Strongman

In the 19th century, the term **strongman** referred to an exhibitor of strength (before strength sports were codified into weightlifting, powerlifting etc., becoming actual athletic competitions) or circus performers of similar ilk who displayed feats of strength such as the bent press (not to be confused with the bench press, which didn't exist back then), supporting large amounts of weight held overhead at arm's length, steel bending, chain breaking, etc. Large amounts of wrist, hand, and tendon strength were required for these feats, as well as prodigious oblique strength.

In the late 20th century the term **strongman** changed to describe one who competes in strength athletics - a
more modern eclectic strength competition in which competitors lift rocks, tote refrigerators, pull trains, walk while towing an eighteen wheel truck behind them, etc. The most famous competition of this type is *World's Strongest Man* and the " World's Strongest Man Super Series", however North American Strongman, Inc. (NAS) holds amateur and other meets throughout the United States. World Strongman Entertainment, Inc. combines strongman and entertainment with the solar system stone lifting event and the plane pull event.

In recent years, interest in the sport at the grassroots level has skyrocketed, leading to the spontaneous formation of local clubs, loosely affiliated with provincial/state and national associations.

Many sports-specific training facilities have begun to incorporate movements associated with strongman competitions into their general training schemes, albeit with lighter weights used; e.g. tire flips, sled drags, object loading or carrying, log pressing, farmer's walks and so on.

## Training

Training for strongman involves building overall strength in the gym, and training with competition implements to gain familiarity. In the gym it is necessary to train the entire body for strength, especially with variants of the squat, deadlift, and overhead press. Also important is explosive power, developed by weightlifting-style lifts, and cardiovascular conditioning. Grip strength must also be developed. Some athletes practice grip for 3 hours a day. Like any sport, it is necessary to train using the equipment one encounters in the sport. In the case of strongman, these include logs, tires, yokes, farmer's walk implements, etc; building strength in the gym is insufficient without experience with implements.

## Incorrect usage

*Strongman* is often incorrectly used to describe a person who does weightlifting or bodybuilding. This is not exactly true, as neither existed at the time. Interestingly, nineteenth century bodybuilders were expected to mingle with the crowd during intermission and perform strength feats like card tearing, nail bending, etc. to demonstrate strength as well as symmetry and size. Also, many strongmen were superbly built and sold photos of themselves nude or near-nude, flexing and posing (although what they considered the epitome of male beauty was different from modern ideals - particularly the very low emphasis on chest size, and great emphasis on oblique size, and symmetry.

## Some famous strongmen

### Traditional

* Hermann Görner
* Paul Edward Anderson
* The Great Antonio
* Charles Atlas
* Louis Cyr
* Angus Graham
* Koca Yusuf
* Georg Hackenschmidt
* Georg Lurich
* Angus MacAskill
* Grutte Pier
* Ivan Poddubniy
* Eugen Sandow
* Arthur Saxon
* Alexander Zass

### Modern strongman athletes

* Jon Pall Sigmarsson
* Magnús Ver Magnússon
* Jouko Ahola
* Raimonds Bergmanis
* Geoff Capes
* Georges Christen
* Dominic Filiou
* Hugo Girard
* Mark Henry
* Manfred Hoeberl
* Terry Hollands
* Svend Karlsen
* Bill Kazmaier
* Mark Kirsch
* Jesse Marunde
* Travis Ortmayer
* Sławomir Orzeł
* Ted van der Parre
* Johnny Perry
* Phil Pfister
* Derek Poundstone
* Mariusz Pudzianowski
* Don Reinhoudt
* Jamie Reeves
* Glenn Ross
* Žydrūnas Savickas
* Magnus Samuelsson
* Gary Taylor
* Vasyl Virastyuk
* Janne Virtanen
* Bruce Wilhelm
* Stuart Moffat
* Andrew Lough

## See also

* Grip strength
* Lifting stone
* Strongwoman

## External links

* Oldtime Strongman Feats of Strength In The Modern Era
* Oldtime Strongmen History and Physical Culture Site
* Strongman Competition on Toronto Island Site
* Kungfudo.com: a site explaining the physics behind the tricks of oldtime strongmen

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