Oldtime Strongman Training

Earle E. Liederman

2010-06-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

Earle E. Liederman

Earle E. Liederman pretty much did it all as far as strength training: he traveled the Vaudeville circuit for eight years as a performing strongman, he wrote a number of books and courses (which are just as effective today), he wrote an untold number of training articles, he sold his own equipment, he was the editor of "Strength" Magazine and even boxed professionally for a few years. He was well known as one of the first and most successful of the mail order muscle stars.

York Deep-Dish 45-Pound Barbell Plates

2010-06-18T10:56:00.000-07:00

York Deep-Dish 45-Pound Barbell Plates

This is what 45-pound barbell plates looked like way back in the day. If you have some, count yourself lucky, they started disappearing in the 1960's when York came out with a more streamlined plate (they could only fit so many of these on a bar with guys like Wilbur Miller around). A great grip challenge then and now is to lift one of these plates by the hub.

The BIG Wheel at Zuver's

2010-06-02T19:14:00.000-07:00

The BIG Wheel

At Zuver's Hall of Fame Gym, everything is BIG, including the unique piece of equipment seen here: The BIG Wheel. That's a heck of a way to do pulldowns. Check out the handle, and that's a pretty good sized anchor chain too.

John Y. Smith

2010-05-21T16:44:00.000-07:00

John Y. Smith

The great strongman John Y. Smith is shown here in mid-bent press with a 185-pound dumbbell. In 1926, Smith won the "Strongest Man in New England" contest against all comers -- he was 60 years old at the time. His best lift in the contest was a right hand deadlift of 415 pounds, at a bodyweight of only 170 pounds.

The Bow Mill Exercise

2010-05-17T19:14:00.000-07:00

The Bow Mill Exercise

If you were looking for dumbbell exercises back around the time of the Civil War, here's one you might have run across: "The Bow Mill Exercise," as discussed by Dio Lewis in 1864:

"The Bow Mill Exercise: The apart position is taken from which the dumb bells are made to describe a circle, the circumference of which shall be as near as possible to the floor, and as high up on the right as possible, and thus is followed by another circle of the same description to the left."

Wilbur Miller Stalks The Bar

2010-05-14T11:44:00.000-07:00

Wilbur Miller Stalks The Bar

Wilbur Miller was a Kansas farmer who was probably the best amateur deadlifter in the world back in the 1960s. At the first National Powerlifting Championship Contest, held in 1965 (fittingly) in York, Pennsylvania, Wilbur Miller deadlifted 725 pounds and narrowly missed a lift of 745. Not surprisingly, he was also a very good Olympic weightlifter.

"Mr. Deadlift" Bob Peoples

2010-05-14T07:57:00.000-07:00

"Mr. Deadlift" Bob Peoples

Bob Peoples shows why he came to be known as "Mr. Deadlift". Although he did a few other things, he specialized on the deadlift... nothing but hard, heavy and basic training... I would say that the results speak for themselves.

Reg Park

2010-05-05T18:38:00.000-07:00

Reg Park, three-time Mr. Universe (1951, 1958, 1965) shows why he is widely regarded as one of the strongest bodybuilders who ever lived. Here he presses 235 pounds with a pair of dumbbells. That is strong!

Strength and Health Magazine - March, 1937

2010-05-05T18:03:00.000-07:00

Strength and Health Magazine - March, 1937

The cover of the March 1937 edition of Strength and Health Magazine featuring John Terpak on the cover. At the time Terpak was on his way to winning his second (of Eleven!) National championships.

Sig Klein ~ Kettlebell Training

2010-04-30T10:09:00.000-07:00

Sig Klein

Sig Klein is one of the unsung heroes of the modern-day kettlebell movement... He was writing courses and articles on kettlebell training throughout the 20th century when most folks at the time didn't even know what a kettlebell was. His effort kept kettlebells from becoming totally obscure in the mainstream strength world until, unbelievably, they made a huge comeback in recent years.

