1952 Archives - www.oldtimestrongman.com

Three Great Champions

Posted on Monday, October 29th, 2018 by John Wood

Three great weightlifting champions: Norb Schemansky, John Davis, and Tommy Kono. This shot was most likely taken at or around the 1952 Helsinki Olympic games where all three of them took the gold medal in their respective weight classes. Between these men, you are looking at 36 medals in international competition and 50 World’s records.

Ironman Magazine April, 1952: Cover Man Zabo Koszewski

Posted on Wednesday, February 15th, 2017 by John Wood

Irvin ‘Zabo’ Koszewski on the cover of the April, 1952 issue of Ironman Magazine. He finished 5th at the 1952 Mr. America Contest although to no ones’s surprise, took home the ‘Best Abs’ subdivision. Zabo was a safe bet for an Abs trophy, in fact he won “Best Abs” in every bodybuilding contest he ever entered, including four times in the AAU Mr. America contest and three times in the Junior Mr. America Contest.

Marvin Eder’s Bench Press

Posted on Friday, November 18th, 2016 by John Wood

Here’s Marvin Eder bench pressing what looks like every plate in the gym — 430 lbs. if you add ’em all up. This was back in 1952 and Eder was just 19 years of age at the time and didn’t even tip the scales over 200 lbs. bodyweight. Eder eventually went on to bench press 515 lbs.

Robert Conrad

Posted on Friday, October 7th, 2016 by John Wood

The TV actor Robert Conrad, who was best known as Tom Lopaka in “Hawaiian Eye” in the early 1960’s, and Jim West in The Wild Wild West” in the mid and late 1960’s, was also avidly into weightlifting, physical fitness, and as evident by this shot, rope climbing.

This was long before strength training was en vogue in Hollywood or elsewhere although he did it more for his roles since he also did all his own stunts. Conrad even graced the cover of the October, 1962 issue of Strength and Health Magazine.

Rocky Marciano Stone Lifting at Greenwood Lake

Posted on Monday, January 11th, 2016 by John Wood

One of the famous boxing training “camps” could be found in Greenwood Lake, New York. The list of of great champions trained there for their biggest fights is long and impressive: Joe Louis, Billy Conn, Archie Moore, Sugar Ray Robinson, Floyd Patterson and Rocky Marciano (shown here, lifting stones in preparation for his bout with Harry Matthews on July, 28, 1952.)

Greenwood Lake is a nine-mile finger of water that extends right into New Jersey and offers spartan living and a way to get away from civilization. There were plenty of roads, footpaths and other natural amenities that boxers could take advantage of for their preparation efforts (as you can see above.)

… and, in addition, thanks to the wonder of modern technology, we can show you the Marciano v. Matthews fight as well: