Strength Feat Archives - Page 2 of 2 - www.oldtimestrongman.com

The Human Vise: Bat Break Over Head

Posted on Wednesday, November 21st, 2012 by John Wood

The Human Vise!

Yes, that’s a genuine Louisville Slugger. Do NOT try this one at home! Pat “The Human Vise” Povilaitis is a trained professional, plus he is a little crazy which helps with feats like this. Needless to say, extreme levels of neck strength are also a must.

The Amazing Samson ~ Girder Lifting

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

The Amazing Samson Girder Lift!

Here’s a Human Chain” feat of a whole different sort. That’s “The Amazing Samson” Alexander Zass suspended in mid-air while also lifting a 500-pound iron girder in his teeth. That’s a pretty awesome feat no matter how you slice it, one that we have never seen equaled before or since.

Louis Cyr’s Barrel Lifting Feat

Posted on Tuesday, May 8th, 2012 by John Wood

Louis Cyr Barrel Lifting

On May 8th, 1896, the great Canadian strongman Louis Cyr performed several amazing feats of strength, among them lifting and shouldering a 433 lb. barrel with one hand. The barrel was filled with a mixture of water and sand and the feat took place at Saint-Louis Hall in Chicago, Illinois.

Great Beckett “The Five-Plank Marvel”

Posted on Thursday, April 5th, 2012 by John Wood

The Great Beckett: The Five-Plank Marvel

We specialize in bringing you content that you won’t find anywhere else, and here’s a great example: pictured above you’ll find Great Beckett “The Five-Plank Marvel.” How did he get this nickname? His act consisted of hammering a large nail through (count’em) five thick wooden planks… then pulling out the nail with his teeth. Needless to say, the strength of neck, jaw, gums and teeth required for this performance is prodigious.

The Human Chain!

Posted on Sunday, January 15th, 2012 by John Wood

The Great Levasseur performs 'The Human Link' feat with four horses

One of the well-known traditional feats of Oldtime Strength is the Human Chain. There’s no telling who came up with it first but what we do know is that Strongmen have been performing this feat for well over a century — and because it is very dangerous, always goes over great with the crowd.

Shown here is George “The Great” Levasseur who famously performed this feat for the Ringling Brothers circus in the early 20th century where he was billed as “The Strongest Man that Walks the Earth.” Levasseur was also famous for his backlifting ability. We’ll highlight other great performances of “The Human Chain” in subsequent posts.

Edward W. Goodman

Posted on Monday, November 21st, 2011 by John Wood

Edward W. Goodman climbs a tree with a 75 lb. kettlebell on each elbow

Edward W. Goodman was a Los Angeles attorney who also liked to lift a few weights… so much so that he became the Amateur Champion of Southern California. Over the course of an afternoon he broke seven of the British amateur lifting records. As shown here, he could also climb a tree with a 75-pound kettlebell hanging from each arm — not a bad feat. Goodman was featured prominently in the literature for Alan Calvert’s MILO Barbell Company since his all of his impressive development came solely from regular barbell training.

Health and Strength Magazine: October 26th, 1907

Posted on Wednesday, August 31st, 2011 by John Wood

The great British strongman Thomas Inch graces the cover of the October 26th, 1907 issue of Health and Strength Magazine with his latest feat: holding a loft a bicycle and its rider. These old Health and Strength mags are all but impossible to find, luckily, we just came across a few of them…

Gust Lessis: A Smashing Feat

Posted on Saturday, August 20th, 2011 by John Wood

Around 1925 or so, the Greek Strongman and wrestler Gust Lessis, wanted a shot at the lightweight boxing crown (which was held by Paul “The Astoria Assassin” Berlenbach at the time.)

In order to show that he was worthy of such an opportunity he gave a demonstration of strength before his grappling matches: while supporting an 500-pound slab of concrete on his chest his manager smashed it to bits with a sledge hammer. Say what you will about supporting feats, but this one is still no walk in the park!