Bob Hoffman

2010-04-29T20:17:00.000-07:00

Bob Hoffman

A look at Bob Hoffman bent-pressing a classic globe barbell at the York Picnic, many years ago. In case you're wondering, the sweatshirt is to maintain some friction with his off (i.e. left) arm and the hat is to keep the sun out of his eyes.

Apollon and Kettlebells

2010-04-29T20:02:00.000-07:00

Big Arms by Bob Hoffman

2010-04-29T12:16:00.000-07:00

Big Arms by Bob Hoffman

One of Bob Hoffman's many Books: "Big Arms," originally published in 1939 - and it's a good one. If you are luck enough to own a copy, hang on to it, they are getting tougher and tougher to come by. Here's a look at the table of contents:

I. "Let Me Feel Your Muscle"

II. Hercules, Ajax, Mars, Achilles, Hector

III. Anatomy Of The Arm

IV. How The Arm Muscles Operate

V. Development Of Muscle

VI. Who Has The Biggest Arms?

VII. The Finest Upper Arm Development

VIII. Impressive Feats Of Strength

IX. Why Don’t I Have Bigger Arms?

X. If You Fail To Get Results

XI. Are Free Hand Exercises Of Value?

XII. Rope Climbing As A Means Of Developing The Arm

XIII. The Arm Building Value Of Giant Crushers And Iron Shoes

XIV. Cables In Arm Development

XV. Hand Balancers Have Big Arms

XVI. Dumbbell Training

XVII. Developing The Arms With The Barbell

XVIII. How To Obtain Your Biggest Measurements

XIX. Anatomy And Development Of The Forearm

XX. Developing A Powerful Grip

XXI. One Hundred And One Dumbbell Exercises

XXII. Fifty Barbell Exercises

XXIII. Fifty Additional Exercises

Mac Batchelor

2010-04-29T11:46:00.000-07:00

"I was in L.A. about ten years ago.

I went into one of the gyms and asked about a man named Mac Batchelor.

They told me how to find the tavern where he worked and that night I drove over to see him.

The tavern was full of thirsty customers, but there was no doubt who was Batchelor.

He weighed about 330 and most of it was muscle.

Mac Batchelor

I climbed up on a bar stool and introduced myself.

"Tell me Mac, "I said, "You still the world's best arm wrestler?"

He laughed. "I think so." He propped an arm like an elephant's leg up on the bar.

"Wanta try?"

I looked at the arm. "No Thanks."

He looked surprised. "No? How come?"

Mac, I'll tell ya, I said. "You might break my arm and I don't think my insurance would cover it."

He smiled broadly. "You know," he said, "you're one of the very few people who ever walked in here and didn't think they could beat me.

"Good grief," I said," I ain't too bright, but I'm not crazy. I tell you what I would like, though. I'd like to see some of those strength feats of yours I've heard about."

"Sure," he said. "Here." He reached under the bar and brought out four bottle caps. He jammed one between each finger on his right hand and held his hand out. "Watch." He squeezed lightly and the four caps crumpled like Kleenex..."

From "Grip and Forearm Development" by John McCallum in The Complete Keys to Progress

Charles Rigoulot

2010-04-27T06:48:00.000-07:00

Charles Rigoulot

The French weightlifter Charles Rigoulot was the last lifter to use shot-loaded barbells in international competition. He won the Gold Medal in the light-heavyweight class in 1924 Summer Olympics held in Paris, France and still holds the world record in the One-Arm Snatch with a lift of 261 pounds.

Oldtime Leg Press

2010-04-27T06:40:00.000-07:00

Oldtime Leg Press

Before there were machines for it, this is what the oldtimers called a "leg press." Demonstrating is Jean Baillargeon, of the famed Brothers Baillargeon, some of Canada's greatest wrestlers and strongmen. Looks like the bar is loaded to 300 pounds (136 kilos) or so - it's an impressive feat all by itself simply balancing the bar like this, let alone pressing it.

T.W. Clarke

2010-04-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

T.W. Clarke

The 11 st. British Amateur Weightlifting Champion of 1913 T.W. Clarke is shown here on the cover of the February, 1933 issue of Strength and Health Magazine. Clarke was famed for his arm development - 16-3/4 inches - which was very impressive for a man of his bodyweight.

