Sandow’s Somersault
Posted on Sunday, July 29th, 2012 by John Wood
Here’s one you probably haven’t seen before… Behold, one of the few images of the great physique star Eugen Sandow doing something athletic: performing a back somersault. Sandow used to do a back somersault was often the exclamation point to finish his act, showing the audience that his muscles weren’t just for show. In fact, many people are more impressed by a back somersault than lifting a heavy weight.
Sandow could perform a back somersault with a 56 pound dumbbell in each hand which is pretty amazing when you think about it.
Like many early strongmen, Sandow’s early training consisted of basic gymnastics movements, calisthenics and hand balancing — all of which continued to serve him well throughout his career.