Great Strongmen of the Past and Feats of Strength

[BigKazWSM747]

I'd decided to kick start a thread devoted to the freaks of nature from the past with feats of strength to their credit. Feel free to add it any whether its strongman, powerlifting, or grip strength!

To start: Paul Anderson

some of pauls lifts:

Backlift: 6,270 lbs. (amazing totally crushing the previous record of 4,300 by Louis Cyr)
Bench Press: 627 lbs.
Squat: 1,206 lbs.
Deadlift: 820 lbs. (he also deadlifted 1,000 lbs. with metal hooks attached to his wrists)
Clean and Jerk: 480 lbs.
Push Press: 600 lbs. witnessed by Bob Hale
One Arm Press: 380 lbs.

"Paul Anderson was born October 17, 1932, in Toccoa, Georgia. Many accounts of Paul Anderson erroneously claim that he began lifting weights at Furman University which he attended for a year. According to Paul's brother in law, Mr. Julius M. Johnson, Mr. Anderson began weightlifting in his house where they had a 25 pound set of dumbbells and some old Strength and Health magazines while he was at Toccoa High School, not at Furman. He really began his weight training in the Johnson backyard where he developed his own training methods and techniques. By the time he reached Furman, he had already added over 100 pounds to his bodyweight and was making lifts that were close to the existing American records.

The reason he started to lift weights was very simple. When Paul started High School he wanted to play football, but was not large enough. So, Mr. Johnson gave him the dumbells and the magazines. He snatched them up right away and soon was scouring the junk yards looking for heavier weights to lift. In High School, he became first-team blocking back on the football team. He entered Furman University on a football scholarship. When he visited their gym, he saw and they saw how strong he already was. It was there that the idea of becoming a "strongman" entered his mind. It was at Furman that he began to try the Olympic lifts.

He left Furman after that one year and lived with his parents in Elizabethtown, Tennessee. He met Bob Peeples, a great lifter in his own right, and a devotee of the squat. So, in his early years, he trained mainly on the squat. This was a wise choice, for it gave him the basic strength to demolish all the official Olympic lifting records and many unofficial power records as well. Peeples recognized Paul's potential greatness and began to promote him and introduced him around weightlifting circles.

The rest is history. He squatted 900 while still an amateur and later did a legendary 1200 pounds for two reps as a pro. In all fairness, it must be said that there is some question if the 1200 went past parallel. But the 900, done without wraps or squat suits of any kind, was all the way down. Mr. Anderson's most impressive feat was the jerk press. Using a drive of the legs and then pressing the weight out, Paul made an incredible 565! To this day, this lift has never been duplicated. In 1955, he traveled as a Goodwill Ambassador from the United States to the Soviet Union. While there, his lifting surpassed many world records. Later that year, he won the World Championships. In his prime, he probably had the heaviest hip and thigh structure of any lifter in history. I am told that when he trained down to 330 pounds for the 1956 Olympics and actually had cuts in his thighs. He brought home the gold medal from the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. To date, he was the last American to win a gold medal in the Super Heavyweight Division. On June 12,1957, he lifted a total of 6,270 pounds in a backlift, which was listed in the Guiness Book of World Records as the greatest weight lifted by a human being. A great granite marker commemorating this great feat lies in front of his old house in Toccoa. He overhead pressed 400 pounds. He bench pressed 627 pounds. These were all done before there were world records. That's why we hardly ever hear of them, until now.

Towards the end of his life, Paul used to laugh about all the "legends" being told about him. One that he particularly enjoyed was a story that he had been seen pushing a bulldozer up the side of a mountain! There were so many things written about him, many of them based on little fact, that he came in the end to ignore them. Paul passed away in 1994 after a life-long bout with kidney disease."

credit to American Strength Legends for biography

[BigKazWSM747]

Here are some of Anderson's stats and pics of him...

Height: 5'9"
Weight: 330-360 lbs.
Thigh: 36"

[BigKazWSM747]

who needs a hammer?

[BigKazWSM747]

another

[BigKazWSM747]

1 handed dumbbell press...

[BPP]

good thread :)

hopefully when i get back to my apartment this weekend I can add somethin to the list :cool:

[FATHER FLEX]

:eek: Freaking beast! Good stuff bro!

[BigKazWSM747]

anderson preforming a full clean...

[BigKazWSM747]

The next strongman i'm going to cover is Bill Kazmaier one of the strongest men that ever lived (many put it between him and paul anderson for #1 slot).

Birthdate: Dec. 30, 1953 in Wisconsin
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 321 to 350 lbs.
Measurements:
60" chest
23" biceps
17" forearms
22+" neck
40" waist
32" thigh
20.5" calfs

Kaz's best big 3 lifts (in competition):
Bench: 661 lbs. (this was the world record for a very long time, unfortunately Kaz tore his right pec in the 1981 WSM bar bend and this took off 100 lbs. on his bench. Its very possible that had he not torn his pec he would have broken 700 lbs)
Deadlift: 887 lbs. (also a wr at the time)
Squat: 925 lbs.
Total: 2425 (this was the highest PL total for over 15 years i believe)

"A Biography:
He is 6' 3'' and ranged from 330 to 350 lbs. He has a 60" chest and 23'' biceps. He was born on December 30, 1953. He has superhuman strength and even superhuman eyesight: 20/13 in one eye and 20/11 in the other. He is still alive today. He is a powerlifter and strongman who thoroughly dominated the strength scene in the 1980s.

He lifted hard, ate a lot and competed for so long and in so many contests, why? Bill was always a big kid when he was growing up like his father. His father, William Bart. Kazmaier, was born in 1895 in Lancaster County, PA. Kaz's grandfather was born in 1871 in Germany and was a brewer by occupation living in Columbia, PA. His grandmother was Mimmie E. Wisser who was born in 1868 in Marietta, PA. There is some reason to believe that she is of Native American decent.

Bill grew up in the Southern Lakes region of Wisconsin. He was an excellent high school football player for Burlington High School. He also held the high school's records in the shot put and in the 100 meter dash. He had trouble with his grades. So, despite his great athletic talent, the University of Wisconsin was the only place that gambled on his admission. He was admitted on a five year program for financially challenged students. (If you were to ask him today, if he had any advise to young weightlifters what would it be, he would reply train hard and hit the books harder.) He played for Wisconsin from 1973-4 as their fullback. While at Wisconsin, he discovered his destiny: lifting weights.

Bill decided to leave school and become the top powerlifter in the world. He achieved this in short order. By 1979, at the young age of 25 years old, he did so winning the American powerlifting championships and the IPF world championship that year in the superheavyweight class.