Clarke was coached by "The Wizard of Weightlifting" W.A. Pullum and trained at the Camberwell Weightlifting Club.

The Nautilus Pullover

2010-04-09T08:26:00.000-07:00

The Nautilus Pullover

The Nautilus pullover was created to address one of the shortcomings of conventional training. In this case, the unavoidable situation where the strength of the hands and forearms gives out before the larger, stronger muscles of the torso.

The Nautilus pullover circumvents this weak link while also allowing the muscles of the back to be trained throughout a full range of motion. This type of training is very effective, when understood and applied correctly.

That's Mercury Morris of the Miami Dolphins demonstrating above.

Arthur Pell

2010-03-30T08:47:00.000-07:00

Arthur Pell

Arthur Pell was a famous British strongman from the same quarters as Louis 'Mighty Atom' Hardt, Thomas Inch, Edward Aston, Teddy Mack and E.C. Smith. You can read more about him in The Key to Might and Muscle by George Jowett.

Bruce White

2010-03-08T11:25:00.000-08:00

Bruce White

The Australian Grip Master Bruce White has the unique distinction of being one of the few men to ever lift Thomas Inch's Challenge Dumbbell while weighing less than the dumbbell itself! This is actually not "the" Thomas Inch Dumbbell but a true to scale replica that Bruce White had made for himself to train on.

Maxick

2010-03-01T17:04:00.000-08:00

Maxick

The Austrian strongman Maxick was one of the greatest masters of Muscle Control who ever lived, and a very fine weightlifter as well. Some of his best lifts include a military press of 230 pounds, a right hand snatch of 165 pounds and a two-arm clean & jerk of 272 pounds. Like many strongmen of his day, Maxick also a talented hand balancer.

George Hackenschmidt: The Russian Lion

2010-03-01T15:52:00.000-08:00

George Hackenschmidt: The Russian Lion

George Hackenschmidt, The Russian Lion, has the unique distinction of being a Champion wrestler AND Strongman, strength author, and early physique star. His matches with Frank Gotch are widely regarded at the most famous wrestling matches of all time.

As far as strength feats go, many of Hackenschmidt's best marks have would be just as impressive today, even a hundred years after they were originally accomplished! These include a pullover and press (in the wrestler's bridge position) of 311 pounds for two reps, a 279 pound overhead press and a crucifix lift of two 90 pound dumbbells.

Pat Povilaitis "The Human Vise"

2010-02-21T20:50:00.000-08:00

Pat Povilaitis "The Human Vise"

Pat Povilaitis, "The Human Vise", is a modern strongman and one of the few human beings who can stand toe-to-toe with many of the oldtime greats. As you can likely tell by his moniker, "The Human Vise" excells at Steel Bending: spikes, nails, horse shoes, frying pans - no piece of steel is safe in his hands!

Indian Clubs

2010-02-21T20:19:00.000-08:00

Indian Clubs

Hardwood Indian Clubs are making a comeback in a big way. Regular club swinging in a fantastic method for building and maintaining shoulder health and stability. While heavy weights are generally the norm around here, 1-2 pound clubs are more than enough for most strong men.

John Grimek

2010-02-21T19:26:00.000-08:00

John Grimek

John Grimek, shown here on the December, 1941 issue of Strength and Health Magazine, was the only man to ever win the AAU Mr. America title twice (1940 & 1941). He also won the 1948 NABBA Mr. Universe and 1949 Mr. USA titles as well in fact, Grimek was one of the few bodybuilders to ever retire undefeated.

Arthur Dandurand

2010-02-17T22:14:00.000-08:00

Arthur Dandurand

Arthur Dandurand the popular French-Canadian strongman achieved a number of amazing feats during his career. These include: lifting a 455-pound Ford Engine onto his shoulder, shouldering a 500-pound barrel of beer, a 552-pound right hand deadlift and pushing a wheelbarrow loaded to 4300 pounds a distance of 23 feet. He was a true powerhouse of muscle and might, only weighing around 180 pounds at a height of 5'8".

