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The First Group of Members of Dr. Kraevsky’s Athle

The First Group of Members of Dr. Kraevsky’s Athletic Circle, 1894.

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For the muscles of the sides. Stand erect with the

For the muscles of the sides. Stand erect with the feet spaced comfortably apart. Hold a dumb bell at right arms length overhead. From this position bend over to the left side until you touch the left foot with the left hand. Breathe in as you bend over, and also bend the knee of the left leg. Breathe out as you come to the erect position, and repeat the exercise six times to the left side. This done, change the dumb bell over to the left hand and repeat the exercise six times bending to the right side. Keep the dumb bell at arms length throughout the exercise. Every third practice night add one repetition until 18 counts are made to each side. Then add 5 Ibs. to the dumb bell, and commence over with the original count of six repetitions.

— George F. Jowett, Progressive Dumh Bell Exercise, 1938.

—

Old-school strength never went away.

Some of us are just bringing it back.

To learn more about old-school dumbbell lifting, check out my online course, Enter the Dumbbell:

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“Besides having a terrific grip, Thomas Inch of En

“Besides having a terrific grip, Thomas Inch of England was a great odd lift performer. He is holding a 300 pound ‘human barbell’ overhead with his right hand and a 56 pound kettlebell in his left!”

– Muscle Builder, September 1960.

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To develop the muscles of the anterior thigh (quad

To develop the muscles of the anterior thigh (quadriceps)

Purpose: Through contraction of the quadriceps muscles of the thighs, development of the anterior and inner aspects of the thigh.

Through resistance against the body’s sudden drop, negative contraction of the hamstring muscles (biceps crural), resulting in development of the posterior aspect of the thigh.

Execution: Flexion and extension movements on the lower limbs, with the knees kept together, while holding the arms extended in front of the chest.

Take care not to let the buttocks drop abruptly onto the heels; instead, resist the descent in order to cushion the lowering movement.

Perform 20 repetitions in 55 seconds.

— Chevillet, P., and Edmond Desbonnet. The Gymnastics of the Organs. 1st ed. Paris: Librairie Athlétique de La Culture Physique, 1936.

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Make all-round athleticism and physical culture gr

Make all-round athleticism and physical culture great again!

“The first outdoor school of physical and sporting education, which began operating in 1886 in Lille, on the banks of the Deûle, and which was founded by Professor Desbonnet, with the necessary comfort and the most natural hygiene. There, everything was brought together: rowing, swimming, physical culture, weightlifting, cycling, gymnastics, English boxing and French boxing, cane fighting, Greco-Roman wrestling, running, etc. All of this was taught free of charge, which, as one might imagine, brought in very little income.”

—Chevillet, Pierre. La Culture Physique pour tous: Force. Beauté. Santé. Paris: Librairie Athlétique de La Culture Physique, 1941.

Title translation: Physical Culture for Everyone: Strength. Beauty. Health.

The title strongly reflects the classic French culture physique tradition of the late 19th and early 20th centuries: physical training not merely for sport, but for strength (force), aesthetics (beauté), and health (santé).

#simplexstrong #strongfirst #physicalculture

“Mr. and Mrs. Laufenberg of Cologne performed arou

“Mr. and Mrs. Laufenberg of Cologne performed around 1893 under the names of Vulkan and Venus.

The man, a large and vigorous fellow, was remarkably strong and possessed a strong grip, thanks to his habit of working with dumbbells and barbells that had very thick handles.

They enjoyed a fair amount of success in Germany. I saw them in 1897 at an athletic contest in Brussels where I was one of the judges. By then, the wife had abandoned the profession of strongwoman because her corpulence had become all too obvious under her tights and jersey. She had retained a certain strength and even then had a figure with pleasing lines, which the photograph above gives but a feeble idea. She was blonde, rather tall, and measured at least 46 in the calves and 76 in the thighs. Her husband measured 1 meter 78 in height, weighed 100 kilos, and had an arm circumference of 41 centimeters, 34 forearms, 41.5 calves, and 124 in the chest.”

—Edmond Desbonnet, The Kings of Strength. A History of All Strong Men from Ancient Times to Our Own, originally published in 1911; edited and translated by David L. Chapman,2022.

#simplexstrong #strongfirst #kettlebell #kettlebells #bestrongfirst

“It is easier to build strong children than to rep

“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” — Frederick Douglass

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“…if there were just one exercise which could be p

“…if there were just one exercise which could be performed with a dumbbell, and it were the one hand [overhead] swing in its various forms, that single dumbbell training should be made a part of the training of any man who is ambitious physically.”

— Cletus Snelbaker, “The Dumbbell Swing”, Strength & Health, 1943.

—

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Antone Matysek: “A famous strong man, who is an ar

Antone Matysek: “A famous strong man, who is an artist with dumb-bells. His abundance of nervous energy, perfect balance and exceptionally well-trained muscles make him a past master in lifting.”

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#simplexstrong #strongfirst #dumbbell #enterthedumbbell #bestrongfirst

“Siegmund Klein is illustrating the manner in whic

“Siegmund Klein is illustrating the manner in which the one hand side press, one of the best builders of the shoulders and upper back, should be performed.”

Old-school Dumbbell Program Minimum 👉 enterthedumbbell.com (OR CLICK THE LINK IN THE BIO!)

