The strongest man of the 19th century. Russian heroes and strongmen

11.12.201927.05.2017

In Russia in the middle of the 19th century in the tsar's office there was the position of "Chief Overseer of physical development population". The representatives of the Russian population, who developed under such supervision, still surprise us with this very development.

For example, in weightlifting, those who "pulled" less than 100 kilograms had nothing to do in the Strong Club.

Sergei Eliseev (1876 - 1938). Light Weightlifter

Sergei Eliseev and Georg Hakkenshmit

The world record holder, a hereditary hero of small stature, he accidentally became famous at a city festival in Ufa - he won a belt wrestling tournament against a multiple champion. The next day, three rams were brought to Eliseev's house as a generous act of recognition from the defeated ex-champion.

Trick. took in right hand kettlebell weighing 62 kg, lifted it up, then slowly lowered it on a straight arm to the side and held the arm with the kettlebell in a horizontal position for several seconds. Three times in a row he pulled out two unbound two-pound weights with one hand. In the bench press with two hands, he lifted 145 kg and pushed 160.2 kg.

Ivan Zaikin (1880 - 1949). Chaliapin Russian Muscles

World wrestling champion, weight lifting champion, circus artist, one of the first Russian aviators.

Foreign newspapers called him "Chaliapin of Russian muscles."

His athletic numbers became a sensation. In 1908 Zaikin toured in Paris. After the performance of the athlete, the chains torn by Zaikin, an iron beam bent on his shoulders, "bracelets" and "ties" tied by him from strip iron were exhibited in front of the circus. Some of these exhibits were acquired by the Parisian Cabinet of Curiosities and were displayed along with other curiosities.

Trick. Zaikin carried a 25-pound anchor on his shoulders, lifted a long barbell onto his shoulders, on which ten people sat, and began to rotate it ("live carousel").

Georg Hackenschmidt (1878 - 1968). Russian lion

World wrestling champion and world record holder in weightlifting. From childhood, Gaak trained: he jumped 4.9 meters in length, 1.4 meters in height from a place, ran 180 meters in 26 seconds. To strengthen his legs, he practiced climbing a spiral staircase to the spire of the Olivest church with two-pound weights.

Haak got into sports by accident: Dr. Kraevsky, “the father of Russian athletics,” convinced him that “he can easily become the strongest man in the world.” In 1897, Haak broke into St. Petersburg, where he smashed the capital's heavyweights to smithereens. Training with Kraevsky, Gaak quickly takes all the first places in Russia (by the way, he ate everything he wanted, but drank only milk), and goes to Vienna. Further - Paris, London, Australia, Canada, America - and the title of the Russian Lion and the Strongest Man of the late XIX - early XX centuries.

Trick. With one hand, he squeezed a barbell weighing 122 kg. He took 41 kg dumbbells in each hand and spread his straight arms horizontally to the sides. I squeezed a barbell weighing 145 kg on the wrestling bridge. With his arms crossed on his back, Gaak lifted 86 kg from a deep squat. With a 50-kilogram barbell, I squatted 50 times. Today the trick is called "gaak-exercise" or simply "gaak".

Grigory Kashcheev (real - Kosinsky, 1863 - 1914). Giant Downshifter

A hero from the village with an advantage in height - 2.18 m. At the village fair, he defeated the visiting circus performer Besov, who immediately convinced him to go with him - "show strength."

“We are coming with Grisha to a deaf, deaf town. We didn't see people like us there. Kashcheev (pseudonym of Kosinsky) is shaggy like a beast, and my surname is Besov. We don't have a human form. They decided that we were werewolves ... Without saying a bad word, they lassoed us, took us out of the city and said: “If you don’t leave our city with good, then blame yourself!” Besov recalled.

In 1906, Grigory Kashcheev first met world-class wrestlers and became friends with Zaikin, who helped him reach the big arena. Soon Kashcheev put all eminent strongmen on the shoulder blades, and in 1908, together with Poddubny and Zaikin, he went to Paris for the World Championship, from where they brought victory.

Trick. It would seem that now the real wrestling career of Kashcheev has begun, but, refusing the most profitable offers, he abandoned everything and went to his village to plow the land.

“I had to fully see the original people in my time as the director of the wrestling, but nevertheless, the most interesting in terms of character, I must imagine the giant Grigory Kashcheev. In fact, it is hard to imagine that a gentleman who has made a European name for himself within 3-4 years, voluntarily leaves the arena back to his village, and again takes up the plow and harrow. That gentleman was of enormous strength. Almost a sazhen in height, Kashcheev, if he were a foreigner, would earn big capital, because he surpassed all foreign giants in strength ”(Hercules Magazine, No. 2, 1915).

Pyotr Krylov (1871 - 1933). Kettlebell King

A Muscovite who, having changed his profession as a navigator of the merchant fleet to the craft of an athlete, went all the way from fairs and "booths of living miracles" to major circuses and French wrestling championships. He (attention!) was the permanent winner of competitions for the best athletic figure, taking as a child an example from the athlete Emil Foss, who entered the arena in silk tights and leopard skin. He began his first workouts at home with irons that he tied to a broom.

Trick. Krylov set several world records. In the “wrestling bridge” position, he squeezed 134 kg with both hands, and 114.6 kg with his left hand. Press in the "soldier's stance": with his left hand he lifted a two-pound weight 86 times in a row. The ancestor of spectacular tricks that other athletes then repeated, and today paratroopers: bending a rail on their shoulders, driving a car over the body, raising a platform with a horse and a rider. Performing athletic numbers, Krylov commented on them cheerfully. His remarks have always been persuasive. For example, when he broke stones with his fist, he invariably addressed the audience with these words:

“Gentlemen, if you think that there is a falsehood in this number, then I can break this stone with my fist on the head of any interested person from the public.”

From practice, Krylov could easily switch to theory and give a lecture on physical culture.