Before he launched his career as a strongman, he worked as an oil rig rough neck, lumberjack and a bouncer in some really rough bars. He is remembered for his powers of concentration and perseverance over adversity. He was the first human to bench press over 300 kg. or 660 pounds. He held the world record bench at 661 pounds for a long time. He was the first man to lift all five McGlashen Stones in competition. He remains the only man to lift the Thomas Inch Dumbell overhead. He could cheat curl 315 pounds for fifteen reps. He still has the IPF and USPF Senior American record total in powerlifting (1100 kg. or 2420 lbs.). He set this in 1981 in Columbus, Georgia. He was an IPF champion twice in 1979 and 1983. In the 1978 national championships in the 125+ kg class in Dayton, Ohio, he squatted 865 lbs. He benched 622 pounds. He deadlifted 804 pounds. This gave him a total of 2292 pounds. In 1983 when he won again in Gothenberg, Sweden in the 125+ kg. weight class. He squatted 848 pounds. He benched 501 pounds with a sever pec injury. He deadlifted 799 pounds. This gave a total of 2149.

He also competed in the World's Strongest Man Contests. He competed in six of them. In 1979, he came in third. From 1980 until 1982, he won the competitions handsomely. He was the first man to win the WSM title three times in a row. In 1981, he tore his pec while bending cold rolled steel bars in the WSM. This makes his 1983 IPF championship all that much more significant. After this tear, he lost more than one-hundred pounds off his bench. He was forced by the organizers of the WSM into a premature retirement in those competitions. He was simply too dominant in the WSM. The organizers decided not to invite the reigning WSM back to compete for several years. Instead of throwing in the towel and giving up, he continued to compete in lesser known strong man tournaments, such as the Ultimate Challenge and the Le Defi Mark Ten. He returned to the World's Strongest Man Contest in 1988 and came in second to John Paul Sigmarsson. In 1989, he competed again. He came in fourth because he severely strained his ankle in the first event.

He is perhaps the single most studied human in history. While he worked as the Strength and Conditioning coach at the University of Auburn, the University's National Strength Research Center evaluated every aspect of Kaz. His power is the basis for the Holden Thesis concerning Sauropods. In 1983, he returned for a brief stint in the WFL. He turned down offers from the Jacksonville Bulls. In 1981, he tried out for the Green Bay Packers; however, he had to leave camp because of his pec injury."
-from ASL

[BigKazWSM747]

feats of strength to Kaz's credit:

3rd place in WSM- 1979
1st place in WSM- 1980-1983 (he wasn't invited back until 1988)
2nd place in WSM- 1988
4th place in WSM- 1989 (he hurt his ankle in the 1st event)

#2 All-Time Squat in the WSM- 969 lbs. (done in 1981)

World Record Barbell Curl- 440 lbs. (1985)

World Record Log Press: 375 lbs. (1988)

1st man to lift all 5 McGloshsen in competition (1988)

World Record Dumbbell Press: 100s x 40 reps!

broke the record for the 56 lb. weight toss numerous times

tied for #2 all-time in the silver dollar deadlift: 1055 lbs.

[BigKazWSM747]

Kaz was also the 1st man to press the Thomas Inch Dumbbell (weighing 193 lbs. and having a handle over 3 inches thick) overhead. Only 4 men before him had ever lifted it to the knees. Mark Henry is the only other man to have pressed the thomas inch dumbbell overhead.

[BigKazWSM747]

Kaz also broke the side lateral raise and hold recordof louis cyr (and the front raise as well) by lifting 89 lbs. in his left hand and 101 lbs. in his right. Here's a pic.

It is also worth mentioning Kaz was able to hold a 56 pound weight for 30 seconds with his arm perfectly parallel to the floor using only his pinky.

[BigKazWSM747]

pic of the 661 lb. bench...

[BigKazWSM747]

Kaz deadlifting...

[BigKazWSM747]

kaz deadlifting a cart at the 1988 WSM comp...

[BigKazWSM747]

kaz squatting...

[BigKazWSM747]

kaz celebrating after breaking the 56 lb. weight toss for height record...

[BigKazWSM747]

kaz with another great strongman jon paul siggmarrison (a 4 time WSM winner)

[BigKazWSM747]

rear lat shot...

[BigKazWSM747]

Kaz shouldering the #3 stone

[BigKazWSM747]

another shot of kaz's back

[BigKazWSM747]

as you can see kaz is still a beast today...

[BigKazWSM747]

1 more...

[BigKazWSM747]

last one. I would also like to mention Bill Kazmaier is the last american to win the WSM competition.

[BigKazWSM747]

next up is Ed Coan one of the greatest powerlifters of all time. He was the 1st man to break kaz's 2425 lb. total with 2463 lbs. He also did this at a 239 lb. bodyweight!

Here are some of his lifts (all of these were done with only one squat suit and 1 bench shirt):

(in competition)
Squat: 1003 pounds
Bench: 573 pounds
Deadlift: 901 pounds

(in training)
Squat: 975 lbs.
Bench: 585 lbs.
Deadlift: 900x2

[BigKazWSM747]

pic of ed coan squatting...

[BigKazWSM747]

Next up is Don Reinhoudt (feel free to pitch in at any time guys :p:D)

Birthdate: March 6, 1945
Height: 6'3.5"
Weight: 360 to 380 lbs.
Measurements:
60" chest
22.75" biceps
18.5" forearms
22" neck
34" thigh

best lifts:
Squat(in Competition):935 lbs.
Bench(in Competition):606 lbs.
Deadlift(in Competition):885 lbs.
Powerlifting Total: 2426 (his best in a single meet was 2420)

other lifts and feats of strength:
365 lb. tricep EZ bar extension
2,550 lb. car lift
20,000 tram pull
1,000 lb. girl lift (squat)
incline benched 575
520 lb. teeth lift


accomplishments:
-a 4-time in a row IPF superheavyweight champion

-1st man to have over a 2400 lb. total

-holds the #1 all-time WSM squat- 1,000 lbs. (in the girl lift)

-1978 runner up in the WSM

-winner of the 1979 WSM

[BigKazWSM747]

pic of the girl lift...

[BigKazWSM747]

don deadlifting a car

[BigKazWSM747]

video of 900 lb. bench press:

http://ironmagazineforums.com/temp/900lb_bench.wmv

[ChubbyPenguin]

You can all find all ov KAZ's feats of strength on my site.

The ARTICLES section is down but the two articles that were there were Amazing, I'll try and get them back.

[BigKazWSM747]

bump, nice site. It has 2 of kaz's routines in case anyone is curious (i would be careful using the same though b/c kaz was a freak!)

http://kazmaier.150m.com/KAZ.html

[AMG]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by BigKazWSM747

b/c kaz was a freak!


No doubt.

[BigKazWSM747]

that 440 lb. curl is insane! Its probably gonna be awhile before anyone tops that.

[AMG]

Originally posted by BigKazWSM747
that 440 lb. curl is insane! Its probably gonna be awhile before anyone tops that.


That is SICK Biceps power!

[BigKazWSM747]

Louis Cyr

1863 - 1912


Louis Cyr was in his first strongman competition at the age of 17, when he faced Michaud of Quebec. The young man defeated the reigning Canadian strongman by lifting a granite boulder weighing over 400 pounds. After spending some time as a lumberjack, Cyr became a professional strongman, touring all over the United States and Europe.
At the height of his career, Cyr stood only 5'10" tall but he weighed over 300 pounds and had a 60" chest when it was expanded (55.2" normally). Several of his weightlifting feats and strongman stunts have been exaggerated over the years but some were documented and are still considered impressive today. Examples: he back-lifted a platform holding eighteen men (4,300 lbs); he lifted 553 pounds off the floor with one finger; he pushed a freight car up an incline.