#siegmundklein #simplexstrong #strongfirst #dumbbell #enterthedumbbell

A kettlebell, a barbell, or a dumbbell? Yes. An o

A kettlebell, a barbell, or a dumbbell? Yes.

An old Milo Bar-Bell leaflet.

#simplexstrong #strongfirst #bestrongfirst

“Showing a 220-1b. Bar-bell, a 100-1b. Dumb-bell a

“Showing a 220-1b. Bar-bell, a 100-1b. Dumb-bell and two 45-1b. Kettle-bells, all ready for use and all made from the ‘SUPER-STRENGTH’ outfit.”

#barbell #kettlebell #dumbbell #simplexstrong #strongfirst bestrongfirst

Ernie Frantz, Ten Commandments of Powerlifting 1.

Ernie Frantz, Ten Commandments of Powerlifting

1. Equipment (wraps, suits, etc.) should be a benefit, so learn to use it wisely.

2. Make sure you warm up properly and listen to your body.

3. Act like your light lifts are heavy, so your heavy lifts will feel light.

4. Concentration separates the good from the best.

5. Keep every body part tight during the entire movement.

6. When trying a new style, work up slowly, but work hard.

7. There is no excuse for a lack of practice.

8. A good deadlifter will always finish strong.

9. Bodybuilding and powerlifting do not mix. Make your choice—beautiful muscles or raw power.

10. Work with a positive attitude. A winner thinks he can, and a loser never thinks.

#simplexstrong #strongfirst #bestrongfirst

If you want new ideas, read old books. The long-aw

If you want new ideas, read old books. The long-awaited Hard Style dumbbell lifting Program Minimum #EnterTheDumbbell is coming VERY soon. 🛎️ Make sure to subscribe to the newsletter to be the first to know – LINK IN BIO.

#simplexstrong #strongfirst #dumbbell #bestrongfirst @strongfirst

“A corner of Edgar Müller’s Gymnasium in Leipzig s

“A corner of Edgar Müller’s Gymnasium in Leipzig showing part of his collection of kettleweights and photographic collection, incuding posters of Hermann Görner’s Circus act.”

#goerner #mightygoerner #simplexstrong #kettlebell #kettlebells #strongfirst #bestrongfirst @strongfirst

“Don Dorans demonstrates the popular ‘Split’ style

“Don Dorans demonstrates the popular ‘Split’ style for the One Hand Swing. Note that the foot corresponding to the lifting arm goes forward. [LEFT]

“SQUAT STYLE: As the weight reaches shoulder-level the lifter drops beneath it by rapidly bending his legs, ‘fixing’ the dumb-bell at arm’s length. The athlete has allowed the dumb-bell to twist slihgtly from the ‘right angles to front’ position–not permitted in official lifting.” [RIGHT]

– The ONE HAND SWING by George W. Kirkley, Vigour, August 1946.

—
If you are into old-school dumbbell lifting…

Don’t miss a major release coming soon!

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“For the muscles of the legs (quadriceps), glutes,

“For the muscles of the legs (quadriceps), glutes, and calves.

Squats with the kettlebell held behind the body.

Starting position: feet shoulder-width apart, the kettlebell held in both hands behind the body at hip level.

Execution: squat down and stand up again without leaning the torso forward. While squatting, rise up onto your toes. Inhale as you squat down, exhale as you come up.”

“Exercises with dumbbells, an expander, kettlebells, and a barbell,” 1968

#kettlebell #kettlebells #hacksquat #simplexstrong #strongfirst #bestrongfirst

The Two Hands Anyhow is a traditional strongman we

The Two Hands Anyhow is a traditional strongman weightlifting exercise. The goal was to lift as much weight overhead with two hands (two separate weights) in any method.

#simplexstrong #strongfirst #kettlebell #kettlebells #twohandsanyhow #twohandsanyhowlift #bestrongfirst

Roy L. Smith, “The King of the Amateurs” “He star

Roy L. Smith, “The King of the Amateurs”

“He started when he was thirty and today he has a physique that the average man can envy.”

“Half-way down in a “one-arm bent-press.” He has raised 225 pounds in this style.”

#simplexstrong #strongfirst #ipm #imperialprogramminimum #bentpress

The Secret of Muscle Moulding Any earnest seekers

The Secret of Muscle Moulding

Any earnest seekers of the Body Beautiful have importuned me with questions about the attainment of a Grimek or Sandow type of body. They say they have used barbells for years and they never got "that way" and want to know why.

Their conclusion invariably is that the muscle stars have a “secret" that is being craftily withheld from the common people. The answer to this query is "yes." The stars do have a secret and if you will draw close and open your ears I will expose it once and for all time.

One of the bits of Sandowiana which always interested me was the reply he made to a newspaper reporter who interviewed him. The reporter asked the noted strongman what sort of exercise he did to maintain his famous physique. Sandow replied, “When I am sitting comfortably in a chair reading a newspaper, I occasionally 'flick' my muscles."

This, dear reader, is the essence of the great secret of the physical supermen. They have learned to "flick" their muscles This control is so complete that they can at will flex and move practically any muscle of the body. They can also show off their physiques to greater advantage on the posing platform because of this control.

— Harry B. Paschall, Muscle Moulding

Photo: Eugene Sandow

#simplexstrong #musclecontrol #eugenesandow #strongfirst #bestrongfirst

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