Alexander Zass (1888 - 1962). Russian Samson

The father of Alexander Zass was just the kind of person who could go out in the circus against a visiting strongman and win the fight. It is not surprising that Alexander got into the circus and took up everything at once: aerial gymnastics, horse riding, wrestling. In 1914, a world war broke out, and Alexander was drafted into the army in the 180th Vindava Cavalry Regiment. Once he was returning from reconnaissance and suddenly, already close to the Russian positions, the enemy noticed him and opened fire. The bullet went through the horse's leg. The Austrian soldiers, seeing that the horse with the rider had fallen, did not pursue the cavalryman and turned back. And Alexander, making sure that the danger had passed, did not want to leave the wounded horse in no man's land. True, there was still half a kilometer to the location of the regiment, but this did not bother him. Throwing a horse on his shoulders, Alexander brought it to his camp. In the future, Alexander will include in his repertoire wearing on the shoulders of a horse. Once in Austrian captivity, the strong man escapes on the third attempt, since he knew how to unbend the bars and break the chains. Once in Europe, he defeated all the strong men of Europe and became the "Russian Samson".

Trick. For several decades, his name, or rather his pseudonym, Samson, did not leave the circus posters of many countries. The repertoire of his power numbers was amazing: he carried a horse or a piano around the arena with a pianist and dancer located on the lid, caught with his hands a 90-kilogram cannonball, which was fired from a circus cannon from a distance of 8 meters. "Russian Samson" tore off the floor and held in his teeth a metal beam with assistants sitting at its ends. Having threaded the shin of one leg into a loop of a rope fixed under the very dome, he held in his teeth a platform with a piano and a pianist. Lying with his bare back on a board studded with nails, Zaas held a stone weighing 500 kilograms on his chest, which those who wished (from the public) beat with sledgehammers. In the famous attraction "Projectile Man", he caught with his hands an assistant flying out of the muzzle of a circus cannon and describing a 12-meter trajectory over the arena. In 1938, in Sheffield, in front of an assembled crowd, he was run over by a truck loaded with coal. Samson stood up and, smiling, bowed to the audience.

Frederick Müller (1867–1925). Eugene Sandow

Few people know that the weightlifting record holder and the “magician of the pose” Eugene Sandow is Frederic Muller. Not only the strongest athlete, but also a savvy businessman, Mueller realized that a career in power sports will go faster if you take a Russian name. The newly minted Sandow differed from the frail Muller in his outstanding strength, achieved through training and physical education.

Trick. Weighing less than 80 kg, he set a world record by pressing 101.5 kg with one arm. He did a back flip, holding 1.5 pounds in each hand. Within four minutes, he could do 200 push-ups on his hands.

Business trick. In 1930, under his Russian name, he published the book "Bodybuilding", giving the name to this sport in all English-speaking countries and also giving reason to believe that the Russians came up with bodybuilding.

HANS STEYER(Bavaria, 1849 - 1906), standing on two chairs, he raised 16 pounds with his middle finger (threaded in a ring). His “live horizontal bar” enjoyed success with the audience: with straight arms, Steyer held a 70-pound barbell (31.7 kg) in front of him, on the neck of which he did gymnastic exercises his son, who weighed 90 pounds (40.8 kg).
Steyer was famous for his eccentricity. His cane weighed 40 pounds (18kg), the snuffbox, which he held in the palm of his hand to treat friends, weighed 100 pounds (45kg). Sometimes he put a cylinder weighing 75 pounds (34 kg) on his head and, having come to a cafe, left it on the table, then asked the waiter to bring his cylinder (Recall: 1 Russian pound = 409 g; Trade pound = 453 g; 38 kg).

ANTON RIHA
Bohemian Anton Riha was famous for his ability to carry huge weights. In 1891, he raised 52 poods. (851 kg)

AT THE BEGINNING of the 17th century, the athlete was very popular in England. TOM TOFAN. Of medium height, proportionately folded, he easily tore stones weighing up to 24 pounds (393 kg) from the ground with his hands, tied an iron poker around his neck like a scarf, and in 1741, on a square crowded with spectators, he lifted three barrels of water weighing 50 pounds (819kg). In 1893, a competition was held in New York for the title of "world champion in weight lifting." The strongest athletes of that time came to the competition. Louis Cyr came from Canada, Eugene Sandov from Europe. American James Walter Kennedy twice lifted an iron core weighing 36 pounds 24.5 pounds (almost 601 kg), tearing it off the platform by 4 inches. None of the athletes could repeat this number. Record set turned out to be fatal for the 33-year-old athlete: he overstrained himself and after that he was forced to perform only with a demonstration of his muscles. The athlete died at the age of 34.

SERGEY ELISEEEV
World record holder Russian athlete Sergey Eliseev took a weight of 61 kg in his right hand, lifted it up, then slowly lowered it to the side on a straight arm and held the hand with the weight in a horizontal position for several seconds. Three times in a row he pulled out two unbound two-pound weights with one hand.

IVAN PODUBNY
Ivan Maksimovich Poddubny ("champion of champions", 1871-1949) had a great physical strength. It should be noted that he left the wrestling mat at the age of 50. Without training specifically in athletic numbers, he could, bending his arms lowered along the body, lift 120 kg for biceps!

LURICH
The great success of the Estonian strongman world champion Georg Lurich was brought not only by records, but also by the harmony and beauty of the physique. He repeatedly posed for such sculptors as Rodin and Adamson. The sculpture of the last "Champion" was awarded the first prize at the World Exhibition in America in 1904. In the arena, Lurich showed the following numbers: standing on the wrestling bridge, he held four men on himself. and in his hands at that time he held a barbell of 7 pounds. He held five people on one arm. He held two camels pulling in opposite directions with his hands. He lifted a barbell of 105 kg with his right hand and, holding it at the top, took a weight of 34 kg from the floor with his left and lifted it up. (Sculpture "Champion").

