The following is an article from George F. Jowett about the Saxon trio. The Saxon Trio – what a name to conjure with – a name, to me, reminiscent of happy hours dramatized with amazing deeds of strength. Arthur, Herman and Kurt Saxon. Three brothers who represented altogether a mountain …
All About Muscle Control
Muscles can do one of two things, either contract or relax, with varying degrees of both. Muscle control is the art of controlling your muscles. More specifically it involves controlling muscles in isolation, in combinations and sequences. As a specific practice it was largely “created” by Maxick (born Max Sick, …
Tromp Van Diggelen
Tromp Van Diggelen was a strongman, author and teacher born in 1885 who endured a sickly childhood like many old-time strongmen. He actually almost died three times as a child, from pleurisy, pneumonia and bronchitis. However, his mother was determined to have a healthy kid and she decided to set …
David Blazer
David Jacob Blazer was a sailor and strongman born in 1886. He was most popular between 1914-1918 as a strongman performer, but David also for appeared in numerous ads for the Maxalding course as Seaman Blazer. Furthermore, David Balzer was featured in “History of the Iron Game” by a well-known …
Max Sick
Max Sick was a strongman and gymnast from Austria born in 1882, most famous for developing the Maxalding system with Monte Saldo. But he did much more than that. Early Life Born to Swiss parents, Maxick developed rickets and dropsy along with lung problems at a very young age. This …
Louis Attila
Ludwig Durlacher, better known as Louis Attila was a German strongman born in 1844 and one of the greatest men in the history of physical culture. Professor Attila wasn’t just a strongman, but an accomplished pianist who spoke five languages fluently. He was very well educated and didn’t really trained …
Edmond Desbonnet
Edmond Desbonnet was a French physical culturist, photographer and academic born in 1867. Due to his poor health, he was forced to perform gymnastic exercises from the age of seven. Five years later, Edmond discovered photo of a strongman which he soon started collecting on a regular basis. Professor Desbonnet …
Elephant Wrestling and Deadlifting by Hermann Goerner
Another article in the Strongman Profile series has been put up on Breaking Muscle. Strongman Profile: Hermann Goerner Teaches Us the Deadlift (and Elephant Wrestling) Hermann Goerner is not a household name, but he could easily be considered once of the strongest people of all time. Even amongst old-time strongmen …
Luigi Borra
Luigi Borra was a strongman, weightlifter and gymnast born in 1866 in Italy. He worked as a telegraph instrument maker until the age of 23, when he decided to join a circus and perform as a wrestler. Throughout many European tours, Luigi performed various strength and gymnastics feats, aside from …
Ottley Coulter
Ottley Coulter was born in 1890 as the smallest male in a large family of big men, but through persistent training and good diet he managed to reach the highest strength level of them all. He is one of the few circus performers who had at least some kind of higher education, …
Eugen Sandow
Eugen Sandow, the man who started it all and the father of modern bodybuilding. His real name was Friedrich Wilhelm Müller, but he took his stage name for two reasons – 1) it was a custom to do so as a stage performer and 2) he left Prussia to avoid …