Dumbbell Training Archives - www.oldtimestrongman.com

Bruce Lee’s Dumbbells

Posted on Wednesday, June 9th, 2021 by John Wood

Bruce Lee was a big fan of dumbbells for various forms of training. Here, Bruce is doing some jumping drills (on a trampoline which you can’t see) with some added dumbbell resistance. These dumbbells weight eleven and a half pounds each and Bruce trained with them while he lived in Los Angeles. They aren’t marked but given the location and the style, I’d guess that they were made by the Bell Foundry Co. These dumbbells sold at auction a few years back; the winning bid was over $6000!

Steve Reeves Doing Wrist Curls

Posted on Friday, April 9th, 2021 by John Wood

There are dozens — perhaps hundreds — of different exercises for the various muscles groups. But when it all comes down to it, all you really need is a handful of basic exercises to get the job done. If you want to build wrist strength and forearm size, it’s tough to beat the basic dumbbell wrist curl, as demonstrated here by Steve Reeves.

The George F. Jowett Collection

Posted on Tuesday, April 24th, 2018 by John Wood

With George F. Jowett,
~ Follow His Methods! ~

The World-Famous JOWETT SYSTEM, which has proven itself with RESULTS for thousands upon thousands of pupils, can now be yours!

Years ago, a young boy was finally discharged from the hospital where he had suffered for most of his childhood — the result of an accident when only a few months old. He survived several major operations, then finally was told that nothing further could be done to save him so they sent him home…

George Jowett overcame a severe childhood illness to become one of the strongest men who ever lived. One of his greatest feats was to clean and press a 168-pound anvil — a phenomenal feat of grip strength!

…but they did did not know that in the heart of this sickly lad a belief had taken hold… a belief that he could rebuild his body and regain his lost health and strength through physical training. This belief so dominated the young man each night he quietly crept into the silence of the deserted forgotten attic of his home and there alone set to work the rebuilding of his puny, broken body.

This was the beginning of the climb of George F. Jowett from the deepest, darkest pit of physical weakness to the peak of physical success. The doctor’s thought that he would never even see the age of 15, yet at that age Jowett won the Junior International Gymnastics Championship, and he sure didn’t stop there… At 17, he traveled to France and returned as the World’s Welter Weight Wrestling Champion. That same year he also set the World’s Junior one arm press record of 224 lbs.– a mark which still remains unbroken.

These were the first of Jowett’s many records and achievements; he would go on to win scores more in the passing years… and with each accomplishment, his storehouse of knowledge grew ever larger as well… it is this wealth of knowledge and experience that he has put into the most wonderful physical development courses ever put before the public.

What took George F. Jowett years to learn he now teaches you within a few short sessions — faultlessly, faithfully and successfully — until you finally acquire the magnificent development and marvelous strength he is able to give you!

Strengthen Your Tendons and Ligaments!

Thousands of body-builders with strong-looking muscles are left wondering why they cannot equal the strength tests of others… and the simple reason is that their muscular ligaments and sinewy attachments are too weakly inserted to cooperate with and support the contractile power of their muscles.

The strength of your muscles depends as much upon the power of their muscular cables as upon the quality of muscular tissue. There should be exact balance between the two… but this is rarely the case. Strong muscles must have strong attachments.

Strength within the muscles is built from exercises that compel full extension and contraction of the muscular fibers. When the muscular tissue has benn developed it is absolutely necessary that the muscular ligaments also be powerfully increased so that they can support the muscles in all their movements of resistance. The George Jowett Training Syetem is especially adapted to the building of steel-like muscular cables.

The George F. Jowett Collection

George Jowett’s training courses have helped thousands upon thousands of trainees know the thrill of strength but as they were written almost a century ago, they are long out of print and original copies are VERY difficult to find in any condition… However, George Jowett’s secrets still live on today! The Jowett Collection consists of three of Jowett’s greatest training courses, now available in high-quality reprint editions for modern trainees to enjoy and benefit from.

Yes, you too can now get your hands on the original Jowett Institute 12-lesson mail order course, his most famous book The Key To Might and Muscle and his fantastic foream development course Molding a Mighty Grip. Detailed information on each title is as follows…

The Jowett Institute Course in Health, Muscle Building and Physical Perfection (1927)

This high-quality modern reprint edition of The Jowett Institute Course is reproduced faithfully from the original 1927 version. This course is intended to be undertaken over a period of six months. There are twelve lessons, with each lesson to be performed for two weeks. There is a review at week five and two more bonus lessons included at the end for further development.

Each lesson consists of three parts: a talk sheet, follwed by written details on the monthly exercises and finally photographs of said exercises which illustrate proper form and technique. The exercises consist primarily of bodyweight movements and dumbbell exercises. The step-by-step Instructions are easy to follow and very detailed – nothing is left to chance.

The Jowett Institute Course is perfect for beginner and advanced trainees alike. Trade paperback, 8-1/2-inches x 11-inches in size, over 100 rare photographs of the master, George F. Jowett in action!

The Key to Might and Muscle (1926)

You don’t have to be a strength fan to appreciate anything authored by George F. Jowett. His writing style and mastery of the written word is on par wiith any of the greatest writers throughout history in any topic…

Of course, since you ARE a strength fan, you can see that his skill with a barbell is as good as his skill with a pen… anything authored by Jowett makes you want to immediately run out and grab a barbell — and you sure can’t ask for anything better than that!

In his magnmum opus, The Key to Might and Muscle Jowett covers everything that any lifter would need to know to build great strength…

As you might expect, muscular development is discussed in great detail, but in “The Key” Jowett goes far beyond the typical training courses in that he teaches you how to develop every aspect of your body for super strength and power… with the highlights undoubtedly being his chapters on building tendon, ligament and bone strength – topics you rarely see discussed today (and easily worth the price alone.)

The Key to Might and Muscle was originally printed by the Milo Barbell Company in 1926 and this modern reprint edition remains true to the original publication. If you want to really know how the genuine Oldime Strongmen trained, this is your chance!

Trade paperback, 5-inches x 7-inches in size, 24 chapters, 294 pages, many illustrations

Classic Strength Photos!

In addition to the valuable training information, throughout The Key to Might and Muscle you will also find dozens of rare and classic photos of the strongest men in recorded history including: the great French Strongman Apollon, Britain’s Strongest Man Edward Aston, Professor Louis Attila, Ernest Cadine, William P. Caswell, Ottley R. Coulter, Louis Cyr, Sig Klein, Arthur Dandurand, Hector DeCarrie, Elliott, Giroux, Herman Goerner, George Jowett himself (of course!), Earle E. Liederman, Jim Londos, Charles MacMahon, Manger, Maxick, Angus McAskill, Karl Moerke, Bobby Pandour, Charles Rigoulot, Monte Saldo, Hermann and Arthur Saxon, Milo Steinborn, Warren Lincoln Travis, David P. Willoughby, and many more!

Molding a Mighty Grip (1930)

In 1930, George Jowett came out with some of his most popular training materials in the form of the “Molding” courses.

Each of these courses was devoted to one specific aspectof training: Molding a Mighty Arm, Molding a Mighty Chest, Molding Mighty Legs, Molding a Mighty Grip, Molding a Mighty Back and ending with Strongman Stunts Made Easy. Hundreds of thousands of these courses were sold all over the world during the Jowett Institute’s heyday.

While the rest of these booklets are currently out of print and very hard to come by, the most popular title: Molding a Mighty Grip is currently available from this website in a high-quality modern reprint format!

There’s no better person to teach you about grip and forearm strength from than George F. Jowett. He was a king in the grip department and well-known for his 8.25-inch wrists, 15.25-inch forearms, and 17.75-inch upper-arms. Jowett was a World Champion at wrist wrestling and among his legendary feats of grip strength was that of a single-handed clean and press of a 168-pound anvil!

Molding a Mighty Grip begins with Jowett’s remarks about many of the famous oldtime strongmen and their specialty feats of grip strength. After that, the course describes, in detail, many of Jowett’s favorite hand and forearm training exercises which range from very basic to the highly unusual and creative. The second half of the course is devoted to barrel lifting techniques, (a tremendously effective way to build forearm strength).

Booklet format, 8-1/2-inches x 11-inches in size, 15 pages on high quality stock, many illustrations.

Jowett’s Secrets Live On!

A popular saying back in the day was “Once a Jowett student… always a Jowett Student.”

George F. Jowett’s courses and training guides been responsible for thousands of people not just becoming stronger but building a strong and healthy lifestyle — something they carried on their entire lives.

