Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Last week we ran a special feature called “Didjya Know?” It was a collection of fun facts and Iron Game trivia. I asked you to let me know how you liked it, and if you’d like to see more – and the answer was a resounding “YES!”
So I’m going to make “Didjya Know?” a regular Friday feature for you.
And to kick things off, Didjya know:
1. That Clevio Massimo once performed the manual of arms using a 135-pound soldier rather than an infantry rifle.
2. That 138 pound Otto Arco could hold a 175 pound barbell overhead in one hand – lie down on his back, and then get back up to his feet.
3. That Herman Gassler of Germany, a weightlifter who once held the world record in the one arm clean and jerk, could perform the “Cossack Dance” while holding a160 pound man in his arms.
4. That Arthur Dandurand of Canada performed a one-hand deadlift with 552 pounds back in 1920. He weighed a mere 182 pounds.
5. That two-time Olympic Gold medal weightlifting champion Tommy Kono had such severe asthma as a child that he was not allowed to play any sports or games, and spent much of his time lying in bed, sitting, drawing or reading.
6. That 198 pound Ernest Cadine is said to have performed a one-arm deadlift with the famous Apollon wheels (a 367 pound “barbell” made from two old-time railway car wheels held together by a two-inch thick axle).
7. That 178-pound wrestler and strongman, Ben Butler, could walk 40 paces while carrying a 1,000-pound barbell on his shoulders.
8. That to qualify for a job as a market “carrier" in Paris, an applicant had to RUN 200 meters while carrying 200 kilos (440 pounds) on his head.
9. Some market carriers (see no. 8 above) were able to carry two sides of beef on their shoulder (a total weight of 800 to 1,000 pounds) and walk several hundred feet with the enormous load.
10. That back in 1950, a 180-pound strongman named Jack Walsh made a hand and thigh lift of 1800 pounds – or TEN TIMES his own bodyweight.
As always, thanks for reading – and I hope that these pieces of Iron Game trivia inspire you to do some great lifting in your next workout!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For more fascinating details about the legendary old-time strongmen and how they trained, grab a copy of Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and Development:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html
