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Another strength legend was Canadian police officer Louis Cyr who once backlifted 4300 lbs. in front of an amazed audience. Cyr was well known for his "odd" lift acomplishments. One time, Cyr pressed a 258 lb. dumbell over his head using his right hand while pressing a 254 lb. dumbell with his left hand for a total of 512 lbs.!!! Simply amazing....Once again notice the preference for one arm lifts by these strongmen. Cyr also once lifted 552 and one-half pounds with one finger(budging it from the floor). Cyr also lived at a time when barbells were not readily available. Instead, Cyr would use just about anything he could find to lift. There are also some modern day strongmen who have never forgotten about true "old fashioned" weightlifting. These men take what Anderson, Maxick and Cyr pioneered, and further develop it. One example of a modern day strength athlete is Geoff Capes from Great Britain. This man exemplifies pure power and brute strength!! Capes' radical training has allowed him to prepare and compete in many World Strongest Man competitions. Capes will forever be revered for his tremendous strength. Another modern day Sampson is Canadian strongman Gregg Ernst who still holds the world record for the "live weight" backlift when he lifted over 2 tons of oxen!! Ernst also won the "Husafelt Stone" event at the 1992 World's Strongest Man contest. Gregg embarassed his fellow competitors by totally dominating this event...In fact, at one point it looked like Gregg would never stop walking with the 400 lb. stone. Stone-lifting, sandbag carries, farmer's walk and one arm lifts all are very radical training exercises......BUT they are also all very effective training exercises. There is no doubt that some of the "odd lifts" and radical training techniques that I will outline for you in this site are potentially dangerous(since both balance and stabilizing muscles come into play). However, I also believe that these exercises WILL improve both the trainee's physique and functional strength.
Want A Grip Of Steel?
Many of today's weight trainers and athletes train specifically for increases in muscle mass and strength. What is sometimes overlooked is the value of having a strong grip. Pick any sport and chances are that grip strength-to some extent-will play an important role. Many athletes today fail to realize this fact and then wonder why they are not THE BEST!!! From wrestling to baseball; powerlifting to rock climbing; and from football to sailing, grip strength is very important. Having a strong grip could mean the difference between success and failure on that one last rep in the deadlift; or climbing up to that last ledge in rock climbing. For some reason, however, many athletes refuse to make grip training part of their daily training program. Just how does one train their grip? Check this out!!
Effective exercises that train the grip:
Farmer's Walk: take a very heavy pair of dumbells and start to walk around your gym with them.....thats all....Either have a set distance goal in mind or have a timed goal set before you start out. Either way I can guarantee you that by the end of your set, you WILL have the best forearm pump you ever had(not to mention excruciatingly painful hand muscles). This exercise can also be used as an overall body strengthening exercise......just like the squat or deadlift.
Captains of Crush Grippers: manufactured by Iron Mind Enterprises, these grip strength trainers are second to none when it comes to quality and effectiveness. The grippers come in 5 strengths: a trainer gripper; #1, #2, #3, and #4 grippers. Iron Mind claims that these grippers are tough. No doubt....the company's trainer gripper is at least 3 times as tough to close as the old fashioned grippers in the 1970's. Iron Mind recommends that one should try and close any given gripper at least 8 times in a row and then(and only then) should the trainee move up to the next gripper. In fact, anyone who can officially close either the #3 or #4 grippers will have their names printed in the Iron Mind Captains of Crush Hall of Fame. Only about 25 people in the world have so far closed #3 and only ONE man by the name of Joe Kinney has closed the #4 gripper. If a crushing grip is what you are after, then give these grippers a try.
Thick Bar Chinups: these are just regular chinups with the only difference being that instead of doing your chins on a regular 1 inch diameter bar, try it with a 2 inch or even a thicker bar. The thicker the bar, the harder the exercise becomes. As a result, the trainee's grip is stressed more. I have found that doing chins on a football goal post does wonders for one's grip.
No, No, No!!! No suit; No wraps and No belt. This is Dino-rack training.
Classic radical gym!!! Notice the cob webs on ceiling?
Canadian Strongman Gregg Ernst carries the Husafell Stone an incredible distance during the 1992 World's Strongest Man competition.
Two Legends: Bill Kazmaier and Jon Pall Sigmarsson.
Old-time strongman Sig Klein.