Though his name is known only to a select few these days, Jowett’s spirit lives on…. and he still has a great deal to teach others. His courses and training guides can be used and enjoyed just as much today as when they originally appeared nearly a century ago. As a serious student of Strength, the George F. Jowett Collection should undoubtedly have a place of honor in your training library. You’ll find yourself flipping through them often, and always manage to read a new training tip that you missed before… If you truly want to learn all you can about Oldtime strength training, this is your chance!

The George F. Jowett Collection (3 Courses)
___________$89.99 plus s/h

Dinosaur Training by Brooks Kubik

Posted on Thursday, September 21st, 2017 by John Wood

~ Lost Secrets of Strength and Development ~

A man who lifted weights for his entire life once took a good look at the world of strength training around him…

…and he didn’t like what he saw … so he did something incredible…

Here’s what happened next:

A gym used to be a serious place for serious people, interested in building serious strength, but in modern times its safe to say that gyms have become glorified juice bars — with no shortage of chrome, ferns, and pencil-neck pseudo experts who wave around plastic dumbbells while making sure their designer headbands matched their suede lifting belts.

This guy… Brooks Kubik. As he trains in his basement gym with a bunch of rusty old weights and oldschool techniques — no chrome or ferns to be found!

Yeah, you know exactly what I’m talking about! Weight training was slowly but surely being taken over by the druggers … the toners … the bros … the poseurs … the pretty boys … the pencil necks … the whiners … the pump artists …the arm-chair experts …and the mirror athletes. (no doubt you’ve seen them all, and this makes you just as sick.)

This man had enough – Enough! His name was Brooks Kubik, and what happened next started a revolution throughout the entire world of strength.

And so it Began

…So Brooks began to write. While Brooks had authored articles in several different publications over the years

(including Milo, Hard Gainer, Iron Master and Iron Man) the words that were now issuing forth on his type writer were somehow different than ever before.

He wrote about the training that had worked for him, how he trained in high school, how he trained in college, how he trained to win multiple National Championships in Bench Press Powerlifting meets, and how his favorite oldtime strongmen used to train…

Brooks had originally planned to type out a fifty or so page manuscript and possibly sell (though more likely give it away) to the few people out in the world he thought might be interested in it. Brooks reached fifty pages after only a few short days of writing, and there was still more material he wanted to cover — a lot more.

Fifty pages turned into a hundred, a hundred pages turned into two hundred. and it didn’t stop there. With the encouragement of several the top people in the strength world, the finished product was titled Dinosaur Training since it was covered training techniques that were almost (but not quite!) extinct.

Dinosaur Training covered the methods that the strongest men who had ever lived had utilized — sure, with traditional weights such as barbells and, but also highly unusual implements such as sandbags, kegs, rocks, anvils, sledge hammers and more. Brooks Kubik went ahead and published Dinosaur Training, releasing it on an unsuspecting world…

And Then Everything Changed

Arthur Saxon — also known as “The Iron Master” — put more weight overhead with one arm than anyone in history, nearly 400 lbs.!

John Davis, multiple-time Olympic weightlifting champion and world record holder, could have just as easily been a champion bodybuilder

Doug Hepburn, the great Canadian champion, was easily one of the strongest men of all time. His workouts are covered in details in ‘Dinosaur Training’.

It was as if the ghosts of Iron Game’s past were suddenly brought back to life… men like Arthur Saxon, John Davis, Reg Park George Hackenschmidt and Steve Stanko became household names again

All of a sudden people started attacked their training with a ferocity that hadn’t been seen for many years. Calloused hands started lifting odd objects again – sand bags, kegs, rocks, anvils, anchors. Training methods such as thick handled weights, heavy partial movements and power rack work all experienced a resurgence in popularity. Suddenly it became OK to lift heavy chunks of iron and steel once again.

Dont’s just train…

Revolution or Evolution?

Less than eighteen months after it appeared, the entire first printing of Dinosaur Training sold out completely … College and NFL strength coaches began reading it and incorporating Old School training techniques into their programs … Everyone started setting up personal gyms in their basements and garages, stocking them with plenty of “old fashioned” equipment that worked better than anything else available.

This wasn’t just a local thing either; orders started flooding in from all over the globe. The strength world had come full circle… once again, people were training like they did in years past — AND building strength like they did in years past.