IVAN MIKHAILOVICH ZAIKIN(1880 - 1949), famous Russian athlete, wrestler, one of the first Russian pilots. Zaikin's athletic numbers caused a sensation. Foreign newspapers wrote: "Zaikin is Chaliapin of Russian muscles." In 1908 Zaikin toured in Paris. After the performance of the athlete in front of the circus, on a special platform, the chains torn by Zaikin, an iron beam bent on his shoulders, "bracelets" and "ties" tied by him from strip iron were exhibited. Some of these exhibits were acquired by the Parisian Cabinet of Curiosities and were displayed along with other curiosities. Zaikin carried a 25-pound anchor on his shoulders, lifted a long barbell onto his shoulders, on which ten people sat, and began to rotate it ("live carousel")

GRIGORY KASHCHEEV
This man was of great strength. Almost a sazhen tall (218cm), Kashcheev, if he were a foreigner, would earn a lot of money, because he surpassed all foreign giants in strength. In 1906, he first met world-class wrestlers. He became friends with Zaikin, who helped him enter the big arena. Soon Kashcheev put all eminent strongmen on the shoulder blades, and in 1908, together with Poddubny and Zaikin, he went to Paris for the World Championship. Our heroes returned home with victory. It would seem that now the real wrestling career of Kashcheev began, but he nevertheless left everything and went to his village.

IVAN SHEMYAKIN(1877-1952)
In 1905, huge posters adorned the streets of Paris announcing that "The terrible Russian Cossack Shemyakin lifts six Japanese with one hand." The posters were wrong about one thing: although Ivan was dressed in a Cossack costume, he did not belong to this brave tribe. In fact, this was his first foreign tour, and it passed with triumph. For several evenings in a row, along with athletic numbers, he demonstrated a power trick on a topical topic (after all, the Russian-Japanese war was in full swing), with one hand he lifted six uniformists dressed in Japanese costumes. The applause of the French drowned out the sounds of the orchestra.

LOUIS SIR
Louis Cyr ("American Miracle", 1863 - 1912). This strong man American continent amazed at their size. With a height of 176 cm, he had a weight of 133 kg, a chest volume of 147 cm, biceps of 55 cm. A curious incident happened to 22-year-old Louis Cyr in Montreal, where he served as a policeman: once he brought two hooligans to the station, holding them under his arms . After this incident, at the insistence of friends, he began to develop strength and perform with athletic numbers, in which for a long time he did not know competitors. He lifted 26 pounds (425.8 kg) to his knees with one hand, lifted a platform with 14 adult men on his shoulders. He held a load of 143 pounds (64.8 kg) in front of him at arm's length for 5 seconds. He put a sheet of paper under the barrel of cement and offered to pull it out. Not a single athlete was able to complete this task, while Louis Cyr himself lifted this barrel every evening.

FRENCH ATHLET APOLLO(Louis Yuni) with one hand lifted five weights of 20 kg each. He lifted a barbell weighing 165 kg with a very thick neck (5 cm). Only 20 years after Apollo, this bar (the axle from the trolley) was able to be lifted by the champion Olympic Games 1924 Charles Rigoulo, who, by the way, holds the world record in the snatch with the right hand of 116 kg. In the famous "cage release" trick, Apollo used his hands to part the thick bars and exit the cage.

EUGENE SANDOV
Eugene Sandow (Frederick Miller, 1867-1925) was very popular among the British. He was called the "magician of posture" and "the strongest man." With a weight of no more than 80 kg, he set a world record by squeezing 101.5 kg with one hand. He did a back flip, holding 1.5 pounds in each hand. Within four minutes, he could do 200 push-ups on his hands. In 1911, King George V of England awarded Sandow the title of Professor of Physical Development.
A golden statuette depicting Sandow was awarded to the winner
athletic competition in 1901. Now, as you know, it is awarded to the winner of Mr. Olympia. In 1930, one of his many books entitled "Bodybuilding" was published, giving the name to this sport in all English-speaking countries.

ALEXANDER IVANOVICH ZASS It happened in 1938 in the English city of Sheffield. Before the eyes of the assembled crowd, a truck loaded with coal drove over a man sprawled on a cobblestone pavement. Do people scream in horror when they front and then rear wheels moved through the body. But in the next second, an exclamation of delight was heard from the crowd: "Hurrah for Samson!", "Glory to the Russian Samson!" And the man to whom this storm of jubilation belonged, getting up from under the wheels, as if nothing had happened, smiling, bowed to the audience. His real name is Alexander Ivanovich Zass, The numbers of the Russian athlete are amazing. At own weight no more than 80 kg, he carried a horse weighing up to 400 kg on his shoulders. He lifted with his teeth an iron beam weighing 135 kg, at the ends of which two assistants sat, a total of 265 kg. For fun, he could lift a taxi and drive the car like a wheelbarrow, broke horseshoes and tore chains. Lifted 20 people on the platform. In the famous attraction "Projectile Man", he caught an assistant in his hands, who, like an artillery shell, flew out of the muzzle of a circus cannon and described a 12-meter trajectory above the arena. A. Zass lifted such a platform with the help of straps worn on his shoulders (W. Churchill, far right). (Read the book about Samson on our website).

GEORG GACKENSCHMIDT("Russian Lion") - (also read about him and about his training), world wrestling champion and world record holder in weightlifting, with one hand squeezed a barbell weighing 122 kg. He took 41 kg dumbbells in each hand and spread his straight arms horizontally to the sides. I squeezed a barbell weighing 145 kg on the wrestling bridge. With his arms crossed on his back, Gaak lifted -86 kg from a deep squat .. And with a 50-kilogram barbell - 50 times. Today, this exercise is known as the "gaak exercise" or simply "gaak". Already 82 years old, Gakkenshmidt jumped over a rope stretched over the backs of two chairs, pushing off the floor with both legs at the same time.

JAKUB CHEKHOVSKY
In 1913, at the weightlifting competitions in Petrograd, in the former Mikhailovsky Manege, the athlete Yakub Chekhovskaya demonstrated a sensational power trick - he carried six soldiers of the Guards Regiment in a circle on one arm, for which he was awarded the honorary "golden belt". This record number has not yet been repeated by any athlete in the world. Chekhovskoy himself demonstrated it constantly in his speeches. Other numbers of the athlete are no less surprising. Making the "bridge", Yakub Chekhovskaya kept ten people on him. A platform was installed on his chest, on which a brass band of 30 musicians was placed. On the shoulders of the athlete, 40 people bent an I-beam metal beam. 3 trucks with the public passed through his chest.

