Charles A. Sampson at Prince Albert Hall

Posted on Wednesday, December 5th, 2018 by John Wood
Step right up… a rare show poster from Charles A. Sampson’s performance at Royal Albert Hall, London England, on November 22nd and 23rd, 1899. If you had been in attendance, you would have seen Sampson perform his signature feats: harness lifting, coin bending, lifting heavy thick-handled globe barbells, and breaking chains wrapped around his bicep.
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.

Apollon – “Le Roi des Athletes”

Posted on Tuesday, July 24th, 2018 by John Wood
An extremely rare posterof the great French Strongman Apollon. he was called “Le Roi des Athletes” (The King of Athletes) for good reason, even a hundred years later no one has even come close to bettering any of his feats. Apollon is shown performing a Muscle Out with a ring weight and a small horse! Apollon’s famous wheels are pictured as well.

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.

Clevio Massimo Strongman Poster

Posted on Friday, February 2nd, 2018 by John Wood
An old poster of the strongman Clevio Massimo during the time he appeared on the stage throughout the country, depicting some of the feats of strength he included in his act: harness lifting, the One Arm get Up, Kettlebell Crucifix, card ripping, hand balancing etc. He included quite a variety; many not illustrated here, and his ability as a showman only enhanced his fine performances. Massimo also played the violin in one portion of his act to prove he was a capable musician as well as a genuine strongman.

Indian Club Exercise Poster

Posted on Monday, October 2nd, 2017 by John Wood
“The Indian Club Workout That
Goes Right on Your Gym Wall”
Staff Sgt. Moss
Your Author: Staff Sgt. Alfred Moss– Yes, he looks like he knows a thing or two about physical training.

One of the traditions of Oldtime strength training that we really like a lot are wall charts and posters. Not only do they look really great while hanging in the gym, they also allow for an easy way to follow along and get in a great workout.

So, in keeping this tradition alive, one of the projects that we have been working on was to take a classic Indian Club training course which was written back in the early 1900s and reprint it. We didn’t just reprint it though, we created an entirely different format… turning it into something that not only looks great, but should also help your club swinging as well, you guessed it: an instructional wall chart.

Written in 1905 by the famous strongman, gymnast and physical culturist Staff Sgt. Alfred Moss, “Simple Indian Club Exercsies” will take you step-by-step through the 12 basic Indian Club movements and includes additional suggestions on performance: technique, style, form and cadence etc.

…All you have to do is follow along for a complete Indian Clubs workout.

This poster is printed on high quality enamel paper but, in order to keep that classic look, we “aged” it digitally so that it looks like something that would be hanging in Sandow’s gym or Sig Klein’s place.


Sig Klein’s Gym is long gone, but if it were still around, you
can bet there would be one of these posters on the wall!

The poster is 23 inches by 35 inches in size, comes folded, and looks great as you can see by the picture of it shown above. Think of it as a complete training course that you can hang on your wall instead of putting on your book shelf.

Ordering Options:

You have two options when ordering the “Simple Indian Club Exercises” workout poster. You may either a) order the poster by itself or b) order any Indian club set and the poster will be included at a reduced price. Please click the button below to be taken to our Indian Club order page:

Order now!
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.

The Mark Berry Bar Bell Courses Poster Set

Posted on Friday, September 15th, 2017 by John Wood
“Something NEW for your Gym Wall!”
Give your weight room an OLD SCHOOL look with the Mark Berry Bar Bell Course training posters:

Contact us for availability.

Simple Indian Club Exercises Poster by Staff Sgt. Moss

Posted on Sunday, December 4th, 2016 by John Wood

“The Indian Club Workout That
Goes Right on Your Gym Wall”

One of the traditions of Oldtime strength training that we really like a lot are
wall charts and posters. Not only do they look really great while hanging in the
gym, they also allow for an easy way to follow along and get in a great workout.

So, in keeping this tradition alive, one of the projects that we have been working on
was to take a classic Indian Club training course
which was written back in the early 1900s and reprint it.
We didn’t just reprint it though, we created an
entirely different format… turning it
into something that not only looks great, but
should also help your club swinging as well, you guessed it: an instructional wall chart.

Staff Sgt. Moss
Your Author: Staff Sgt. Alfred Moss — Yes, he looks like he knows a thing or two about physical training.

Written in 1905 by the famous strongman, gymnast and physical culturist Staff Sgt. Alfred Moss, “Simple Indian Club Exercsies” will take you step-by-step through the 12 basic Indian Club movements and includes additional suggestions on performance: technique, style, form and cadence etc.

…All you have to do is follow along for a complete
Indian Clubs workout.

This poster is printed on high quality enamel
paper but, in order to keep that classic look,
we “aged” it digitally so that it looks like
something that would be hanging in Sandow’s
gym or Sig Klein’s place.

The poster is 23 inches by 35 inches in size, comes folded, and looks
great as you can see by the picture of it shown above.  Think of it as a complete training
course that you can hang on your wall instead of putting on your book shelf.

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.

Karl Abs at The Winter Circus

Posted on Tuesday, February 25th, 2014 by John Wood

Karl Abs at The Winter Circus

Here’s an extremely rare poster from the late 1880’s, when Karl Abs was the featured attraction at the Cirque d’ Hiver (Winter Circus) exhibition hall in Paris, France. Each night, Abs harness-lifted a horse and challenged all comers in the wrestling ring, (among other feats.) It’s pretty awesome that the Cirque d’ Hiver, which opened in 1852, is actually still going strong to this day.

Russian Strongman Circus Poster

Posted on Thursday, September 19th, 2013 by John Wood

Russian Strongman Circus Poster

A Russian Strongman Circus Poster from 1899 – heavy one arm supports… horse lifting… stone breaking (by sledge hammer AND fist)… kettlebell juggling… where do I get my tickets?
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.

The Great Mighty Atom ~ The Modern Samson

Posted on Tuesday, June 25th, 2013 by John Wood

The Great Mighty Atom ~ The Modern Samson
A look at a rare show bill for the Mighty Atom’s August 12, 1934 appearance at the Saratoga Springs Convention Hall.    Sharing the bill was the Atom’s 10 kids, one of whom, Mike Greenstein, is still performing feats of strength today into his 90’s!

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.

Gustav Wain

Posted on Saturday, June 8th, 2013 by John Wood
Gustav Wain
>Gustav Wain was a German strongman who performed in several circuses in the early 1900’s. As you can see by this rare poster, one of the signature portions of his act involved juggling a kettlebell whilst blindfolded.
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.