.
Labels: Car, Coney Island, Coney Island Strongman, Feat, Performing Strongman, 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
Thursday, November 05, 2009
John J. Hajnos - The Navy HerculesJohn J. Hajnos, originally of California, became a professional strongman after serving in the Navy in World War I. He performed a number of traditional feats but his most well-known is pictured here, supporting a fellow office (in this case J.F. Kaska, who weighed 175 pounds) seated in a chair clenched between his jaws - an incredible test of balance as well as neck/jaw strength.
Hajnos was a student of Lionel Strongfort and actually once defeated Warren Lincoln Travis on one occasion at an impromptu contest held at Coney Island.
Labels: Jaw Strength, John J. Hajnos, Lionel Strongfort, Navy Hercules, Neck Strength, Performing Strongman, Strongfortism, 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
Monday, July 06, 2009
Warren Lincoln TravisPictures of Warren Lincoln Travis in action are extremely rare, but this just happens to be one (and you saw it here first). Here, Travis supports close to a ton of human weight on his shoulders.
Labels: Feats of Strength, Human Lift, Oldtime Strongman Feat, Supporting Feat, 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
Roy HilligennRoy Hilligenn did some training at York in preparation for the 1951 Mr. America Contest (which he eventually won). Here he is in front of the famous Warren Lincoln Travis Dumbbell which, at the time, sat in front of Bob Hoffman's house in York, Pennsylvania.
The famous dumbbell can currently be seen at the York Barbell Museum and if you know where to look in York, you can also see Bob Hoffman's old house too.
Labels: 1951 Mr. America, Bob Hoffman, Bodybuilder, Famous Dumbbell, Roy Hilligenn, Travis Dumbbell, Warren Lincoln Travis, York Barbell Company Museum, York Pennsylvania
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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, June 19, 2009
The Warren Lincoln Travis DumbbellAn older Warren Lincoln Travis is shown here with his famous dumbbell. Travis would often hip lift the dumbbell as part of his performances. Empty, the dumbbell weighs 1650 pounds although Travis often loaded it with sand so that it topped out around 3750 pounds. The Travis Dumbbell can now be seen at the York Barbell Company Museum.
Labels: Famous Dumbbell, Globe Dumbbells, Hip Lift, Travis Dumbbell, Warren Lincoln Travis, York Barbell Company Museum
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, April 22, 2009
Harry ShafranA look at a young Harry Shafran who was known equally well for his physique as well as feats of strength. Early in his career, he was a partner of Professor Adrian Schmidt and was featured in Strength Magazine as well as Strength and Health Magazine.
He ran a series of successful gyms in New York City but eventually grew tired of it and moved everything to a location near Scranton, Pennsylvania. He kept all his classic equipment in a large barn (including quite a few pieces he obtained from Warren Lincoln Travis).
Labels: Adrian Schmidt, Early Bodybuilder, Harry Shafran, Harry Shafrans Gym, Strength and Health Magazine, Strength Magazine, 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
Sunday, January 11, 2009
 Finger Lifting | Finger Lifting is always popular due to the fact that a person can truthfully prove he can lift more with one finger than another can lift with both hands. Beyond a doubt, the greatest men in the world on this exercise who can handle the greatest poundages are Warren Lincoln Travis, Adolph Nordquest, John Y. Smith and Ottley R. Coulter, who, at 132 pounds could out lift many heavyweights. All four men here owe most of their success in this lift to their knowledge of muscular leverage and know just how to apply their muscular power. |
Labels: Adolph Nordquest, finger lifting, Finger Strength, Grip Feat, John Y. Smith, One Finger Lift, Ottley Coulter, strongman lift, 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
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Kim Wood's GymNo, 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.
Labels: Classic Gym, Classic Strongman Gyms, Globe Barbell, Jackson Barbell Company, Kim Wood, Milo Kettlebell, Oldtime Strength Equipment, Strongman Equipment, 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
Friday, October 31, 2008
Harry HoudiniWhile 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.
Labels: Harry Houdini, Houdini, John Grunn Marx, 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
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
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, April 07, 2008
 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. |
Labels: Cannon, Cannon Lifting, Harness Lift, Oldtime Strongman Feat, Supporting Feat, 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
Sunday, March 30, 2008
"The Great" Joe RollinoThe 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.
Labels: Barbell, Deadlift, Joe Rollino, The Great Joe Rollino, 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
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
Friday, December 14, 2007
 WarrenLincoln 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). |
Labels: Backlift, Challenge Feats, Dumbbell Lifts, Harness Lift, Oldtime Strongman Feat, One Finger Lift, 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
Sunday, November 04, 2007
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. |
The Richard K. Fox Heavyweight Strongman Championship Belt now resides at the York Barbell Company Hall of Fame in York, Pennsylvania.
Labels: Boxing, Challenge Weight, Feat, Louis Cyr, The Police Gazette, Warren Lincoln Travis, 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
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