Classic muscle art

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Who is David Gentle, exactly?

Shame on you!  David Gentle is an internationally recognised author and historian of physical culture. For decades, he has been a regular contributor of over 25 of the world’s top muscle magazines.  His prolific writings include over 2,000 articles published in the World Muscle Press.

David was born in 1933 and was a successful bodybuilding and Maxalding practitioner, winning awards for both his physique and muscle control abilities.  He wasn’t a slouch in the strength stakes, either, hitting a double bodyweight bench press of 136kg (300lbs).

David received the John Grimek Life-Time Achievement Award in Italy in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to physical culture and was also awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Physical Culture Award by the Oscar Heidenstam Foundation for services to bodybuilding.

If you’re pushed for time, check out my top ten articles of David Gentle but if you are at a loose end you can read most of his articles at his website.  It contains David’s extraordinary collection of iron works including articles about:

• Muscle groups – David’s insights into training abs, arms and forearms
• Legendary bodybuilders – Marvin Eder, John Grimek et al.
• History of physical culture – a century of muscles
• Bodybuilding – an encyclopaedia
• Insights and reflections – David’s personal thoughts on the iron game
• Weight training – dumbbells, barbells and more
• Unusual feats of strength – tough teeth and other strange things
• Profiles of the greats – Sandow and his friends

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 So what is Classic Muscle Art all about?

It’s an exciting study that explores the art of the muscular body as it has developed and evolved throughout time.  The authors investigate the muscular ideal, as exemplified in sports like weightlifting and bodybuilding, sculpture, painting and photography, movies and cartoons.  Starting with Eugen Sandow, we take a romp through history, finishing with the glorious screen triumphs of Arnold Schwarzeneggar.

It’s a very well-illustrated volume that draws heavily on David’s extensive collection of muscle memorabilia and magazines.  It traces the history of the establishment of physical standards of beauty and aesthetics and the athletic capabilities of the muscular physique.

How are muscles and art related?

David and Alan expore this question in a comprehensive historical commentary packed with lavish artworks, both ancient and modern.  Following their lead, we meet fabulous muscular inspirations, from the greek gods Apollo and Hercules, to oldtime strongmen Eugene Sandow and Arthur Saxon, early bodybuilders Charles Atlas and Steve Reeves, and finally the big screen muscular presences epitomised by Arnold Schwarzeneggar and Slyvester Stallone.

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Sounds great!  Where can I get a copy?

At the moment, the only place you can get hold of it is at Lulu, which is a self-publishing website.  You can easily pay using Paypal and I got my copy downloaded as a PDF in about 10 minutes.

These two sites are the benchmark internet repository for the huge amount of material that was written both by and about the great strongmen who lived between the close of the 19th century and the start of the modern era and the popularisation of bodybuilding (i.e. the rise of Arnold).

One of the most prolific authors both in and about that period is the British author, David Gentle.

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So who is David Gentle, exactly? 

David Gentle is an internationally recognised author and historian of physical culture. For several decades, he has been a regular contributor of over 25 of the world’s top muscle magazines.  His prolific writings include over 2,000 articles published in the World Muscle Press.

He was born in 1933 and was a successful bodybuilding and Maxalding practitioner, winning awards for both his physique and muscle control abilities.  He wasn’t a slouch in the strength stakes, either, hitting a double bodyweight bench press of 136kg (300lbs).

David received the John Grimek Life-Time Achievement Award in Italy in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to physical culture and was also awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Physical Culture Award by the Oscar Heidenstam Foundation for services to bodybuilding.

You can see my round-up of some of my favourite articles by David here.

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David Gentle’s new website

Recently, I was contacted by the site administrator to let me know that David has a new website.  Please go and check it out.  It has a more complete articles section, which is intended to be updated continually.  It contains David’s extraordinary collection of iron works including articles about:

• Muscle groups – David’s insights into training abs, arms and forearms
• Legendary bodybuilders – Marvin Eder, John Grimek et al.
• History of physical culture – a century of muscles
• Bodybuilding – an encyclopaedia
• Insights and reflections – David’s personal thoughts on the iron game
• Weight training – dumbbells, barbells and more
• Unusual feats of strength – tough teeth and other strange things
• Profiles of the greats – Sandow and his friends

Please visit David Gentle and enjoy the writings of one of the most prolific writers of physical culture of his time!

If you’ve been bitten by the bug that gets some of us sometimes and feel the need to hoist a heavy weight without the safety and predictability of a barbell, then check out these tips that I’ve learned the hard way.

Tip #1: weigh your sandbag regularly

This applies most to those of us who keep our sandbags out of doors.  I use a piece of tarpaulin to keep it (mostly) dry but it still gets a bit damp occasionally.  The extra water in the material (I use an army surplus bag to hold my sand) makes it heavier and the amount that the bag can vary will surprise you.

Tip #2: use small weights plates to increase the load incrementally

There is nothing sadder than training with the same weight implement day after day after day.  For improvement to happen, we usually need to increase the load carried.

However, adding extra sand to your sandbag is both time-consuming and tedious.  I’ve found that it’s perfectly possible to use a few spare weights plates to bump the weight up by 5kg (10lbs) or 10kg (20lbs) before adding extra bags of sand.  That way, I can programme sandbags into my routine and steadily work the weight up from week to week.

