I've been doing some reading up on the strongmen of old, and a lot of this stuff is fascinating. There was a lot of hype and showmanship, but these guys were very beastly too - some didn't even look like much, with at least one record-setter I came across weighing in at 150, but the weight they could toss around even late into life was ridiculous, and even compared to their supersized rivals.
I know a lot of old strongman training tactics have made a comeback. Kettlebells, lifting sandbags, etc. But has anyone got deep into this shit? Do any of you make an effort to train like the old school guys?
One thing I find interesting is how varied their workout methodologies were. We get so hung up these days on the perfect system, but these guys all had their own. There was a book called Dinosaur Training a while back that was supposed to be a revival of all the old school training methedologies, and I guess it was a big hit, but digging into it, I find it's not representative of my light research into the subject.
For instance, the author talks about how all strongmen used abbreviated training, only trained muscles once or twice a week, and always went all out. That wasn't true - at least not for all of them like he suggests. Some of them were all about training the same muscle groups every single day over long periods of time, some guys trained for four hours or more in a session (obviously only possible if it's your career), and many strongmen believed in doing workouts well below what they were capable of to make the continuous activity possible.
The guy who wrote the book is a modern legend in his own right and knows his shit. If you followed his training philosophy, you would indeed get strong. But I find it interesting how many of the tactics used then are so contrary to what people do today - so much so that even guys claiming to be bringing it back are ignoring the variance.
Of course, people today are much more interested in building size than strength, and for maximium hypertrophy, you've got to get those solid rest days. As for me, aesthetics are important to a point, but a guy that has unreal strength masked by a body that only looks somewhat stronger than the average dude's has always been impressive to me.
The old strongmen were very functional too. Many believed in being well-rounded and didn't respect guys who were just big and strong but couldn't run and move like a champ.
Here's a list of old books by strongmen. Could make for some interesting reading.
The Development of Physical Power, by Arthur Saxon (1906)
The Textbook of Weight-Lifting, by Arthur Saxon (1910)
The Way to Live, by George Hackenschmidt (1908)
The Truth About Weight Lifting, by Alan Calvert (1911)
The Milo Bar-Bell Company's First Course in Body-Building and Muscle-Developing Exercises, by Alan Calvert (1924)
The Henry Higgins Strength and Muscle Course, by Henry Higgins (1915)
How to Use a Barbell, by W.A. Pullum (1925)
Goerner the Mighty, by Edgar Mueller (1951)
The Textbook of Weightlifting by Arthur Saxon – sold by Bill Hinbern
The Milo Barbell Courses by Alan Calvert – sold by Bill Hinbern
Super Strength by Alan Calvert – sold by Bill Hinbern
The Key to Might and Muscle by George Jowett – sold by Bill Hinbern
Dinosaur Training – sold by Brooks Kubik (Not old but based on old school principles)
I know a lot of old strongman training tactics have made a comeback. Kettlebells, lifting sandbags, etc. But has anyone got deep into this shit? Do any of you make an effort to train like the old school guys?
One thing I find interesting is how varied their workout methodologies were. We get so hung up these days on the perfect system, but these guys all had their own. There was a book called Dinosaur Training a while back that was supposed to be a revival of all the old school training methedologies, and I guess it was a big hit, but digging into it, I find it's not representative of my light research into the subject.
For instance, the author talks about how all strongmen used abbreviated training, only trained muscles once or twice a week, and always went all out. That wasn't true - at least not for all of them like he suggests. Some of them were all about training the same muscle groups every single day over long periods of time, some guys trained for four hours or more in a session (obviously only possible if it's your career), and many strongmen believed in doing workouts well below what they were capable of to make the continuous activity possible.
The guy who wrote the book is a modern legend in his own right and knows his shit. If you followed his training philosophy, you would indeed get strong. But I find it interesting how many of the tactics used then are so contrary to what people do today - so much so that even guys claiming to be bringing it back are ignoring the variance.
Of course, people today are much more interested in building size than strength, and for maximium hypertrophy, you've got to get those solid rest days. As for me, aesthetics are important to a point, but a guy that has unreal strength masked by a body that only looks somewhat stronger than the average dude's has always been impressive to me.
The old strongmen were very functional too. Many believed in being well-rounded and didn't respect guys who were just big and strong but couldn't run and move like a champ.
Here's a list of old books by strongmen. Could make for some interesting reading.
The Development of Physical Power, by Arthur Saxon (1906)
The Textbook of Weight-Lifting, by Arthur Saxon (1910)
The Way to Live, by George Hackenschmidt (1908)
The Truth About Weight Lifting, by Alan Calvert (1911)
The Milo Bar-Bell Company's First Course in Body-Building and Muscle-Developing Exercises, by Alan Calvert (1924)
The Henry Higgins Strength and Muscle Course, by Henry Higgins (1915)
How to Use a Barbell, by W.A. Pullum (1925)
Goerner the Mighty, by Edgar Mueller (1951)
The Textbook of Weightlifting by Arthur Saxon – sold by Bill Hinbern
The Milo Barbell Courses by Alan Calvert – sold by Bill Hinbern
Super Strength by Alan Calvert – sold by Bill Hinbern
The Key to Might and Muscle by George Jowett – sold by Bill Hinbern
Dinosaur Training – sold by Brooks Kubik (Not old but based on old school principles)
Beyond All Seas
"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling
"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling