Thursday, October 08, 2009
Early Weightlifting ContestHere's a look at a lifting contest held in the early 1900's ~ quite a bit different than you'll find these days. That's the great Austrian strongman Karl Swoboda lifting the barbell front and center. I think I also recognize Hans Beck and Pierre Bonnes in the crowd.
Labels: Globe Barbell, Globe Dumbbells, Hans Beck, Karl Swoboda, Pierre Bonnes, weightlifting
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Thursday, February 26, 2009
Father B.H.B. LangeFor over fifty years, Father Bernard Lange of Notre Dame University, ran one of the finest gyms and lifting programs this country had ever seen. Lange actually did not take up physical training until past 30 years of age but built himself up to one of the most powerful men of the time. He recognized the value that physical training could have on a person and thus promoted it for the rest of his life. He was also a "secret weapon" of sorts, introducing systematic weight lifting to many of the great Notre Dame Athletic teams before such programs were en vogue. In fact, he often earned special recognition from the legendary Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne for working with his players as early as 1922! Lange's Gym was said to be one of the finest gyms in the land, as he spared no expense in quality equipment and even made a great deal of it himself using his carpentry skills.
Labels: Athletic Training, Father Lange, Notre Dame, weightlifting
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Thursday, January 01, 2009
Otto ArcoThe great strongman Otto Arco gives further evidence why you don't have to be "huge" to be impressive. Arco never weighed more than 150 pounds yet was easily more muscular than most modern strength athletes. Arco achieved his tremendous form through a variety of training methods, traditional weight lifting, gymnastics and Muscle Control.
Labels: Back Development, Gymnastics, Muscle Control, Otto Arco, weightlifting
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Thursday, October 30, 2008
Josef Grafl It doesn't get much more "Oldtime" than this - Josef Grafl, the great strongman from Vienna, Austria, competes in a historical contest. Quite a contrast to today's modern weightlifting meets. Note the chalk ring that the lifter stood in to perform the lifts and the outdoor location. Grafl was the World heavyweight weightlifting champion from 1908 to 1911 and again in 1913.
Labels: Austrian Strongman, Champion, Heavyweight Lifting Championships, Josef Grafl, Oldtime Strongman, Vienna, weightlifting
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Sunday, September 28, 2008
Clyde Emrich Front squatttingWeightlifting great Clyde Emrich front squatting at a sport school just before the 1955 World Championships in Munich, Germany. The front squat is a great power builder. Some men prefer to do this exercise with a 2-inch board under the heels. Regardless, it is an exercise that must be mastered if you want to become an Olympic weightlifter.
Labels: Barbell Exercise, Clyde Emrich, Munich Germany, The Front Squat, weightlifting
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Friday, August 22, 2008
Russ Knipp from Pittsburgh, Pensylvania pressing 355 at the 1969 Sr. Nationals ( An American & National meet record.)
Knipp never did medal at the Olympics but he did compete at two Games (Mexico City - 1968. Munich - 1972), won seventeen medals in international competition, was a three-time U.S. National Champion and set nine worlds records. |  Russ Knipp |
Labels: 1968 Olympics, 1972 Olympics, Olympics, Overhead Press, Russ Knip, Senior Nationals, weightlifting
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Friday, August 08, 2008
Launceston ElliottAlready a strength star in his teens when he won the British national Championships, in 1896, Launceston Elliott traveled to Athens, Greece to represent England at the very first modern Olympic Games. Elliot had been trained by Eugen Sandow and bared quite a resemblance to his mentor, and, as I have mentioned before, things were a bit different back then -- in weightlifting they contested two events: the "one-hand lift" and the "two-hands lift" (i.e. the "clean and jerk.")
In the first contest, the "two hand lift" Launceston tied with Viggo Jensen of Denmark when each lifted 111 kg (244-1/2 pounds). The Gold medal, however, was awarded to the Dane because the judges thought he lifted the weight "in much better form" than his English competitor.
In the one-hand event, Elliot lifted 71 kg to the Dane's 57 and thus Britain's first Olympic Gold Medal winner was crowned!
At those games Elliott also competed in the 100 m dash, wrestling, and rope climbing although he was not as successful in the other events as he was in weight lifting. After his Olympic success, he returned home to England, won the first major physique contest ever held and toured the country as a performing strongman.
Labels: 1896 Olympics, British Strongman, Clean and Jerk, Launceston Elliott, Olympic Games, Olympic Lifting, Olympics, Viggo Jensen, weightlifting
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Tuesday, June 17, 2008
"If a man's temperament is suited to it, I believe he will make better progress in weightlifting by training for strength primarily and style secondarily than if he puts great emphasis on learning form."
Doug HepburnLabels: Doug Hepburn, weightlifting
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Walt MarcyanWalt Marcyan was a great lifter, bodybuilder and hand balancer during the early Santa Monica Muscle Beach days. Walt first picked up a barbell and started training when he was 19 years old and shortly afterwards won the Central AAU Light Heavyweight Lifting Championship.
He followed that up by winning the northwest, Pacific, California, Pacific Coast and Illinois State lifting titles. Walt possessed unusual strength in a number of lifts, above he just missed a one-arm snatch of 210 pounds (at a bodyweight of only 180.)
Marcyan was also the inventor of several pieces of training equipment and his "Marcy Gym" line is still going strong today.
Labels: AAU, Golden Age Bodybuilder, hand balancer, Hand Balancing, Marcy Gym, Muscle Beach, one arm snatch, Walt Marcyan, weightlifting
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Thursday, March 20, 2008
 Bert Elliott Bent-Press | The great weightlifter Bert Elliott was also a specialist in the bent-press. He had a special 201-pound globe "Challenge" Dumbbell that few could budge but which he could lift with ease. It was thought by many "old time" weight lifters that due to the incredible midsection strength that was developed by the bent-press, improving that lift would also improve one's total. Sure looks that way here. |
Labels: Bent Press, Bert Elliott, Challenge Weight, Globe Dumbbell, Oldtime Strongman Feat, weightlifting
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Wednesday, February 20, 2008
 John Grimek | This photograph was taken on May 25, 1940 as John Grimek competed in the Heavy weight class (weighing 183 pounds!) at the weightlifting Senior Nationals at Madison Squar Garden, New York City. In the afternoon he placed 3rd by totalling 860 pounds (including the 285 pound press shown here) Later that day he beat Frank Leight to win the AAU Mr. America bodybuilding title, including the "Most Musclular" and "Best Arms" subdivions. |
Labels: AAU, Best Arms, Bodybuilding, John Grimek, Most Muscular, Mr. America 1940, Overhead Press, weightlifting
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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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Wednesday, February 06, 2008
 David Willoughby | Strength author and historian David Willoughby gracing the cover of the January, 1936 edition of the British physical culture magazine "Superman." Willoughby was the AAU Southern California AAU weightlifting champion from 1923-1926 and eventually went on to author countless books, articles and training courses. He also owned a successful gym in the Los Angeles area, the same gym where Bert Goodrich got his start. |
Labels: AAU, Cover, David Willoughby, Strength Author, Superman Magazine, weightlifting
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Thursday, January 24, 2008
Paul Anderson Winning the 1956 Melbourne OlympicsWith this lift, Paul Anderson won the Gold Medal in the heavyweight class at the 1956Olympic Games held in Melbourne, Australia.
It sure didn't come easy...
Big Paul was suffering from an ear infection at the time which caused him to lose his balance and stagger once he had the weight overhead, thus missing several lifts he would normally make with ease.
Here's how he ended the day:
Though he totaled, 1101 pounds, it was far from his best. Still, it was a gold medal winning performance, and one that cemented his name in the history books.
Labels: Bench Press, Clean and Jerk, Gold Medal, Oldtime Strongman Feat, Olympics, Paul Anderson, Snatch, Total, weightlifting
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Monday, January 07, 2008
 Pudgy Stockton | There has never been, nor will there ever be anyone like Pudgy Stockton. -- A pioneer for women in strength training, as you can see here she was power and grace in action. Pudgy promoted the first women's weightlifting contests and also had her own column "Barbelles" which ran in Strength and Health Magazine for ten years. Here, Pudgy Stockton clean and jerks 135 pounds (at a bodyweight of just 118 pounds) on the sands of the original Muscle Beach Santa Monica, California. |
Labels: Barbell, Pudgy Stockton, Santa Monica California, Strength and Health Magazine, weightlifting
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Sunday, December 16, 2007
Dave's Gym - South Bend, IndianaDave Bjoraas, (pictured far right) the legendary "Dave" of Dave's Gym and Dave's Barbell Club of South Bend, Indiana... for many years the center of strength activity in the Mid-Western United States.
