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Hermann Goerner

Posted on Saturday, June 16th, 2018 by John Wood

Hermann Goerner was never too far from the weights, even when he was on vacation. Here he snatches 190 pounds with one arm, in street clothes, and standing ankle deep in loose sand. — Now that’s strong.

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

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

Goerner The Mighty by Edgar Mueller

Posted on Tuesday, December 13th, 2016 by John Wood

Goerner The Mighty

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

HERMANN GOERNER

Once a generation, a man comes along whose strength is simply head and shoulders above everyone else ~ and Hermann Goerner was just such a man! His 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. Goerner’s 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 had a “Challenge weight” a 2-3/8ths inch thick-handled globe barbell which he could clean and jerk with ease yet which no one else could so much as budge.

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

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’s famous challenge weight, read more about it starting on page 26

With manager Tromp van Diggelen, who actually has his own amazing story of strongmanism. Read more about him on page 34

A young Hermann Goerner with Heavyweight Champion Karl Swoboda, taken September 21, 1912 in Leipzig. Goerner was 21 years of age at the time.

Wrestling with an elephant as part of his daily act in Pagel’s Circus, South Africa

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 … Notes on Goerner’s sleep habits and diet

Chapter II: His Early Life

— Early struggles … The age that Goerner first started lifting … His earliest feats of strength at 14 years of age … How Goerner compared to George Hackenschmidt at the same age … His introduction and training to building “animal” strength” … Lifting titles won … Weightlifting Successes at 21 years of age … Early strength performances as a member of “The Atlas Trio” … Challenge weight feats … Results of the 1913 German Weight Lifting Championship … Goerner’s ‘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 Goerner’s 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 Goerner’s 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 … Accomplishments in Weight Throwing

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, 136 pages in length and contains 32 rare photos and diagrams.

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

Order by phone 9am to 5pm,
Monday through Friday

Paul Trappen

Posted on Wednesday, August 17th, 2016 by John Wood

The German strongman and weightlifter Paul Trappen’s name isn’t mentioned very often but it certainly should be. At the 1913 German weightlifting Championships, Trappen defeated both Karl Moerke and Hermann Goerner to win the heavyweight title. Some of Trappen’s best lifts were a 320 pound Clean and Jerk, 215 pounds in the one hand clean and jerk and 183 pounds in the one arm press.

All impressive marks but the lift which he should be remembered best for is his harness lift of a pair of oxen totaling 5225 pounds – that would make his performance the greatest ever recorded in that particular lift.

Trappen also performed for the Barnum and Bailey Circus and did some wrestling in addition to feats of strength.

Hermann Goerner ~ The Human Bridge!

Posted on Monday, August 11th, 2014 by John Wood

A look at the great Hermann Goerner, as “The Human Bridge” supporting around 4000 pounds on his shoulders! If you have received some of our recent emails on “developing bone strength,” feats like this one may explain just why it was that strongmen like Goerner possessed such a level of unusual strength…

Goerner’s Deadlift

Posted on Monday, January 20th, 2014 by John Wood

Goerner's Deadlift

Hermann Goerner was a big fan of deadlifting and he picked weights up off the ground in every conceivable way. Goerner deadlifted with two fingers of each hand… he deadlifted with only his middle fingers… he deadlifted with offset weights… and he deadlifted with one hand. Shown here is Goerner’s one-arm lift of a stone block of 660 German pfunds – the standard measurement at the time. (That’s 727 pounds!)

Goerner’s feat was featured on an advertising poster for the Greco-Roman wrestling championships held in Dresden, Germany from September 8th to the 12th back in 1920.

Leverage Bar Training

Posted on Tuesday, May 28th, 2013 by John Wood

Edward Aston Leverage Bar Training

The Leverage Bar is one of the truly underrated methods of training. It’s convenient and you don’t need much weight, as the great Edward Aston demonstrates above. There’s maybe ten pounds on the bar but with the leverage–or lack thereof–it probably feels like at least ten times that much, if not more. Plus the keeping the bar level gives an entirely different feel than “normal” weightlifting. Aston referred to this device as the “Un-Barbell” and he did NOT swing it like a mace. Hermann Goerner also did some interesting things with different leverages in his training.

Goerner The Mighty

Posted on Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 by John Wood

Hermann Goerner lifts a large globe barbell above his head

The great German strongman Hermann Goerner was known as “Goerner The Mighty” — and for very good reason. Among his many amazing feats were a one-arm deadilift of 734.5 lbs and a “leg press” of 24 men sitting on a plank, a total weight of 4123 lbs. Above, Goerner lifts his famous challenge barbell, which was 330-3/4 lbs. and had a 2-3/8ths-inch handle.; Goerner’s challenge was to clean and jerk this unique barbell without moving the feet, something which he could do easily but which no one else was ever able to duplicate.

Tromp Van Diggelen ~ The South African Hercules

Posted on Thursday, December 29th, 2011 by John Wood

Tromp Van Diggelen presses a Barrel Barbell

Tromp Van Diggelen ~ The South African Hercules

Tromp Van Diggelen survived a sickly childhood to become a traveling performing strongman and one of the true unsung heroes of strength history. His performing feats were certainly impressive (such as the 210 pound “barrel lift” barbell press above) but it was his work behind the scenes which he should be remembered best.

It was Tromp Van Diggelen who discovered “Max Sick” and had him change his name to Maxick. Van Digglen also managed Josef Steinbach and Hermann Goerner and also helped found The British Amateur Weightlifting Association (BAWLA).