Monday, August 10, 2009
Tommy Kono's winning clean & jerk at the 1959 World Weightlifting Championships held in Warsaw, Poland. Tommy totaled 425 kg that day (132.5 + 130 + 162.5) in the middleweight class. This one marked his 6th World Championship win.
Labels: 1959 World Championships, Barbell, Clean and Jerk, Olympic Weightlifting, Poland, Tommy Kono, World Champion
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, April 07, 2009
Back in 1964, Hugh Cassidy won the Super Heavyweight class in the very first IPF Powrlifting World Championship held at York, Pennsylvania. He deadlifted 790 pounds as a 296 pound Superheavyweight. After his competitive lifting career came to a close he decided to slim down a bit to around 200 pounds or so, although he still kept training. Here's a look at a few of his favorite 'toys.' The man obviously had an eye for good equipment.
Labels: Hugh Cassidy, IPF, Powerlifting, World Champion
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 24, 2009
The great Olympic lifter Stan Stanczyk was the first lifter to win three successive World titles in three different weight classes. Lifting for the York Barbell Club, he won five in all. He also won six Senior National titles, a Gold Medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, England, a Gold at the 1951 Pan-American Games and a Silver Medal at the 1952 Helsinki Games.
Stanczyk set eight word records during his lifting career. He was also a fairly good bodybuilder, placing very respectably in the few contests he entered. Once his competitive weightlifting career ended Stanczyk moved to Miami and opened a bowling alley. He was as meticulous with his bowling as he was with weightlifting, he kept track of every game he ever bowled (lifetime average of 190!)
Labels: 1948 Olympics, olympic weightlifter, Stan Stanczyk, World Champion, York Barbell, York Gang
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 10, 2009
Weightlifting contests have changed a bit over the last hundred years. You won't see any more that are held outside like this one from 1909. That's Josef Grafl, the great strongman from Vienna, Austria, lifting above. Grafl was the man to beat in the early 20th century, winning championships in 1908 through 1911 and again in 1913.
Labels: Josef Grafl, Vienna, World Champion
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
| Tony Terlazzo was one of America's greatest Olympic weight lifters. Lifting for the York Barbell Club, Terlazzo was a Gold medal winner in the 60 kg class at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, set seven world records, won two world championshios and achieved an unprecedented 13 Senior National weightlifting titles. His best clean and jerk was 144.5 kg in the lightweight class. | Tony Terlazzo |
Labels: 1936 Olympics, Clean and Jerk, Gold Medal, Muscletown USA, National Champion Weightlifter, olympic weightlifter, Tony Terlazzo, World Champion
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, August 10, 2008
Akron, Ohio's Pete George on the cover of the March, 1956 issue of Strength and Health Magazine.
Over his career, George won five World Championships (1947, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1955) and three Olmpic Medals (Silver: 1948 games London, England; Gold: 1952 Games, Helsinki, Finland; Silver: 1956 games Melbourne, Australia).
He set three world records and his best lifts were as follows:
Press: 122.5 kg Snatch: 127.5 kg Clean and Jerk: 164.5 kg
Labels: 1948 Olympics, 1952 Olympics, 1956 Olympics, Clean and Jerk, Olympic Champion, Olympic Weightlifting, Pete George, Press, Snatch, Strength and Health Magazine, World Champion
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, February 12, 2008
Isaac "Ike" BergerIke Berger is one of America's most successful Olympic Weightlifters -- he was the first featherweight in history to lift more than 800 pounds and the first to press double body weight.
Over his career he was the owner of 23 world weightlifting records, a 12-time United States national titleholder, 2-time World Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist at the 1956 Games in Melbourne Australia (along with two more Silver medals at the next two Olympic Games.)
At the 1964 Olympic games, he estabilished a record of 152.5 kg (336 lb) in the jerk, at a bodyweight of only 130 pounds (59 kg). This lift made him pound-for-pound the strongest man in the world, a record that stood for nine years.
Ike Berger was elected to the United States Weightlifter's Hall of Fame in 1965.
Labels: 1956 Olympics, Clean and Jerk, Gold Medal, Ike Berger, Olympic Weightlifting, Olympics, Press, weightlifter, weightlifting, World Champion
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Welcome to the Strongest Blog on the Net!
This is THE PLACE where you will find interesting bits of Iron Game history, lore and training tips from the strongest men of all time.

Tommy Kono: '59 Worlds
Hugh Cassidy
Stan Stanczyk
Josef Grafl
Tony Terlazzo
Pete George