PETER KRYLOV("King of weights").
One of the strongest athletes at the beginning of our century was Pyotr Fedotovich Krylov. The love of the circus made him change the profession of a navigator of the merchant fleet to the profession of an athlete. The path of a young strongman was not easy. At first, he performed in booths, traveled to the fairs of provincial cities, where several times a day he not only demonstrated athletic numbers, but also fought on belts with amateurs from the public. Soon the name of Krylov becomes famous, and he begins to perform in large circuses, where his performances are a huge success. Along with demonstrating power tricks, Krylov competed in French wrestling championships and won prizes, and invariably received first prizes in competitions for the best athletic figure.

Pyotr Krylov set several world records. In the “wrestling bridge” position, he squeezed 134 kg with both hands, and 114.6 kg with his left hand. Bench press in a soldier's stance with the left hand of a two-pound weight - 86 times in a row. He created a number of athletic numbers that received wide distribution: bending a rail on his shoulders, driving a car over an athlete's body. Was a passionate propagandist physical education. He lectured on athletics.

NIKOLAY VAKHTUROV Nizhny Novgorod hero.
"Nikolai Vakhturov!" - and from the "parade", smiling affectionately, the colossal figure of the Nizhny Novgorod hero emerges heavily. "The reckless Russian wrestler, breaking everyone who falls into his arms. Even a very restrained stalls breaks into applause, which turns into a real storm in the gallery," the Hercules magazine wrote about him (1913). This is how the world champion, student of Ivan Poddubny Nikolay Vakhturov entered the history of Russian sports.

WILLIAMS MOOR-ZNAMENSKY(Alexander Znamensky, 1877-1928), Moscow. A professional circus athlete, he performed record power numbers: he did somersaults with two-pounders in each hand, carried a piano with a taper on his back, held a platform with an orchestra on his chest, pressed 132 kg from a wrestling bridge, squeezed two double-pounders with his right hand, putting them one on top of the other. Maintained a paid arena. He had an attractive appearance and a powerful figure: height 170 cm, weight 88 kg. chest 118 cm, waist 82 cm, neck 46, biceps 43, calves 40, hips 61 cm.

VLADISLAV PYTLYASINSKY(1863-1933), Petersburg, Warsaw. A pupil of Kraevsky, he himself became a professional coach - in 1898 he opened a paid athletic school in St. Petersburg, and in 1911 in Odessa. Successfully competed in international championships of wrestlers and athletes. He achieved high results for those times: with his right hand he squeezed 98 kg, pushed with two 115 kg, without tying he pulled out two two-pound weights with one hand, squatted with a weight of 175 kg. His measurements in 1903: height 184 cm, weight 105 kg, biceps 44 cm, neck 46, chest 128, thigh 69, calves 44 cm.

It will be interesting for lovers of athleticism to get acquainted with the training famous strongmen use the most useful advice in their physical activities.

If we trace the life path of Alexander Zass, we can say that it was based on constant purposeful work in combination with a strict regime. On one of the photographs, where "Samson" is depicted sitting at a table by the samovar, there is his entry: "5 minutes of rest." But he was then 74 years old, and he continued to work, training animals. In his youth, Alexander tried many systems of physical development on himself. He started, like many at that time, with the Sandov system of physical development, then, on the recommendations of Dmitriev-Morro and Pyotr Krylov, he began to include exercises with weights with a barbell in his workouts. He performed juggling with weights, squeezed, pulled out and threw them upside down, squeezed two-pound weights on his little fingers. With a barbell, he did bench press in a soldier’s stance, squeezed the barbell from behind his head, twisted it with one hand, squeezed the barbell while standing on the wrestling bridge. But still, Alexander was more attracted to the power tricks that he saw in the circus. And here it is Sports Equipment began to change, starting to look more like the props of a circus athlete: metal rods of different thicknesses and lengths, chains, horseshoes, forged nails with caps of a larger diameter than usual, all kinds of devices for “dental numbers”, etc. It should be said that all sports equipment , except for weights, Zass had a home-made one and he constantly updated and improved it. So, with the help of a familiar blacksmith, a ball bar was made, such as Alexander saw in circus athletes. The balls were hollow and could be filled with sand. So the weight of the bar changed. The bar of the bar did not rotate, which made it difficult to perform some exercises, for example, lifting the bar to the chest. Bulldogs were also homemade (the so-called dumbbells weighing more than 16 kg). Alexander had a whole set of them: 16, 24, 40 kg. Much attention was paid to the development of finger strength. In addition to the usual exercises in winding the cord with weight on a stick, he constantly carried with him a dense "Arab" ball, which he squeezed with his fingers. He trained the extreme phalanges of the fingers with self-resistance exercises and twisting the chain links with his fingers. In the future, breaking the chains with his fingers was constantly included in his repertoire. While working in the circus, he continued to study the methods of training of all the strong men with whom he had to meet. He studied their data, sought to understand why different exercises had different effects on muscle growth and results. As a result, I determined a combination for my training dynamic exercises, with exercises of an isometric nature, which, as he believed, helped him develop the strength and endurance necessary for a professional strongman. Samson paid great attention to breathing exercises, which contribute to the development of the muscles involved in the breathing process, increase mobility chest. Excursion of the chest (the difference between the circumference of the chest between inhalation and exhalation) in "Samson" was 23 centimeters. Colossal chest excursion, strong intercostal muscles and latissimus dorsi backs allowed "Samson" to break the chains,
knitted around his chest.

(From an article by Vakhturov in the Hercules magazine, No. 12, 1915)

“I get up at 8 o’clock. I play for an hour. I come home and drink four glasses of sweet tea. I rest, lying in bed, for about half an hour. Then for an hour I work out with four-kilogram dumbbells according to the system of I. V. Lebedev. I run in place with deep breathing for 15 minutes. I wipe my body with a wet towel and go for a walk for an hour and a half. When I get home, I pull the rubber for about twenty minutes and squeeze myself on the chairs for about 50 in a row, and then jump over the chairs for five minutes. At-
I take an air bath, sitting on a chair, and wipe my whole body with cologne. I dine, mostly only greens (I don’t eat boiled meat at all). I play for about an hour. I sleep for an hour and a half. When I wake up, I read newspapers. I drink four glasses of tea. I go to the circus where I wrestle. the next day, getting up, I immediately begin to train in wrestling for an hour and a half. I pull the enemy up with the back belt 20-25 times. Then I run and go for a walk. That's my whole "system", in which, by the will of fate, my whole life fit in.

