1950s Advice on Stone Lifting

This short post brings together two twin loves of mine, Odd Lifting and the Indian Encyclopedia of Physical Culture. Published in English in 1950, the Encyclopedia details a variety of traditional and modern exercises used in India. Part of a broader effort to promote traditional Indian movements, like heavy club swinging, bethanks, dands etc., the Encyclopedia included a small section on stone lifting.

Cards on the table, I don’t know a huge amount about stone lifting in India but this mid-century book suggests that it was indeed a thing! For fans of Strongman/Strongwoman, there are two really cool points here. First, the stone looks very similar to a modern Atlas stone and second, the advised technique is effectively what we now consider to be best practice.

Check out the instructions below!

Advice

Heavy Stone-Ball Lifting

In olden days, heavy stone-ball lifting was looked upon as a pastime to be indulged at leisure. Immense concourse of people used to gather at the time of religious celebrations either outside a village or a city in the precincts of a temple. Outside the temple in open air space, stone-balls of varied weights were generally found scattered. People, fond of physical exercise, took pleasure in trying their strength of lifting these heavy balls. It was considered as a pastime and at the same time it gave an opportunity to every physical culturist to exhibit his skill to the people gathered to gather at such annual functions and to make a mark therein. Naturally, lovers of weight-lifting used to practise lifting heavy weights at home in some form or other. If the balls lifted are proportionately heavy, indulgence in these exercises will proportionally develop strength and stamina of the lifter. As a result, the lifter becomes wonderfully healthy and his body presents muscular development. It is as good as modern weight-lifting.

Lifting Heavy Stone-Ball — Hold the stone-ball in a sitting posture (No. 1). Then try to stand lifting it up, on your thighs (No. 2). Lift it further on, to the chest (No. 3). With a smart jerk push it further over your shoulder and throw it back on the ground (Nos. 4 and 5). Sometimes place it on your shoulder and practise Baithaks or slowly run according to your strength