One extra tip, though, if you are going to use weights plates as extra ballast.  Don’t forget where the plate is in the bag.  I tend to use quite tightly packed sandbags and if I put the weight plate on the side that I approach the sandbag to pick it up , it digs into my chest.  It’s an easy solution: just turn the sandbag around and grasp it from the other direction!  Not what you want, though, if you’re working to the clock!

Tip #3: decide what you want to use your sandbag for most and set it up to do that

I have used my sandbag for a number of different exercises, including:

• Lifting and carrying;
• Lifting and loading; and
• Cleaning to the shoulder

I found that I preferred the sandbag to be quite solid for lifting and carrying but I liked the bag to have a bit of material free to hold onto for lifting and loading.  On the other hand, for cleaning to the shoulder, it’s easiest if the bag is nicely floppy.  I decided that I probably benefited most from the lifting and carrying, since I could use most weight that way, so I’ve set my sandbag up so it behaves more like an oddly-shaped Atlas stone.

Wrapped tightly and tied off for easy lifting

World’s Strongest Man: 1980s

• World’s Strongest Man: the 1980s - Bill Kazmaier, Jon Pall Sigmarsson and Geoff Capes make this decade a legend in World’s Strongest Man.  But don’t miss out on some of the other great characters, including Tom Magee, Dave Waddington and the fastest strongman in the world, Ab Wolders.
• World’s Strongest Man: 1980 and 1982 - Bill Kazmaier stamps his unmistakable brand of confidence upon the newly-formed World’s Strongest Man competitions and declares himself “the Strongest Man Whoever Lived”.  Just brilliant.
• World’s Strongest Man: 1983 and 1984 - The competition moves outside of the USA and Bill Kazmaier doesn’t compete.  Geoff Capes and Jon Pall Sigmarsson start their duel.  Capes takes the first round and Sigmarsson the second.
• World’s Strongest Man: 1985 and 1986 - Still overseas, Capes and Sigmarsson battle it out furiously but the best of friends.
• World’s Strongest Man: 1988 and 1989 - After missing a year, the competition returns and now Sigmarsson and Kazmaier are both in attendance.  Capes has retired and a new Brit has stormed onto the scene, brusque Yorkshireman Jamie Reeves.

World’s Strongest Man: 1990s

• World’s Strongest Man: the 1990s - A new chapter in the lifetime of World’s Strongest Man.  While the last decade arguably belonged to the great Icelandic strongman Jon Pall Sigmarsson, this decade definitely belonged to his spiritual descendant, Magnus Ver Magnusson.  But don’t miss out on some of the other great characters, including the giant Ted Van Der Parre, the jovial Gerrit Badenhorst and the colourful Manfred Hoeberl.
• World’s Strongest Man: 1991 and 1992 - The new champion, Magnus Ver Magnusson comes out of nowhere to win in 1991 and then dramatically loses on home turf in 1992.
• World’s Strongest Man: 1993 - The greatest year for the UK as Gary Taylor obliterates the competition and wins in one of the most dominating performances seen since Kazmaier.
• World’s Strongest Man: 1994 and 1995 - the Iceman returns and claims his crown, which he holds for three years in a row.
• World’s Strongest Man: 1996 and 1997 - a new era begins, as Jouko Ahola, the small but powerful Finn and his nemesis the giant Swede, Magnus Samuelsson, battle it out against a backdrop of warm and sunny locations.
• World’s Strongest Man: 1998 and 1999 - Jouko Ahola and Samuelsson continue to battle it out.  New faces appear, including the future champion Svend Karlsen,along with old ones, like Hungarian stone lifting champion Lazslo Fekete, noticably chunkier than in his 1980s appearances.

My favourite moments

If the above snippets whet your appetite for more, then check out my favourite moments for more highlights of the World’s Strongest Man.

• World’s Strongest Man: my favourite moments in the 1980s
• World’s Strongest Man: my favourite moments in the 1990s

I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did and I’ll keep you guessing as to what I’ll do as my next series!

Here are some of my favourite moments:

• 1991: Gregg Ernst being the first to lift the fifth McGlashan stone.  He said at the time that his motivation to lift it came from knowing how happy his wife would be when he did. 
• 1992: Ted Van Der Parre overcoming the problems caused by incompetant officials to win the truck pull at his second attempt, despite being yanked backwards during his first attempt as the truck ran over the starting block.
• 1993: Gary Taylor going first in pushing Samson’s barrow, breathing fire with sheer concentration, giving it everything he had, and setting too fast a time for anyone else, not even Magnus Ver Magnusson, to catch him.
• 1994: Gerrit Badehorst setting a new world record for the rock lift with 140kg (310lbs) in his home country of South Africa and then standing on one leg to show everyone how easy it was.
• 1995: Gary Taylor anihilating everyone on the behind-the-neck rack press using stone weights like something out of the Flintstones, and Magnus Ver Magnusson defeating everyone on the block lift despite being one of the lighter competitors.
• 1996: Gerrit Badenhorst showing everyone that he is a world class deadlifter by pulling a weight that no-one else could pull, barely even slowing down as he did so.
• 1997: Magnus Samuelsson winning the Husafel stone, holding it high on his chest but still managing to peer over the top because of his great height.  More amazing still is that he won despite some great performances from the other competitors and despite the fact that he had only just won his first event immediately beforehand.
• 1998: the first event, the farmers’ walk being an incredibly dramatic start to the competition.  Joako Ahola set the pace but Magnus Samuelsson and the crowd-pleasing newcomer Wout Zijilstra stayed with him.  However, just at the finishing line, both Wout and Magnus dropped their implements and while Jouko still took first place, Riku Kiri walked, astonished, into second place.
• 1999: Laszlo Fekete, an unassuming and modest man, ruling the McGlashan stones despite an all-star line up.  He made a slow start as his first stone wouldn’t settle onto the platform and came back to bash him on the nose.  However, despite the blood pouring down his face, he brought considerable experience to bear and proceeded steadily through to the final (160kg) stone in a fast time overall. 