Dave's Gym in South Bend, Indiana produced many Iron Game champions: 1956 Mr. America Ray Schaefer trained there. So did Jr. Mr. America Doug Lindzy (pro-wrestling's original "Doug Gilbert").
Dave's Barbell Club Weight-lifting team produced champions like Winston Binney and Mike Burgener. And, most importantly, many of the top football players on Notre Dame's great Irish teams trained with Dave.
Dave's Gym... one of the top gyms ever... Dave Bjoraas, a fine man and a giant in the world of weights.
Labels: Bodybuilding, Classic Strongman Gyms, Daves Gym, Heavyweight Lifting Championships, Jr. Mr. America, Mr. America, Notre Dame, Olympic Weightlifting, weightlifting
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| The great British Oldtime Strongman Thomas Inch wrote a lot of training guides you probably never heard of. This one, Scientific Weightlifting was published in the 1920's and covers the finer points of heavy lifting. As you might expect, lots of useful training information is contained within these covers. This particular copy is actually autographed by Thomas Inch himself (No, it's not for sale.) |  Scientific Weightliftingby Thomas Inch |
Labels: book, Scientific Weightlifting, Strength Author, Thomas Inch, weightlifting
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Saturday, December 15, 2007
Globe Barbells at the 1924 Olympic GamesHere's a look at the Globe Barbells that were lined up and ready to be used at the 1924 Olympic Games held in Paris France.
This was the last year that lifters were given the choice between lifting with shot-loaded globe barbells or barbells loaded with the iron disc plates that we use today.
The only lifters to choose the shot-loaded globes at the 1924 Olympic Games were the French Weightlifting team, of which great strongman Charles Rigoulot won the gold medal in the heavyweight class and his teammate Edmond Decottignies took home the gold in the light-weight Class.
Labels: Charles Rigoulot, Globe Barbell, Gold Medal, Olympic Weightlifting, Olympics, Paris France, Shot Loaded Barbells, Strongman Equipment, weightlifting
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Tuesday, November 27, 2007
 Sig Klein | It was through Sig Klein's Kettlebell course that I first learned how to train with kettlebells -- and that was over a decade and a half ago -- a long time before "kettlebell" became a household word. I think Sig had the right idea -- he was very proficient in a number of different strength "disciplines" - weight lifting, kettlebell lifting, gymnastics, hand balancing, and all along with an incredible physique to match his great strength. |
Labels: Gymnastics, Hand Balancing, Kettlebell, kettlebell lifting, Sig Klein, 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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Sunday, November 11, 2007
Tommy Kono: Weightlifting and Bodybuilding ChampionWith thirteen Senior Nationals titles, eight consecutive World Championships (1952-1959) and two Olympic gold medals (1952, 1956), Tommy Kono is arguably America's greatest Olympic Weightlifter.
In addition to his weightlifting exploits, he was also a very successful bodybuilder, winning the Mr. Universe bodybuilding title in `1954, 1955, 1957 and 1961.
It is unlikely that the World will never see another champion Weightlifter and Bodybuilder who are one in the same.
