I have, I believe, been fairly open about my love of the World's Strongest Man, specifically the opening decade of the competition. Whereas today's competition is professional, modern and scientific, the contests of yesteryear were undoubtedly more tongue-in-cheek. This is not to say that the contests were no less contested and the competitors impressive but... Continue Reading →
The (Somewhat Complete) History of the Deadlift!
Having previously looked at the history of the squat, bench press and even the smith machine, it seemed about time that we did a history of the deadlift. We've been putting this one off for quite a while, even looking at the Romanian Deadlift en lieu of the actual thing. The stumbling block in approaching... Continue Reading →
World’s Strongest Man and the ‘Flintstone Barbell’
The World Strongest Man competition is undoubtedly one of my favourite events of the year. It features the strongest athletes in the world, competing against one another in a variety of presses, pulls and runs. While today's competitions are undoubtedly professional, those from yesteryear tended to mix the serious with the spurious in a greater... Continue Reading →
Dave Waddington and the Thousand Pound Squat
It was a timely moment for powerlifters. Anabolic steroids were by then de rigour. Weightlifting shoes, straps and suits had all evolved and greater attention was being paid to training and nutrition. Official powerlifting meets had been running for over two decades and the poundages were increasing with every competition it seemed. Just as the... Continue Reading →
Deadlifting Cheese at the World’s Strongest Man (1983)
I have, I believe, been fairly open about my love of the World's Strongest Man, specifically the opening decade of the competition. Whereas today's competition is professional, modern and scientific, the contests of yesteryear were undoubtedly more tongue-in-cheek. This is not to say that the contests were no less contested and the competitors impressive but... Continue Reading →
Lee Moran And the Thousand Pound Squat
Who was the first man to legitimately squat 1,000 lbs.? Its a simple question, with a disputed answer. As covered previously on this site, Dave Waddington was credited with a 1,013 lbs. squat in 1981. There was just one problem. No officials had seen Dave's efforts, meaning that his squat although impressive, was relegated to... Continue Reading →
Frederick C. Hatfield, Dr. Deadlift (Powerlifting USA, Vol 10 No 4. Novemeber/1986)
It’s a little known fact that the eruption of Mr. St. Helens, and the continuing subterranean growls in the area, are purely mythic. What really happened up there in the land of perpetual rain and majestic mountains was that Doyle Kenady took a heavier than normal deadlift workout. It’s not a coincidence that those after-rumblings... Continue Reading →
The (Somewhat Complete) History of the Deadlift!
Having previously looked at the history of the squat, bench press and even the smith machine, it seemed about time that we did a history of the deadlift. We've been putting this one off for quite a while, even looking at the Romanian Deadlift en lieu of the actual thing. The stumbling block in approaching... Continue Reading →
Dave Waddington and the Thousand Pound Squat
It was a timely moment for powerlifters. Anabolic steroids were by then de rigour. Weightlifting shoes, straps and suits had all evolved and greater attention was being paid to training and nutrition. Official powerlifting meets had been running for over two decades and the poundages were increasing with every competition it seemed. Just as the... Continue Reading →