Jan Krause's Method of Life for Champion Athlete
(Journal "Hercules" No. 13, 1915)

“The main secret of my success in weightlifting is that I once and for all set myself the goal of leading a harsh, strictly defined lifestyle, from which I never deviate. I also never deviate from the method of training and distribution of the day that I have adopted. This is how my day goes. I get up at eight o'clock in the morning. I drink two glasses of sweet tea and eat a roll with butter and two eggs. I'm going to the service. I return home and have dinner: very little meat, a lot of greens, fruits and usually buckwheat porridge. My appetite is good, but I'm not satisfied
I eat, and I get up from the table with such a feeling that I could still have a bite to eat ... I rest. I drink milk with black bread. I go for a walk - at least 4 - 6 versts. Coming home, I train twice a week from 8 o'clock to 11 o'clock in the evening, and on gravity I take an hour and a half as much for free movements. From kettlebell exercises I mainly train on jerky movements (I don’t like push-ups), I try to do all the movements once a week. I don’t train with dumbbells at all and I consider them completely unnecessary for a kettlebell champion. I go to bed at 12 o'clock at night, and so - day after day.

“His name in Paris and Madrid is a guarantee of full fees. Strong infinitely and accurately cast in steel. If he only defends himself, there is no such force that could break him. When I was still a student at the I. V. Lebedev School of Athletics, even the strongest professionals did not know what to do with the “spulenko”. Now the iron Spool is the storm of all championships ... ”(Album“ Wrestlers ”, publication of the Hercules magazine, Petrograd, 1917) “In my opinion, everyone should work out for themselves a separate training system, in accordance with their habits, with their peculiarities organism. Here is my training day: I get up at twelve o'clock. I take an air bath for 10 minutes. I do push-ups, lying on the floor or on chairs, 100 times (at random, of course). I do ten minutes of eight-pound dumbbells. Letting the body cool down, I take a cold shower. I rub my body red with a fluffy towel. I'm getting dressed. I drink two bottles of hot milk with cream and sugar. I eat a hearty breakfast of eggs, vegetables, flour and fruits, and I chew very slowly. I play for about two hours. I'm going brisk pace Sometimes I go from walking to running. When I get home, I train for 5 minutes with 8-pound dumbbells. I pull the rubber for 5 minutes. I train in wrestling for 30-40 minutes. After 5-
I do 100 jumps in place after a minute rest. I run 10 minutes. I take a shower. I rub my whole body with cologne. I go for a walk for 15-20 minutes. I have lunch: vegetables, flour, very little meat, fruits. I play for half an hour. I play billiards. Then I wrestle in the circus. After the struggle, I wash my body with water and rub it with alcohol. I have supper: greens, eggs. I drink two bottles of milk with cream and sugar. I walk for half an hour and go to bed no later than two in the morning, so that I have at least 10 hours for sleep. (From the sixth issue of Hercules, 1915)

("Weightlifting", 1916)

“My teacher, Dr. V. F. Kraevsky, to the assurances of many opponents of development with heavy weights that “you can overstrain”, answered this way: “If you can lift a weight, then you will not overstrain; and if you can’t lift it, then you won’t overstrain either, because you won’t lift it. ” It was quite witty, but not entirely true, because, doing heavy weights without knowing the basic laws of weightlifting, you can overstrain and spoil your health. Meanwhile, the basic laws of weightlifting (weightlifting) are very simple. Here they are:
1. Do not lift weights impetuously (especially do not lift them abruptly from the ground) and you will not overstrain;
2. Do not hold your breath while lifting the kettlebell (and approaching it);
3. Do not strain other muscles in vain, except for those that perform the necessary “work”: for example, pushing and pushing with two hands, you do not need to firmly squeeze the barbell at all; with any movement with weights, tension is required only for lifting, while lowering the weight should be quite easy without any muscle tension;
4. "Work" constantly smoothly, without sudden movements, even when pushing, all the pace of movement should be smooth;
5. Do not be nervous either during the “work” or when starting it, that is, do not be afraid of the kettlebell, assure yourself that you must lift the kettlebell, that you cannot but lift it. If you learn these rules for yourself, then there will be no harm from weightlifting, but you will get an undoubted great benefit: an increase in strength, muscle development and awareness of your own strength. Each person can become two or three times stronger, and heavy weights are one of the most powerful ways to make a person stronger. When lifting weights, a distinction must be made between record lifting and training lifting. In striving for records, you need to be very careful. Beginners are best off for a year or two to discard any thought of records. Strengthen and temper your body with training in several sports - a wide variety, and only then proceed to record training. If the “record is not going”, do not be upset and do not refuse to train: in essence, nothing in the world will change from the fact that you have not lifted 10 pounds more, and the benefits of training still you will be big. Regarding the mode of life: "the human body does not tolerate constraints, but every excess is harmful." As for food, I definitely do not advise eating meat: it introduces putrefactive decomposition products into your body and forms uric acid, which poisons the body. The basic rule for eating: chew as slowly as possible. Drinking alcoholic beverages smoking - I do not advise at all. Sleep - 7-8 hours. Dress without wrapping and without wearing warm underwear. Fresh air and water (showers or baths) are necessary for every person who wants to be strong and healthy. Here is a training scheme for an amateur weightlifter, assuming he is free all day. Get up at 8 o'clock in the morning. Air bath 5 - 10 minutes. Free movements - 5 minutes. Dumbbells light - 10 minutes. Stretching rubber - 10 minutes. Free movements - 5 minutes. Running (at least on the spot) - 3 - 5 minutes. Air bath (until the heart calms down), shower (pouring or wiping the whole body). Lie in bed, covering yourself with a warm blanket to sweat. Get up and wipe yourself with water at room temperature with cologne or alcohol. Eat 2 - 3 soft-boiled eggs and drink 1 - 2 cups of hot milk with sugar. Chew slowly, drink milk in small sips, holding it in your mouth. Get dressed and go for a walk. Walk quickly, but with a distinct, even step. Sometimes go for a run. The walk lasts 1 - 2 hours. Arriving home, do, if there are rings or bars, gymnastics on them, and if not, then squeeze yourself on chairs. Increase the number of repetitions every 1-2 days. Training with rubber - 10 minutes. Jumping - 5 minutes. Air bath - 3 minutes. Wiping the whole body. Breakfast. Two hours after breakfast - training with heavy weights, and devote one day to
squeezing and pushing, the other - pulling out pushing, the third - one squeezing. It is imperative to add to these movements every day: push-ups lying down at times, squats on toes with a barbell on the shoulders behind the head and pulling on the biceps. Then, holding the bar with a grip from below, bend and unbend your arms at the wrist joints. Weight training is done with very little weight; example: an athlete can squeeze 72 kg with both hands - he must start training with 32 kg and finish with a weight of 56 kg. Kettlebell training continues - one hour. Dumbbells - 15 minutes. Running - 5 - 10 minutes. Wiping the whole body. Walk. Go in for other sports: swimming, football, rowing, cycling, and in winter - skating or skiing. Lunch - a lot of fruit - raw boiled. 2 hours after lunch - training in the fight against a partner: first, strength, then - for tricks. It lasts 1 hour, with breaks. Then gymnastics on apparatuses (simulators) or free movements - 5 - 10 minutes. Wiping the body with cologne. Walk. Arriving home - drink hot milk with sugar, but do not have dinner. At 12 o'clock - to sleep. At the same time, to engage in heavy weights - three times a week: every other day. The best kettlebell training is with separate weights. If it is possible to take boxing lessons, then take up boxing on your free days. One day a week - a complete rest from any training, except for other sports on fresh air: football, etc. Needless to say, among the athletes there are very few lucky ones who would have the opportunity and leisure to devote their whole day to training. But free time, in smaller or larger size, every person has both in the morning, and in the afternoon, in the evening. Make yourself, according to the above model, a brief training scheme so that it is no less versatile. In two years you will be a strong and well-rounded athlete and then you can start special training.”