Labels: Bodybuilding, Gold Medal, Olympic Weightlifting, Tommy Kono, weightlifting
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Saturday, November 03, 2007
 Strength and Health Magazine #1 | Just in case you ever need to know who was on the cover of Strength and Health #1, the answer is Walter "Wally" Zagurski. Zagurski was an original member of the "York Gang" who lifted back when it was called the "York Oil Burner Athletic Club." He competed in the 1932 Olympics, won the 1933 Sr. National Weightlifting title at 165 pounds and was a very good all-around strength athlete. He was also one of the few men who could lift the Louis Cyr Challenge Dumbbell overhead. |
Labels: Muscle Magazine, Olympics, Strength and Health, Wally Zagurski, weightlifting, York, York Barbell
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Wednesday, October 31, 2007
 John Grimek: Dumbbell Curls | A workout without curls is like a day without sunshine. As a champion in bodybuilding and weightlifting, John Grimek understood the importance of "all around" strength and trained his arms just as hard as everything else. Bicep training helps balance out the triceps in heavy pressing movements and should always be a part of your program. |
Labels: Bicep Training, Bodybuilding, Curl, Dumbbells, John Grimek, weightlifting
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Monday, October 29, 2007
 Pudgy Stockton | If there ever were a "bar belle" it was Abbye "Pudgy" Stockton. (She aquired the nickname "Pudgy" as a child and it stuck.) "Pudgy" weighed 115 pounds at a height of 5'2" and, as you can see, was quite the physical specimen -- especially impressive at a time when weightlifting for either gender was frowned upon. She and husband Les Stockton were well known at the first "Muscle Beach" at Santa Monica, California where they primarily worked on acrobatics and gymnastic feats for the crowds. |
Labels: AAU, Bodybuilding, Clean and Jerk, Gymnastics, Hand Balancing, Les Stockton, Muscle Beach, Press, Pudgy Stockton, Snatch, Strength and Health, weightlifting
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Sunday, September 30, 2007
Schemansky Stalks the Bar...From the late 1940s to mid-1960s, Norb Schemansky was America's most successful Olympic Weightlifter and the first weightlifter to medal in four Olympic Games, (despite missing the 1956 games.)
Do you think he means business in the shot above?
Here's a look at Norb Schemansky's achievements over the course of his career:
And best career marks:Olympic Champion - 1952 Olympic Games, Helsinki Silver Medal - 1948 Olympic Games, London Bronze Medal - 1960, Rome, 1964, Tokyo World Champion (1951, 1953, and 1954) 1955 Pan American Games Heavyweight Champion Silver Medal - Senior World Championships (1947, 1962, 1963) Bronze Medal - Senior World Championships (1964)
Press - 415 lbs.
Snatch - 363 3/4 lbs.
Clean and Jerk - 445 lbs.
Total - 1200 lbs. (400-335-445)
In addition to his weightlifting exploits, he also famously cleaned, then thrice jerked the Apollon Wheels.
Labels: 1952 Olympics, 1960 Olympics, 1964 Olympics, Clean and Jerk, Gold Medal, Norb Schemansky, Olympic Weightlifting, Olympics, Press, Snatch, The 1947 U.S. World Weightlifting Team, weightlifting
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Wednesday, August 22, 2007
The Many Strength Feats of Paul AndersonBack in the mid-1940's, Paul Anderson started lifting weights to get bigger for football and just kept growing. He eventually became one of the strongest men of all time while establishing many strength records and winning the Gold Medal at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia.
Paul Anderson was also a Senior World Champion and a 2-time Senior National Champion in Weightlifting. He set nine World Records and Eighteen American records during his career and retired undefeated.
He was also incredibly strong in what would eventually become the three Power Lifts: the squat, bench press and deadlift.
Here's a look at some of Paul Anderson's record lifts:
| |  Paul Anderson Deadlifting |
Labels: Backlift, Deadlift, Feat, Paul Anderson, Paul Anderson Deadlift Record, Squat, Strongman, weightlifting
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Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Joseph Steinbach Austrian Strongman
Joseph Steinbach of Vienna, Austria, officially performed a Two Hands Continental Jerk of 387 pounds, a Two Hands Snatch of 264 3/4 pounds and a Two Hands Continental and Press of 335 pounds (besting Louis Cyr's mark by 34 pounds.)
At the same time, he held the world's records on lifts performed with two dumb bells, won the gold medal in the "One Arm" event and a Silver in the "Two Arm" event at the 1906 Olympics.
You can read more about him in Physical Training Simplified by Mark H. Berry or The Truth About Weight Lifting By Alan Calvert
Labels: 1906 Olympics, Austrian Strongman, Continental, Joseph Steinbach, Louis Cyr, Strongman, Strongman Feat, weightlifting
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Monday, July 09, 2007
Here's a classic shot from the 1904 Summer Olympics held is St. Louis, Missouri. Back then they contested "weightlifting" i.e. with a barbell in events with both one and two hands. Interestingly enough, they also had a seperate Dumbbell contest.
Weightlifting at the 1904 Summer OlympicsLabels: 1904 Olympics, Barbell, Dumbbell, Olympics, St. Louis, weightlifting
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