It’s been a great couple of weeks watching these finals and it’s been fun to analyse them and think about what happened.  I’ve definitely found a lot of inspiration in watching these remarkable athletes and I hope you have shared some of that feeling.

Here are some of my favourite moments:

• 1980 – the bar bending event yielded some amazingly simian noises as the gorilla-sized contestants battled with the 11/16 inch diameter bar.  Bill Kazmaier was the only one to finish and he strolled around with the bar wrapped around his neck like a medallion as the others tried and failed to complete the bend.  
• 1982 – this year, the weight for height event was expected to be hotly contested between Geoff Capes and Bill Kazmaier, Capes being the world record holder from 1981 and Kazmaier expecting to clear 18 feet for a new world record.  In fact, Capes hit the bar on the way down from one of his throws, leaving Kazmaier free to take first place.  When Bill did throw, however, his throw cleared the bar by so much it was clear that 18 feet was no empty boast.
• 1983 – the silver dollar deadlift came early in the sequence this year and it was Tom Magee who dominated the event, lifting 535kg (1,180lbs) for a new world record.  In an amazing performance, he pushed a very young looking Jon Pall Sigmarsson into second and the world record holder in the deadlift (Doyle Kenady, 890lbs) into third.
• 1984 – the static hold this year was made with an unusual implement: a wooden rocking horse.  It was also a surprising triumph for Ab Wolders, who pushed Jon Pall Sigmarsson into second.  Kindly, the event organisers gave Ab the rocking horse to take home for his son.
• 1985 – the Swingletree event came up this year.  This is a directly competitive event where the competitors sit on the ground facing each other and grasp a pole horizontally.  “Grizzly” Brown defeated Sigmarsson, mainly on account of his huge bodyweight.  But in the final, it was Geoff Capes who defeated the Grizzly by ripping the pole out of his hands twice.
• 1986 – the boat deadlift was controversial as Sigmarsson was disqualified twice, once for dropping the boat and once for bouncing the boat before lifting.  Despite being the main beneficiary of any disqualification, Geoff Capes went into overdrive to persuade the official to allow him to continue.  With these teething difficulties out of the way, he managed to go on to win.
• 1988 – the medley this year was a sack carry and reverse sack drag that few of the competitors managed to get the hang of.  Bill Kazmaier used a better technique to win the contest by a very long way and even found time to mock Jon Pall Sigmarsson’s Viking laugh.  Embarrassingly, he fell over mid-mockery (twice), making him look more foolish than triumphant.  Fortunately, he did manage to win or the egg on his face might have been unbearable.
• 1989 – the McGlashan stone shouldering this year was an event full of drama.  Jim Pollock was coaching Ab Wolders, who only managed to shoulder one stone.  While on stage, he got in the way of Laszlo Fekete’s falling stones and managed to get his feet squashed twice, performing an impromptu highland fling, much to the amusement of the crowd.

It’s been a great couple of weeks watching these finals and it’s been fun to analyse them and think about what happened.  I’ve definitely found a lot of inspiration in watching these remarkable athletes and I hope you have shared some of that feeling.

Later on, I made a set of my own farmers’ walk bars quite cheaply.  Until recently, though, I haven’t been completely happy with the handles.  So in this article, I’m going to show you again how I made a pair of farmers’ walk bars out of a couple of old pieces of wood I had lying around the shed.  But this time, I’ll put in an extra step where I detail the alternative handles I have now made.

If you read the article the first time round, just skip down to the middle section where I talk about alternative handles.

How to make cheap farmers’ walk bars

First of all, you need a piece of wood.  I found a piece 6 feet long and cut it into two halves like this:

Then, I put the weights plates that I planned on using most at either end of one of the pieces of wood.  With the weights plates in place, I was able to mark on the wood where I wanted the holes to go.

Yes, I know, I’m not exactly David Bailey.  If you look carefully, you can see my toes at the bottom of the picture.  Once I had marked the wood, it was time to get the drill out!

I used the largest drill bit that would go into my drill and I drilled four holes next to each other.  With a bit of jiggery-pokery, I was able to knock the holes through to one another using the drill.  This then created a hole for the dumbbell handle.  I repeated this until I had holes at each end of both pieces of wood.  But before I put the dumbbell handles into the holes, I needed to make a handle.