One of Cyr's most-talked about stunts occured on 10 December 1891 in Montreal. Four horses were tied to his arms (two on each side) and, while the grooms whipped and urged the horses to pull, Cyr managed to restrain all of them.

Louis Cyr died in 1912 and many say he ate himself to death. The official cause, however, was listed as chronic nephritis.

[BigKazWSM747]

pic of louis....

[BigKazWSM747]

going into the realm of olympic lifting...

Vasily Alexyev

-taken from www.cnnsi.com

He was regarded as the strongest man in the world, and Vasily Alexeyev let no one forget it. From 1970, when at 28 he won his first world championship and became the first man to lift more than 500 pounds in the clean and jerk, until the Moscow Games 10 years later, the Soviet superheavyweight set 80 world records and won two Olympic gold medals. Then, as happens to all strong men, age and infirmity drained him of his immense power.

In his prime Alexeyev was a forbidding figure, 6'1" and weighing nearly 350 pounds, scowling and blue-jowled. He would stride ponderously to the platform, stand before the barbell with eyes tightly closed, as if in a trance, and then with astonishing speed hoist the great weights overhead. As spectators gasped, he would lower the weights and imperiously take his leave. He was, in every sense, a presence. (The superheavyweight competition will be held today at the Georgia World Congress Center.)

But Alexeyev was also capable of great gregariousness. He and his wife, appropriately named Olimpiada, enjoyed entertaining in their fine home in the mining city of Shakhty. He was an avid reader, Jack London being, as with many Soviets at the time, a particular passion. He spent hours in his flower garden.

Alexeyev attributed much of his strength to his early training as a woodcutter, working alongside his lumberjack father. He didn't begin lifting until he was 21, and seven years passed before he won that first world championship. However, he became the sport's most recognizable figure after he won his first superheavyweight gold at the 1972 Munich Games, setting an Olympic record of 1,411 total pounds in the three lifts—press, snatch and jerk. He reached the pinnacle at the 1976 Montreal Games, when the competition was confined to two lifts. He was confronted there by East Germany's Gerd Bonk, who, 10 years younger at 24, had already broken Alexeyev's clean-and-jerk record with a lift of 557 pounds.

In Montreal, Alexeyev waited patiently in the warmup room until Bonk completed his efforts in the snatch with a lift of 375 pounds. Then, arrogantly, Alexeyev began by lifting his own Olympic record of 386 pounds and subsequently increased the weight until he had lifted 408. In the clean and jerk Bonk bettered Alexeyev's Olympic record of 507 pounds with his final lift of 518. Alexeyev had already clinched the gold with total lifts of 915 pounds to Bonk's 893, but spurred by the challenge he ordered new weights added to the bar to bring it up to 562 pounds—a world record if he could lift it.

The crowd cheered the great champion's stately march to the platform. Alexeyev fell into his momentary trance. Then, with a mighty grunt, he hoisted the barbell to his shoulders, pausing there for the final push. He first staggered backward and then to one side as he raised the weights overhead. As the crowd thundered its approval, he held the barbell steady before dropping it triumphantly to the floor.

He would add another half pound to his record in the coming months, before suddenly falling on hard times. At the '78 world championships he popped a tendon in his right hip while attempting to clean-and-jerk 529 pounds and was forced to withdraw. He virtually dropped from sight after that until the 1980 Moscow Games. At that time Alexeyev was 38, grossly overweight and not entirely recovered from his injury, but he desperately wanted to win a third Olympic gold in his own country.

It was not to be. Three times he failed at 397 pounds in the snatch and was quickly eliminated. This time he walked off to the jeers of the home crowd. But he had lost none of his bravado. "I am an old and very strong horse," he said. "This is not the end."

But it was.

[BigKazWSM747]

pic of him snatching...

[BigKazWSM747]

clean...

[BigKazWSM747]

Serge Redding deserves a mention as well for being the first man to snatch over 400 lbs.

[BigKazWSM747]

1 more...

[AMG]

Originally posted by BigKazWSM747
pic of him snatching...

That's an awesome pic.


Those things are a pain. :)

[BPP]

Originally posted by BigKazWSM747
clean...

damn them big quads :eek:

[BigKazWSM747]

here's a pic of 2 time WSM winner (and 1 time runner up i believe) Jouko Ahola.

[BigKazWSM747]

bodybuilder/strongman Franco Columbu deadlifting a car...

[BigKazWSM747]

Magnus Ver Magnusson
stats:
height: 6'3"
weight: 286 lbs.
Chest: 145cm
waist: 105cm
biceps: 52cm

Magnús Ver was born on the 23. April 1963 in Egilstaðir, Iceland. After indulging in a wider range of sporting activities Magnús Ver Magnússon began power lifting in 1984 and in 1985 won a medal in the junior European and World Championships.

A few years later in 1989 and again in 1990 he won Senior European titles in the 125kg category. His totals often exceed those of everybody else in the competition regardless of body weight and as a result, he has gained several "Best lifter" awards. Notable lifts include Squat 400 kg, bench press 274.5 kg, dead lift 375 kg. Total of 1015 kg. In powerlifting he has won the European Championship twice, in 1989 and 1991.

Magnus is also a 4-time WSM winner. He is also placed 3rd and 4th in the WSM and did not qualify one time.

[BigKazWSM747]

magnus pulling a truck...

[Woden]

Didn't Magnus also curl a 440 to match Bill's?

[BigKazWSM747]

next up is Svend Karlsen

here is what Svend had to say about his early days:

"I started to lift weights at the age of 14, and my goal was allways to be number one, big and strong. My background is from Power-lifting and then Bodybuilding. I wanted to be like Arnold !. First I became a Power-lifter, so from 1986 to 1989 I broke about 30 Norwegian power-lifting records, 3 European and 1 world record. I won the Norwegian championship 3 times, the Nordic Championship and became 3’rd in both the European and the World Championship. In 1990 I decided to started to compete in bodybuilding and won the Norwegian Championship in the heavy weight division and several other titles. In 1993 I became number 2 in the World Games and that earned me a I.F.B.B Pro-card. I competed in a few pro-shows, but a muscle tore prevented me from getting any high placing. I entered shows like the 1994 New York Night of the Champions.

