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| Did you ever hear about the big dumbbell pressing contest between Mr. America and Mr. Universe, John Grimek (pictured above), and World and Olympic Weightlifting Champion, Tommy Kono? |
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Back in the 1950's, Tommy Kono and
John Grimek challenged one another
to a dumbbell pressing contest at the
old York Barbell Club Gym.
The rules were simple.
Each man was to clean a pair of 110
pound dumbbells - sit down on a flat
bench - and perform as many reps as
possible in the seated alternate dumbbell
press.
At the time, Kono was the reining Olympic
and World weightlifting champion - and a
World record holder in the military press.
Grimek was the greatest bodybuilder of
the era - recently retired - and a former
American record holder in the military
press.
Grimek was also a specialist in the
alternate dumbbell press. It was one
of his favorite exercises. he'd been
doing it with big weights for many
years.
Kono was the younger man - but
Grimek was the heavier man.
Kono went first. He cleaned the dumb-
bells, sat on the bench, and began to
power them up and down, his powerful
arms pumping like pistons.
He finished somewhere in the high
teens.
That's a lot of reps with a pair of 110
pound dumbbells.
Then it was Grimek's turn.
He cleaned the bells, sat down, and
started to blast them up and down.
He, too, finished somewhere in the
high teens.
Strength and Health reported on the
contest.
The report said that the two men
couldn't agree who won the contest.
Grimek said he won.
Kono said he won.
It was something about someone
not counting a rep, or a rep not
counting because it wasn't locked
out - or something like that.
Fifty years later, I was talking with
Tommy Kono to get his input for a
course I was doing on the old-school
military press.
I asked him about the contest - and
about who really won.
Kono chuckled.
"I thought I did," he said. "But Grimek
thought he did."
"Yeah, but who really won?" I asked.
Kono chuckled.
"I thought I did," he said. "But Grimek
thought he did."
And just like that, he left the big
mystery unsolved.
We'll never know who really won -
or if it was a tie.
But we do know this:
That was a heck of a day for the Iron
Game - and a great contest between
two legendary champions.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For the ultimate in upper body
strength and development, grab The
Dinosaur Military Press and
Shoulder Power Course.
It's available in your choice of hard-
copy, Kindle edition or PDF with
immediate electronic delivery:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. You'll also like Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training - which you
find right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day
"Heavy dumbbells separate the strong
from the super strong."
- Brooks Kubik
BEFORE YOU LEAVE . . .
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