Using a tape measure, I found the centre of each piece of wood and then put nails in 3 inches either side of the centre.  I then added another nail slightly further out and threaded a sling through the middle like this:

Then it was time to put the dumbbell handles into the holes in the wood.

Alternative handles

OK, so if you’re looking for a better (and more consistent) handle then this is the solution.  The handle is PVC pipe and the attachment is climbing cord. 

I used about 6 inches of 2 inch diameter waste pipe (PVC), which cost me about £2 from a hardware store and I got 2m, which should stand me in good stead for future projects.  I also used about 3 foot of climbing cord, which I think was about 8mm diameter.  You can usually buy this by the metre in any climbing shop.  They have reels behind the counter and you just go up and ask for a few metres.  It costs a few pounds.

The cord is attached to the bar using a prussik (lark’s foot) knot and then passed through the hollow PVC handle before attaching again to the bar with another prussik knot.  You will have to tie an overhand (obviously, a figure of eight would be better) to finish this second prussik.  The finished result should look like the picture below.

The next picture shows the PVC handle from the end view.  You can see that the pipe is hollow and that the climbing cord just passes through it.

I’ve field tested these new handles and apart from the 2 inch diameter pipe being a pain in the neck to grip onto, I am really happy with this new set up.  The weight is much more stable and the bars much easier to control.  The grip is also more of a challenge and more consistent each time I pick them up.

Back to the farmers’ walk bars

Once I had set up the bars with the dumbbell handles and the slings, I added some weights plates onto the dumbbells.  I added the weights asymetrically so that the bars would hang predominantly to one side, making them easier to handle.

Then, I took them for a test drive round the garden!

And that was all there was to it.  I think it took me about an hour, including working out how to build them in the first place.

I think the alternative handles took me about 5 minutes.  If you’re less comfortable with knots and rope it might take you little a bit longer but they’re very straightforward. 

I hope you found this helpful and, as always, if you know of any other tips or tricks to create strongman equipment on the cheap, please do let me know.

Strongman resources

I have posted about strongman before and I often have links to useful sites.  If you’re interested, check out my top 10 website resources for strongman.  I also love watching World’s Strongest Man on television – it’s probably the highlight of my televiewing year – and I enjoy using strongman equipment in my workouts, especially when the weather is nice and I can use the garden.  And not only has it been an enjoyable experience for me, training wise, it’s produced some fun blog posts too, including:

• how to make simple farmers’ walk bars;
• how to make (more complicated) farmer’s walk bars;
• how to make a cheap sandbag;
• training with sandbags (lifting and loading);
• how to make a fat bar (for axle deadlifts, cleans and presses).

However, please note that I don’t compete and I don’t profess to any inside knowledge.  That aside, I hope you enjoy this article.  If you want to buy the DVD, you can find it here.

1998 Morocco (Winner: Magnus Samuelsson)

It was only a fleeting visit to the USA in 1997.  After that brief interlude, World’s Strongest Man went back to a more international location, in North Africa.  However, the USA had good representation this year, with Mark Philippi and Phil Pfister both making the final.

• Farmers’ walk – a farmers’ walk with 120kg (265lbs) in each hand was a very dramatic start to the competition.  Joako Ahola set the pace but Magnus Samuelsson and the crowd-pleasing newcomer Wout Zijilstra stayed with him.  However, just at the finishing line, both Wout and Magnus dropped their implements and Riku Kiri walked, astonished, into second place.
• Truck pull – this year, the truck pull was made harder still by using three cabs.  It was the same set-up in recent years, with a harness and a rope held in the hands.  Torfi Olafsson, the heaviest man in the field, went first and set a fantastic time.  Magnus Samuelsson got closest to Torfi’s time to come second.  Riku Kiri came third.  After these two events, Magnus, Riku and Jouko were joint leaders. 
• Husafel stone – the Husafel stone doesn’t appear often in World’s Strongest Man but it always seems to be a crucial event when it does.  The Americans surprised everyone by holding first and second place right up until Magnus Samuelsson, the winner of the event last year, steamed past the Americans to win again.  Jouko Ahola had an epic as he grasped his stone too low and finished very low down in the field. Riku Kiri also had a very bad day and finished just ahead of Jouko.   It was very close, though, and Jamie Reeves ran up with his tape measure to judge.  Torfi Olafsson had the worst luck of the day, though, as he went last
• Car flip – Torfi had another bad day as he slipped in the sand during his sprint and crawled over the line.  Riku Kiri had an injury as the car slipped back on his leg.  It seems that every year that this event is scheduled it causes an injury.  I’ve mentioned it a number of times how dangerous it is.  Both Bill Kazmaier and Jon Pall Sigmarsson were injured in the past.  This was, however, the worst ever year, as Mark Philippi was seriously injured as the car rolled back and bent his knee back severely.  Magnus Samuelsson, once again, used his height to flip the car faster than anyone else to take the win.  This, along with his win in the Husafel stone and his second place in the truck pull, gave him a clear lead at this point.
• Power stairs – after its introduction as the final event in 1996, the organizers introduced the power stairs earlier in the competition.  Joako Ahola set a staggering time of under 40s but Magnus Samuelsson was on a roll and came in under 38s.  This extended his lead to eight points.
• Log lift – overhead lifting is one of Magnus Samuelsson’s worst events.  Having long arms makes it a longer range of motion to achieve.  Phil Pfister was eliminated at 140kg (310lbs).  Magnus Samuelsson was eliminated at 145kg (320lbs).  Jouko Ahola did consistently well through the competition, but complained just as consistently to Jamie Reeves throughout, possibly about the sun overhead.  He finished in first place.
• Car circle – this event is the same as the cask circle in 1996, a Zercher carry about a central pole, and for which progress is measured in degrees.  Magnus Samuelsson faced another stiff challenge as he had to lift the weight very high on account of his height.  In contrast, Jouko barely had to move it at all.  Jouko won but Magnus came second, which defended his position so strongly that nothing short of utter disaster could spoil his chances.
• Medley – the medley this year was a duck walk followed by a 300kg (660lbs) tire flip (which Magnus Samuelsson dominated), and finally three 75kg (165lbs) barrels onto a platform.  Magnus Samuelsson, riding high on his wave of success, won the event and won overall.