Perikles Kakousis

2010-02-17T19:01:00.001-08:00

Perikles Kakousis

The Greek Weightlifter Perikles Kakousis won the Gold Medal in the "2 Hand Lift" at the 1904 Summer Olympic Games in St. Louis, Missouri. His winning lift was 246 pounds, over 60 pounds more than silver medallist Oscar Osthoff of the USA.

Ricardo Nelson

2010-02-17T16:12:00.000-08:00

Ricardo Nelson

Ricardo Nelson was a national hero in his home country where he was known as "The Swedish Lion" but not as well known in the U.S. Nelson was famous for his steel bending feats: scrolling, spike bending, bending steel in his teeth, he was said to even be able to bend a coin with his fingers.

Slim The Hammer Man

2010-02-16T14:43:00.000-08:00

Slim The Hammer Man

Slim "The Hammer Man" Farman, from Pottstown, Pennsylvania was a student of The Mighty Atom and the last of the performing Oldtime Strongmen. Slim was very good at a variety of "oldtime" feats such as bar bending, steel scrolling and nail driving but, as you can tell by his nickname, his speciality was leverage lifting with sledge hammers (or axes, as seen here).

In 1975, at New York's Madison Square Garden, Slim lifted a pair of twenty eight pound hammers, 56 pounds on 31 inch handles, with 1736-inch pounds of pressure on his wrists -- a record that will never be surpassed.

Hermann Goerner

2010-02-16T11:52:00.000-08:00

Hermann Goerner

Hermann Goerner started lifting at 10 years old and by 14, could swing a 50kg kettlebell overhead with one arm. As you might expect, his strength only grew from there. One of his greatest rivals was fellow countryman Karl Moerke who defeated him on a few occasions, although Goerner came back to beat him several times later on.

As far as lifts go, Goerner loved just about every kind of deadlift you could ever imagine and many of his numbers still stand (and will likely never be surpassed) Goerner's strength performances were also said to be among the best of all time.

Edward Aston: Britain's Strongest Man

2010-02-15T14:42:00.001-08:00

Edward Aston: Britain's Strongest Man

Edward Aston got started training at a comparatively young age, running off to join the circus as a actrobat at only 10 years of age. He began practicing feats of strength shortly afterwards, and in due time, broke Thomas Inch's long-standing one arm swing record with a mark of 161-1/2 pounds. This was in 1909. Aston was widely known as Britain's Strongest Man until his retirement in the 1930s.

John Grunn Marx, The Luxembourg Hercules

2010-02-14T17:08:00.000-08:00

John Grunn Marx

John Grunn Marx, who eventually became known as "The Luxembourg Hercules," was born in 1868 to a family of blacksmiths. He eventually traveled to the United States and partnered with the strongman Aloysius Marx, taking his surname as they performed strength feats as "brothers."

As far as strength accomplishments, John Grunn Marx was especially adept at anything involving grip and forearm strength, such as lifting heavy, thick-handled weights and bending horse shoes.

Gust Lessis: A Smashing Feat

2010-02-11T21:42:00.000-08:00

Gust Lessis: A Smashing Feat

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 the match, supporting an 800-pound slab of concrete on his chest while his manager smashed it to bits with a sledge hammer. Say what you will about supporting feats, but that is still no walk in the park!

Karl Moerke

2010-02-08T16:39:00.000-08:00

Karl Moerke

Karl Moerke, from Cologne, Germany, is shown here with 375 pounds overhead. Moerke won the 1920 World championship with the following lifts:

Right Hand Snatch: 165 pounds
Right Hand Jerk: 220 pounds
Two Hands Continental Jerk: 358 pounds

Apollon

2010-02-08T08:11:00.000-08:00

Apollon

Louis "Apollon" Uni was France's greatest professional strongman and a very good canditate for the strongest man ever. As you may be able to tell from the picture, Apollon excellend at feats of grip and forearm strength, especially the lifting of thick-handled equipment. It was said that he began his performing strongman career at only 15 years of age.