(Journal "Hercules" No. 14, 1915)

“Georg Gakkenshmidt owes his strength, his muscles, his records and his entire career exclusively to training ... Among Russian athletes, there is not a single one who devoted all his leisure time to training as diligently as the Russian Lion. The original "work" of Hackenschmidt, before his arrival in Petrograd in 1897, was not rational. True, he raced a bicycle, was a good gymnast, already twisted 240 pounds (96 kg) with one hand and, speaking in small Baltic circuses under the name "Lenz", amazed the audience with the development of his muscles. But real workout for him began from the day when Dr. VF Kraevsky took care of him. At almost three months, Gakkenshmidt was heard in the chest by almost 10 centimeters and began to give the impression of Hercules Farnese. Dr. Kraevsky achieved this with his enhanced nutrition: a remarkably strong broth was cooked for Hackenschmidt, and a bowl of broth was boiled out of 6-7 pounds of meat. Kraevsky fed Gakkenshmidt exactly for slaughter, at the same time forcing him to train with weights - medium weight - at times for 2 - 3 hours, twice daily: in the morning and in the afternoon. At the same time, training on the rings was mandatory. Body hygiene was very important - after training, a cold bath and a walk followed. Gakkenshmidt then did very little dumbbells. But much attention was paid to exercises in separate weights (with bulldogs and with weights) and squats with a barbell behind them. This is how Gakkenshmidt's weight training went on at that time, things were worse with wrestling then - there was no one to train seriously with, they had to limit themselves to friendly training in the Kraevsky circle and in the Athletic Society, running and jumping. The time for real wrestling training came for Hackenschmidt from his American tour, when he began to train with Dr. Roller - the best representative of freestyle wrestling. Every day, every morning, Hakkenshmidt and Roller, dressed warmly, ran for about an hour without rest, until they were sweating. Wrestling training followed, followed by a massage. After the massage, free movements according to the Dane Müller system and a bath.

World champion, athlete and wrestler Stanislav Zbyshko-Tsyganevich about his training

“I sleep ten hours. I get up at 5 am. I take an air bath for 5-10 minutes. Then I train for half an hour with 5-pound dumbbells, do free movements and exercise with rubber. I take a shower and eat something light. In general, I do not eat any meat - I even feel some kind of disgust for it. My food is fruits, greens, flour and a lot of cakes. I don't drink wine or beer. I love milk and very sweet tea (6 pieces per glass). I go for a walk, and from time to time I turn to a slow run. Arriving home, I begin to train in wrestling, usually with 3-4 wrestlers in a row, and I especially practice lifting them from the ground with a reverse belt for several times. Wrestling training takes about an hour. Then massage and shower. Breakfast. Walk again and then run (I run for 1.5 hours with breaks). After running, I switch to walking, and I try to breathe deeply and strongly. Then - lunch. After dinner I read something, I do correspondence. Two hours after lunch again training. I do dumbbells, rubber bands, which I stretch from behind my back, play handball and jump rope. In Europe, jumping rope is child's play, but practical Americans have long realized that jump rope is an excellent workout for breathing, against obesity, etc. All American wrestlers and boxers must use jumping rope in their training. After training again massage, then a bath. I have supper and go for a walk at a slow, quiet step. Then a good, deep sleep. I do weightlifting once a week, and I push the barbell at 104 kg 25 in a row, taking it the same number of times at one pace on the chest. On those days when I have a particularly difficult struggle, my training is limited to running with a rope. These days I try not to be nervous and not think about anything, but mostly I read the novels of my favorite writer Heinrich Sienkiewicz. As if alive, the images of our Polish heroes created by him and that hero-young man, whose name I took and whom I set for myself as a prototype, stand before me - Zbyshko from the “Sword-bearers”. When I go to the fight in the evening, these inspired images seem to inspire me - I experience an inexpressible uplift of spirit. After the struggle, I wash first with warm water with soap and a brush, then with cold water and rub myself with some kind of alcohol so as not to get boils. I eat and walk. This is the lifestyle I follow. I am often asked which contractions were the most difficult. In French wrestling - with Poddubny, in free American wrestling - with the Indian Gamma.
Anthropometric data: height - 175 cm, weight - 120 kg, chest circumference during inspiration - 130 cm, biceps - 52 cm, forearm - 38 cm, thigh - 78 cm, lower leg - 46 cm.