A fun final, which was dominated throughout by Magnus Samuelsson, partly as a result of his own ability and partly because the focus on power and speed events suited him.  But it was also noteworthy that the huge drop-out rate due to injury after the first few events made it was possible to get 6 points just by starting an event.  This made it very easy for someone who had built up a lead at the beginning to hold that lead later on.

1999 Malta (Winner: Jouko Ahola)

A very different line-up this year, with very little overlap between 1998 and 1999 competitors.  It was strange to Laszlo Fekete back, and looking very much older and bigger, for the first time since 1990.   

• Yoke walk – it must have cost quite a lot to get hold of five 800lbs yokes for the two heats.  Jouko Ahola set a blistering time in the first heat but Svend Karlsen, in the second heat and back after a year away, chased it down and beat it.
• Deadlift – most of the field got stuck at 320kg (705lbs).  Magnus Samuelsson lifted 340kg (750lbs) but the referee had forgotten his spectacles again this year and disallowed it.  Berend Venenberg surprised everyone to lift 370kg (815lbs).  Svend Karlsen muscled up 375kg (825 lbs) and Jouko Ahola won with 380kg (835lbs).  Placing first and second in the first two events put Jouko and Svend into equal first place overall at this point in the competition.
• Boat pull – Janne Virtanen put his long arms to good use in this event to set a fast time, which was immediately broken by the big Canadian Hugo Girard, who had been practicing the event.  The ever-present Jamie Reeves, sweating in his Stetson and sandals, was on hand to watch the progress.  Magnus Samuelsson, also possessing long arms, took his first blood of the competition but Svend Karlsen’s defeat of Jouko Ahola gave him the overall lead.   
• Atlas stones – Laszlo Fekete had a slow start here as the first stone wouldn’t settle onto the platform.  However, his considerable experience came to bear and he proceeded steadily through to the final stone in a fast time overall.  Jouko Ahola was disappointed to come second to Laszlo, as Jamie Reeves showed him his time.  Svend Karlsen was even more disappointed to fail at the fifth stone, which meant that his lead was short-lived and Jouko Ahola took the lead back again.
• Plane pull – the famous truck pull was replaced by a plane pull this year.  Jamie Reeves was there with his Stetson and sandals to officiate.  As in recent years, the pull was made with both a rope in the hands and a harness.  Jouko Ahola stormed down the field to beat everyone who had come before him but it was his fellow-countryman, Janne Virtanen, who won.
• Log lift – a slight variation on the log lift this year, with a 120kg (265lbs) pendulum press log lift for reps.  Hugo Girard set a new world record and won the event with 17 reps.  Magnus Samuelsson surprised everyone by making 15 reps.  Jamie Reeves loomed ominously in the background, looking mean and moody.      
• Medley – the medley opened with a 120kg (265lbs) farmers’ walk, followed by a 300kg (660lbs) tire flip and finally a chain and anchor drag.  Magnus Samuelsson, as always, owned the tire flip but was beaten to the line by both Svend Karlsen and Jouko Ahola.  It was enough for Jouko to win overall.       

A deserving win for Jouko Ahola and a great competition with some strong candidates, none of who completely dominated the field.  An interesting way to end the decade.

Strongman resources

I have posted about strongman before and I often have links to useful sites.  If you’re interested, check out my top 10 website resources for strongman.  I also love watching World’s Strongest Man on television – it’s probably the highlight of my televiewing year – and I enjoy using strongman equipment in my workouts, especially when the weather is nice and I can use the garden.  And not only has it been an enjoyable experience for me, training wise, it’s produced some fun blog posts too, including:

• how to make simple farmers’ walk bars;
• how to make (more complicated) farmers’ walk bars;
• how to make a cheap sandbag;
• training with sandbags (lifting and loading);
• how to make a fat bar (for axle deadlifts, cleans and presses).

However, please note that I don’t compete and I don’t profess to any inside knowledge.  That aside, I hope you enjoy this article.  If you want to buy the DVD, you can find it here.

1996 Mauritius (Winner: Magnus Ver Magnusson)

As in 1995, the World’s Strongest Man in 1996 was held in an incredible location.  Also like 1995, the sound quality was a bit off, with the background music drowning out the commentators.

