George F. Jowett Archives - www.oldtimestrongman.com

How To Make Your Own Home Gym by George F. Jowett

Posted on Wednesday, May 11th, 2022 by John Wood

George F. Jowett was well ahead of his time with this unique course from the early 1950’s. At the time having your own home gym was a pretty radical idea but today is commonplace. The value of your own home gym, of course, has not changed — it would be an excellent idea to create your own unique training environment for a variety of reasons… the convenience of training on your own schedule (and the subsequent results) will more than makes up for any costs.

1932 Jowett Arm Course Advertisement

Posted on Tuesday, June 8th, 2021 by John Wood

Check out this excellent 1932 advertisement for the George F. Jowett ‘Molding a Mighty Arm’ course — which was excellent. Fortunately, even many decades later, you can still gain from George F. Jowett’s training methods. We will soon also have Jowett’s Strongman Library booklets available as Online Courses.

Ben Rebhuhn

Posted on Monday, April 19th, 2021 by John Wood

No, your eyes are not deceiving you, that’s one of the typical ads for George F. Jowett’s mail order courses that appeared in the back of comic books… but sometime around the early 1950’s — and we are not exactly sure of the circumstances — Ben Rebhuhn’s name started appearing in the ads instead of Jowett’s. And yes, Rebhuhn simply had his face superimposed over Jowett’s original artwork. Rebhuhn’s “courses” sold under the “American Body Building Club” with a Great Neck N.Y. return address, until well into the 1960’s.

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

Strongman Stunts Made Easy by George F. Jowett

Posted on Monday, October 9th, 2017 by John Wood

The “Strongman Stunts Made Easy” training booklet, along with five other individualized courses in the “Molding” Series, appeared sometime around 1930 and George F. Jowett claimed to have sold hundreds of thousands of them all over the world.

Like much of Jowett’s writings, the material is surprisingly timeless, of course, this booklet is devoted specifically to feats of strength — the Bent Press, lifting a human being, finger lifting, steel bending, how to tear a deck of cards etc.

In what should also not be a surprise, Jowett describes the training for each feat in great detail. Copies of “Strongman Stunts Made Easy” are not easy to come by but FYI, this course is available in its entirety in The Iron League.

Goerner The Mighty by Edgar Mueller

Posted on Thursday, September 28th, 2017 by John Wood

Now you too can learn about the life and training secrets of one of the strongest men who ever walked the Earth!

Hermann Goerner

Every once in a while, a man comes along who possesses a level of strength that is simply head and shoulders above everyone else out there ~ and Hermann Goerner was just such a man!

Goerner’s strength and power was the stuff of legend, and even nearly a century after his time, no one has ever been close to many of his records.

His most famous lift is likely his ONE-HAND deadlift of 727 pounds(!), but some of his other marks were equally impressive.

These include a strict curl of 242 pounds, a deadlift of 505 pounds with just two fingers of each hand and a plank “leg press” with 24 people which totaled over two tons. Goerner even had a “Challenge weight” a 2-3/8ths inch thick-handled globe barbell which he could clean and jerk almost effortlessly which no one else could so much as budge.

Goerner’s deadlifting ability was the stuff of legend … here he is in 1933, lifting nearly 600 lbs. with only two fingers of each hand!

Goerner’s excellent “challenge” weight… Few strongmen could lift it in any capacity but Goerner did so with ease.

Goerner used to wrestle with a 700 lb. baby elephant as part of his daily act in Pagel’s Circus, South Africa.

How Did a Genuine Oldtime Strength Legend REALLY Train?
Now you Can Find out for sure!

How would you like to know how Hermann Goerner trained? I’m not talking about guesses either, but the actual sets, reps and weights that he used in his workouts. It’s not often that we can have a look into the exact training ideas and programs of a true super man, but, that is exactly what you will have an opportunity to do as noted strength historian Edgar Mueller saw fit to chronicle Goerner’s amazing life, strength records and unique training techniques…

The result was Goerner The Mighty, which was originally published in 1951 but now once again available in high-quality modern reprint edition ~ and even better than the original! Here’s a quick look at the many interesting things you will learn from its pages:

Goerner the Mighty
Table of Contents:

FOREWORD by Irving R. Clark

INTRODUCTION by John E. Dawe

Chapter I: Introducing Hermann Goerner
— What stood out in meeting Goerner for the first time… His other interests… Goerner’s sleep habits and diet

Chapter II: His Early Life
— The age that Goerner first started lifting… His earliest feats of strength as a boy… How he compared to George Hackenschmidt at the same age… His introduction and training to building “animal” strength”… Lifting titles won… Early strength performances as a member of “The Atlas Trio”… Challenge weight feats… Results of the 1913 German Weight Lifting Championship… His ‘battles’ with Karl Moerke

Chapter III: His Later Life and Travels
— Pagel’s Circus and adventures in South Africa… Details of his circus “act”… Discovery by Tromp Van Diggelen and introduction to W.A. Pullum… The inspiration for the famous ‘Plank’ feat

Chapter IV: His Measurements
— Goerner’s exact measurements taken by the author on December, 16th, 1934… Additional measurements… Notes on body weight at various periods throughout his life