Recommendations of the Honored Artist of the RSFSR, professional athlete Valentin Dikul for athletics.

1. Systematic medical supervision is required.
2. You can proceed to the development of special strength qualities only after a year of athletic gymnastics.
3. Before weight training, a thorough warm-up is necessary to warm up the muscles. 4. Every week you need to change a number of exercises, the order in which they are performed, in order to avoid the “addiction” of the muscles to loads in repetitive movements.
5. Even trained athletes should train cleanly. power complex no more than 30 - 40 days.
6. When exercising with large weights, pay special attention to the joints, avoid overloading them.
7. Perform all exercises in 5 sets of 6 times. For muscles abdominals- 3 sets of 30 - 40 times. The recommended load should serve as a guideline, you should always take into account your individual
dual opportunities and physical training.
8. Do not in any way strive to “eat up” weight, which weightlifters of heavy weights once aspired to. weight categories and circus strongmen. My strength is the result of modern training methods.

Daily regime

“I get up at 8 in the morning, I do easy charging. I have breakfast. I spend two hours writing letters from the sick. Then I train for 4 hours with full dedication of strength and always with shells heavier than those during the performance. Resting. I give two more hours to the sick. And finally, I begin to prepare for the performance at the arena. special diet do not use. Eat a little. But the basis of the diet is protein foods, fruits, vegetables. In winter, I definitely add multivitamins. ” Personal records of V. Dikul: bench press - 240 kg, squats - 340 kg, deadlift- more than 500 kg. Without special training in triathlon he had a result of 547 kg (bench press with two - 182 kg, snatch with two - 157.5 kg, push with two - 207.5 kg). Anthropometric data: height - 175 cm, weight - 108 kg, biceps - 50 cm. V. Dikul #3 105 # addresses the lovers of athleticism with the following words: “Be true to the end of athleticism, do not rush from side to side, love your wonderful sports that will give good health, physical beauty will expand your spiritual world.

Recommendations for beginner athletes from the book "Athleticism" by G. Tenno and Y. Sorokin

In 1968, the Young Guard publishing house published the book Athleticism, which immediately became a bestseller among fans of strength. Judge of the international category in weightlifting Georgy Pavlovich Tenno, using his rich knowledge of the history of world athletics, developed sets of exercises with weights and gave guidelines which have not lost their relevance to this day.

Acquainted with complexes exercise and the recommendations of famous athletes, you can choose one or another of them for training, taking into account your capabilities and the goal that you set for yourself. Systematic purposeful exercises will certainly bring tangible results in increasing strength, shaping an athletic figure, and endurance in general well-being. The effect of classes will be greater if you diversify your workouts. In addition to exercises with weights, include running, swimming, and outdoor games in your classes. In conclusion, we can cite the words of the famous Georg Hackenschmidt: “All people of outstanding strength achieved their physical perfection only with the help of considerable willpower: they wanted to become strong and became so. Everyone needs to have faith that he can become strong.”

In Russia in the middle of the 19th century, in the tsar's office, there was the position of "Chief Supervisor of the physical development of the population." The representatives of the Russian population, who developed under such supervision, still surprise us with this very development. For example, in weightlifting, those who “pulled” less than 100 kilograms had nothing to do in the Strong Club.

1. Sergei Eliseev (1876 - 1938). Light Weightlifter

The world record holder, a hereditary hero of small stature, he became famous by chance at a city festival in Ufa - he won a belt wrestling tournament against a multiple champion. The next day, three rams were brought to Eliseev's house as a generous act of recognition from the defeated ex-champion.

Trick. He took a kettlebell weighing 62 kg in his right hand, lifted it up, then slowly lowered it to the side on a straight arm and held the arm with the kettlebell in a horizontal position for several seconds. Three times in a row he pulled out two unbound two-pound weights with one hand. In the bench press with two hands, he lifted 145 kg and pushed 160.2 kg.

2. Ivan Zaikin (1880 - 1949). Chaliapin Russian Muscles
World wrestling champion, weight lifting champion, circus artist, one of the first Russian aviators. Foreign newspapers called him "Chaliapin of Russian muscles." His athletic numbers caused a sensation. In 1908 Zaikin toured in Paris. After the athlete’s performance, the chains torn by Zaikin, an iron beam bent on his shoulders, “bracelets” and “ties” tied by him from strip iron were exhibited in front of the circus. Some of these exhibits were acquired by the Parisian Cabinet of Curiosities and were displayed along with other curiosities.
Trick. Zaikin carried a 25-pound anchor on his shoulders, lifted a long barbell onto his shoulders, on which ten people sat, and began to rotate it (“live carousel”).

3. Georg Hackenschmidt (1878 - 1968). Russian lion
World wrestling champion and world record holder in weightlifting. From childhood, Gaak trained: he jumped 4 m 90 cm in length, 1 m 40 cm in height from a place, ran 180 m in 26 s. To strengthen his legs, he practiced climbing a spiral staircase to the spire of the Olivest church with two-pound weights. Haak got into sports by accident: Dr. Kraevsky, “the father of Russian athletics,” convinced him that “he could easily become the strongest man in the world.” In 1897, Haak broke into St. Petersburg, where he smashed the capital's heavyweights to smithereens. Training with Kraevsky, Gaak quickly takes all the first places in Russia (by the way, he ate everything he wanted, but drank only milk), and goes to Vienna. Next - Paris, London, Australia, Canada, America - and the title of Russian Lion and the Strongest Man of the late XIX - early XX century.

Trick. With one hand, he squeezed a barbell weighing 122 kg. He took 41 kg dumbbells in each hand and spread his straight arms horizontally to the sides. I squeezed a barbell weighing 145 kg on the wrestling bridge. With his arms crossed on his back, Gaak lifted 86 kg from a deep squat. With a 50-kilogram barbell, I squatted 50 times. Today, the trick is called “gaak-exercise” or simply “gaak”.