So in 1996 after retired from bodybuilding I got a call from Illka Kinunnen, one of the IFSA’s Vice Presidents. He wanted me to compete in Strongman, and the World Strongest Man Competition !. I was only one point ahead from getting into the final that year, so I decided to” give it a shot” ,train hard and heavy and really go for it!. ”NO GUTS, NO GLORY”!. “Once upon a time”, is no history……………"

Here is svend's competition record...(1st is competition, 2nd thing is where it was, last # is his placing):

Strongest Man in the North 1996 Finland 5
World Strongest Man 1996 Mauritius Not Q for final
World Series Strongman Challenge 1997 Australai 3
European Hercules 1997 Finland 4
World Strongest Man 1997 USA 8 ( got injured)
Helsinki Grand Prix 1998 Finland 2
Atlantic Giant 1998 Faro Island 3
World Strongest Man 1999 Malta 3
Helsinki Grand Prix 2000 Finland 3
Ireland Grand Prix 2000 Ireland 3
Beauty & The Beast 2000 Hawaii 2
Prague Grand Prix 2000 Czech Rep. 2
Romania Grand Prix 2000 Romania 4
China Grand Prix 2000 China 4
World Strongest Man 2000 Sun City, South Africa 2
Northeast Strongman Showdown 2001 Wilmington Massachusetts 1
Polish Grand Prix 2001 Sopot, Poland 3
Europe's Strongest Man 2001 Helsinki, Finland 1
Dutch Grand Prix 2001 Germany 3
Beauty & The Beast 2001 Hawaii 3
World Muscle Power 2001 Scotland 2
Prague Grand Prix 2001 Czech Rep. 2
World Record Breakers 2001 Finland 1
X-treme Strongman Challenge 2001 USA 1
World Strongest Man 2001 Zambia 1
Stockholm Grand Prix Sweden 3
Northeast Strongman Showdown 2002 USA 2
Arnold Classic strongman Contest 2002 USA 2
Vantaa Challenge 2002 Finland 2
Atlantic Giants 2002 Faroe Island 1
Clash of Titans 2002 Scotland 1
Clash of the Celtic giants 2002 Ireland 2
Europe Strongest Man 2002 Poland 3
World Strongest Man 2002 Malaysia 5
China Grand Prix 2002 China 1
Sweden Grand Prix Super Series 2002 Sweden 2
Team World vs. Poland 2002 Poland 1
Super Series Final 2002 Hawaii 2
Hawaii Grand Prix Super Series Hawaii 9
Arnold Classic Strongman contest 2003 USA 2
Helsinki Grand Prix 2003 Finland 6
World Muscle & Power 2003 Canada 6
Holland Grand Prix Super Series 2003 Holland 5
Europe Strongest Man 2003 Poland 6
Canada Grand Prix Super Series 2003 Canada 3
World Team Championship 2003 Hungry 5
Finland Grand Prix Super Series 2003 Finland 4
World Record Breaker 2003 Poland 5
Norway Strongest Man 2003 Tvedestrand,Norway 1
MHP X-TREME STRONGMAN Championship 2003 Atlanta USA 2

[BPP]

Magnus curled 405, not 440i got a pic..ill pull it up ina bit

[BigKazWSM747]

carrying the super yoke...

[BigKazWSM747]

some of svend training

[BigKazWSM747]

Originally posted by Woden
Didn't Magnus also curl a 440 to match Bill's?

i don't believe so. If he did its the first i've heard of it. It would probably have been magnus sammuelsson if it was, as i doubt ver magnusson could have done it.

[BigKazWSM747]

overhead press...

[BigKazWSM747]

Originally posted by bigpoppaproppy
Magnus curled 405, not 440i got a pic..ill pull it up ina bit

which one ver magnusson or sammuelsson?

[BPP]

Magnuss's curl

[BigKazWSM747]

oh yeah thats magnus sammuelsson. He's a beast. A past WSM winner as well.

[BigKazWSM747]

here's a pic of Svend flexing at a comp.

[BigKazWSM747]

svend on the cover of powermag...

[BigKazWSM747]

another of jouko ahola...

[BPP]

Originally posted by BigKazWSM747
oh yeah thats magnus sammuelsson. He's a beast. A past WSM winner as well.

yeah hehe
sorry..saw magnus and wasnt payin attention
:D

[BigKazWSM747]

do you know when they are going to air this year's WSM on ESPN? I heard sometime around X-mas have you heard anything?

[BPP]

if I remember right
XMAS eve is the typica first airing

plus new yers day always has a marathonof WSM reruns :cool:

[BigKazWSM747]

Originally posted by bigpoppaproppy
if I remember right
XMAS eve is the typica first airing

plus new yers day always has a marathonof WSM reruns :cool:

awesome. Hopefully they'll show some of the beginning ones and a few from the 80s. I've always wanted to see the one Reinhoudt one, where O.D. Wilson almost won, and some of sigmarrison's wins.

[BPP]

yeah
they need to come out with a box set :)

[midian]

this deserves another bump, so much nice information in this thread, i loved reading every word of it

[John Hicks]

How about profiling some of the other oldtime strongmen, like Arthur Saxon, Hermann Goerner or Edward Aston?

[Woden]

http://www.sandowplus.co.uk/Competition/Mighty%20Men/mm1.htm

[BigKazWSM747]

I've decided to add on to this thread again and bring it back to life.

Given Mariusz's recent 2nd WSM win, it seems fitting that he join the ranks of these other individuals.

some info from Mariusz's website:

The measurements of Mariusz Pudzianowski:
- Biceps 57 cm
- Nape 54 cm
- Waist 90 cm
- Thigh 77 cm
- Weight 131 kg
- Height 186 cm
- Chest 146 cm
- Forearm 44 cm

Own records:
- Bench Press 255.5 kg
- Squat 320 kg
- Deadlift 360 kg

11. He was also a competitive boxer for seven years, three of which were spent in the Kosedowski League. On May 1, 1999, Mariusz entered his first Strongman competition, which was held in P?ock, Poland. Mariusz is a favorite every Strongman competition he enters, having been defeated only twice in Poland through 2002, and his worst placing being a respectable second.

Strong Man's World Records held by Mariusz Pudzianowski:
- The clock
- The parallel stairs (carrying 3 weight on the stairs)
- The walk of lumberman (carrying of 180kg heavy block)
- Over - rolling of tire (8 turns)
- Run with suitcases of 125kg each
- The walk of farmer
- Combined competition (embarking of sacks and run with an anvil)

[BigKazWSM747]

pressing a steel log...

[BigKazWSM747]

pulling a camper...

[BigKazWSM747]

Originally posted by John Hicks
How about profiling some of the other oldtime strongmen, like Arthur Saxon, Hermann Goerner or Edward Aston?

alright. Ill try to add some of them over the weekend. :)

[BigKazWSM747]

mariusz pulling a train car...

[BigKazWSM747]

flipping a massive tire...

[BigKazWSM747]

and the last one...mariusz with his fellow competitors

[BigKazWSM747]

Next up is Arthur Saxon. Here is a good page to read about him: http://www.americanpowerliftevolution.net/Saxonarticle1.html

[midian]

Originally posted by BigKazWSM747
Next up is Arthur Saxon. Here is a good page to read about him: http://www.americanpowerliftevolution.net/Saxonarticle1.html

holy **** is that a bent press ??

[BigKazWSM747]

another pic of Saxon...

[BigKazWSM747]

Originally posted by midian
holy **** is that a bent press ??

yep, I believe thats over 300 lbs. on the bar.

[midian]

Originally posted by BigKazWSM747
yep, I believe thats over 300 lbs. on the bar.

:eek: i'm having trouble doing that with tha bar alone

[BigKazWSM747]

1 more...

[Woden]

Think about what some of these old time dudes could do with some juice...

