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Hans Kavan: The Austrian Hercules
In March of 1925, Hans Kavan "The Austrian Hercules" noted wrestler and sometimes strongman performed this "human link" feat to win a wager. Kavan was thankfully not torn asunder with two horses on...
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Josef Grafl
Josef Grafl, the great strongman from Vienna, Austria, was the man to beat in the weightlifting world in the early 20th century... He won championships in 1908, 1909, twice in 1910, 1911 and his last...
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Ray Van Cleef
Many Iron Game fans will recall the name Ray Van Cleef from the pages of Strength and Health magazine where he was an Associate Editor and his column "Strong Men The World Over" appeared for many...
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1913 Milo Bar-Bell Ad
Check out this ad for the Milo Bar-Bell Company from the December, 1913 issue of Physical Culture Magazine. Back then, strength training was not as popular or understood as it is today, hence...
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Muscle Builder, April 1954
A look at the April, 1954 issue of Muscle Builder magazine with Jack Delinger on the cover. Notice that this was the "Giant He-Man issue." Delinger (who was once a skinny weakling) was only a few years...
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Marvin Eder's Bench Press
Here's Marvin Eder bench pressing what looks like every plate in the gym -- 430 lbs. if you add 'em all up. This was back in 1952 and Eder was just 19 years of age at the time. Eder eventually went on...
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1953 NABBA Mr. Universe Contest
It's common knowledge that Bill Pearl handily won the 1953 NABBA (National Amateur Body-Builders' Association) Mr. Universe contest but what most people don't realize is that also competing in the...
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The Iron Cross
Much of the origins of strength training and physical culture come from gymnastics. The Iron Cross as performed on gymnastic rings, is one of the most impressive gymnastic feats. It takes a great deal...
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Roy Hilligenn - 1951 Mr. America
South African Roy Hilligenn, seen above on the cover of the September/October 1951 issue of Iron Man magazine was the AAU Mr. America that same year. Hilligen was a tremendous all-around "iron athlete"...
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Warren Lincoln Travis' Challenge
If you wanted to win the Richard K. Fox Heavyweight Strongman Champiionship Belt you had to beat Warren Lincoln Travis at his own game in a challenge match. Here's the list of Travis' ten strength...
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John Y. Smith
John Y. Smith was a great strongman in the New England area in the early 1900's. Among his many impressive feats were a right hand bent-press of 275-1/2 pounds (which broke Louis Cyr's mark) and a left...
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Bruce White - Rafter Pinch Grip Chin Ups
It would be impressive to be able to hold your bodyweight off the ground by pinch gripping rafters but far beyond that is doing an actual pullup with that kind of grip. Here Australian Grip Master...
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Stone Lifting in Ancient Greece
Every ancient culture has evidence of stone lifting as a method of physical preparation. The Ancient Greeks, for example, often portrayed stone lifting and other athletic events on their pottery. This...
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Robert B. Snyder
There have been more than a few great strongmen who are not giants. A perfect example is Robert B. Snyder of Hagerstown, Maryland. As a boy he was inspired by the strongman from the Forepaugh &...
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Sergio Oliva ~ The Ultimate Physique
...But, regardless of their measurement, Sergio's arms are so big that they literally must be seen to be appreciated – and some people, upon first seeing them, are almost unable to believe their eyes;...
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Hepburn The Handbalancer
A shot of a young Doug Hepburn performing what amounts to a "muscle out" with a friend performing a handstand on his outstretched arms. This picture was taken around 1950, then, and for a few years...
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Jacques Montane ~ Amateur Card Tearing Champion of France
Here's a fellow whose name and exploits seems to have slipped through the cracks of Iron History: Jacques Montane was the Amateur Card Tearing Champion of France in the early 1900's. His bests were 90...
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How to Use Bar Bells...
Here's an advertisement for "Professor Anthony Barker's Strength Maker" course featuring Warren Lincoln Travis, circa 1910. ...And does anyone else find it ironic that the headline touts the...
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Victory Goes Over The Bridge!
"Victory Goes Over The Bridge!" - That was a favorite saying of the great wrestler Karl Gotch and the above picture shows why. Mr. Gotch has just caught his opponent in his finishing move, "The German...
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Pierre Gasnier: The French Hercules
Pierre Gasnier was the quintessential Oldtime Strongman: BIlled as the "French Hercules," He performed feats of strength for the Barnum and Bailey circus in the late 1890's: tearing decks of cards,...
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