Monday, October 12, 2009
Gustave FristenskyPhysique-wise, Gustav Fristensky was said by many to be as impressive as Sandow but since he was not as well known, did not get his due. Regardless, Fristensky was certainly an exemplary strength athlete as both his lifts and wrestling achievements show.
Labels: Bohemian Strongman, Gustav Fristensky, Oldtime Strongman, Wrestling
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Friday, October 09, 2009
The Sandow MedalThe great Sandow won this fine medal, not in a test of strength, but for his wrestling prowess. It was awarded to him by the Athletic club of Florence, Italy in commemoration of his having handily defeated the Italian Champion Bartoletti. Sandow was quite proud of this achievement and wore this medal often, it can be seen on his chest in many of of his most famous photographs.
Labels: Award, Eugen Sandow, Medal, Sandow Medal, Wrestling
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Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Alexander AbergAn extremely rare picture of the great Estonian wrestler Alexander Aberg who was also George Lurich's brother-in-law. Aberg defeated the likes of Dr. Benjamin Roller (of America), Wladek Zbyszko (of Poland), Pierre La Colosse (of France), Harry De Nys (of Belgium) Leo Pardell (of Italy), Sulo Hevonpaa (of Finland) and Jo-An Tigan (of Mongolia) on his way to a World Championship in 1915.
Labels: Alex Aberg, Benjamin Roller, Estonian Strongman, George Lurich, Greco-Roman Wrestling, Wrestling
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Monday, June 15, 2009
| "George Hackenschmidt, Born in Russia, 20th July, 1877 and studied engineering, but on the advice of Count Ribeaupierre of St. Petersburg, took seriously to wrestling in 1897. First big match with Paul Pons at the age of twenty one. Acclaimed champion of the World after a forty-six minute bout. He has defeated such men as Petersen, Jenkins, Hassan, Cannon, McInerney, Munro, and Pierri, and everybody will remember the sensational match with Madrali at Olympia which ended with a broken arm for the Turk in 44 seconds." |  George Hackenschmidt |
Labels: Ahmed Madrali, Alexander Munro, Cigarette Card, George Hackenschmidt, Paul Pons, Russian Strongman, The Russian Lion, Tom Cannon, Wrestling
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Sunday, May 24, 2009
The Brothers Baillargeon The Brothers Baillargeon are another entry in the long line of great Quebec Strongmen. From left to right: Charles, Paul, Adrien, Lionel, Jean and Antonio. They traveled the Continent performing tremendous strength feats and all eventually became famous professional wrestlers. Note the family crest on their uniforms. It featured the number "6" (representing all six brothers) a beaver, their name and a maple leaf logo.
Labels: Adrien Baillargeon, Antonio Baillargeon, Baillargeon Brothers, Canadian Strongman, Feats of Strength, Jean Baillargeon, Paul Baillargeon, Pro Wrestler, Quebec Charles Baillargeon, Wrestling
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Friday, May 01, 2009
Abe BoshesTo provide further proof that one can be impressive without being "huge" here is the famous Brooklyn strongman Abe Boshes. Boshes stood 5'3" at a bodyweight of around 150 pounds and was very well-known for his shoulder development (which was obviously a big contributor to his stature.) Boshes did quite a bit of training with chest expanders.
Boshes could bent-press around 220 lbs for a single and a 100 lb. dumbbell 18 times in succession. In the early 1900s he won a contest put on by Bernarr MacFadden and the fame from doing so allowed him to travel the country on the Vaudeville circuit. Like many strongmen of the time he also did some wrestling.
Labels: Abe Boshes, Bent Press, Bernarr Macfadden, Chest Expanders, Early Bodybuilder, Shoulder Development, Vaudeville, Wrestling
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Thursday, April 23, 2009
Road WorkIf you're going to be an athlete, you better be prepared to run. Shown here is George Hackenschmidt training in Chicago to face Frank Gotch for the second time. (Taken in 1911) Hack is flanked by his training partners Dr. Benjamin Roller, Gus "Americus" Schoenlein, and Jacob Koch, the former World Champion from Germany.
