Tag: Philadelphia Pennsylvania

Dave Mayor

Posted on Monday, March 13th, 2017 by John Wood

Dave Mayor, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was a member of the U.S. Weightlifting team at the 1936 Berlin Olympics where he finished in 12th place with a 352.5 kg (775.5 lbs) total (Press: 100 kg, Snatch: 107.5 kg, Clean & Jerk: 145 kg.) Mayor made a 755.5 total at the 1936 Sr. National Weightlifting contest which was good enough for second behind John Grimek. Mayor won the heavyweight class the next year with an 835 lb total, an improvement of 80 pounds.
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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.

Henry “Milo” Steinborn

Posted on Thursday, March 3rd, 2016 by John Wood

This poster shows the mighty Milo Steinborn making records while performing different feats at Herrmann’s Gym in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania back in October of 1921. His one-arm snatch and the one-hand clean & jerk were amazing lifts at the time. He also squatted with over 500 pounds which he “rocked” onto his shoulders unassisted – a much tougher way to do squats!
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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.

Louis Abele

Posted on Saturday, February 20th, 2016 by John Wood

Louis Abele, lifting out of the Lighthouse Boy’s Club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was a three-time Sr. National Silver medalist and briefly held the American Record in the press. He would also have lifted at the 1940 Olympic games although unfortunately they were cancelled. Had he been born a few years earlier Abele would probably be a lot more well-known since he was in his prime right around the same time as Steve Stanko and later John Davis.

Abele was adamant about the incredible strength benefits of heavy, high-rep squatting (something which is pretty evident in the picture.) His best marks were: 400 lbs. x 18, 450 lbs. x 10, 475 lbs. x 7 and 500 lbs. x 3.

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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.

Spike Howard

Posted on Thursday, April 17th, 2014 by John Wood
Edward “Spike” Howard, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, (unsurprisingly) earned his nickname thanks to his ability to bend and break spikes. A former Vaudeville strongman for many years, Howard is shown above breaking a chain with chest expansion. Performing feats of strength was actually not his only specialty: Howard also donated blood well over 1000 times which is also thought to be some kind of record.
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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.

Sig Klein’s Press

Posted on Tuesday, February 12th, 2013 by John Wood

Sig Klein's Press

A Look at Sig Klein’s record military press: 229-1/4 lbs. at a bodyweight of 152 lbs. Keep in mind this was a true “press;” back straight, heels together, knees locked — not the “standing bench press” or “slump-press” style of later years. You won’t find many heavyweights these days who could duplicate such a weight in this style, so for a man of Sig’s size, this is a truly phenomenal feat.
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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.

Lift 150-lb. Weights With Ease!

Posted on Wednesday, December 19th, 2012 by John Wood

Milo Barbell Advertisement

We pride ourselves on providing content that even the most grizzled Iron Game vets probably hasn’t seen. Case in point, this truly excellent Milo Barbell Company advertisement from the mid-1920s. The man shown doing the “get up” lift is F. P. Jones from Philadelphia. What was the secret? …The same thing responsible for all training results: Progressive Resistance Training.

Vintage Milo Barbell Company Advertisement

Posted on Thursday, September 13th, 2012 by John Wood

Vintage Milo Barbell Company Advertisement

Here’s a look at a vintage ad for the Milo Barbell Company circa 1920. Read the words carefully. Interestingly enough, the messages of proper training and necessity for good equipment have not changed one bit over the last hundred years.
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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.

1947 World’s Weight Lifting Championships Official Program

Posted on Tuesday, July 17th, 2012 by John Wood
A look at the Official Program for the 1947 World’s Weight Lifting Championships held at the Municipal Auditorium in Philadelphia, PA.  Pictured are members of the 1946 US team consisting of Stanley Stanczyk, Frank Spellman, John Terpak, Emerick Ishikawa, Bob Hoffman and Frank Kay (Not pictured: John Davis).

At the Championships, which were held on September 26 and 27th, 1947, the US team ran the table, taking the Gold Medal in every single weight class and winning 10 medals overall.