It seems that because there are so many more people involved in strength sports these days, what’s considered to be “strong” now is vastly different from what it used to be. Back in the day, you didn’t see women putting up big numbers, or guys just walking up and pulling 900 lbs. You witnessed pure, raw, out-of-this-world strength. People would pay to watch these guys lift heavy things over their head, and when Paul Anderson set the record in the overhead press, he was looked at as some sort of god. Even though several men today have pressed over 400 lbs. over their heads.
Unfortunately, we take strength for granted now. Someone pulls an 800 lb. deadlift and we think: “Yeah, that’s cool I guess.” I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been to meets and had the crowd just utterly silent before and after the performance of a world-record lift. It blows my mind. But somehow strength just isn’t as cool to us anymore as it used to be.
That sucks.
Some of my biggest inspirations are old-time powerlifters and strongmen. Think Louis Cyr, Arthur Saxon, Paul Anderson, William Boone, Bob Peoples, etc. Men who developed brutish strength from training outside and in their basement. I admire that kind of strength, and wonder if we will ever see it again. Though I believe it’s highly unlikely.
Hopefully some of this will be as inspiring to you as it is to me! Maybe I need to add in a few of these moves to my training regimen…hmm.
Videos:
Articles:
Lessons From Old Time Strongmen
Now get out there and get stronger.
I Lift So I Can Eat. 