Labels: Americus, Benjamin Roller, Conditioning Workout, George Hackenschmidt, Gotch vs. Hackenschmidt, Gus Schoenlein, Jacob Koch, Road Work, Wrestling, Wrestling Exercise
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Saturday, December 20, 2008
Antonino "Argentina" RoccaAntonino "Argentina" Rocca was one of the greatest pure athletes to ever enter the squared circle. His incredible jumping feats and aerial maneuvers left an indelible mark on the world of pro-wrestling. His signature move was the "Argentine Backbreaker" although it was flying dropkick after flying dropkick which often put his foes down for good. Rocca was trained by Stanislaus Zbyszko
Labels: Antonino Rocca, Argentina Rocca, Pro Wrestler, Stanislaus Zbyszko, Wrestling
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Monday, December 15, 2008
El Increible (The Incredible) Profesor Zovek"El Profesor" Zovek is the greatest strength athlete you've never heard of. In the late 1960's Zovek became a national hero in his native Mexico when he performed a number of incredible strength feats and escapes on television to raise money for charity.
Among them: he performed 17,800 situps without stopping (!) in an eight hour span... he skipped rope for nine consecutive hours... smashed through wooden boards with his fists and even held back a team of motorcycles with his teeth. He went on to star in a few Mexican wrestling movies with the likes of Blue Demon.
Labels: Mexican Strongman, Profesor Zovek, Situps, Wrestling, Zovek
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Thursday, December 11, 2008
Dr. Benjamin RollerDr. Benjamin Franklin Roller was an early catch wrestler who sparred with the likes of Gotch, Hackenschmidt, Great Gama, and Zbyszko. Aside from wrestling, Roller was a great athlete in other sports, captaining the football and track teams at DePauw University where he attended in the late 1800s.
Upon graduating from medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, he accepted a professorship at the University of Washington. Shortly after, he instead chose to chase fame and fortune -- mostly fortune -- as a professional wrestler. Roller was a very good (but not great) wrestler although he did win his fair share of matches. Eventually he became a training partner for George Hackenschmidt
Labels: Benjamin Roller, Catch Wrestler, Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, Wrestling
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Wednesday, December 10, 2008
The Great GamaAfter seeing this picture it is not difficult to see why The Great Gama was known as the greatest of all the Indian Wrestlers. In a match against Benjamin Roller the great Indian Champion "threw" his opponent 13 times in 13 minutes! From then on it was tough for the Great Gama to get matches. It was said that George Hackenschmidt and Frank Gotch both refused to face him in the ring. This rare picture was taken in 1934 - Gama was 51 years of age at the time.
Labels: Benjamin Roller, Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, Indian Wrestler, The Great Gama, Wrestling
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Friday, May 09, 2008
Bert AssiratiOur 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.
Labels: Bert Assirati, British Wrestler, Hand Balancing, One Arm Chin up, Wrestler, Wrestling
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Friday, April 18, 2008
| 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 |
Labels: Farmer Burns, Farmer Burns Workout, Frank Gotch, Iowa, Iowa Wrestling, Wrestler, Wrestling
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Monday, March 31, 2008
Traditional Indian Club TrainingThe swinging of "jori and gada" (heavy indian clubs and maces) holds a special place in the ancient art of Kushti - (Traditional Indian Wrestling and Physical Culture Training.)
In the akharas (wrestling gyms) these traditional impliments are decorated in many unique ways. Some are painted with lively decorative patterns, others, used only by the most skilled masters, are studded with nails. Some of these decorative indian clubs weigh as much as 35 KG.
Labels: Akharas, Challenge Weight, Decorative Indian Clubs, Equipment, Gada, Heavy Indian Clubs, Indian Clubs, Indian Wrestling, Jori, Kushti, Wrestling
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Friday, February 01, 2008
Frank Gotch Step Over Toe HoldFrank Gotch's step over toe hold was the most feared submission move probably of all time. It could be applied quickly and efficently from almost any angle and few people knew how to defend it -- his opponents never knew what him 'em.
He used it to dispatch the likes of George Hackenschmidt, Benjamin Roller and Stanislaus Zbyszko.
Gotch, as masterfully trained by Farmer Burns had two main weapons: a precise execution of his moves and holds, and an almost superhuman level of conditioning.
