Developing Physical Strength by Bob Peoples

Posted on Friday, October 20th, 2017 by John Wood
“How a Tennessee Farmer Who Trained Alone in His Basement With Only Home Made Equipment Became One of The Strongest Men of All Time”

Though there have been individuals who may have pulled more weight, Bob Peoples is still unquestionably the strongest deadlifter of all time. Like every successful lifter, Bob was resourceful, innovative, kept meticulous records of what worked and did not work, and trained like a total madman…

The results speak for themselves: at a body weight of only 181 lbs., Peoples was deadlifting well over 700 lbs. back in the 1940’s! No one else could touch him, Bob Peoples was undoubtedly a man ahead of his time.

What is also interesting is that Peoples did not have fancy equipment of a complicated training program. He trained mostly by himself in his basement gym primarily with homemade equipment which consisted of wooden 2x4s, 55-gallon drums, concrete, scrap iron, and anything else he could get his hands on.

While certainly crude by some standards, this setup more than made up for it in results, as is evident by his deadlifting ability. In fact, many of the unusual training techniques he utilized are now commonplace…

To give you a few good examples, Peoples was one of the first lifters to successfully implement negative-style training into his routine and he pioneered the use of the power rack.

Fortunately for us, in 1979, Bob put pen to paper and wrote down many of the things he learned over the years which helped him build his great strength the result was Developing Physical Strength, which is certainly one of the most unique training courses of all time.

In Developing Physical Strength, Bob Peoples discusses a number of training topics that you should definitely know more about if your goal is to build maximum strength:

* Tips on using the power rack for the greatest results, and the value of keeping notes and records

* The training systems and methods of the oldtime greats that he used with the greatest success AND which systems did not work

* Notes on the bench press, eccentric movements, special exercises, “the sweep,” the centrifugal machine, static contraction, and much more

Peoples was the mentor to a young Paul Anderson, so you know he is a man whose methods are worth studying.

Now this modern classic is available once again to help you kick start your routines. 50 pages, 6 x 9 glossy cover paperback and highly recommended for the rare pictures and diagrams alone.

These are the actual training methods of one of the strongest men who ever lived — right from the man himself — and this book simply must be a part of your training library!

Order now!Developing Physical Strength by Bob Peoples
_________ $16.99 plus s/h
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Author: John Wood. All contents, including images and text, copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc. Not to be reproduced without permission. All rights reserved. We will most likely grant permission but please contact us if you would like to repost. IMPORTANT: Equipment and books, courses etc. pictured in blog posts are generally not available for sale unless specifically noted.

Professor Adrian Schmidt’s Automatic Exerciser ~ Life’s Backbone

Posted on Sunday, February 5th, 2012 by John Wood
Professor Adrian Schmidt’s “Automatic Exerciser” (also called a “Schmidt Machine”) was one of the very first commercially made pieces of strength equipment. It was ingenious in its simplicity since it allows for a number of exercises — especially those which required incredibly heavy weights — to be performed in a minimum of space. Movements such as hip lifts or deadlift lockouts (i.e. ‘The Health Lift) etc which often required hundreds of pounds of weight could now be performed with only a few dozen thanks to the leverage principle.

Schmidt felt, and rightly so, that maintaining a strong healthy life was a matter of maintaining a strong and healthy back. This concept, as well as instructions for the exerciser, were all explained in his booklet “Life’s Backbone.” Back in 1917, when this ad appeared, you could send away for this booklet for 4 cents!