They claimed to be the mightiest men in the world. For twenty-five years, before the outbreak of the First World War, professional strongmen were the pop idols of their day. Performing apparently incredible feats of strength, they strutted across stages and topped the bills everywhere, earning thousands of pounds a week. Fans included royalty, heads of state, politicians and leading figures in the literary and artistic worlds, as well as hundreds of thousands of ordinary men and women, all revelling in the antics of these larger-than-life characters. Seeking to outdo each other in death-defying deeds, the strongmen's performances were thrilling and dangerous: lifting elephants, horses, pianos and their players; breaking chains with their biceps; supporting thirty men on a plank suspended on their shoulders. Some strongmen succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Eugen Sandow, a great self-publicist, was appointed physical culture adviser to King George V. His great rival, the bombastic Charles Sampson, toured the world with his blatant cheating and rigged strongman displays until one day the elephant he claimed to be lifting remained suspended in mid-air. Georg Hackenschmidt, the Russian Lion, was so popular that Theodore Roosevelt himself declared wistfully that he would rather be 'Hack' than President of the USA. In The Strongest Men on Earth, Graeme Kent vividly brings to life the world of strongmen (and women), and shares the stories that defined a sporting and show-business era.

Presents the life and accomplishments of Louis Cyr, a weight lifer who astounded audiences throughout North America and Europe with his amazing feats and mammoth proportions.

Little Friedrich Müller was a puny weakling who longed to be athletic and strong like the ancient Roman gladiators. He exercised and exercised. But he to no avail. As a young man, he found himself under the tutelage of a professional body builder. Friedrich worked and worked. He changed his name to Eugen Sandow and he got bigger and stronger. Everyone wanted to become “as strong as Sandow.” Inspired by his own experiences body-building, Don Tate tells the story of how Eugen Sandow changed the way people think about strength and exercise and made it a part of everyday life. Backmatter includes more information about Sandow, suggestions for exercise, an author’s note, and a bibliography.

The Incredible True Story of the Strongest Man Who Has Ever Lived With more than 70 world records in strength (including an impressive 525 kilo -1155-pound- Hummer tire deadlift- a 228 kilo -502-pound- near strict log press, and a 240 kilo -528-pound- seated shoulder press), more victories in strongman competitions than anyone else, and the longest career in strongman history, Zydrunas "Big Z" Savickas is undoubtedly the strongest man in the history of the Earth. Born in humble beginnings in the totalitarian state of Soviet occupied Lithuania, Zydrunas grew up in a world were even the most basic commodities were luxuries no one could afford. Instead of complaining about it, however, he used his high intelligence, his dedication, hard work and family support to grow out of this poverty, achieve true liberty, and find success and happiness, finding a way to give back to his country and help it extensively. In the process he became the most famous athlete ever to come out of Lithuania and the premier strength competitor in the world. This is Zydrunas' autobiography, from birth to today, covering his many strongman victories, his time as an important Lithuanian politician, his career as a massively successful entrepreneur and his extensive world travels. In addition, this is also a book on the story of the sport of strongman sport, with interchapters covering its history, intrigues, major competitions and most important players, including Big Z's hall of fame of legendary strongmen from the distant past, the recent past, and the present. This is the only book of its kind in the world. For the first time ever, the normally discrete and silent Zydrunas opens up to reveal his inner thoughts, life, secrets, failures, successes and future plans. A must read for those interested in strength, life, power, success, motivation and life satisfaction.

Do you ever feel under the weather or have a short time to fill before a school assembly? Keep your students learning with this cross-curricular unit about the Greek myth of Hercules. They will enjoy reading the two-page text about Hercules's adventures. Also included are worksheets and extension activities for those "I just can't teach right now" moments.

(The book is about the life of the great Canadian strongman Louis Cyr) ... "So, dear strength lover, because my creed is yours, I have drawn together the golden threads of a great man's life and spun the web of his story within these pages. The manner in which this book is written is entirely a new departure in strong-man journalism. I have bared my soul and purposely scorned the reins of conventional writing by giving full sway to my exultations, and perhaps to a few lamentations, but not many, as there is so little reason for them, especially when we consider that all things happen for the best. If I have in places appeared too abandon and let the fire of my song run riot, forgive me, remember I am human and that my strength is my weakness, for I love the God-made man even as you do. As you read through these pages, I hope you will feel the throbs of excitement that I have lived. The straining at the leash of a restless spirit as mine has been, the enveloping passion to shout and hurl sky-high your hat like a baseball fan, as you visualize our hero crash through the battle line to victory. I want you to see this man as I have seen him, sweaty, palpitating, sometimes bloody, but with a triumphant eye as he looked over his battlefields. I only hope you will like this book and inspire others to possess it, so that this volume will be the first of many to fire your soul and urge you to beautify your body even as my other book so instructs and guides." - The Author, GEORGE F. JOWETT. This is a 6" by 9" original version, restored and re-formatted edition of Jowett's 1927 classic. A must have in your physical culture library. Visit our website and see our many books at PhysicalCultureBooks.com

When Loch Morlich freezes over, we cut a hole in the ice and jump in. Tom 'The Albatross' and Luke 'The Highland Oak' Stoltman are the world's strongest brothers. Between them, they've won everything there is to win in the mighty world of Strongman. Tom can deadlift a 430kg bar to hip height, equivalent to about seven washing machines. Luke isn't far behind. Yet for the Stoltmans, being strong is about more than pure muscle. It's about overcoming adversity. And it's about honouring their biggest fan: their mother, who died in 2016 leaving the family devastated. They've also transcended the sport, not least through launching the hugely successful online Stoltman Strength Academy. Through it all, they've stayed true to their roots in the Highlands of Scotland, giving back to their community, their family, and each other. But it wasn't always like this. Back in 2010, Luke worked full time on oil rigs in the North Sea, and Tom was a teenager contending with the challenges posed by his autism. So, how did two lads from Invergordon conquer the world? Simple. They started lifting. In their autobiography, Tom and Luke Stoltman show you how to lift: how to lift the lid on life with autism. How to lift yourself out of the darkness of bereavement. How to lift the trophy at the World's Strongest Man.