Labels: Benjamin Roller, Conditioning, Farmer Burns, Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, Gotch vs. Hackenschmidt, Stanislaus Zbyszko, Step Over Toe Hold, Wrestling, Wrestling Hold
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Thursday, January 31, 2008
| The list of champion athletes who have trained with Chest Expanders is quite long. ... Stanislaus Zbyszko happens to be one of them. The great Polish wrestler, was well known for his incredible strength, in addition to his grappling ability. Back then, just as today, Chest expanders, no doubt, allowed him to train some of the smaller muscles that "weights" won't always get to. |  Stanislaus Zbyszko |
Labels: Chest Expanders, Stanislaus Zbyszko, Training Equipment, Wrestling
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Tuesday, January 29, 2008
| 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" |
Labels: Circus, Circus Strongman, Ivan Poddubny, Russian Strongman, Wrestler, Wrestling
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Thursday, December 13, 2007
 Doug Hepburn | Here's something you don't see every day, a Doug Hepburn Wrestling trading card from the mid-1950's. Doug Hepburn had a short professional wrestling career in Canada once his weight lifting career came to an end. Doug would often perform feats of strength before his matches and his finishing move was an inverted bear-hug, squeezing the life out of his opponents until they had no choice but to submit. |
Labels: Doug Hepburn, Strongman Collectible, Trading Card, Wrestling
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Sunday, December 02, 2007
 The Iron Sheik | Many Oldschool Pro-Wrestlers had their own strength challenge to confound their opponents and sometimes members of the crowd. The Iron Sheik had "The Persian Club" challenge where he offered $1000 to all comers if they could swing a pair of "75 pound" traditional meels for as many reps as he could. To my knowledge he was never beaten, and what's more, Sheik used the Persian Club Challenge to injure then-champion Bob Backland before their title match back in '83. |
Labels: Indian Club Swinging, Iron Sheik, Persian Clubs, Wrestling
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Monday, November 26, 2007
Karl Gotch a very good amateur wrestler and an even better Professional wrestler after learning the "tricks of the trade" at Billy Riley's "Snake Pit" Gym in Wigan, England.
In Japan he was known as "The God of Pro Wrestling" and many of the most famous Japanese wrestlers are among his students.
In Japan he was known as "The God of Pro Wrestling" and many of the most famous Japanese wrestlers are among his students.
What he was even more famous for though was his conditioning -- it was his feeling (and rightfully so) that as a combat athlete "Conditioning is your best hold." He incorporated a number of elements into his training including rope climbing, bodyweight calisthenics, wrestling drills, muscle control and traditional indian physical culture exercises. Gotch once did 9001 straight Hindu Squats to best a training feat by The Great Gama. |  Karl Gotch: The God of Pro Wrestling |
Labels: Bodyweight Calisthenics, Combat Athletes, God of Pro Wrestling, Indian Physical Culture, Karl Gotch, Karl Gotch Workout, Muscle Control, Rope Climbing, The Great Gama, Wrestling
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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, November 16, 2007
| Otto Arco was a very popular performing strongman on the vaudeville circuit during the early 20th century. His performance consisted of hand balancing feats with his brother Pete followed by a posing display (which was particularly impressive due to Arco's muscularity.) Arco's training consisted of acrobatics, tumbling, hand balancing, muscle control, weight lifting and wrestling... |  Otto Arco |
Labels: Acrobatics, Hand Balancing, Oldtime Strongman, Otto Arco, Stanislaus Zbyszko, Tumbling, Wrestling
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Sunday, November 11, 2007
| Milo of Crotona, who lived during the 6th century B.C., was the greatest of the ancient Greek Athletes. He was a six-time wrestling Champion in the ancient Olympic Games and his strength was legendary. Milo built his strength with an unusual method: Each day he would carry a new-born calf and, as the calf grew larger, so did Milo's strength. Eventually Milo was able to carry a full-grown bull the length of a stadium and thus progressive resistance training was born. |  Milo of Crotona |
Labels: Ancient Greece, Charles Rigoulot, Milo of Crotona, Olympics, Progressive Resistance Training, Wrestling
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Saturday, November 10, 2007
| Rope climbing used to be a competitive sport and once appeared in the Olympics. Rope Climbing was also sanctioned by the AAU and NCAA as a gymnastic event. A 20 or 25 foot natural fiber Manila Climbing Rope was used. The climber began while seated on the floor straddling the rope. Upon their first movement, the stopwatch started and they were timed while climbing the rope without the use of the legs, pulling all the way to the "tambourine" a black, wooden disc that served as the finish line. Don Perry of Champaign Illinois and Robert Manning of San Fernando, California could each climb a 20 foot rope in 2.8 seconds. - Amazing! Another great rope climber was Garvin Smith of UCLA, who could climb a 25 foot rope in 4.2 seconds. Rope climbing is still popular with wrestlers, gymnasts and any other athletes looking to build a stronger grip and upper-body endurance. |  Competitive Rope Climbing |
Labels: AAU, Climbing Ropes, Don Perry, Garvin Smith, Grip Strength, Olympics, Robert Manning, Rope Climbing, Tambourine, Wrestling
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Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Sergio Oliva:Mexican Movie StarI bet you didn't know Sergio Oliva appeared in a couple of Mexican wrestling movies? His name was "El Poder Negro" (Black Power) and he even had top billing over the more famous Mil Mascaras.
Funny thing, Sergio was even bigger in real life than the cartoon version.
Labels: Bodybuilding, Sergio Oliva, Wrestling
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| At the turn of the century, wrestlers and strongmen were often one and the same. Stanislaus Zbyszko was born in Poland in 1879 and began his training career at a gymnastic school. Soon after he followed his contemporary George Hackenschmidt into the wrestling profession where he would hold the Heavyweight World Championship Belt on two occasions. |  Oldtime Wrestler Stanislaus Zbyszko |
Labels: Benjamin Roller, Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, Oldtime Strongman, Stanislaus Zbyszko, The Great Gama, Wrestling
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Sunday, November 04, 2007
| The Great Gama is likely the greatest Pehlwan, or indian wrestler, who ever lived; as he was undefeated in over 5000 matches. Gama publically challenged all comers and easily beat the likes of Benjamin Roller and Stanislaus Zbyszko. His daily training routine consisted of thousands of traditional squats and pushups -- after seeing him train, many would-be challengers wanted no part of him. |  The Great Gama |
Labels: Benjamin Roller, Indian Wrestler, Oldtime Strongman, Pushups, Stanislaus Zbyszko, The Great Gama, Traditional Squats, Wrestling
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Thursday, November 01, 2007
Their common name is Indian Clubs, but they have many names depending on where you happen to be: Meels, Gavargah, Ekka, Karela or Gada.
Regardless of what you call them, they spell a unique form of strength, stamina, endurance and flexibility that goes back thousands of years.
The picture above is from Iran where they are referred to as Meels.
These clubs are swung in a rthymic pattern around the body for hundreds of repetitions by traditional wrestlers in their workouts. Meels generally weight 10-15 pounds although may get up as high as 60 pounds.
Keep in mind that these "heavy" clubs are used in an entirely different manner than Light Indian Clubs.
Traditional Indian Clubs can be seen in action in:
The Physical Body: Indian Wrestling and Physical Culture DVD
Labels: Equipment, Gada, Indian Clubs, Indian Wrestler, Meels, Physical Culture Equipment, Wrestling
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Sunday, October 07, 2007
Combat Conditioning by Matt FureySure, a lot of people "coulda" done it, but Matt Furey is the one who actually did it -- he wrote Combat Conditioning,THE book on bodyweight calisthenics, and brought this intensely productive and useful form of training back to the public eye after it had all but become extinct.
The strength of this program is its simplicity -- 50 simple, yet effective bodyweight exercises incorporating elements of Ancient Indian Physical Culture, Wrestling, Gymnastics, Old Gym Class Favorites and more than a few "Special" exercises passed down from "The God of Wrestling", Karl Gotch.
If you think bodyweight training is "too easy to be effective," all I have to say is try it... And please keep in mind that almost all of the oldtime strength writers, including Alan Calvert, George Jowett, Earle E. Liederman and Joe Bonomo included bodyweight training in their respective training programs.
On the left you'll see the first edition of Combat Conditioning published in 2000, and on the right, the revised and expanded edition, published in 2004.
Labels: Bodyweight Training, book, Calisthenics, Combat Conditioning, Gymnastics, Karl Gotch, Matt Furey, Wrestling
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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, October 05, 2007
George Hackenschmidt: The Russian LionGeorge "The Russian Lion" Hackenschmidt was equally well known as a wrestler and as a strongman.