• Truck pull – not exactly a truck pull this year but a tractor and trailer pull.  The trailer was loaded heavily with a massive amount of sugar cane.  The tractor tread made it very slow going.  Raimonds Bergmanis, a first time WSM-finalist and Latvian weightlifter, ground to an unceremonious halt some way before the finish.  Forbes Cowan set a very fast time, wearing rock-climbing boots for extra grip, but this only served as a target for the Gerrit Badenhorst and Magnus Ver Magnusson.  Ultimately, newcomer Jorma Ojanaho was faster, though, and took the win.
• Car flip – the competitors had to turn a car over completely.  While this is great fun to watch, I don’t think that it’s a particularly safe event.  It’s quite easy to list a number of athletes who have been hurt by it over the years, including both Jon Pall Sigmarsson and Bill Kazmaier.  Flemming Rasmussen and Riku Kiri set blistering times, racing each other in one heat.  Gerrit Badenhorst needed no such competition to win, though, flipping the car so fast the camera barely tracked back to find him before he ran over the finish line.
• Trojan wall – this event is very like the highland games event, weight for height, where the competitors have to swing a block weight over a bar behind them.  In this variation, the weight is a large brick, which is held in both hands and thrown overhead.  Before the event, both Gerrit Badenhorst and Magnus Ver Magnusson predicted an easy win for Riku Kiri.  In the end, they were spot on, as Riku dominated the competition from the very beginning, rarely missing a throw.  Magnus scraped into second.
• Hercules’ hold – the hold used two cars this year.  Jorma Ojanaho set a good time, as did Forbes Cowan.  Gerrit Badenhorst had bad luck as the cars rolled back hard at the beginning and he had to let go early.  Going last, however, Riku Kiri sailed past the young upstarts to win the event and moved into the lead overall.
• Cask circle – this is a Zercher carry around a central pole.  The competitors’ achievement is measured in degrees or numbers of rotations.  Raymond Bergmanis took a nasty knock to his chin as he completed his revolutions and fell forwards, hard.  Magnus Ver Magnusson was incredibly relieved to have won his first event at last. 
• Farmers’ walk – as in 1995, the farmers’ walk was done in two heats.  The competitors carried 265lbs (120kg) weights in each hand.  Magnusson Ver Magnusson won his second event running and moved into the overall lead.
• Deadlift – late in the event listings this year, the deadlift seemed harder for the competitors.  Flemming Rasmussen failed at 350kg (770lbs).  Raimonds Bergmanis did well to go further but failed at 370kg (815lbs).  Riku Kiri failed at 390kg (860lbs).  Magnus Ver Magnusson failed at 410kg (900lbs) but Gerrit Badenhorst lifted it with only a little slowing down.
• Power stairs – this final event was a new event this year, with the competitors duck walking heavy block weights up several high steps. Gerrit took his time and the tortoise beat the hares.  He won the event, which pushed him into third place overall.  Unfortunately, the final heat between Magnus Ver Magnusson and Riku Kiri was an anti-climax, as something went wrong for Riku and he had to pull out, leaving the way clear for Magnus to claim the overall competition win.      

Not the greatest final ever, mainly on account of a slightly weaker field than in previous years.  Gary Taylor and Manfred Hoeberl in particular were sorely missed, as were Heinz Ollesch and Magnus Samuelsson, albeit to a lesser degree.

It was an interesting year, though, if you see it as the triumphant end of the Magnus Ver Magnusson years and in some ways it predicts the beginning of the Jouko Ahola/Magnus Samuelsson/Svend Karlsen years, which bridge the gap up to the next great champion, Mariusz Pudzianowski.

1997 USA (Winner: Joako Ahola)

A new era dawns this year, as Magnus Ver Magnusson retires and some new faces take his place.  Also a new era, as the competition returned to the USA for the first time since 1982.  And what a place to land, as the competition is held in the sunny city of Las Vegas.

