Joe Price

Joe Price, of Gloucester, England, is one example of many blacksmiths who were also strongmen.   Needless to say -- and very obvious in the photo above -- the vigorous muscular development due to smithing came in very handy while performing feats of strength.  He was trained by W.A. Pullum and went on to win the British Heavyweight Lifting Championship in 1922 and 1923.  In addition to his lifting exploits,  Price was also British Champion Farrier in 1928.  Price even wrote an excellent "Vulcan" training course on using a sledge hammer to build strength (a copy of which we have been lucky enough to recently come across.)  Here, Price nails in a notice with a hammer weighing in at half a hundredweight - not bad!