Much later on, one of Apollon's greatest feats was to lift a 315 pound barbell overhead with two hands, stand on one leg, switch to the other leg, transfer the weight to one arm and finally drop it from overhead and catch it in the crooks of his arms!

Dr. Ed Thomas: Indian Club Swinging Master

2010-02-06T08:37:00.000-08:00

Dr. Ed Thomas: Indian Club Swinging Master

Dr. Ed Thomas of Iowa has been instrumental in keeping Indian Clubs and many other classic physical culture training techniques alive in the modern age. He has studied these methods through a variety of resources, military experience, time spent in Burma, personal interest and his introduction to physical culture through the Turners as a boy growing up in the 1950s.

Farmer Burns:Lessons in Wrestling and Physical Culture

2010-02-06T08:13:00.000-08:00

Farmer Burns:Lessons in Wrestling and Physical Culture

Martin "Farmer" Burns was the man behind Frank Gotch's success and a great champion wrestler himself in his time. Once his competitive career came to an end, Burns began his own school of wrestling in Omaha, Nebraska and later published his own mail order courses, shown here. His courses, originally published in 1912, focused on calisthenics, light dumbbell work, conditioning and, of course, wrestling as a means of physical fitness.

The Mighty Atom

2010-02-05T20:58:00.000-08:00

The Mighty Atom

Joseph "The Mighty Atom" Greenstein, began his life as a sickly youth but became friends with the Russian strongmen Volanko who taught him to believe in himself and to believe in his training. The young Greenstein went on to become one of the strongest men who ever lived, bending steel, driving nails, spike bending, biting steel chains in half and even lifting extremely heavy weights with his hair.

Kettlebells

2010-02-05T20:48:00.000-08:00

Kettlebells

Kettlebells are quite popular today but they have actually been around for a very long time. This classic shot of a Finnish weightlfting club dates to 1906.

The Hammer Strength Wrist Curl Machine

2010-02-04T07:35:00.000-08:00

The Hammer Strength Wrist Curl Machine

There's no question that the barbell wrist curl has been and can be a very effective method for building wrist strength -- but that doesn't mean it can't be improved upon. This nifty piece of training equipment from Hammer Strength offers the ability to do something that no barbell can match: negative training capability - a technique very much worth experimenting with.

"The Great" Joe Rollino

2010-02-04T07:10:00.001-08:00

Brooklyn-born strongman "The Great" Joe Rollino was one of the strongest men who ever lived for his bodyweight. Though he rarely tipped the scales over 170 pounds, Rollino could backlift 3200 pounds, deadlift 585 pounds and could even lift 635 pounds with one finger. He was also fond of bending spikes in his mouth, as shown here. Rollino was mentored in performing strongman feats by Warren Lincoln Travis.

Eugen Sandow

2010-02-04T07:03:00.001-08:00

Eugen Sandow

Eugen Sandow could rightfully be called "The Grand Daddy of 'em all" - He was the first super star of the strength world. His look, his presentation, his equipment, and his performances essentially set the standard of every strongmen who followed him.

Not only that but he owned gyms, he published a magazine, he sold training equipment, he endorsed products... nearly every aspect of the modern strength world was pioneered by Sandow over a century ago.

Bob Jones ~ Hand Balancer Extraordinaire

2010-02-03T21:31:00.000-08:00

Bob Jones ~ Hand Balancer Extraordinaire

Bob Jones, one of the best, if not the best hand balancer of all time is shown here demonstrating his famous "thumb stand" feat on a series of Indian Clubs.

Bob begins in a hand stand with an Indian Club under each digit and one by one flicks them away until he is left balancing only on his thumbs - a fantastic feat of all-around strength and athleticism. This picture was taken on September 8th, 1929 in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

Big Paul's Wheels

2010-02-03T16:10:00.000-08:00

Big Paul's Wheels

What do you do when you can squat a grand and make it look easy? When it was time to squat, a normal Olympic barbell just couldn't hold enough weight for "Big" Paul Anderson on squat day so he had to improvise. This famous set of wheels helped Big Paul become one of the strongest men who ever lived.