• Truck pull – a 23-tonne pick-up truck takes pole position for the first event in this competition.  As in recent years, this truck pull used both a harness and a rope for pulling.  However, it was a cruel weight and Mark Philippi, Harold “Iron Bear” Collins and Derek Boyer all failed to finish.  Flemming Rasmussen went early and set a fast time that was not to be beaten.  Surprisingly, Joako Ahola was only just able to finish the course, struggling hard to pass the final few metres.
• Log lift – the competitors had to lift a 105kg (230lbs) log as many times as possible in 60s.  Joako showed his form for the first time and lifted 12 reps to equal Harold “Iron Bear” Collins.  Flemming Rasmussen quite clearly locked out with 13 reps but the referee had some sort of inexplicable failure of judgement and disallowed it.  As Flemming said himself, he was standing on the stage with the thirteenth rep in the air for about five seconds shouting to the crowd.  It was probably one of the best reps in the whole competition. 
• Car flip – as the commentators said, this is a great event to watch but not a very safe one for the competitors.  There is a risk that the cars can roll back onto their legs.  Fortunately, though this was an injury-free year.  Magnus Samuelsson, Svend Karlsen and Heinz Ollesch did very well, probably on account of their height.  Magnus Samuelsson was very happy to take his first ever win.
• Husafel stone – not regularly seen in World’s Strongest Man, the stone weighs 410lbs (186kg).  The competitors carried it at chest height for distance.  The last time the stone was carried in a final was 1992, in Iceland, where Ted Van Der Parre beat Magnus Ver Magnusson.  Torfi Olafsson (world record holder at 90m) dropped the stone to 60m.  Svend Karlsen got very close to this record with 86m.  Magnus Samuelsson looked like Ted, as he peered loftily over the top of the stone, wrapping his long arms around it and running past the other competitors’ marks to win.  His second win ever and he did it straight after his first.
• Block lift – the block lift is a form of squat where the weight is supported in a frame like a smith machine.   Svend Karlsen was out from the beginning as he tore something in his leg.  Flemming Rasmussen failed at 380kg (835lbs) but did well enough to keep his lead.  Harold “Iron Bear” Collins failed at 387.5kg (853lbs) for second place and Mark Philippi took the win.
• Keg loading – the competitors had to load six kegs weighing 225lbs (102kg) onto a platform.  Magnus Samuelsson had bad luck as one of his kegs rolled off the platform once it had been loaded.  Flemming Rasmussen went off against Joako Ahola.  Joako looked lean and mobile, like Magnus Ver Magnusson in his heyday.  But it was Flemming who was dominant and he took the win and extended his lead to four points.
• Silver dollar deadlift – Unfortunately, it was a short-lived moment of triumph for Flemming Rasmussen as he bombed out of the deadlift at 382.5kg (842lbs), which put him into seventh place.  Mark Philippi looked dominant with 432.5kg (952lbs) but it was Joako Ahola who won, lifting 435kg (957lbs) with Bill Kazmaier looking on.
• Medley – the medley was a duck walk followed by a tire flip and a car push.  Magnus Samuelsson won, flipping the tire easier than most on account of his height.  But, with Joako Ahola already in the lead, Joako only needed to ensure that he didn’t finish poorly in this event to win.  As consistent as ever, he produced a good time and secured his overall win.

It was a tight competition, despite Flemming Rasmussen leading from the first event through to the penultimate event, the deadlift, where he did very poorly.  The final positions were Joako Ahola, Flemming Rasmussen and Magnus Samuelsson.  It was Flemming’s best year, though, and if the referee had been wearing his spectacles in judging the log lift, then the final positions might have been closer still.

Strongman resources

I have posted about strongman before and I often have links to useful sites.  If you’re interested, check out my top 10 website resources for strongman.  I also love watching World’s Strongest Man on television – it’s probably the highlight of my televiewing year – and I enjoy using strongman equipment in my workouts, especially when the weather is nice and I can use the garden.  And not only has it been an enjoyable experience for me, training wise, it’s produced some fun blog posts too, including:

• how to make simple farmers’ walk bars;
• how to make (more complicated) farmer’s walk bars;
• how to make a cheap sandbag;
• training with sandbags (lifting and loading);
• how to make a fat bar (for axle deadlifts, cleans and presses).

However, please note that I don’t compete and I don’t profess to any inside knowledge.  That aside, I hope you enjoy this article.  If you want to buy the DVD, you can find it here.

1994 South Africa (Winner: Magnus Ver Magnusson)

This was another great year for several reasons.  Most of all it was fantastic to see Magnus Ver Magnusson and Manfred Hoeberl battling fiercely but with great camaraderie between themselves for the winning place.  It was also great to see Gerrit Badenhorst, one of my favourite competitors, fired up by competing in his home country of South Africa.  It was only marred by the exclusion of the reigning champion, Gary Taylor, who was pushed out of his heat by Samoan Joe Onosai, who then completely failed to make any impact on the other finalists whatsoever.

• Truck pull – in 1993, the truck pull was done for the first time with both a rope attached to the truck by means of a harness and another rope pulled in the hands.  This year was the same set up.  It was a tense event, with Magnus Ver Magnusson going first and setting a fast time that nobody else could get close to.  Most of the others came one or two seconds slower.  Then, Manfred Hoeberl (who also won this new  event last year) beat him by over four seconds.  The difference was remarkable.  Manfred took the lead but more importantly, he put clear blue water between him and everyone else, making his mark on the whole competition.
• Samson’s barrow – Gary Taylor’ favourite event was won this year by Riku Kiri, which was surprising given his poor performance in this event last year.  But the real drama came in the last heat, as Manfred and Magnus, already recognising each other as the most dangerous adversary, duelled it out between themselves.  A slip near the end nearly cost Manfred his second victory over Magnus but he managed to clinch it.  Manfred was still in the lead.
• Rock lift – Gerrit Badenhorst, inspired by performing in his home country of South Africa, set a new world in front of his home crowd with 140kg, even standing on one leg afterwards to show how easy it was.  Some called his behaviour arrogance but there was no malice evident, just joyful showmanship.  I found it very hard not to warm to him.
• Car walk – introduced in 1993, where the event was won by Gary Taylor, this event saw the competitors wearing Citroen 2CV’s like life-jackets and waddling down a short course.  Scotland’s Forbes Cowan, coached by Gary Taylor, did well but again, the real drama came in the last heat, as Manfred and Magnus duelled it out between themselves.  Only a slip near the end cost Manfred another victory over Magnus.
• Hercules’ hold – this event was not a kind one but it was another in which Forbes did well, aided by his very strong grip, only to be beaten by the veteran Riku Kiri.
• Silver dollar deadlift – this was another event in which Gerrit Badenhorst stamped his own individual mark on the competition.  Gerrit took the silver dollar deadlift in similar style to the rock lift, showing everyone that 440kg (970lbs) was no struggle and that if pushed he could go higher.  The others retired gracefully, knowing that further challenge would be fruitless and would just cost them bitter effort.  When it came to lifting weights, Gerrit was a Bill Kazmaier for the 1990s.
• The pole push – this event is a traditional highland games event where two men grasp either end of a pole using straps and try to push the other out of a ring.  Forbes showed great mastery of this event, even defeating Magnus Ver Magnusson easily.  Unfortunately, the heat of the day was severe and many of the competitors retired once the points left to fight over were few.  Riku took first without contention from Manfred Hoeberl.  It is interesting that these two men were in the final in 1993, together, where it was Riku who had to retire and give Manfred the win on account of a broken ankle
• McGlashan stones – the points going into the McGlashen stones were 42.5 each to Manfred Hoeberl and Magnus Ver Magnusson and 42 to Riku.  Gerrit Badenhorst was not far behind.  All looked tense for a testing finish.  Magnus and Manfred raced each other and there was barely a handful of seconds in it as Magnus just pipped him to the post.  Watching it again after all these years, it reminded me of Phil Pfister’s victory over Mariusz Pudzianowski in China.