[BigKazWSM747]

Hermann Goerner was a German strongman who in 1928, at a bodyweight of 220 lbs., did a one-arm deadlift with 727.5 lbs. This feat is yet to be matched. Goerner could do a one-arm barbell clean with 297.62 lbs, a strict barbell curl with 220.46 pounds, a righthand snatch with 264.55 lbs. and a two-arm snatch with his arms crossed with 231 lbs.

[BigKazWSM747]

lifting two men overhead...

[BigKazWSM747]

Single Handed Lifts
By David Gentle

Posted on NaturalStrength.com on 30 June 2000

There is some magic association of numbers and strength poundages. For example, the first 1,000 pound barrier in the three Olympic lifts was made by Steve Stanko back in York in 1941. Later, much later, we had Dr. Fred Hatfield actually squatting with 1,000 lbs. and many others have followed. Another earlier barrier was the 500 pound bench press - now it's over 700 lbs. with Anthony Clark achieving highest total to date powerlifting. For most non-weightlifters, 300 lbs./136 kgs. Is just about enough to deadlift; so with such an appreciative weight, it would take a real strong man to lift that overhead.

In the United Kingdom, on July 24, 1913, at Crystal Palace, London, Edward Aston became the first Englishman to lift 300 lbs. overhead with one hand. Amongst his variety of feats, Aston could do a single arm snatch with 180 lbs. and single handed clean to the shoulder with 250 lbs./113.3 kg. Later, Ron Walker did 320 lbs. in this lift. Single handed lifts always appear impressive as they truthfully suggest that the performer could lift twice as much with two hands. This common misconception was capitalized upon by most of the old time professional strength performers and still fools the layman today.

Most weights look very much the same to an audience (i.e. 300 lbs. or 400 lbs. from a short distance vary little in appearance.) Most of the old timers substituted human weights, which are far more impressive than solid iron. Aston copied his predecessor Thomas Inch and lifted two young ladies overhead. Inch, in his turn, got the idea no doubt from Eugene Sandow. Sandow used to lift overhead with just his right hand, two immense spheres (via a "dumbbell"). On lowering the dumbell, from out of the two hallow weights would jump two men dressed as clowns, or at times young ladies in bulky - to give the impression of being heavy - dresses.

Sandow, although a great showman and pioneer of bodybuilding, was never, as he often claimed, the World's Strongest Man - that title was better fitted in his era to others like Cyr, Saxon, or Goerner. Saxon's power in single-handed lifting was frightening. He far exceeded Sandow's poundages; for example, regularly during his stage act, he pressed two men seated in a sling affair overhead, then passed them from one hand to the other. The combined weight of that lot was at times said to be 314 lbs./142 kgs. His best official poundage in the bent press - a single handed lift, often described as the "screw" lift because of the technique required to turn when lifting - was 371 lbs. in Stuttgart in 1905. Unofficially, he lifted as much as 386 lbs. witnessed by William Bankier (Apollo) and others, reported in detail at the time in Health and Strength magazine. With just his little finger, using a leather loop, he once raised overhead 297 lbs./135 kgs. - surely the most weight ever lifted aloft with just a single digit.

Lifting weights from the ground with a single padded finger ring has seen some mighty records made especially by men who specialized on such stunts. I recall a conversation with John Grimek when he mentioned he too used to practice such lifting, using 300 lbs. for reps, but gave up because it hurt too much. The record for such a lift was claimed by a relatively unknown weightlifter R. Weeks, who also claimed a world record chest expansion with 760 lbs. circa 1941 as reported in Strength and Health mag at the time. Better witnessed and believable is the poundage of the Coney Island strongman, Warren Lincoln Travis, who lifted the equivalent of four men with one finger, or the weight of 667 lbs./302.5 kgs.

The French Canadian Louis Cyr lifted 552.5 lbs with one digit. In the one handed deadlift, no doubt Hermann Goerner gets the award with a right hand deadlift of 727 1/2 lbs./330 kgs. On 8th Oct., 1920. Later Goerner, again using one hand, deadlifted a block of sandstone with a handle attached which weighed 734 1/2 lbs./333 kgs. Goerner, like Saxon, did many fine feats during his time with circuses, with both men being fine all around lifters.

John C. Grimek has always been an all rounder practicing a "thousand and one" exercises, including many feats of strength. On discussing Saxon and the bent press to me in a letter dated Jan. 26, 1984 - and later in direct conversation in London - he [Grimek] said, "...I may have related to you or some others that around 1960 or '61 when we moved to our gym on Ridge Ave., one afternoon I wanted to see how [the] over 400 lbs. would feel at my shoulder that Saxon experienced when he bent pressed over 400 lbs. I loaded the bar to 415 lbs. which weighed 418 1/2 lbs. After getting (rocking) it to my shoulder, it felt so comfortable I began to bend...just to see how it felt. Yet, I had pushed the weight to arms length, but did not make any attempt to straighten up, but allowed the weight to come down on the platform. Of all the times I would have appreciated having a picture taken, everyone in the gym apparently was too stunned to take one..." There is nothing I can add to that demonstration of power.

John Grimek, better known to most readers as a legendary bodybuilder, was as you can now imagine a tough all round lifter. Quoting his other single handed lifts as follows, "...side press, best effort during the 1940s was 265 lbs., keeping legs locked. One handed clean; I could clean anywhere from 225 to 270 lbs. Power snatch with right hand 210 lbs. and the one handed swing for a time was [my] favorite. I meant to bring this swing bar to London in 1949 for my exhibition. I was going to demonstrate at least 240 to 250 lbs..."

The range of lifts or feats of strength classified as "single handed" is enormous; from the dumbbell swings, snatches, cleans, presses etc. to one arm press ups, usually practiced by devotees of the martial arts. From giant lifters such as Paul Anderson, the first "squat machine, " who could do repetition presses with a 300 pound dumbbell; to the diminutive, but powerful Lillian Leitzel, who at just 4'9" and a bodyweight of 90 lbs., held the record for one handed chins doing 27 reps in Philadelphia U.S.A. back in 1918. Lillian, a circus performer, used to do over 100 reps regularly on a trapeze of her "one arm dislocation," or single arm giant swings (the audience used to count the reps) building up to a climax. Once, she performed 429 reps during a performance around 1920-30. She was very famous and popular in her time. During a performance on the high rings, she pressed into a handstand, only to have one of the rings collapse. She fell 29 feet to the floor, dying 28 days later on Feb. 13, 1931.

Certainly, the recently deceased Mr. Universe, Jack Delinger, could manage three or more reps of one arm chins with either hand; hopefully, current champs are also capable of demonstrating their ability along with muscle size.

It is encouraging to discover that many muscle only shows are now once again reverting to spacing our the physique line ups with strength acts and competitions. For example, maximum rep bench presses with bodyweight; high rep press ups or dips; or someone once again rolls out a challenge dumbbell.

It worked well before, let's hope it revives interest in single handed lifts...

[midian]

this thread should be a sticky it's great motivation, some history and culture ;)

[BigKazWSM747]

Here is a pic of 2 time WSM Jouko Ahola successfully lifting the heaviest atlas stone ever at 474 lbs!

