I love my PhD research. After three years, very few people can say that, but here I am. Now the reason for such positivity is not because a student recently gave me whiskey as a thank you present but rather because of the amazing access I'm given to lifters' records of yesteryear. You see earlier… Continue reading Lost Feats of Strength: Klein’s Tiger Push Ups
Ed Coan entered his first powerlifting competition at 16 years old, he went on become one of the best (if not THE best) powerlifters in the world. Here is my candid conversation with The Legend, Ed Coan. POWER: How did you get into powerlifting? ED: I saw Kaz [Bill Kazmier] on TV. That was the… Continue reading Mark Bell, ‘One on One with Ed Coan’, Power Magazine, 1, no. 1 (2009), 28-31.
Undoubtedly we've all been faced with the question, who is stronger? As a teenager it emerged when those weighing 150 lbs. or less sought to square up to their heavier brethren. Was it more impressive bench pressing 200 lbs. at 150 or 280 lbs. at 200 lbs. bodyweight? While our adolescent selves often solved this… Continue reading The Confusing History of Strength Co-Efficients
Lifters of all ages, weights, and nationalities were there in great force, they having been expressly invited to witness an exhibition by Maxick, of Munich. Professor Szalay, whose name was associated with weight-lifting more than a decade ago, and who has not inaptly been described as “the father of weight-lifting,” was there in all his… Continue reading Maxick, ‘Maxick’s Lifting’, Muscle Control (1910)
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 Deadlifting Cheese at the World’s Strongest Man (1983)
Conor Writing in 2024: Enjoy the below story everyone but I need to stress that the story of Sandwina defeating Sandow in a competition is completely fake. I have found no evidence of this contest and I am afraid it is untrue. This story now seems to have become internet lore and appeared in several… Continue reading Katie Sandwina: The Strongest Woman in the World
Just how strong can a gorilla be? After watching the latest iteration of King Kong over the weekend, the answer seems obvious. They're very strong. As in smash anything in their way strong. Not the most scientific of answers but hey, it works for me. Luckily not everyone is as lazy as my good self.… Continue reading Are you Stronger than a Gorilla?
So often in today's world of World's Strongest Man, Olympic Weightlifting and Powerlifting, the assumption that strength is defined by maximum weight lifted goes unchallenged. It is as if we accept unquestioningly that the person who can lift 500 pounds once is stronger than the those who can 'only' lift 400 pounds for reps. It's… Continue reading What is Strength?