As a wrestler, he faced all comers. He met and defeated Tom Cannon and later American Heavyweight Champion Tom Jenkins before he famously lost to Frank Gotch twice.
He used his great strength very effectively in the ring. Hackenschmidt could long jump 16 feet and excelled at gymnastic events in addition to his lifting feats. He bested Eugen Sandow's bent press record in 1898, and could could perform a "pullover and press" with 361 lbs.
In order to prepare for his matches, he would often walk around the gym with a heavy sack of cement on his shoulders.
You can learn more about George Hackenschmidt, his training and his fascinating life in The Way to Live published in 1908.
Labels: Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, Oldtime Strongman, Supporting Feat, Wrestling
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Monday, October 01, 2007
 The Farmer Burns School of Wrestling and Physical Culture | It had to be quite an experience to train at the Farmer Burns School of Wrestling and Physical Culture. Farmer Burns believed that every athlete should train like a wrestler - and I agree. The bulk of the training was, I'm sure wrestling -- holds, take-downs, blocks, breaks and plenty of sparring. Of course, the "Old Farmer" knew that wrestling was only "part" of what made a good wrestler -- physical training was important too. |
The advertisement above is from 1920.
Labels: Calisthenics, Farmer Burns, Indian Clubs, Medicine Ball Training, Wrestling
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Monday, September 24, 2007
Frank GotchHe defeated George Hackenschmidt twice, and the likes of Tom Jenkins, Benjamin Roller and Stanislaus Zbyszko on his way to holding the Heavyweight Championship longer than any man before or since.
It was his technique that made him a Champion (Gotch's feared step-over-toe-hold was nearly impossible to defend) but it was his training that made him a Legend.
There have been few wrestlers since then who trained more seriously than Gotch... and he trained just like a wrestler should.
Calisthenics, road work and sparing gave Gotch a killer's heart and an advantage in every single match.
The "Old Farmer" Farmer Burns understood the game of wrestling better than anyone and trained his student to be the best.
Labels: Benjamin Roller, Calisthenics, Farmer Burns, Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, Stanislaus Zbyszko, Tom Jenkins, Wrestling
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Wednesday, September 19, 2007
| Just before the turn of the century, Martin "Farmer" Burns was one of the fiercest wrestlers the world had ever seen. He wrestled over 6000 matches, lost only 7 and held the World's Championship on two seperate occasions. Once his competitive career came to an end, the "Old Farmer" as he was known, focused on managing and training other wrestlers and athletes. |  Farmer Burns |
His most famous pupil was Frank Gotch, who, thanks in large part to Farmer Burns' coaching, became arguably the greatest wrestler of all time.
The foundation of Burns' method was physical conditioning. After all, a wrestler can never be too strong or well conditioned -- and at his "School of Wrestling" in Omaha, Nebraska, he employed any method that would help his athletes become the best.
Here's a look at his thoughts on training with the medicine ball:
Of course, if Farmer Burns were still alive and running his school of wrestling today, this is the medicine ball he would be training with:The Medicine Ball
"Perhaps some of my students are not familiar with the Medicine Ball. It is a ball that has been used in training during recent yeats and from my observations in training camps, I have decided that it has an important part to play in the routine work of the athlete...
It is a large leather ball of considerable weight, yet soft enough to avoid hurting or damaging the contestants.
Two persons are required when exercising with the ball. It is merely thrown back and forth from one to another, but is thrown and caught in a great variety of positions.
It should be thrown and caught in a variety of positions. It should be thrown with both hands over the head, from the right side and from the left side. It can also be thrown with the right arm alone and the left arm alone, and from various positions when you are sitting or lying down.
The person catching the ball should catch it first with the right arm and then with the left and make special efforts to exercise as much as possible, while catching and returning the ball to his companion.
If you have never worked out with the medicine ball, you will think from this description that it is child's play, but let me assure you that if you devoted ten minutes to fast work with the medicine ball, you will change your mind and readily appreciate the fact that it is a great exercise for limbering up the muscles and working up a good sweat."
Everlast Classic Leather Medicine Balls
Labels: Farmer Burns, Frank Gotch, Medicine Ball Training, Physical Culture Equipment, Strongman Equipment, Wrestling
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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
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