The Good Brothers, Harry, Walter and Bill, were a trio of weightlifters and Strongmen from Eastern Pennsylvania. Bill was the strongest of the three, winning seven Senior National Weightlifting Titles (1930-1937) and competing in two Olympic Games (1932 Los Angeles, 1936 Berlin). Bill Good was the first American to Clean & Jerk 350 Pounds. Walter Good competed in the 1936 Olympics as well. Harry was the U.S. Professional Champion in 1933 in addition to writing training articles for a number of different strength publications and training courses. Harry Good went on to establish the “Good Barbell Company” in the late 1930’s. Mark Berry also used the Good Brothers to demonstrate several of the exercises in his book Physical Training Simplified (1930).

A closer look at a 35 lb. Reading Barbell Company plate. You don’t see these around much any more and if you find any, you’d be pretty lucky. The Reading Barbell Company was led by Walter good of the famed Good Brothers and, according to old literature was once located at the intersection of First Avenue and Franklyn Street in West Reading, PA.

A look at the U.S. weightlifting team, taken in the Olympic village in Berlin, Germany during the 1936 Olympics. From left to right: Mark Berry, Dave Mayor, Bill Good, John Grimek, Stan Kratkowski, Joe Miller, John Terpak, Walter Good, Bob Mitchell, Tony Terlazzo, John Terry and Dietrich Wortmann. Terlazzo won the Featherweight class with a 312.5 kg total to become America’s first ever weightlifting gold medal winner.