Jenkins Hudson
Who exactly is Jenkins Hudson, you ask? Only one of the most amazing stories in all of strength history. Hudson was four years into a stint in the Maryland Penitentiary in Baltimore, when a local gym owner Jack Lipsky volunteered to start teaching a weightlifting class to some of the inmates. Hudson took part on a whim, and found he had the knack… With special permission of the Warden, Hudson was able to use all of his recreation periods for his weight training and six months later, won the New South Atlantic Weightlifing Championship with a 955 lb. total… also breaking two meet records in the process.
But the story doesn’t end there:
In 1963, the U. S. National Prison Postal Weightlifting Championships took place, where 26 institutions from coast to coast took part on October 4th and 5th. Bob Hoffman and a large contingent from York, PA made the trip to the Maryland Penitentiary and Bill March also participated as a guest lifter. Jenkins Hudson achieved a 1015 pound total, with lifts of a 340 lb. press, 300 lb. snatch and 375 lb. clean and jerk. On that day, Hudson bested March who was a 5-time National champion and his performance was not only the highest of the meet, it was also second highest total ever made in this weight class by an
American at the time.