1932 Archives - www.oldtimestrongman.com

1932 Jowett Arm Course Advertisement

Posted on Tuesday, June 8th, 2021 by John Wood

Check out this excellent 1932 advertisement for the George F. Jowett ‘Molding a Mighty Arm’ course — which was excellent. Fortunately, even many decades later, you can still gain from George F. Jowett’s training methods. We will soon also have Jowett’s Strongman Library booklets available as Online Courses.

Bill Good’s Squatting at 72

Posted on Wednesday, February 10th, 2021 by John Wood

A look at Bill Good, of Reamstown, PA, performing quarter-squats at age 72 in 1982. Bill liked to celebrate certain milestone dates, like his birthday with feats of strength. This particular occasion was the 50th anniversary of the 1932 Olympic Games where he placed fourth. Having 650 pounds on your back at 72 (even if just a quarter-squat) is mind boggling. Bill Good was one of those lifters who never stopped training — be like Bill Good.

Svend Olsen

Posted on Thursday, August 2nd, 2018 by John Wood

Here’s a rare shot of the Danish weightlifter Svend Olsen lifting in the light-heavyweight class at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. Svend finished with the Silver medal after posting a 360 kg total (102.5 kg Press, 107.5 kg Snatch, 150 kg. Clean and Jerk).

This lift appears to be Olsen’s third Snatch attempt of 112.5 kg (which was not passed.) Olsen briefly held two official and one unofficial world records but retired shortly afterwards to become a strongman at the Circus Meihe.

1928 Milo Barbell Advertisement, Featuring Al Manger

Posted on Friday, June 13th, 2014 by John Wood

1928 Milo Barbell Advertisement, Featuring Al Manger

Here’s an interesting one: this 1928 Milo Barbell advertisement features Mr. Al Manger, who built himself up from “a bag of bones” into a weightlifting champion with the power of sensible physical training and a Milo weight set. At the age of 21, Manger weighed only 97 pounds, and within a year of barbell training, had added 26 pounds of solid muscle.

Manger kept at it, and went on to win three national lifting championships, one in the 181 lb. class in 1929 and two light-heavyweight crowns in 1930 and 1932. Manger finished fifth with a 315 kg. total at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic games. Manger also won regional championships in the shot put and weight throwing.

…Pretty good for a skinny kid from Baltimore.

If you would like to learn about the specific types of training that helped Manger build his strength, you’ll find it in The Alan Calvert Collection.

The 1932 Olympic Weightlifting Lightweight Class

Posted on Tuesday, June 10th, 2014 by John Wood

A look at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic games weightlifting Lightweight Class. From right to left (also in order of final standings): Raymond Suvigny of France (287.5 kg. total, also an Olympic record), Hans Wolpert of Germany (282.5 kg. total), Tony Terlazzo of the United States (280 kg. total), Helmut Schafer of Germany (267.5 kg total), Attilia Bescape of Italy (262.5 kg. total) and Richard Bachtell of the United States (252.5 kg. total).

Charles Highfield: The Boy Samson

Posted on Monday, May 20th, 2013 by John Wood

Charles Highfield, of Coventry, was billed as “The Boy Samson” – the strongest boy in Britain. This picture, taken on February 13, 1932 on Binley Road, by the swimming pool, shows the young strength athlete putting a 100 lb. globe barbell overhead with one hand.

Karl Hipfinger

Posted on Tuesday, December 4th, 2012 by John Wood

Karl Hipfinger

Karl Hipfinger, the Austrian weightlifter and bronze medalist in the Middleweight class at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games, is shown here completing what is probably a 1-arm snatch with around 145 pounds. Not bad considering that is almost bodyweight.

1932 Olympic Weightlifting Event Ticket Stub

Posted on Friday, November 16th, 2012 by John Wood

Here’s a true piece of Olympic Weightlifting History: a ticket stub from the lifting finals of the 1932 Summer Games held in Los Angeles, California.

If you had one of these in your back pocket on July, 31st, 1932 you would have gotten to see Raymond Suvigny of France set the Olympic record in the Featherweight class with a 287.5 kg total, the great German lifter Rudolf Ismayr take the Gold in the middleweight class with a 345.0 kg total (also an Olympic record) and Jaroslav Skobla, the Czechoslovakian champion take the Gold in the heavyweights with a 380 kg total.