When it came time for the second printing, Dinosaur Training became even bigger …literally – Brooks added two additional chapters of intense training material. Today, over twenty years after its initial release, Dinosaur Training still stands as one of the all-time great strength books. You would be hard pressed to find a weight training book which has helped more people get the fire back in their belly (or get it going in the first place) when it comes to serious training.

With the treasure trove of solid training information that it contains, it is no wonder that Dinosaur Training and the Dino-Attitude has reached such great heights of popularity. Now you can read and learn from one of the best training books ever published …the book that started a Revolution.

Take a look at all the valuable training information what you will learn within its pages:

The tremendous value of basic exercises …the exercises that MUST be in your program …and which exercises to avoid at all costs (since they are nothing but a waste of your time)

The biggest reason why most of what you read about modern training is unproductive, and THREE simple things you can do turn the ship around if that’s the direction you were headed

What is the Dinosaur challenge? …are you up to it?

7 ways to “Be A Dinosaur” and how to crank the intensity of your workout up a notch or three

The ONE characteristic that all Dinosaurs have in common – find out what it is

3 steps that will make your training more productive – instantly

The #1 reason why most people give up and how you can avoid that like the plague

Think you know the “Best” program?… you’ll be surprised at Brooks’ answer to this one

Brooks Kubik’s favorite strength writers and training tips from the last 100+ years

What an outline of productive training looks like and how to put together your workouts so it’s guaranteed to work

How to train with a water filled barrel or keg, and how that training style nearly put Brooks down for the count

Why hard work is necessary, and how to make sure you are getting the most out of your workout

The 5 reasons people fail according to Dr. Ken Leistner… – probably the most valuable lesson strength training can teach you

What hard work is and is not

2 types of abbreviated training styles that you can use for big gains

The real meaning behind hard work vs. “bunny” training

What the name of the game is… and it’s not what you think

2 approaches to poundage progression, and how to make sure the gains keep coming for a long time

Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced workout routines, laid out step-by-step

Want to know the “secret” of advanced gains? – You’ll be surprised at how simple it really is

How to make progress with multiple sets of low reps

What the 5 x 5 system is, and how Reg Park, Champion strength athlete and bodybuilder, used it to build super strength fifty years ago

How to use “singles” in the most effective manner in your training

Why thick-bars “work” and how to implement them into your workout

How you can make fear work for you instead of against you

10 grip exercises and a dynamite beginners program for future grip masters

6 advanced grip exercises for monster crushing power

How to build real strength with logs, barrels and heavy bags

The many benefits of proper power-rack training

5 hard core power-rack routines

8 fads, fallacies and pitfalls of modern training and how to avoid them all

Much more!!

As you can see, Dinosaur Training covers a lot of ground. Of particular note are three big chapters on grip training which helps anyone lay a solid foundation.

A Crash Course in How to gain Super Strength with
One of the World’s Greatest Teachers

Do you remember the first time you tried to learn something for the first time? Starting out, nothing made sense and you felt like giving up. That’s how it is for a lot of people who want to start lifting weights – they get confused and don’t know what to do – and so they do the only thing they could do, they give up.

Now imagine how confident you felt when someone took the time to explain some things to you. What used to be frustrating, now makes perfect sense and now that you know exactly what to do, it’s off to the races.

That’s exactly how it is when you have Brooks as your teacher. As you turn the pages of Dinosaur Training, all of a sudden all the confusing things about strength training will make sense – you’ll know how many sets to do, you’ll know which exercises to do, you’ll know how much weight to use… and you will begin to build the strength you have always dreamed about.

Get your copy of Dinosaur Training and join the Revolution!

Dinosaur Training by Brooks Kubik
_________ $19.99 plus s/h

The Arthur Saxon Collection

Posted on Friday, September 15th, 2017 by John Wood

The ONLY Man to lift 371 pounds overhead with one arm… now you too can learn the training Secrets of the IRON MASTER

How many men in the history of the World can say they ever put over 370 Pounds overhead with one arm? I don’t know for sure, but the answer is undoubtedly “not many.” In fact, I know of only one: Arthur Saxon, “The Iron Master” …the man whose records will never be equaled or surpassed…

If you’re into training, I’m sure you have always wonders how such a man as Arthur Saxon became so strong… but what if you had a time machine and could go back and talk to the man himself You could ask him exactly how he trained… what he ate… his views on strength… his favorite exercises… what his routine looked like… and what it felt like to lift 350+ pounds overhead with one hand.