Chapter V: His Lifting Performances and Feats of Strength
— The single-handed press… Single-handed snatches… Single-handed jerks… Double- handed jerks and ‘anyhow’ lifts… How some of his lifts compare to several other famous strongmen and lifters, Saxon, Walker, Stanko, Rigoulot, etc… Double-handed snatches… Single and double-handed swings… Feats of Arm and Shoulder Strength… Two-hands slow curl… Two-hands kettlebell press… Two hands holdout… The rectangular fix… The Good Morning… Lifts to Shoulders, Single and Double-Handed… Deadlift records and performances… Supporting Feats… The ‘Plank’ and Human Bridge stunts… Lifting a Car… Carrying a Piano… Walking with a half a ton supported on his shoulders… Feats of Agility and Strength

Chapter VI: His Training Methods
— How many days per week he trained, and the specific ‘type’ of workouts taken… How long each training session lasted… Goerner’s post-workout recovery… A typical training program… Details of the “Die Kette” kettlebell workout… Specific weights used and order of exercises… Lifting tempo… Training for special feats and records… Six different one-hand deadlift “grips”… Training for two-hands deadlifting… Three of Goerner’s favorite types of shrugging movements… Training for supporting or carrying feats… The Brick Lift… Pinch Lifting… Training for a match… Additional training information, diet, massage, roadwork etc

Chapter VII: His Attitude to Lifting Feats and Feats of Strength
— Training philosophy and position on ‘Health’… The role of variety in training… Thoughts on mixing fast and slow movements in the same workout… Deadlifts… Lifting ‘Cold’… Carrying heavy weights… Unusual methods of lifting a barbell… Success in Wrist Wrestling… How Goerner could tear a deck of playing cards… Breaking one of Louis Cyr’s records… Feats of Abdominal strength… Weight Throwing accomplishments

Conclusion: Appreciation by World-Famous Authorities
— Notes and observations on Hermann Goerner from: Prof. Theodore Siebert… David P. Willoughby… George F. Jowett… Tromp Van Diggelen… Bob Hoffman… Henry Graf… Hugo Rosch… Gord Venables… Jack Reid… W.A.Pullum… Ray Van Cleef… Mac Batchelor… Leo Gaudreau

Index

The modern reprint edition of “Goerner The Mighty” by Edgar Mueller is a 5″ x 7″ trade paperback, with full glossy cover, 136 pages in length consisting of eight chapters, the contents of which are listed above.

There are also 32 rare photos and diagrams of Goerner and his exploits and training techniques as well as a full index. This modern reprint edition is nearly identical in every way to the original 1951 printing.

Goerner The Mighty by Edgar Mueller
___________$19.99 plus s/h

George F. Jowett on Anvil Lifting

Posted on Tuesday, May 30th, 2017 by John Wood

“…Talking about feats with an anvil reminds me of a particular feat that I performed impromptu which takes a great amount of confidence as well as strength. It happened at one of the times that I picked up an anvil by the horn in a smithy shop, and after that stunt I pressed the anvil to arm’s length by lying it on its broadside upon the flat of my hand, which is not as easy as it sounds. After I had done this I put the anvil on the floor on its base.

We began to talk about various anvil feats being so difficult because of its awkward unbalanced construction. One man remarked that it would be some stunt to balance the anvil on the hand upside down. That meant the face would rest on the hand and the heavy wide base on top. Somehow I conceived the notion I could do it, and accordingly I took hold of the face with my right hand, and with the help of the left arm got the weight to the shoulder.

Despite the wide base and the bad balance caused by same and the horn, I not only succeeded in balancing the anvil by its face, but pressed it to arm’s length, to the amazement of all. I have done it many times since, and for this volume I performed the same feat, thinking it might interest my readers. The anvil weighed one hundred sixty-eight pounds…”

George F. Jowett
The Key to Might and Muscle, Chapter 9
Written in 1926

Armwrestling’s First Super Match

Posted on Friday, January 29th, 2016 by John Wood

Starting in the 1930’s, the man to beat in the armwrestling (sometimes called “wrist wrestling”) world was California strength athlete and tavern owner Mac Batchelor. People came from far and wide to have a go with Mac but none succeeded, Batchelor undefeated in an estimated 4000 matches.

It just so happened, in the mid-40’s a new challenge showed up in town in the form of Earle Audet, a two-time national champion shotputter and professional football player for the Los Angeles Dons. Audet was also similarly undefeated as an armwrestler …someone had the grand idea to pit these two titans head to head and the first “Supermatch” was born.

December, 16th, 1946 was the date and they met up in the famed Embassy auditorium for a 2 out of 3 falls bout. Audet tipped the scales at 250 lbs., which was certainly large for the time but Batchelor was closer to 300 lbs. Outweighed and out-experienced, it was Batchelor who eventually came out the winner and declared the World’s champion. It should also be noted that the table used was designed by George F. Jowett.

The Iron Shoe Exerciser

Posted on Thursday, May 7th, 2015 by John Wood

The Iron Shoe exerciser was a great oldtime piece of training equipment which has roots going back pretty far into strength history. As you may notice by the design, it is “horse shoe” shaped — which is meant to mimic an actual horse shoe, the bending of which was a great oldtime feat and a mark of great strength. The “iron Shoe” provided a method of progressive resistance in some of the positions needed for horseshoe bending and trained the body, especially the grip and forearms in a very unique manner. This particular Iron shoe was sold by George F. Jowett.

York Aristocrat Dumbbell Set

Posted on Tuesday, October 14th, 2014 by John Wood

A look at a York Aristocrat Dumbbell Set from 1955 or so. These were patterned after George Jowett’s dumbbells from a generation before. There is something to be said for a “personal” dumbbell set. You can get a surprisingly good workout with only what is pictured here ~ and many people certainly did!