Thursday, August 27, 2009
Viggo JensenViggo Jensen, the great Danish athlete, won the very first Gold medal ever awarded in the modern Olympics. At the 1896 games in Athens, Greece, Jensen, bested Launceston Elliott at the "Two-Hands" lifting event but injured his shoulder in doing so. This caused him to finish second to Elliott in the "One-Hand" event.
At the same Olympics, Jensen competed in Rope Climbing, shot put, discus and two rifle events (taking Bronze in the free rifle.)
Labels: 1896 Olympics, Danish weightlifter, Discus, Gold Medal, Launceston Elliott, Olympic Rope Climbing, Rope Climbing, Shot Put, Viggo Jensen, weightlifter
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Friday, August 07, 2009
Heinrich SchneidereitHeinrich Schneidereit the German Strongman, finished second to Francois Lancoud at the 1903 World Championships in Paris, France. He came back to win it all, however, in 1906 in Lille, France.
At a bodyweight of only 176 lbs., his winning lifts were: a one-hand snatch of 176-1/2 lbs, Crucifix of 71-1/2 lbs (each hand), overhead press of 231 lbs, and a barbell clean & jerk of 275-1/2 lbs.
Schneidereit also competed in the 1906 Intercalated Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. He finished third in both the one hand and two hand lifting events but did end up with a Gold Medal though as a member of the German Tug of War team.
Labels: 1906 Olympics, 1906 World Championships, Clean and Jerk, Crucifix, Francois Lancoud, German Strongman, German Weightlifter, Heinrich Schneidereit, One hand Snatch, Tug O War, weightlifter
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Saturday, July 11, 2009
Francois LancoudThe Swiss Weightlifter and Strongman Francois Lancoud became the second World Weightlifting Champion on October 5th, 1903, at an event held at the Moulin Rouge in Paris, France. Among his winning lifts were a snatch of 231-1/2 lbs. and a clean & jerk of 292 lbs. The German strongman Heinrich Schneidereit finished second and the Belgian lifter Gustave Empain finishing third.
Labels: 1903 World Championships, Clean and Jerk, Francois Lancoud, Gustave Empain, Heinrich Schneidereit, Snatch, Swiss Strongman, weightlifter
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Tuesday, February 17, 2009
W.A. PullumIt's not hard to see why W.A. Pullum was the The 9 Stone Amateur Champion Weightlifter of The World. In this classic picture his incredible tendon thickness is quite evident. Pullum's greatest feat was a two-hands anyhow lift of 272 pounds. Note the many championship medals pinned to his chest, Pullum established over 200 records during his career. Also further proof that you don't have to be big to be impressive, Pullum tips the scales at only 126 pounds at a height of 5'5".
Labels: 2 Hands Anyhow, British Strongman, Oldtime Lift, Strongman, W.A. Pullum, weightlifter
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Sunday, April 06, 2008
Dick Bachtell - Weightlifting ChampionThe great weightlifting Champion Dick Bachtell as he appeared on the cover of the January, 1936 issue of Strength and Health Magazine.
Dick Bachtell was a seven-time National Champion (1929-1931, 1934-1935, 1937, and 1943) and competed in the 1932 Olympic games in Los Angeles, Claifornia.
For his last National Title, he totaled 630 pounds in the 60-Kg class.
In addition to his Olympic Weightlifting exploits, Dick Bachtell could also one-arm snatch 154 pounds, squat 350-pounds, deadlift 425-pounds, one-arm press 92-pounds, pullover 100-pounds, swing 137-pounds and bent-press 180-pounds.
Labels: 1932 Olympics, Cover, Dick Bachtell, National Champion Weightlifter, Olympic Weightlifting, one arm snatch, Press, Pullover, Senior Nationals, Strength and Health Magazine, weightlifter
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Thursday, February 14, 2008
Chuck VinciChuck Vinci was another great olympic weightlifter from York, Pennsylvania. Though he stood only 4'11" and weighed 123 pounds, he could clean & jerk well over 300 pounds and snatch 220+.
Vinci was a Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist (1956 and 1960), Seven-time world Senior National Champion (1954-1956,1958-1961) and set Twelve World Records during his career.
Labels: 1956 Olympics, 1960 Olympics, Chuck Vinci, Clean and Jerk, Gold Medal, Olympic Weightlifting, Snatch, weightlifter, weightlifting, York Pennsylvania
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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
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Tuesday, November 27, 2007
 W.A. Pullum | W.A. Pullum built himself up from a sickly childhood into a World Champion Weightlifter. Throughout his career he won 14 British Amateur Championships at various weights ranging from 9 stone to 11 stone. From 1911 to 1915 he broke no less than 192 World Records earning himself the nickname "The Wizard of Weightlifting." |
Labels: British Champion, Oldtime Strongman, W.A. Pullum, weightlifter, Wizard of Weightlifting
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Monday, November 19, 2007
John Terpak - Eleven Time Senior National Weightlifting ChampionJohn Terpak was a member of the "York Gang" and one of America's best Olympic-style weightlifters, winning eleven Senior National Weightlifting Titles (1936-1945 & 1947).
Over his career he lifted in three different weight classes (148, 165 and 181.) His best performance occurred winning the 1947 Worlds as a light-heavyweight:
Press - 253-1/2 pounds
Snatch - 264-1/2 pounds
Clean & Jerk - 336-1/4 pounds
Total = 854-1/2 pounds
He also one-hand snatched 154 pounds and one-hand jerked 170-1/2 pounds in some early weightlifting contests when those lifts were still contested.
Terpak was a three-time Olympic Team Member (1936, 1940, & 1948) and a part of nine total Olympic teams and sixty consecutive National Championships as a lifter, judge or coach. He eventually served as an executive for the York Barbell Company.
Labels: Clean and Jerk, John Terpak, Olympic Weightlifting, one arm snatch, Press, Total, weightlifter, weightlifting, York Barbell Company
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Friday, November 16, 2007
Charles Rigoulot's Unique Globe BarbellThe great French Weightlifter Charles Rigoulot used to train with a very unusual globe barbell -- at 8 feet, it was much longer than a "normal" barbell (which gave it quite a bit of "whip"), not to mention that he was using shot-loaded equipment long after shot-loaded globes went out of style.
Given this setup, he was a master of catching the weight "on the bounce" which allowed him to break a number of records -- and I bet that barbell was a heck of a lot of fun to lift with.
Labels: Barbell, Charles Rigoulot, Globe Barbell, Shot Loaded, Strongman Equipment, weightlifter
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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, September 27, 2007
"A well-known strongman, world's record holder and ex-world's champion weight lifter has put it on record on several occasions that he never trains for a record lift without a strong chest expander.
He has given full credit to this type of chest expander, and I am quoting him here in order to endorse what I am about to say from my own experience... "With but little training I have made records on the "dumbbell swing," the "single handed press," the "Crucifix" and on some special feats of my own. |  Alfred Danks |
Labels: Alfred Danks, Chest Expander, chest expander workout, Dumbbell Swing, weightlifter
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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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