Though time travel isn’t currently an option, you can still find out all that and more directly from Arthur Saxon through his two excellent training books: The Development of Physical Power and The Textbook of Weight-Lifting — and they are every bit as useful today as they were the day they were written, well over a century ago! These two classic courses, penned by one of the strongest men in recorded history, are now available once again in high quality modern reprint format:

The Development of Physical Power

Written in 1906, The Development of Physical Power in the first of Arthur Saxon’s two training books. In it, Saxon covers a variety of topics:

The meaning of the book’s title… What Saxon looks for beyond the muscles… How his early days contributed to his great strength later in life… Saxon’s international matches and challenges against other strongmen… His ideas on real strength… His views on light exercise… Weight-lifting for other sports, wrestling, boxing etc… Weight in relation to lifting… Notes on muscular measurements… How the strength of a man is often indicated by the thickness of his wrists…

Details of Saxon’s typical routine… Which types of lifts you should include in every workout… What an advanced lifter should do when he trains… The value of competition… The best question to ask about over-training… Nutrition information for the would-be strongman… The best place to train… One of the secrets to Saxon’s success…

What it feels like to lift 350 lbs. with one hand… The only thought that should be in your head when going for a record lift… Notes on the performance the bent-press… How to perform the One-Hand Snatch… The Single-Handed Dumb-bell Swing… Two-Dumb-bell lifting… Notes on Ring and ball (kettlebell) lifting… Measurements and record lifts… Measurements of Hermann and Kurt Saxon… Saxon’s open challenge to the world!

An eye witness account by famous physical culture authority Thomas Inch, which substantiates Saxon’s claims, rounds out the book. The photos on the front and back cover plus 45 rare photos and illustrations contained therein are more than worth the price of this beautiful 5-inch x 7-inch trade paperback with 122 pages. This is a unique look into the training and philosophy of one of the strongest men who ever lived whose methods you can incorporate into your own training.

The Textbook of Weight-Lifting

The Textbook of Weight-Lifting was written a few years later as part of a series of “Textbooks” on various sports and athletic events and offers an even deeper look into Arthur Saxon’s training techniques. Saxon’s second training course is filled with many rare and never-before-published photos of the Iron Master in action – he personally posed for each photograph. Here’s a look at the topics covered:

Why everyone should lift weights… The test of strength… “Skill” in relation to weight-lifting… Real strength vs. possibilities… Choice of exercises… The difference between Continental and “Clean” lifting… The best exercises for competition lifting… One and two-handed Bar-Bell Lifts… The first thing you should do when training the Clean… The Clean Press from the shoulder… How to “Lock” the shoulder… Tips and techniques on the one-handed jerk from the shoulder…

The correct path that the bar should take… The two-dumb-bell clean… The dumb-bell swing… Four things you need to know about performing the snatch… The best “all-around” lift: bent-press…The two-handed bar-bell push… Records set by the German lifter Josef Steinbach… Ring, Ball and Square Weight-lifting… Records set by the French lifting champion Jean Francois LeBreton… Weight-lifting Exercises vs. Exercises with Weights… Several Kettlebell exercises for forearm development… Mental “tricks” to use for lifting more weight… Exhibition and Trick Weight-Lifting Feats…

The Textbook of Weight-Lifting was originally published in 1910… The modern reprint edition is 5-inches x 7-inches in size and 85 pages in length. There are also 30 rare photographs of Arthur Saxon in action demonstrating the lifts and techniques discussed in the text. “Textbook” makes a worthy sequel to Saxon’s first book and an excellent addition to your training library.

A Blast from the Past… and a Look Toward the Future

Despite having been written over a century ago, Saxon’s writing’s are amazingly relevant to today’s lifters. His descriptions and tips on the oldtime lifts etc are, of course, top notch, but it is his advice on the other factors of lifting success are the real value to these courses. Saxon weighs in on such topics as proper diet, how often to train, “specificity,” the value of lifting for athletes, balanced development, the proper application of lifting and conditioning work for true athletic development, and mental training techniques… all concepts which were amazingly ahead of their time.

