Pierre Bonnes Archives - www.oldtimestrongman.com

Pierre Bonnes

Posted on Friday, September 16th, 2022 by John Wood

Another look at the great French strongman and wrestler Pierre Bonnes. Bonnes is thought to be the first man who snatched 250 lbs. in the “split” style. Many noted strong men of the day ridiculed this style of lifting but it would eventually some become the norm and assist in the establishment of a number of world records in the coming decades.

The Roubaix Athletic Club, 1906

Posted on Thursday, January 25th, 2018 by John Wood

A look at the Roubaix Athletic club in Northern France, circa 1906. This club had an excellent assortment of globe dumbbells and an equally excellent assortment of strongman posters on the walls — look closely, you’ll find The Rasso Trio, Apollon, Sampson and Cyclops, John Grunn Marx and Batta. A number of famous “names” trained there, including Jules Parent, Athleta, Noel Le Gaulois, Pierre Bonnes, Batta, Charles Poire, Felix Bernard and Constant le Bouche.

Pierre Bonnes, 1903

Posted on Monday, May 8th, 2017 by John Wood

Pierre Bonnes was a great French strongman and weightlifter who was at his best in the late 1800s and early 1900s. In 1898, he set the “official” world record in the One Arm Snatch with a lift of 85.5 kilos. He bested this lift on several other occasions albeit under unofficial conditions. Here’s how Bonnes looked after winning the “World Strength Championship” in 1903. (Bonnes won again in 1905.)