[BigKazWSM747]

In 'Strength Athlete' magazine there were interviews with different Strongmen each issue.. one of the questions asked to every Strongman was to name his 'strongest' Strongman of all time and his 'best' Strongman of all time.. check it out:

JOUKO AHOLA
Strongest-Riku Kiri
Best-Magnus ver Magnusson

HJALTI ARNASSON
Strongest-O.D Wilson
Best-Jamie Reeves

GERRIT BADENHORST
Strongest-Riku Kiri
Best-Magnus ver Magnusson

JAMIE BARR
Strongest-Riku Kiri
Best-Jon Pall Sigmarsson

BRIAN BELL
Strongest-Riku Kiri
Best-Geoff Capes

RAIMONDS BERGMANIS
Strongest-Gerrit Badenhorst
Best-Magnus ver Magnusson

ANDY BOLTON
Strongest-Bill Kazmaier
Best-Riku Kiri

ANTON BOUCHER
Strongest-Gerrit Badenhorst
Best-Manfred Hoeberl

RUSS BRADLEY
Strongest-Gary Taylor
Best-Geoff Capes

RICKY BROWN
Strongest-Bill Kazmaier
Best-Geoff Capes

TJALLING VAN DEN BOSCH
Strongest-Bill Kazmaier
Best-Geoff Capes

GEOFF CAPES
Strongest-Bill Kazmaier
Best-Jon Pall Sigmarsson

FORBES COWAN
Strongest-Gary Taylor
Best-Geoff Capes

HAMISH DAVIDSON
Strongest-Geoff Capes
Best-Jon Pall Sigmarsson

CLEVE DEAN
Strongest-O.D Wilson
Best-Geoff Capes

DOUGIE EDMUNDS
Strongest-Riku Kiri
Best-Geoff Capes

EDDIE ELLWOOD
Strongest-Bill Kazmaier
Best-Gary Taylor

GREGG ERNST
Strongest-O.D Wilson
Best-Geoff Capes

LARS HEDLUND
Strongest-Don Reinhoudt
Best-Bill Kazmaier

MARK HIGGINS
Strongest-O.D Wilson
Best-Geoff Capes

MANFRED HOEBERL
Strongest-Gary Taylor
Best-Magnus ver Magnusson

SVEND KARLSEN
Strongest-Gerrit Badenhorst
Best-Jon Pall Sigmarsson

BILL KAZMAIER
Strongest-O.D Wilson
Best-Riku Kiri

ILLKA KINNUNEN
Strongest-Riku Kiri
Best-Riku Kiri

RIKU KIRI
Strongest-Bill Kazmaier
Best-Jon Pall Sigmarsson

TOM MAGEE
Strongest-Bill Kazmaier
Best-Jon Pall Sigmarsson

MAGNUS VER MAGNUSSON
Strongest-O.D Wilson
Best-Geoff Capes

MARCEL MOSTERT
Strongest-Riku Kiri
Best-Magnus ver Magnusson

MARTIN MUHR
Strongest-Gerrit Badenhorst
Best-Magnus ver Magnusson

STUART MURRAY
Strongest-Gary Taylor
Best-Geoff Capes

ILLKA NUMMISTO
Strongest-Bill Kazmaier
Best-Jon Pall Sigmarsson

TORFI OLAFSSON
Strongest-Riku Kiri
Best-Magnus ver Magnusson

HEINZ OLLESCH
Strongest-Riku Kiri
Best-Magnus ver Magnusson

JOE ONASAI
Strongest-O.D Wilson
Best-Magnus ver Magnusson

TED VAN DER PARRE
Strongest-O.D Wilson
Best-Geoff Capes

BILL PITTUCK
Strongest-Riku Kiri
Best-Geoff Capes

WAYNE PRICE
Strongest-Gary Taylor
Best-Manfred Hoeberl

FLEMMING RASMUSSEN
Strongest-Riku Kiri
Best-Riku Kiri

JAMIE REEVES
Strongest-Bill Kazmaier
Best-Geoff Capes

DON REINHOUDT
Strongest-O.D Wilson
Best-Bill Kazmaier

GLENN ROSS
Strongest-Bill Kazmaier
Best-Geoff Capes

MAGNUS SAMUELSSON
Strongest-Gerrit Badenhorst
Best-Jon Pall Sigmarsson

JON PALL SIGMARSSON
Strongest-Bill Kazmaier
Best-Geoff Capes

ADRIAN SMITH
Strongest-O.D Wilson
Best-Geoff Capes

GARY TAYLOR
Strongest-Gerrit Badenhorst
Best-Manfred Hoeberl

HENNING THORSEN
Strongest-O.D Wilson
Best-Jon Pall Sigmarsson

BEREND VENEBERG
Strongest-Riku Kiri
Best-Jon Pall Sigmarsson

JANNE VIRTANEN
Strongest-Riku Kiri
Best-Jouko Ahola

BRUCE WILHELM
Strongest-Gary Taylor
Best-Jon Pall Sigmarsson

O.D WILSON
Strongest-Don Reinhoudt
Best-Bill Kazmaier

AB WOLDERS
Strongest-Bill Kazmaier
Best-Jon Pall Sigmarsson

SIMON WULFSE
Strongest-Bill Kazmaier
Best-Geoff Capes

WOUT ZIJLSTRA
Strongest-Gary Taylor
Best-Geoff Capes

[holyshinto63]

Originally posted by BigKazWSM747
yep, I believe thats over 300 lbs. on the bar.

yeah it was 448 pounds

[BigKazWSM747]

Ok the next two up will be Riku Kiri and O.D. Wilson . I'm looking all over the net for info and pics so if you have anything to add it would be most appreciated, especially for O.D.

[BigKazWSM747]

-special thanks to Turbo Charge for the details...

RIKU KIRI (Finland)
Height-6ft4/6ft5
Weight-300-350lbs

Riku is a Finnish Strength Legend, infact he's a World Strength Legend! Riku Kiri had bags and bags of functional strength (real-world strength with various objects etc), the strength feats Riku did at exhibitions/seminars
are unmatchable, far too many world records to list. Iron Bar Bends, Bricklifts, breaking tiles/paving slabs with bare hands, smashing nails through boards with bare hands (despite leeding). Riku holds all the world
records in super strength tests such as Backlift (unsure of weight and format), One Arm Deadlift (300kg/660lbs), Front Squat (340kg/750lbs), Leg Press (1400kg/3000+lbs), Hack Squat (unsure of weight and format).

Riku has very naturally strong hips and fingers, he has done 220kg for 22 reps in the Bench Press (500lbs). Riku has officially Bench Pressed more than Kaz, sticter than Kaz, while younger than Kaz, while lighter than Kaz, with much longer arms than Kaz, it was 302.5kg (670lbs) RAW! Riku attempted 320kg (700lbs) RAW Bench Press on the same night but the judges didn't count
it because it touched the racks on the way up. Riku has Deadlifted 352.5kg (almost 800lbs) for 7 full reps RAW! Riku has also Deadlifted 380kg (840lbs) RAW 4 full reps RAW! Riku unfortunately hasn't gone any lower than 4 reps
since he stopped Powerlifting in 1990 at 26 years old, otherwise he'd of lifted HUGE weights in the Powerlift's with no suits or shirts.