4. Grigory Kashcheev (real - Kosinsky, 1863 - 1914). Giant Downshifter
A hero from the village with an advantage in height - 2.18 m. At the village fair, he defeated the visiting circus performer Besov, who immediately convinced him to go with him - "show strength."
“We are coming with Grisha to a deaf, deaf town. They didn't see people like us there... Kashcheev (Kosinsky's pseudonym) is shaggy like a beast, and my surname is Besov... We don't have a human appearance. They decided that we were werewolves ... Without saying a bad word, they lassoed us, took us out of the city and said: “If you don’t leave our city with good, then blame yourself.”

In 1906, Grigory Kashcheev met world-class wrestlers for the first time and became friends with Zaikin, who helped him enter the big arena. Soon Kashcheev put all eminent strongmen on the shoulder blades, and in 1908, together with Poddubny and Zaikin, he went to Paris for the World Championship, from where they brought victory.

Trick. It would seem that now the real wrestling career of Kashcheev has begun, but, having refused the most profitable engagements, he abandoned everything and went to his village to plow the land.

5. Peter Krylov (1871 - 1933). Kettlebell King
A Muscovite who, having changed his profession as a navigator of the merchant fleet to the profession of an athlete, went all the way from fairs and "booths of living miracles" to major circuses and French wrestling championships. He is attention! - was the permanent winner of competitions for the best athletic figure, taking as a child an example from the athlete Emil Foss, who entered the arena in silk tights and leopard skin. He began his first workouts at home with irons that he tied to a broom.

Trick. Krylov set several world records. In the “wrestling bridge” position, he squeezed 134 kg with both hands, and 114.6 kg with his left hand. Press in the "soldier's stance": with his left hand he lifted a two-pound weight 86 times in a row. The ancestor of spectacular tricks that other athletes then repeated, and today paratroopers: bending a rail on their shoulders, driving a car over the body, raising a platform with a horse and a rider. Showing athletic numbers, Krylov commented on them cheerfully. And his remarks were always convincing ... For example, when he broke stones with his fist, he invariably addressed the audience with the following words: “Gentlemen, if you think that there is falsehood in this number, then I can break this stone with my fist on the head of any interested person from the public ". From practice, he could easily switch to theory ... and give a lecture on physical culture.

6. Alexander Zass (1888 - 1962). Russian Samson
The father of Alexander Zass was just the kind of person who could go out in the circus against a visiting strongman and win the fight. It is not surprising that Alexander got into the circus and took up everything at once: aerial gymnastics, horse riding, wrestling. In 1914, a world war broke out and Alexander was drafted into the army in the 180th Vindava Cavalry Regiment. Once he was returning from reconnaissance and suddenly, already close to the Russian positions, the enemy noticed him and opened fire. The bullet went through the horse's leg. The Austrian soldiers, seeing that the horse with the rider had fallen, did not pursue the cavalryman and turned back. And Alexander, making sure that the danger had passed, did not want to leave the wounded horse in no man's land. True, there was still half a kilometer to the location of the regiment, but this did not bother him. Throwing a horse on his shoulders, Alexander brought it to his camp. In the future, Alexander will include in his repertoire wearing on the shoulders of a horse. Once in Austrian captivity, the strongman escapes on the third attempt, since unbending bars and breaking chains is his profession. Once in Europe, he defeated all the strong men of Europe and became the Russian Samson.

Trick. For several decades, his name, or rather his pseudonym, Samson, did not leave the circus posters in many countries. The repertoire of his power numbers was amazing: he carried a horse or a piano around the arena with a pianist and dancer located on the lid; caught with his hands a 90-kilogram cannonball, which was fired from a circus cannon from a distance of 8 meters; tore off the floor and held in his teeth a metal beam with assistants sitting at its ends; passing the shin of one leg through a loop of rope fixed under the very dome, he held in his teeth a platform with a piano and a pianist; lying with his bare back on a board studded with nails, he held a stone weighing 500 kilograms on his chest, which was beaten by those who wished from the public with sledgehammers; in the famous attraction Man-Projectile, he caught with his hands an assistant flying out of the muzzle of a circus cannon and describing a 12-meter trajectory above the arena. In 1938, in Sheffield, in front of an assembled crowd, he was run over by a truck loaded with coal. Samson stood up and, smiling, bowed to the audience.

7. Ivan Maksimovich Poddubny (1871 — 1949). CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS
The name of Ivan Maksimovich Poddubny (1871 - 1949) is associated with a whole era in the history of domestic and world sports. In 1903, Poddubny became an outstanding specialist in French wrestling. Possessing great strength, in 1905 in Paris he won the title of world champion among professional wrestlers. For many years he confirmed this title. For 33 years in a row, Poddubny did not concede to anyone the belt of the world champion in wrestling.
Introducing Poddubny to the public, the arbitrators solemnly proclaimed: "The world champion Ivan Maksimovich Poddubny has arrived to participate in the championship." To thunderous applause, a Russian hero in a black wrestling tights entered the arena.
Ivan Poddubny - and that says it all!
He spent 45 years of his life on the wrestling mat and was defeated only once. This happened in 1924 in Moscow, in the second state circus. Ivan Ivanovich Chufistov, a native of the village of Kazachy, Shatsky District, Ryazan Region, met Ivan Poddubny on the carpet. This titanic duel lasted for an hour and fifty minutes, as a result of which Ivan Poddubny was stewed on both shoulder blades. There is evidence that Poddubny left the circus that evening in a depressed state, and the next morning he came to Chufistov’s apartment and kissed him three times.
Ivan Poddubny left the circus arena at the age of 70 at the insistence of doctors.

8. Frederick Müller (1867-1925) Eugene Sandow
Few people know that the weightlifting record holder and the "magician of posture" Eugene Sandow is actually Frederik Muller. Not only the strongest athlete, but also a savvy businessman, Mueller realized that a career in strength sports would go faster if he took a Russian name. The newly minted Sandow differed from the frail Muller in his outstanding strength, achieved through training and physical education.

Trick. With a weight of no more than 80 kg, he set a world record by squeezing 101.5 kg with one hand. He did a back flip, holding 1.5 pounds in each hand. Within four minutes, he could do 200 push-ups on his hands.

Business trick. In 1930 under his Russian name, he published the book "Bodybuilding", giving the name to this sport in all English-speaking countries and also giving reason to believe that the Russians came up with bodybuilding.