In summary, another really tense and close competition, more like 1992 than 1993, where Gary Taylor made his mark early on and stayed in the lead throughout.

Here is the great final showdown between Manfred and Magnus on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zD47vC0PKkg

1995 The Bahamas (Winner: Magnus Ver Magnusson)

My copy of this final was poorly dubbed with very loud background music and very quiet commentary, making it very hard to tell what was being said.  Fortunately, the interviews with the competitors used a different process and they were easy to hear.

However, while it was sad that Manfred Hoeberl, who had had a severe car crash, was not able to attend, Gerrit Badenhorst stepped up to the plate to give Magnus Ver Magnusson a run for his money and made it a good competition.  In fact, if Gerrit had not been injured during the second event, it is very likely that he would have won.

• Truck pull – the first event, as often, was the truck pull. As in 1993 and 1994, the truck was pulled using both a harness and a rope in the hands.  The difference this year was that the truck was a 70,000lbs fire truck, which looked as big as a heavy goods vehicle.  Apparently, this was one of the heaviest objects ever pulled in world’s strongest man.  Gerrit Badenhorst set a fantastic time to win the event, with Magnus Ver Magnusson fighting hard to take second.
• Car flip – in this event, the competitors had to flip cars over.  Gerrit Badenhorst once again dominated the competition but sadly injured his back while picking the car up.
• Behind the neck rack press – this immediately showed Gerrit Badenhorst’s injury.  He was unable to hold the bar once it was overhead.  Magnus Ver Magnusson did well, hitting new personal records of 190kg (420lbs) and 200kg (440lbs).  I was amused to watch Jamie Reeves standing behind the competitors.  I guess they figured that he was about the only person in the world who could help if they got into trouble.  Joe Onosai finally redeemed himself by lifting 205kg (450lbs) for second place and Gary Taylor annihilated everyone by lifting 210kg (460lbs) easily to win.
• Farmer’s walk – the weights in this event were huge.  Marko Varalahti and Gerrit Badenhorst were the only two in their heat to finish but Marko was by far and away the fastest.  In the other heat, Magnus Ver Magnusson was the only one who could finish and he just beat Gerrit’s time.  Gary Taylor got within 6 inches of the finish but he couldn’t drag himself over the line.  Fortunately, this was good enough for fourth.
• Caber for height – this was tossing the caber for height.  Jamie Reeves was again helping out as the competitors had to run towards the sea, holding the caber, before tossing it over a frame.  Phil Martin, the world record holder, was very disappointed to be phased by the incoming tide and went out early.  Magnus Ver Magnusson and Gerrit Badenhorst shared first place, showing their experience and ability to adapt their strength to new situations.
• Naval tug of war – this was a curious variation of the tug-of-war with the competitors facing each other.  Heinz Ollesch won, Phil Martin came second and Magnus Ver Magnusson and Gerrit Badenhorst shared third place.
• Block lift – Joe Onosai, Gary Taylor, Gerrit Badenhorst and Magnus Ver Magnusson were the only athletes to achieve 352.5kg (775lbs) on the block lift, a form of squat where the weight is supported in a frame like a smith machine.  This was an event that we would normally expect Gerrit to dominate but his back injury kicked in at 437.5kg (963lbs) and he was knocked out.  Gary Taylor retired at the same weight but Magnus Ver Magnusson lifted it for first place.
• Loading medley – the competitors had to lift a number of oddly-shaped objects onto several platforms of varying heights.  However, the highest platform was very high and it was heartbreaking to watch Gary Taylor fail on the first part of the medley because he couldn’t reach the platform.  Magnus Ver Magnusson did well as always for second place but Marko Varalahti won the event.    

Overall, Magnus Ver Magnusson won the competition, Gerrit Badenhorst came second and Marko Varalahti came third.  If Gerrit had not been injured, though, he could have won.