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Paul Trappen
The German strongman and weightlifter Paul Trappen's name isn't mentioned very often but it certainly should be. At the 1913 German weightlifting Championships, Trappen defeated both Karl Moerke and...
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Josef Strassberger
As a super-heavyweight, the great German Weightlifter Josef Strassberger won the Gold Medal at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympc Games. He came back four years later to beat his winning total although by the...
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Barus' Spike
Here's a spike bent into a loop by the great strongman Milo Barus. Is there anyone today who could do this?
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Sandow's Health & Strength Cocoa
These days, a lot of folks recommend a big glass of chocolate milk as the best post-workout drink for muscle growth. Perhaps ol' Sandow was on to something a hundred years ago when he came out with his...
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The Reg Park Muscle Builder
The Reg Park Muscle Builder! You got a 10-strand cable outfit ... a wall pulley attachment ... a headstrap ... foot stirrups ... two hand grips ... a mighty chest exercises ... a rowing machine ... and...
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Renald and Rudy
"Renald and Rudy" were one of the premier handbalancing acts of the vaudeville age. For almost three decades, they traveled all over the country and later appeared on several television shows...
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Unknown Indian Club Swinger
We unfortunately don't know much about this club swingin' gent but this picture was probably taken in the late 1800's. He does have some snappy duds and an excellent mustache though.
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Classic Polish Globe Weights
Great equipment practically begs to be used and I would say that would definitely be the case here. These classic Globe Barbells, Dumbbells, Kettlebells and Blockweights from a century ago can be found...
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Val De Genaro
The York Lifters all used to practice the bent press because the lift built incredible core strength. This, in turn, helped in increasing the Olympic Lifting total. One of the most talented of the...
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"Ya Gotta Use Your Head!"
Steve Jeck is fond of saying that "if you want to be a great stone lifter then ya gotta use your head." Here, he shows what he means -- at least in one sense. I don't know the weight of that particular...
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Archie Vanderpool
If you want to practice heavy partial deadlifts or hand-and-thigh lifts, you'll want a setup like Archie Vanderpool here. The strongman (and proud member of the York Barbell Club) from Woodbine, Iowa,...
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The Half-Moon Bench
To the oldtime bodybuilders and strength athletes "Chest Development" used to mean stretching and enlarging the rib cage, not working the pecs (which is what it has become today.) The theory behind...
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Grimek Training With The Automatic Exerciser
John Grimek loved to train with just about everything. Here's the man getting in a quick set of deadlifts with one of Professor Schmidt's Automatic Exerciser machines from way, way, way back in the...
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Bert Goodrich, The First Mr. America, Trained With Kettlebells
Among the many strength athletes who have trained with kettlebells is the very first Mr. America Bert Goodrich. In the article which accompanied this photograph, Goodrich mentioned that each of these...
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Stone Lifting in Tibet
Every culture has it's own "meaning" for strength. Here are a few interesting pictures from a stone lifting contest held at the 7th National Ethnic Games in Yinchuan, Northwest China's Ningxia...
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371 Pounds Overhead with One Hand!
Arthur Saxon has a legitimate claim for the greatest strength feat of all time with his bent-press of 371 pounds (he was said to have unofficially done 385 pounds.) Either way, it's a tremendous feat,...
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Milo Kettlebells
While kettlebells do certainly have a history in Russia and many other Eastern European countries, what many people don't realize is that kettlebells also have a long tradition in the United States as...
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Charles Rigoulot
Charles Rigoulot was one of France's greatest weightlifters and easily one of the strongest men of all time. He won a Gold medal at the 1924 Olympic Games, Cleaned and Jerked the famous Apollon Wheels...
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Milo of Crotona
Milo of Crotona, who lived during the 6th century B.C., was the greatest of the ancient Greek Athletes. He was a six-time wrestling Champion in the ancient Olympic Games and his strength was legendary....
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Traditional Indian Club Training
The swinging of "jori and gada" (heavy Indian clubs and maces) holds a special place in the ancient art of Kushti - (Traditional Indian Wrestling and Physical Culture Training.) In the akharas...
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