Bruno Sammartino

Bruno Sammartino

Whether "The People's Champion" or "The Living Legend" Bruno Sammartino is one impressive dude. There has probably never been someone more "built for strength" as evident by his thick bone structure. Here Bruno squats 405 about as "raw" as you can get. Some of his best lifts were 565-pound bench press, 715-pound squat and a 690-pound deadlift - no "gear" of course.

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Carl Linich - Man of Iron!

Longtime reader Carl Linich has been hitting the iron for a long time, and, as you can see by his choice of equipment, has been doing so in style. Carl is quite the strongman in his own right, check out his best lifts: Standing Press - 270 lbs. Bench Press - 402 lbs. Behind Neck Press - 245 lbs. Jerk from the Rack - 310 lbs. One Hand Clean and Press - 150 lbs. One hand side press - 175 lbs. One Hand Bent Press - 215 lbs. One Hand DB Bent Press - 205 lbs. Carl was also a very good wrestler, winning the New York State Y.M.C.A Heavyweight wrestling championship twice and eventually turned pro in 1956.(Much thanks to Carl for sending in the picture.)

Carl Linich - Man of Iron!

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Karl Abs

Karl Abs
Known as the father of German Strength Sports, Karl Abs was the first man in Germany to jerk 130 kg. He could also bent press 242 pounds and was a very good professional wrestler, often billed as "The German Oak."

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Bert Assirati

Bert Assirati
Our friends across the pond are sure to recognize the legendary British wrestler Bert Assirati who held the heavyweight championship belt for several years in the 40s and 50s.

Though he was quite stout (5'6", bodyweight of 263) Assirati was one of the strongest and most athletic individuals who ever graced the wrestling ring. He could easily perform a standing backflip, was a master hand balancer and could chin himself three times with either arm, among other feats.

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Martin "Farmer" Burns

Iowa-born Martin "Farmer" Burns was a champion wrestler and America's premier grappler at the turn of the last century. The "Old Farmer" trained hard, and that made him hard to beat. Plenty of wrestler's bridges gave him a 20" neck at a bodyweight of only 165 pounds and his level of conditioning was legendary, regularly tiring out much larger and stronger opponents until they could easily be pinned. His top student, fellow-Iowin Frank Gotch, became arguably the greatest wrestler who ever lived, with Burns' training methods.

Martin "Farmer" Burns

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The Mighty Atlas

The Mighty Atlas
You've probably seen the old feat of strength where a strongman puts an anvil or large stone slab on his chest and lets someone hit it with a sledge hammer...

I guarantee you haven't seen this feat before though, -- "The Mighty Atlas," Morris Shapiro, a professional wrestler from Brooklyn, New York, teeth-lifting an anvil while someone else hits the anvil with a sledge hammer.

Now that's impressive!

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Ivan Poddubny - "The Russian Hercules"

Ivan Poddubny was one of the greatest of the Russian Strongman wrestlers. He was born in a small village and worked hard jobs even from a young age. After some training, he joined the russian circus, performing feats of strength and wrestling all comers. After 40 years, he retired undefeated on both counts. He is still a well-known sports hero in Russia with several big wrestling tournaments bearing his name.

Ivan Poddubny - "The Russian Hercules"

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Brooks Kubik

Brooks Kubik
If you've read Dinosaur Training, now you can put a face to the name Brooks Kubik.

Brooks walks the walk -- literally!

Here's a shot from a couple of years ago from one of Brooks Kubik's Dinosaur training videos where he is going for a "leisurely stroll" around the block with a pair of Dr. Ken's 180-pound iron suitcases.

Before writing Dinosaur Training, Brooks was a state Champion wrestler in high school and went on to win several National Championships in Drug-Free Powerlifting.

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