Riku has done a High Bar Close Stance Raw Pause Squat with 380kg (840lbs) and that is absolutely amazing strength in the thighs and all-round explosiveness.
Riku Kiri is my tip for the strongest man ever, he reps with loads of weight attached to his belt in chins and dips at the gym, for his long arms and bodymass that's just unreal! Riku Kiri is also a talented Strongman, he has never lost a competition outside of the World's Strongest Man contest unless
he had to pull out injured, he'd often win competitions by massive
point margins and whenever there was a really heavy event he'd always win. In terms of shifting heavy stuff (heavy Farmer's Walk, heavy Sled Dragging, heavy Wheelbarrow, heavy Cart Push, heavy Loading, heavy Atlas Stones, heavy
Super Yoke, heavy Truck Pulls etc) there is nobody who came anywhere near him, the heavier the objects the better it suited Riku Kiri! He never lost in man against man events (Pole Push, Tug of War, Sumo Wrestling, Harness Pull opposite directions, Rugby/Football Sled Push). His Tug of War and Dragging strength was out of this world. He is super super strong. He also
has all the Power Stairs and Duck Walk world records, not to mention Car Roll and Tire Flip, not to mention Rocklift to chest as well. He is also the strongest overhead thrower of all time outside of the Highland Games events.

Kazmaier once said that Kiri would be the only guy he wouldn't brush aside at his best. When all is said and done Riku Kiri was one strong son of a bitch!

-once again thanks to Turbo Charge

[BigKazWSM747]

some more pics of riku...

[BigKazWSM747]

deadlifting at a WSM competition (with various injuries at the time)

[BigKazWSM747]

another pic...

[BigKazWSM747]

pulling a tractor

[BigKazWSM747]

easily putting an atlas stone on the platform.

[BigKazWSM747]

competing in the hercules hold (another one of his good events). Riku is considered to be one of the strongest men to never win the WSM.

[Rookie]

Hey this is an awesome thread. The mods should make this a sticky.

[BigKazWSM747]

Originally posted by Rookie
Hey this is an awesome thread. The mods should make this a sticky.

PM Deciever about it and maybe he'll make it one.

I'll be adding O.D. Wilson tomorrow.

[BigKazWSM747]

-special thanks once again to Turbo Charge for the info on O.D. Wilson (which seems very hard to come by)

O.D WILSON (USA)
Height-6ft5
Weight-400+lbs

"I don't know as much about O.D Wilson other than that O.D was the first man to break Kaz's PL total only for the judges to disqualify him (for reasons I'm unsure).

O.D is renowned as the strongest Sqautter of all time ahead of Paul Anderson because O.D did 455kg (1000lbs) for a double rock bottom and RAW! The difference between O.D and Paul Anderson was that Paul Anderson was 5ft9 with short legs and O.D was 6ft5 with long legs, probably making O.D abit stronger at Squatting (he had to lift further). O.D could also Deadlift over 400kg (880lbs) with straight legs and RAW! O.D could also Snatch more weight than he could Clean&Jerk, this was with awful technique as well.

He had tons of raw natural strength and would often manhandle things in Strongman competitions. O.D only started strength training at 33 years old and unfortunately died at 37 years old while his strength was still improving (RIP)! Kaz once said that O.D had the potential to lift more weight than anybody ever."

other notes...

O.D. placed 2nd in the 1990 WSM contest and lost by a mere .5 points! This was due to his poor placing in the final endurance event. He placed 4th the following year and likely would have placed much higher but he was injuried during the contest,

[BigKazWSM747]

O.D. deadlifting the apperatus...

[BigKazWSM747]

pulling a truck...

[BigKazWSM747]

carrying a large barrell...

[BigKazWSM747]

Next up is Doug Hepburn

"He was considered the strongest man in the world at one time, and for good reason. Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Douglas Ivan Hepburn (1926-2000) would overcome a clubfoot impediment on his way to setting his first Canadian weightlifting record, a clean and press of 327 1/2 lbs, in September 1950. At an exhibition two months later, Hepburn cleaned and pressed 341 lbs, benched pressed 400, and squatted 550.

By 1953, while preparing for the World Weightlifting Championships, Hepburn was bench pressing 450 for doubles and squatting 550 for triples in addition to his regular weightlifting movements. He would go on to win the heavyweight class over American weightlifting icon John Davis with lifts of 371 in the press, 297 in the snatch, and 364 in the clean and jerk.

Hepburn was the first man to officially bench 400, 450, and 500 lbs. Ultimately, he would pause 525, 550, and 560 lbs during the early to mid 1950's. This would be topped off by a touch and go with 580 using a collar to collar grip and a near miss with 600 lbs. He was also a great squatter: it was his 630 lb world record deep knee bend that Paul Anderson exceeded in late 1952. Doug would later improve to 760 lbs.

During his prime Doug weighed 280 and was reportedly capable of the following lifts:

Press off the rack: 440 lbs
Two-Hand Dumbbell Press: 175s
Press Behind The Neck: 350 lbs
Two Hand Barbell Curl: 260 lbs
Wide Grip Bench Press: 580 lbs
Jerk Press: 500 lbs
Crucifix: 200 lbs
Squat: 760 lbs
Deadlift without straps: 705 lbs
Deadlift with straps: 740 lbs

for various articles about Doug in magazines go here: http://www.americanpowerliftevolution.net/ArchivesDougHepburn.html

[BigKazWSM747]

another pic of doug...

[BigKazWSM747]

doug benching...

[BigKazWSM747]

doug squatting...

[BigKazWSM747]

next up is Dave Gauder. He is a strongman that specializes in pulling very heavy objects (like jets, trucks, etc.).

Dave is about 5'8" and weighs about 250.

here are some of Dave's records:

-Single-handedly, pulled the British Airways Concorde, all 101 tons a distance of forty feet along the runway at Heathrow Airport.

-Frustrated the take off of two Piper Cherokee 180 aircraft, one held back in each arm. Dave later broke this record himself in Japan.

-Held back two speedboats. One on each arm at the International Powerboat Grand Prix, London.

-Dave and his training partner, lifted completely off the ground in Covent Garden, London,
an 8 ton, (plus fuel) London Double Decker Bus.
This has been called by Guiness, as the "Greatest Lift in History".

-Appearing at the prestigious Edinburgh Military Tattoo Dave pulled a 42 ton Tank on the back of a transporter.
Every night! Plus two on saturdays! For a month!

-Pulled an American B52 Stratofortress Bomber, all 162 tons, for the RAF Benevolent Appeal at Boscombe Down.

-For the Gulf Appeal, Dave pulled a Chieftain Tank on the back of a transporter, plus 40 soldiers - 103 tons.

-At the Royal Show Stoneleigh, Dave lifted a Rascal Van off all it's wheels.

-In October 1992, Dave broke his existing record by lifting a Volvo estate off all four wheels - 1,900 kilos.

