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Like many Oldtime Strongmen, George Jowett had a very sickly childhood -- an accident
as an infant nearly left him crippled and due to further complications, doctors said it would be
unlikely that he would see his 15th birthday.
Young Jowett would have none of it, and through exercise and clean living, he built himself back to health
and then transformed himself
into a superman of strength who eventually influenced millions of people through his training courses and publications.
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Today, a new generation can benefit just as much from George Jowett's teachings.
His frank writing, no-nonsense style and focus on the basics works just as well
today as it did over 75 years ago when Jowett first put pen to paper.
Here's a few highlights from his greatest book: "The
Key to Might and Muscle" (published in 1926):
"...
In all my life I have never seen a strong man who was not healthy, but I
have met many healthy men who were not strong. The stronger a man, the more
vigorous his health, and his body retains its youth and preservation in life
longer by far than the man who is healthy and yet not strong..."
"...Almost anyone who earnestly desires to, can make himself strong; not just
ordinarily strong, but very much stronger than the average man, little or
big. And to become strong - to add size and strength to your body, or in
other words to develop it - takes much less time than to cultivate the mind..."
"...A great deal of our success in body building relies upon the amount of
success that is reached in developing a powerful chest..."
"...To see a man take something in his hands and crush it, tear or lift, has
always had a fascinating influence over everybody. For some unknown reason,
such feats seem to grip the layman with greater interest than great bodily
feats of strength..."
"... You will always hear the same old worn out alibi when you ask them why they
did not spend an equal amount of time upon developing their legs: "I do
exercise them, but they just wont grow." Well, let us agree on the point
that they all do a certain amount of training according to their knowledge,
an let us see just about how much they are likely to do.
Ninety percent are
limited by just practicing the squat, or deep knee bend. Another five
percent add the exercise,which is a variation of the Kennedy Lift. In this movement the position is taken astride the bar bell and the bar is grasped with one hand in front of the body and the other hand behind. Standing erect, only a slight bend of
the knees is made a number of times.
The remaining five percent have either
developed some exercise movements of their own, or have received some expert
coaching. It is among this last quota that you find the few who have
actually earned their leg muscles..."
Jowett's Anvil:
In his writings, George Jowett often focused specifically on grip and forearm strength. He understood
that strong hands are one of the biggest contributors to a "strong man." Jowett also had an interest
in lifting heavy, unusually-shaped objects to build a different kind of strength than barbells and
dumbbells.
One of his favorite pieces of equipment to lift was a 168-pound anvil, which he
succeeded in lifting by the horn and then pressing overhead - a truly awesome display of
grip and forearm strength.
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Search www.oldtimestrongman.com:
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Jowett's Books:
The World’s Weight Lifting Rules and Records (1925)
The Key to Might and Muscle (1926)
The Jowett Institute Course (1927)
The Strongest Man that Ever Lived (1927)
Man Power: Making Yourself Superfit (1928)
Strong Man Stunts Made Easy! (1930)
Molding a Mighty Arm (1930)
Molding a Mighty Back (1931)
Molding a Mighty Chest (1938)
Molding Mighty Legs (1938)
Progressive Barbell Training (1938)
The Atlas of Anatomy (1938)
The Science of Exercise Specialization (1938)
Health and Development of the Abdomen (1938)
Advanced Barbell Training (1938)
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