We are also talking about a man who routinely lifted more weight with one arm than most lifters — oldtime or modern — could lift with two, and this is a unique opportunity to learn the details of his exact approach. Saxon’s routines are not complicated and his advice is extremely practical which are two lessons that should not be lost on modern trainees. If you are looking to build your strength and power, you certainly can’t go wrong studying the methods and insight of one of the strongest men who ever lived.

The Arthur Saxon Collection (2 books):
_________ $29.99 plus s/h

George Hackenschmidt

Posted on Sunday, August 28th, 2016 by John Wood

“World Champion Wrestler and Record Setting Strongman Reveals All…”

George “The Russian Lion” Hackenschmidt has the unique distinction of being one of the first well known physique stars, a champion wrestler, legendary strongman, AND outspoken strength author.

He was a man of imaginable power. In fact, many of “Hack’s” greatest strength records still stand and his first wrestling bout against Frank Gotch in 1908 is widely regarded as the greatest professional wrestling match of all time…

Later that same year, Hackenschmidt published The Way to Live which was part autobiography and part training course. 21 editions later, this book was considered the highest selling book on physical culture ever written!

In The Way to Live, Hackenschmidt covers a wide range of topics, including:

How he lived … his methods of exercise … training with weights … training without weights … training for young and old … nutrition and diet … building and cultivating will power … feats of strength with heavy weights … hindrances to the acquisition of strength … tips on bathing … rest and wholesome sleep … variations in exercise … exercises for athletes, etc. and a complete course in barbell and dumbbell training…

Hackenschmidt closes the book telling the story of his life including his early days under the guidance of Dr. von Krajewski (physician to the Czar of Russia), and Dr. Theodore Siebert, the famous German weightlifting pioneer. He relates tales of his wrestling bouts with the likes of Zbysco, Lurich, Jenkins, Farmer Burns, and, of course, his most famous match against Frank Gotch.

This 5″ x 7″ trade paperback high-quality modern reprint edition features new material not found in the original printing: 173 pages, over 89 rare photos and illustrations (several of which have been added to the modern reprint edition and did not appear in the original version), and a unique look into the life of one of the strongest man who ever lived, holder of many world strength records, and world champion catch-as-catch-can wrestler.

The Way to Live by George Hackenschmidt
_________ $19.99 plus s/h

Ron Walker

Posted on Thursday, June 5th, 2014 by John Wood

Ron Walker

Shown here is the great British weightlifter Ron Walker, who lifted in the heavyweight class although he never weighed much more than 195 pounds. Over the course of his career, Walker set 21 British lifting records, many of which still stand!

A few of these records include:

Right Hand Snatch: 91kg, set August 6, 1933
Left Hand Snatch: 92kg , set August 24, 1937
Right Hand Dumbbell Swing: 86½kg, set January 25, 1937
Left Hand Dumbbell Swing: 77½kg, set September 13, 1934

Reg Park: Standing Dumbbell Press

Posted on Wednesday, July 10th, 2013 by John Wood

It’s a pretty awesome feat to be able to press bodyweight with a barbell but doing so with dumbbells is a whole different level of strength. Here’s Reg Park locking out a standing press with a pair of dumbbells, 235-pounds total, in outstanding form. I certainly can’t think of anyone more fitting to play “Hercules” in the movies…

Pat Casey’s 210 Pound Dumbbell Incline Press

Posted on Saturday, August 18th, 2012 by John Wood

Pat Casey 210 Pound Dumbbell Incline Press

On March 25th, 1967 Pat Casey became the first man to break the 600 pound barrier in the bench press with an official lift of 615 lbs. — Keep in mind that was without a bench shirt, elbow wraps or other nonsense that typically goes on these days.

Casey was no one-lift specialist either, as he was also the first man to squat over 800 pounds and total over 2000 pounds in an official contest.

For his workouts, Casey used to grab a pair of 210 pound dumbbells, haul them over to the incline bench, get the dumbbells into position, perform his reps, then return the dumbbells to the rack — all unassisted — quite an impressive feat of strength in its own right.

Hans Zdrazila

Posted on Tuesday, April 24th, 2012 by John Wood

They say a picture is worth a thousand words… if you are paying attention to this one, your take away should be that the overhead dumbbell press is an exercise worth adding to your training. Core strength? Yeah, you can see his abs through his shirt. The man at the other end of those awesome dumbbells is Hans Zdrazila, Czechoslovakian weightlifter who took home the gold medal in the middleweight class at the 1964 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan (with a 445.5 kg total, btw).