-At Heathrow, Dave is the only man ever to pull a 200 ton "Air Canada" Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet!

-On the Jonathan Ross Show..."Fantastic Facts" Dave frustrated the movement of two Harley Davidson motorcycles both at full throttle.

-On the Channel 4 "Big Breakfast Show" with Chris Evans "Live" to the nation Dave lifted a Vauxhall Frontera off all four wheels.

-In Scotland Dave set a new world record that had not been seen since the 1800's.
He held back two world champion Clydesdale Shire horses. One horse on each arm.

-Filmed live for the Central TV series "Its a living" Dave pulled off one of the most amazing feats of strength ever witnessed by the nation. He held onto two heritage jet aircraft at FULL THROTTLE for over thirty seconds as they attempted to take off in opposite directions.

- Fuji TV in Japan flew Dave out to pull the famous "Bullet Train" and 15 motorcars in a line.

-In conjuction with the nations Police Forces, Dave is taking a spectacular anti-car crime roadshow around the country during which he holds two Vauxhall Astra cars, one on each arm as they attempt to drive away in first gear at full throttle.
The message... "You don't have to go to these lengths to stop your car from being stolen!"

[BigKazWSM747]

another pic of big dave

[BigKazWSM747]

dave pulling an army truck

[jeremys]

holy **** dave's a beast

[BPP]

very nice

ill post some pics of my cousin when i get back to my apartment

Brian Schoonveld

hasnt done anything overly special, but is great at the log and truck pulls...almost tied the WR log i think 2 years ago at the WSM, and unofficially broke the WR for truck pulls last year at the Golds Gym i was training at by pulling 60,000lbs 100feet...it was a fully loaded beer truck, 2 tri-axle dump trucks and a hummer or 3 chained together...ill have to pull the newspaper article up

[Woden]

Originally posted by BigKazWSM747

-In Scotland Dave set a new world record that had not been seen since the 1800's.
He held back two world champion Clydesdale Shire horses. One horse on each arm.

[/B]

Holy crap.

[Snakepayne]

Bump

[LostAnimal]

Awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome thread.

[Thomas]

Originally posted by BigKazWSM747
-special thanks to Turbo Charge for the details...

RIKU KIRI (Finland)
Height-6ft4/6ft5
Weight-300-350lbs

Riku is a Finnish Strength Legend, infact he's a World Strength Legend! Riku Kiri had bags and bags of functional strength (real-world strength with various objects etc), the strength feats Riku did at exhibitions/seminars
are unmatchable, far too many world records to list. Iron Bar Bends, Bricklifts, breaking tiles/paving slabs with bare hands, smashing nails through boards with bare hands (despite leeding). Riku holds all the world
records in super strength tests such as Backlift (unsure of weight and format), One Arm Deadlift (300kg/660lbs), Front Squat (340kg/750lbs), Leg Press (1400kg/3000+lbs), Hack Squat (unsure of weight and format).

Riku has very naturally strong hips and fingers, he has done 220kg for 22 reps in the Bench Press (500lbs). Riku has officially Bench Pressed more than Kaz, sticter than Kaz, while younger than Kaz, while lighter than Kaz, with much longer arms than Kaz, it was 302.5kg (670lbs) RAW! Riku attempted 320kg (700lbs) RAW Bench Press on the same night but the judges didn't count
it because it touched the racks on the way up. Riku has Deadlifted 352.5kg (almost 800lbs) for 7 full reps RAW! Riku has also Deadlifted 380kg (840lbs) RAW 4 full reps RAW! Riku unfortunately hasn't gone any lower than 4 reps
since he stopped Powerlifting in 1990 at 26 years old, otherwise he'd of lifted HUGE weights in the Powerlift's with no suits or shirts.

Riku has done a High Bar Close Stance Raw Pause Squat with 380kg (840lbs) and that is absolutely amazing strength in the thighs and all-round explosiveness.
Riku Kiri is my tip for the strongest man ever, he reps with loads of weight attached to his belt in chins and dips at the gym, for his long arms and bodymass that's just unreal! Riku Kiri is also a talented Strongman, he has never lost a competition outside of the World's Strongest Man contest unless
he had to pull out injured, he'd often win competitions by massive
point margins and whenever there was a really heavy event he'd always win. In terms of shifting heavy stuff (heavy Farmer's Walk, heavy Sled Dragging, heavy Wheelbarrow, heavy Cart Push, heavy Loading, heavy Atlas Stones, heavy
Super Yoke, heavy Truck Pulls etc) there is nobody who came anywhere near him, the heavier the objects the better it suited Riku Kiri! He never lost in man against man events (Pole Push, Tug of War, Sumo Wrestling, Harness Pull opposite directions, Rugby/Football Sled Push). His Tug of War and Dragging strength was out of this world. He is super super strong. He also
has all the Power Stairs and Duck Walk world records, not to mention Car Roll and Tire Flip, not to mention Rocklift to chest as well. He is also the strongest overhead thrower of all time outside of the Highland Games events.

Kazmaier once said that Kiri would be the only guy he wouldn't brush aside at his best. When all is said and done Riku Kiri was one strong son of a bitch!

-once again thanks to Turbo Charge


He is my alltime favourite and imo the strongest man.

I actually got a chance to meet him once!
When he was planning a comeback just a couple of years ago (Europe's strongest man contest) I asked him for an autograph and at the same time I found out he was injured and he wasn't sure if he'd patricipate. So he didn't, and when the announcer didn't announce his name everyone started shouting asking "where is riku kiri?" but the last I heard is that he is still training hard and planning a comeback, we'll see.

[Thomas]

Bill Kaz quote: - "Badenhorst, Kiri, and Magnusson are all sidelined and no one seems to care. Why and how they were sidelined is something that's disputable and arguable, but they're not here. And Kiri's probably the strongest of the lot."

Dougie Edmunds quote - "Everybody knew deep down that Riku was the real strongest guy."

Gerrit Badenhorst quote - "When it comes to Real Power it is between me and Riku Kiri!"

Magnus ver Magnusson quote - "Riku is, maybe, the strongest guy since Kaz."

Jouko Ahola quote - "I think Gerrit and Riku had the strongest backs, whilst me and Magnus ver moved about better."

[sticklegs]

any info on Mark henry. All I can find is info about him in the wwe, and nothing on his early powerlifting.

[Ashford]

He holds a few WDFPF records (World Drug Free Powerlifting Federation).

Squat: 951.5lb wr
Deadlift: 863.5lb wr
Total: 2332 wr

Doesn't say his best bench.

[sticklegs]

Originally posted by Ashford
He holds a few WDFPF records (World Drug Free Powerlifting Federation).

Squat: 951.5lb wr
Deadlift: 863.5lb wr
Total: 2332 wr

Doesn't say his best bench.

thats all I could find also, and that he weight over 200lbs by the 4th grade.

[initabath]

it happens this Sunday, 7th March 2004

http://www.derekboyer.com/Frameset.html

[JohnnyReb]

hey what exactley is a back lift and how are these guys doing so many thousand pounds? I cant think of any kind of position that anyone could get in to lift that much.