Charles Rigoulot Archives - www.oldtimestrongman.com

Rigoulot’s Human Barbell

Posted on Wednesday, November 9th, 2022 by John Wood

After Charles Rigoulot’s competitive weightlifting career came to an end, he still found ways to use his great strength to his advantage. Rigoulot worked as a circus strongman, wrestled, and raced cars but he ended up having the most success in the theatre where his act was to lift his charming wife Renee as a “human barbell.” This type of training is probably even harder than anything else Rigo did — unlike the platform, you can’t miss any lifts this time around!

Charles Rigoulot

Posted on Saturday, March 9th, 2019 by John Wood

Charles Rigoulot made this most interesting cover of the December, 1934 issue of the French magazine Je Sais Tout. Rigoulot was a well-known figure at the time. After having won the Gold Medal at the 1924 Olympics, Rigoulot turned professional in 1932 and performed as a circus strongman, an actor and singer in the theatre, a professional wrestler, and a race car driver.

Rigoulot’s Custom Globe Barbell

Posted on Wednesday, December 5th, 2018 by John Wood

A look at Charles Rigoulot’s custom barbell and the modern reproduction made by Andy Jackson. In over six decades, I do not believe that either of these pictures have ever been compared side-by-side, except in this post. I wonder if we will ever see a barbell of this type ever again?

Charles Rigoulot’s One-Arm Snatch

Posted on Sunday, October 22nd, 2017 by John Wood

History’s greatest performer of the One-Arm Snatch was the French weightlifter Charles Rigoulot. His one-arm snatch of 261 pounds will likely never be surpassed. Here, Rigoulot prepares to one-arm snatch only 220-1/2 pounds in Paris in 1925 while still an amateur .

Charles Rigoulot

Posted on Wednesday, September 14th, 2016 by John Wood

Charles Rigoulot was one of France’s greatest weightlifters and easily one of the strongest men of all time. He won a Gold medal at the 1924 Olympic Games, Cleaned and Jerked the famous Apollon Wheels and could snatch 255 pounds with one arm. After his weightlifting career, Rigoulot became a professional wrestler and race car driver.

At 24 years of age, his measurements were as follows:

Weight: 230 pounds
Height: 5’7-3/4″
Chest: 49″
Waist: 37″
Thighs: 27-1/2″
Calf: 17-1/2″
Neck: 18-1/2″
Biceps: 17-1/2″
Forearm: 14-1/2″

Charles Rigoulot’s One-Arm Snatch

Posted on Monday, June 20th, 2016 by John Wood

The great French Strongman Charles Rigoulot snatches 242 pounds with one arm in old, Old, OLD Vienna, circa 1929.
Note the continued use of globed barbells and dumbbells long after they went out of style.

Just a few years earlier at the 1924 Olympic Games, the athletes still had a choice of either using a solid, revolving, plate-loaded barbell like you would see these days, or the archaic shot-loaded globe barbells of year’s past.

All the members of the French weightlifting team, including Rigoulot, chose to lift with the oldtime globe barbells instead of the modern plate-loaded ones… Interestingly, Rigoulot won the gold medal in the light-heavyweight class while his teammate Edmond Decottignies also took home the gold in the light-weight Class.

Charles Rigoulot

Posted on Saturday, December 1st, 2012 by John Wood

Charles Rigoulot

Another look at the great French champion Charles Rigoulot. In October of 1928, at the famed Voltaire Gymnasium, shown here, Rigoulot set two world records: a clean and jerk of 360 pounds and a snatch of 282 pounds. Rigoulot preferred shot loaded “globe” equipment long after they were out of fashion. The large globes shown here pointedly maintained the same bar distance from the floor as the newly established barbell plate standard, so Rigoulot’s lifts were recognized as official records.

1924 Olympic Globe Barbells

Posted on Saturday, November 3rd, 2012 by John Wood

1924 Olympic Globe Barbells

In the early Olympic games, the athletes had the choice of using plate-loaded barbells or shot-loaded globe barbells. Shown here is the selection of weights for the 1924 Olympic games in Paris, France, the last time that this choice was available. The great French champion Charles Rigoulot won the Gold medal in the heavyweight class, and, interestingly, was the only lifter who chose to compete with the shot loaded globe barbells.

The 1942 Weightlifting Championship of France

Posted on Thursday, March 29th, 2012 by John Wood

French Weightlifter, 1942

A rare look at a shot from the French Weightlifting Championship of 1942. Unfortunately records from the time period are spotty, so we don’t know this lifter’s name (although it may possibly be Augustin D’Halluin).

Like many big athletic competitions, this event was held at the famous Voltaire Gymnasium in Paris. Originally built in 1870, the Voltaire Gymnasium is still around, if you know where to look… it has been preserved and athletic events are still held there to this day. It’s pretty amazing to think that you can go lift in the same place that Charles Rigoulot and Louis Hostin set many of their records.

The Gobelin Athletic Club: Paris, France

Posted on Thursday, March 22nd, 2012 by John Wood

The Gobelin Athletic Club Paris, France

A rare image of the Gobelin Athletic Club in Paris, France, circa 1910. This was a fairly typical training studio at the time, with plenty of globe barbells, globe dumbbells, block weight, Indian Clubs, gymnastic rings and climbing ropes — pretty much anything a strength athlete could want or need.

The extremely long globe barbells leaning up against the wall on left are a pretty interesting concept… The large, open sand pit was to prevent breakage to any globes which may have been dropped during use. This gym is where the great lifting champion Charles Rigoulot got his start.