Adolph Nordquest Archives - www.oldtimestrongman.com

Joe Lambert

Posted on Tuesday, November 20th, 2018 by John Wood

A look at strongman Joe Lambert getting in a quick workout at the Miller Bros. Wild West Show, circa 1923. Lambert certainly made the rounds during his career in the strength business. At one point he filled in for an injured Herman Saxon in the Saxon Trio, did a posing and hand-balancing act with Adolph Nordquest (where they were known as “Young Sandow & Lambert”), and teamed up with Clevio Massimo for an act consisting of heavy weight lifting, posing, juggling, and hand-balancing.

Otis Lambert

Posted on Monday, February 12th, 2018 by John Wood

Otis Lambert, was a staple on the Vaudeville circuit for years. He achieved his greatest fame while partnered with Adolph Nordquest. One of Lambert’s greatest feats was to perform a Get-Up Lift while holding Nordquest aloft, plus a 25-pound dumbbell – a total weight of 220 pounds.

Joe Lambert

Posted on Sunday, December 1st, 2013 by John Wood

Joe Lambert, a strongman from Boston, ran off to join Louis Cyr’s circus when he was 16 years old. He traveled the country and the world performing feats of strength first with Cyr’s circus, and later with Barnum & Bailey’s, The Ringling Brothers, the Vaudeville circuit and even in South America with the Pablione Circus. He was good friends with Clevio Massimo and Adolph Nordquest.

Joe Nordquest, The Ashtabula Strongman

Posted on Monday, June 4th, 2012 by John Wood

Joe Norquest, the strongman from Ashtabula, Ohio, lifts a heavy globe barbell overhead.

One of the true unsung strongmen is undoubtedly Joe Nordquest from Ashtabula, Ohio. His name is rarely mentioned at the top of the list of all-time greats yet his strength feats would certainly rank him among them.

Joe Nordquest could jump from a table to the floor while maintaining a handstand position, curl 180 pounds and bent press 277-1/2 pounds. He could military press 124-1/4 pounds with one hand, an American record at the time and did a “bridge press” with 388 pounds (breaking Arthur Saxon’s record.) Keep in mind that he did all this and more on only one leg, having lost a limb in an accident as a boy. Joe’s brother Adolph was also an excellent strongman.

Professor Attila

Posted on Friday, January 20th, 2012 by John Wood

Professor Louis Attila

Professor Attila — real name Louis Durlacher — was the mentor of Eugen Sandow and the man who invented many of the feats of strength that we know of today: The Roman Column, The Roman Chair, supporting feats in the human bridge position and tearing packs of playing cards. It was Attiila’s idea to make globe barbells and dumbbells shot-loadable so that their weight could be adjusted. Attila invented the bent-press and was the first man to perform the lift with over 200 pounds.

In 1894, Professor opened his famous Studio of Physical Culture in downtown New York city and it became a hotbed for learning the strongman trade. In addition to Sandow, Professor Attila could list many other famous strongmen among his students: Warren Lincoln Travis, Anthony Barker, Horace Barre, Arthur Dandurand, Lionel Strongfort, George Rolandow, Louis Cyr, Bobby Pandour and Adolph Nordquest.

Attila’s daughter, Grace, later married Sig Klein.