A tribute to The Strongest men in the world in WSM

[Buller Mackay]

Well I have been watching and following this sport for some time (Including WSM televised performances since 1977) since the WSM introduction hosted by conceivably the all time great of our modern era, Paul Anderson it is only now I feel that uncontrolled desire to post and where better than PA aka MM.

Not taking away anything from the past holders of the WSM title from the late 80s on, and not in keeping with the present theory that to be; or a good champion can’t have a bad event!!

In line with the above and since arguable one of the strongest greatest and one of my favorites Bill Kazmaier retired, the title by shear implication of its form, only now has passed into deserved hands, even at the adversity of having the competition custom made in favor of a more athletic and biased approach even more so than normal.

Zydrunus Savickas with performances against one of the finest amassed fields in the history of the WSM title is now a much deserved winner, I think he has nothing else to prove under this title of preparedness and would now like to see other veterans of the title compete against him in the heavier events on his home soil, Arnolds, Fortissimus & IFSA - if it should ever return?

It is my humble opinion that even in days gone by; there has been no one competition on the face of the planet that has had all the potential our planet has to offer in a face of in pure strength, governing bodies in there quest to do so may only be applying further disparage with their current efforts.

I will finish of with one last word of sorrow to see a future potential winner in Dominique Filiou no longer on the circuit, Kaz recognized his potential, but because of ethnicity and personal circumstances we will now never know.

The stats of the all time strongest man the world has ever seen whose name I daren’t speak for fear of adverse repercussions and thread reply diversity:

7’9”
550lb
84” chest
& Scottish!

Well don big Z :– Strength speaks louder than words.

[Mark A Cummings]

..............

I will finish of with one last word of sorrow to see a future potential winner in Dominique Filiou no longer on the circuit, Kaz recognized his potential, but because of ethnicity and personal circumstances we will now never know.

The stats of the all time strongest man the world has ever seen whose name I daren’t speak for fear of adverse repercussions and thread reply diversity:

7’9”
550lb
84” chest
& Scottish!

Well don big Z :– Strength speaks louder than words.

I'm assuming that your last part is talking about Angus Macaskill? And why would ethnicity keep Dominique Filiou off of the Strongman circuit?

[Aaron West]

7’9”
550lb
84” chest



Bill Brasky?

[Kelly Rudlph]

Bill Brasky?

YES!

Those were his stats as a teen though. He grew to be a 10' monster as an adult.

[matthewvincent]

One time I saw Bill Brasky punch a bull and it exploded into perfectly butchered meat and a leather coat. Brasky then sat down and ate all the meat and the coat just to prove a point.

Also known to eat glass and shit champagne flutes.

[Andy Vincent]

And why would ethnicity keep Dominique Filiou off of the Strongman circuit?

Don't pretend you don't know, oppressor! Your kind will soon know what it's like. Oh yes, your days are numbered!

















































:B:

[Buller Mackay]

I apologize in my choice of words on the matter of ethnicity concerning Dominique Filiou, as you can see I am new to the forum and certainly don’t wont to upset so many of my cousins (literally), across the water and who inevitably host this site/forum.

Sufficed to say if DF were to be part of a different group of people living elsewhere other than in Canada things may not be quite the same for him, now that is my personal opinion and I don’t want to put it in to words any further, and I mean no disrespect to anyone by way of there conveyance.

The thread was initiated for and in my opinion the three strongest men in the last 60 years to grace the competition with there presence:

Paul Anderson
Bill Kazmaier
Big Z

Again it is my personal view these men lived up to the title of the competition mentioned in the thread starting post, it would have been nice to read other current opinions on them from people who may probably know one, two or possibly even three of them. That’s it in a nut shell.

I hope the thread will stay on track about the above, their quest to be the best and how in there time and today’s modern era they/we can prove all the doubters they were/are, indeed not just as the title proclaims but they are in fact the worlds Strongest man! Kaz tried to prove it in the same way as Louis Cyr and to me that is the only way any body dare I mention it; is going to lay claim to the worlds strongest man of all time (recorded since! Day !!)

If apparatus is continually changing events get brought in and old ones disregarded, it would be hard for anyone to be compared to that of 5 years ago never mind 50 years, I have started already to digress and that was not my intention, they were/are conceivably the Words Strongest Men, who would not pay to see all of them compete in there prime against one another well as time passes may be someone will take a bit of initiative to preserve there feet’s and put them up front to test the newer breed of strongmen, only one man can claim the designation of Worlds Strongest Man many can claim the title, time is the enemy for any current holder I have my opinion and you the readers have yours, the proof of the pudding is in history, if documented correctly and concisely, let the games begin: in time for me to witness them!

I live in the Highlands of Scotland, strength events stories and history of such things from the small village I live in to that which happens round the world are always of interest to me and yes the stats are that of Angus Macaskill, of whos many stories I tend to believe are based on partial reality, there is no doubt descriptive contents may be partially unfounded, but if I told you Big Z was beaten (WR) by a relative newcomer; in a deadlift event would you have believed me if I told you the weight was 1100 pounds, I would like to think the same principals apply, there are truly great genetically gifted people out there we see a glimmer of what nature has to offer, with the exception of Kaz there is a great deal of physical similarity in a few of the aforementioned, does this relay anything to us? can a mental state lead to goals or misconceptions, undoubtedly.


There can be only one! one at a time and one overall


Thank you for reading and contributing to the post

BM

[Chris Hartschuh]

don't pretend you don't know, oppressor! Your kind will soon know what it's like. Oh yes, your days are numbered!












:b:
Andy's Canadian? :confused: :LOL: :LOL:

[Buller Mackay]

Chris/Andy

I mean no disrespect in any way about DF, I am a believer I think he has/had true Potential if anything I wrote was disrespectful can a moderator please close the thread.

Oppressor I think not, AM went to live in Canada as did many of my relatives who still live there now.

Please accept my apologies for any misconceptions about the usage of the term Ethnicity in my thread.

Certain people, groups, countries, have at there disposal greater resources to aid in a variety of quests, put it into simpler terms if DF was Bill Gates son, and BG saw the potential Kaz saw do you think DF would now not have the funding/backing he needed to secure a WSM title, it is only because I was a follower of DF that I felt he qualified a mention in the title of the thread without any elaboration as he is yet unproven.


BM

[Andy Vincent]

Chris/Andy

I mean no disrespect in any way about DF, I am a believer I think he has/had true Potential if anything I wrote was disrespectful can a moderator please close the thread.

Oppressor I think not, AM went to live in Canada as did many of my relatives who still live there now.

Please accept my apologies for any misconceptions about the usage of the term Ethnicity in my thread.

Certain people, groups, countries, have at there disposal greater resources to aid in a variety of quests, put it into simpler terms if DF was Bill Gates son, and BG saw the potential Kaz saw do you think DF would now not have the funding/backing he needed to secure a WSM title, it is only because I was a follower of DF that I felt he qualified a mention in the title of the thread without any elaboration as he is yet unproven.


BM

Don't sweat it man, it's sarcasm. I was messing with my buddy Mark.

[Buller Mackay]

Don't sweat it man, it's sarcasm. I was messing with my buddy Mark.

no problem Andy, thank you for the time and clarification.

the newbie trate no doubt is showing, or the ethnic white Scot coming out.

will keep my eye open for future trends of a similar nature


Respect

BM

[Mark A Cummings]

Andy was totally referring to me! I oppressed him to the point that I chased him out of my state!

Strongest of all time is a title much debated and will never be resolved. Most of the men that would have a legitimate claim lifted different amounts on different apparatus at different time periods with different understandings of nutrition and weight training. Given that many different variables, one could never legitimately claim to be the strongest of all time (in my opinion). Some feats of strength done decades ago have still yet to be challenged by anyone in the last 50 years. George Jowett's anvil press comes to mind. However, I do think that they can certainly be narrowed down to Paul Anderson, Bill Kazmaier, Zydrunas Savickas, and Louis Cyr.

[Zac Boman]

Buller is a cool name... sort of random, but I thought I'd throw that in there.

[Jay Hagadorn]

Andy V. was once Canadian, much like Dominique. Mark oppressed him to the point of chasing all the bacon out of him, well now he's Texan. But it's good as Andy would never reach the heights of strongman being Canadian. Canadians should be banned from strongman everywhere, due to their ethnicity.

:confused::confused::confused:

Stay away from Canadian bacon if you want to win.

[Buller Mackay]

Mark A Cummings
Senior Member

Strongest of all time is a title much debated and will never be resolved. Most of the men that would have a legitimate claim lifted different amounts on different apparatus at different time periods with different understandings of nutrition and weight training. Given that many different variables, one could never legitimately claim to be the strongest of all time (in my opinion). Some feats of strength done decades ago have still yet to be challenged by anyone in the last 50 years. George Jowett's anvil press comes to mind. However, I do think that they can certainly be narrowed down to Paul Anderson, Bill Kazmaier, Zydrunas Savickas, and Louis Cyr.
Mark I agree entirely and the variables would be somewhat more, in days gone-by estimation of weight may be some what doubtful, stones that were carried (CYR) if under continual use may have got smaller, adjudicators opinions (if they existed the further back in time we go?) look at Pudz deadlift technique (leg rest) would he have got away with that with loose weights, or with Dougie Edmonds overseeing the comp. I think not, if we look at the deadlift of Jon Paul Sigmarson in the phantom WSM of 87, he rested the weight on his knees for extra leverage to secure victory over Kaz a year later on a straight deadlift he did not even come close!
I have had in my mind for some time exactly the content of your post, and am looking to the way ahead and what would be the best way forward to compare like for like, I know BIG Z lifted the Kaz log in Fortissimus 09 but it may have been the same weight but was it the same length ( it looked longer, thinner?) I think as a briefly mentioned previously these facts have to be written down for historic record, taking the Kaz log, weight, timber type, handle set-up, centre of Gravity, surface texture (the smoother the easier, well to a point) the list for varying equipment is endless or nearly, in this day and age recordings like this would be so easy, now we will never be able to catagoricaly confirm things from yester-year but we should start somewhere.

Then the Best will be the Person that has the best weight result against all of history, now whether they truly are the strongest of all time would be a step closer to proving, certainly from that day forward!!

We all want to see it, the elite all want? To prove it, where is the problem, wel in my opinion it is with a few people that don’t compete (governing bodies) I could not say whether one of the triple current comps, is closer than the others but I will say in my opinion the politics of WSM makes it the least close to fulfilling these objectives.

Zac Boman
Member

Buller is a cool name... sort of random, but I thought I'd throw that in there.

Zac – the story goes, One look from My grandfather into the crib when I was born a stone in weight, “He looks like a wee Buller” thereafter a bit of fun ensued that it was for throwing out of said crib all the 56lbers my mother put in beside me as toys.

Jay Hagadorn
Moderator
Andy would never reach the heights of strongman being Canadian

We agree on principal there (DF) at least for now and for the masses!

The strongest - can there be only ONE?

Have a good day.
BM

[Paul E Ohl]

No problem with a short list made of Louis Cyr, Paul Anderson, Bill Kazmaier and Zydrunas Savickas.

One name at least belongs to another era : Louis Cyr.

Nevertheless, his documented performances ( weights, dates, location, registered records) do account for his place on such a list.

In 1950, almost one hundred years after his birth - and 38 years after his death - he was named the Strongest Man that Ever Lived. And recognized as such by the strength community of that time.

Bill Kazmaier has a lot to say about that choice, and almost as much over Paul Anderson. But that remains up to Bill to settle his score with past legends in Strongman.

In Louis Cyr's time, squat didn't exist. Neither did revolving plates. The One-Arm dumbbell was a favorite. As a matter of fact, at the first Olympics ( Athens, 1896) the only lifts on the program were One-Arm lifts. Add to this the other events such as Back Lift, Crucifix, Harness Lift, Natural Stone lifts, etc. That said, Louis Cyr's exploits were just out of reach for any human. Yet, compared to 40 Strongmen in action circa 1892, Louis Cyr outweighted the average performer by almost 100 pounds ( he was 5'11" and weighted 324 lbs at his best ). Reflecting on Cyr's most remarkable feats, one must note a 273-lb 1/4 One-Arm Press ( right arm), a 258-lb ( left arm), a 162-lb x 32 reps press and push press, a 4337-lb Back Lift, a 97-lb ( right arm) and 88 1/2-lb ( left arm_ Crucifix Hold for 10 secs, a 517-lb Natural Stone Clean to shoulder height, a 1897-lb partial deadlift, a 987-lb one-hand off the groound lift, amongst others.

Not too easy to compare with Anderson, Kazmaier and Zydrunas Savickas. One, because Anderson was basically an olympic weightlifter who later exhibited as a part-time strongman. Although he did some mighty lifts let aside a controversial Back Lift that has not yet found its conclusion. Two, because Kaz and big Z are both modern time strength athletes that performed and still do in the case of Z within a well defined frame of events.
Suggesting that a comparison between Kaz and Z woulkd be easier to assess.

All this meaning that the list is the best yet.

[Ryan Wells]

This may shed some light on many of Paul's "claims"

Paul Anderson’s Claims

by Steve Neece ((1992)

This article has been on my mind for some time how. Several years ago I submitted articles on this very subject to several magazines in rebuttal to stories they had written on Paul Anderson. They all backed out in the end, unwilling to face the facts and the controversy the exposure of these facts would entail. As Anderson is scheduled to be honored next year as the strongest man of the century, I will once again endeavor to set the record straight.

Over the last 30 years the legends of Anderson’s feats of strength have grown by leaps and bounds. Every time a lifter sets a new record someone will write an article claiming that Anderson did more back in some obscure time and place. This has robbed a generation of lifters of their rightful due. It is long past time for this inaccuracy to cease and the official facts to be presented.

Let me say, before I go any further, that I do not deny that in his time (mid 50’s and late 60’s) Paul Anderson was foremost in overall strength. In terms of squatting power he may still be the best ever, but, overall, his time has long passed and it is time for his aging fan club to admit it and give more recent champions their long-denied due. I can think of no other man who has had every claim, no matter how outlandish, accepted as gospel.

In fact, the 1991 edition of The Guinness Book of Records has deleted all of his claimed lifts on the grounds of inadequate documentation, after having accepted them unquestioningly for nearly 25 years. A close friend of mine (Joe Roark) spent a great deal of time attempting to document Anderson’s claim of a 6,200 lb. backlift.

See three-part Paul Anderson article here –

http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/IGH/IGH0701/IGH0701e.pdf

http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/IGH/IGH0602/IGH0602i.pdf

http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/IGH/IGH0603/IGH0603m.pdf

Nobody in Anderson’s hometown of Toccoa, Georgia could remember actually witnessing the lift, not even his brother-in-law, who usually photographed his feats of strength. At the time this lift was alleged to have occurred (1957) he was already a celebrity and could have performed the feat on TV, to be witnessed by millions, or could have done it at any major contest to be verified beyond all doubt. He did not! Why? In light of this I have made a list of his best official and / or public performances as opposed to claims made by him.

First, the Factual Lifts.

Lift, followed by Poundage then Year.

Squat – 930 – 1965.

Deadlift – 750 – 1965-66.

Bench Press – 450x3 – 1955; 485 – 1965.

Clean & Press – 445 – 1963; 415x3 – 1962; 424x2 – 1958.

Snatch – 347 – 1961.

Clean & Jerk – 445 – at several times.

Push Press (from rack) – 500 – 1957.

Press (from rack) – no record.

Backlift – no record.

Hiplift – no record.

Side Press – 215-250x3-5 – 1965-75.

Front Squat – no record.

Deadlift (with straps) – no record.

Now, the Claimed Lifts.

Squat – 1,200 – 1957.

Deadlift – 820 – ?

Bench Press – 627 – 1957-58?

Clean & Press – 485 – ?

Snatch – 375 – ?

Clean & Jerk – 485 – ?

Push Press (from rack) –

545 (Anderson claim) – ?

600 (Glossbrenner claim) – ?

600x3 (Bob Hise claim) – ?

Press (from rack) – 530x3 (Glossbrenner claim) – ?

Backlift – 6,270 – 1957.

Hiplift – 5,500 – ?

Side Press –

300x11 (right hand) – ?

300x7 (left hand) – ?

Front Squat – 771 (Glossbrenner claim) – ?

Deadlift (with straps) – 960 (Glossbrenner claim) – ?

[Ryan Wells]

Notes On The Above Claims:

Anderson’s silver-dollar squats were never publicly weighed. Also, the safes were suspended under the bar, making the leverages more favorable. Anderson never performed a limit back or hip lift in public, though he had numerous opportunities to do so. As for the purported 629 lb. bench press done in 1957, I can find no claim for more than 575 lbs. in any magazine from that era. I have no doubt he was capable of a 550+ touch-and-go bench, but that is far from the amount claimed. The squat and deadlift marks were the best I could find from the numerous exhibitions he gave between 1964 and 1967. I could not find any evidence for the Olympic lifts or the rack lifts claimed by and for him in any of the major publications of the 50’s and 60’s. Certainly, if such lifts were performed in public, there would be written and photographic proof. When I say “public” I refer to public exhibitions performed at contests or public gatherings, before competent and unbiased witnesses where the weight and the manner it was lifted could be accurately assessed. I do not give any credence to what someone claimed he saw in a garage or gym.

Anderson had countless opportunities in the 60’s and early 70’s to better the Olympic and powerlifting records then being established. Any promoter would have been overjoyed to give him the opportunity to better the marks being set by likes of Zhabotinsky, Alexeev, Bob Bednarski, George Pickett, Joe Dube, Ken Patera, Jim Williams, Jon Cole or Pat Casey. No matter that it would have been an unofficial exhibition; the proof would have been there for all to see. In 1958, in Madison Square Garden, he gave an exhibition after a USA-USSR competition in which the U.S. team was defeated. Hoping to soothe the crowd, he took the Soviet heavyweight’s winning clean and jerk of 424 lbs. and cleaned and pressed it for two reps. A few years later, in 1962, when Yuri Vlasov broke his amateur record with a press of 415 lbs., Anderson answered by pressing 415 lbs. for three reps in an exhibition in Dalton, Georgia. Obviously he had no qualms of performing in public then. Why not a few years later when he was, by his own admission, at the height of his powers? Instead, he gave countless exhibitions of side-pressing, neck-lifting and spike-driving, but no Olympic of powerlifts. Why? Did he realize that his time was past? It didn’t matter. He had, and has, a dedicated corps of sycophants who kept rewriting his records for him. He and they even went so far as to submit many of his alleged lifts to The Guinness Book of Records, which published them without official proof.

The most damaging document may well be Anderson’s own autobiography, The Strongest Man in the World, written in 1975, when he claimed that he was always within 95% of his maximal strength when he trained on a given lift. He also stated that all his records were world records and nobody had come within 30 lbs. of any of them. As a matter of record, at the time the book was written, Jim Williams had exceeded Anderson’s highest claimed bench press by 50 lbs., and Jon Cole had exceeded his claimed deadlift by 65 lbs. As far as Olympic lifts go, even his greatest claims had been exceeded by 35-50 lbs. and his public lifts by 70-95 lbs. As can be seen, there are some major discrepancies. Also, since then the official records on all of the lifts have climbed considerably higher still. If he was within 95% of his best at any given time, why is there such a huge gap between his claims and his official / public performances. I find it even more amazing that numerous publications printed photos of him side-pressing what was claimed to be a 300 lb. dumbell when it was clearly evident from the visible plates that the true weight was in the 215-250 range.

It is also claimed that he was light years ahead of everybody else in his era (1955-1965). Not so. His amateur marks in Olympic lifting had all been bettered by 1962, as had his pro marks in the snatch and clean & jerk. His pro record in the press was exceeded in 1968. His best total as an amateur was exceeded in 1960 and his pro best in 1964. His best public deadlift of 750 was short of Hermann Goerner’s incredible 792 set back in 1920 and Benoit Cote’s 784 done in 1962. Doug Hepburn benched 580 lbs. collar-to-collar back in 1954 and also performed feats as diverse as a 260 strict curl and a 480 push press in public. He also claimed a 440 press off the rack and the first 500 lb. push press back in 1954. He squatted 775 with no wraps, no supersuit, and I don’t think he even wore a belt. This was with a withered right calf from a childhood ailment. French-Canadian Jean-Louis Auger was a mammoth 6’4”, 400-pounder in the early 60’s who benched 620 (collar-to-collar) publicly and was said to be outstanding in hip and back lifting. Bruce Randall was another 400-pounder who was photographed doing a 685 bent-leg good morning and claimed a 770 deadlift (circa 1955). He won the NABBA Mr. Universe in 1959, weighing 220. Chuck Fish was a 330-pounder out of Chicago, whose peak was from 1960 to 1962 but whose strength career was curtailed by a back injury in his early 20’s. Chuck Ahrens, who could cheat-curl 325 lbs. and press very heavy weights, specialized in unorthodox feats of arm and shoulder strength that may be unequalled to this day. As he wouldn’t perform in public, these feats are difficult to document. Richard Kee was a little-known 280-pounder who was enormously strong on all upper-body exercises (circa 1959). Steve Merjanian, possibly the strongest strict presser and incliner around in the mid-60’s, did a 450 behind-the-neck press and a 560 touch-and-go bench press. Yuri Vlasov bettered all of Anderson’s amateur and pro Olympic lifts, except for his pro press, and was probably close in the power and bodybuilding lifts except for the squat.

Thus it is evident that Paul Anderson was far from being alone. It is merely that the others lacked his publicity, as none of them were associated with the York Barbell Club, which pretty well decided at the time who was given credibility and who wasn’t. In fact, Hepburn in the early 50’s and Vlasov in the early 60’s were in competition with them, lifting for Canada and the USSR respectively. Had the others played Bob Hoffman’s game and / or stuck around a little longer, it’s possible that one of them might have supplanted Anderson in Hoffman’s pantheon.

Let it also be noted that back in 1972 Jon Cole publicly challenged Anderson’s claim as the world’s strongest man. Claiming business pressures, Anderson proposed an alternative where during the course of a year he would periodically visit the York gym and do one or two lifts at a time before supposedly impartial witnesses, his best marks during the course of the year being added up against what Cole did in official contests. It never came off – and was unacceptable anyway.

Since then stronger men than Jon Cole have come and gone. Who do I think is the strongest man of the 20th century? First of all, the 20th Century has yet to be completed and I’m sure we are going to see a lot more claimants to the throne before it ends. As of now I would give the lead to Bill Kazmaier simply because I don’t know how strong the Soviet greats of the present and recent past were outside of the Olympic lifts. Also, I believe that to be considered all-around strong you should also be proficient at all exercises, such as all manner of strict curls, triceps work, strict high-angle pressing and inclines, pulldowns and pullins, standing pulls and shrugs, calf work, leg presses, etc. – in other words, total body strength. If that were measured you might find some bodybuilders who could outscore the best power and Olympic lifters, who often these days are narrow specialists.

In closing, let us by all means give Paul Anderson his due as the strongest man of his time. His time, however, has long since passed. Let us give long overdue recognition to those who have succeeded him and bettered his marks.

[srojv]

Just remember that Anderson said numerous times that his greatest acheivment and the one he was most proud of was turning to the Lord and opening a boys home for troubled young men with his wife which is still in exsistance today and have helped 1,000.

On a side not he also had Brights disease and was not expected to live in to adulthood.

[Ryan Wells]

Just remember that Anderson said numerous times that his greatest acheivment and the one he was most proud of was turning to the Lord and opening a boys home for troubled young men with his wife which is still in exsistance today and have helped 1,000.

On a side not he also had Brights disease and was not expected to live in to adulthood.

Yep, that's right.

http://www.payh.org

[dcarroll]

Good point Jon.

The only records Anderson claimed for himself were the official weightlifting records. He acknowledged that his biggest lifts were in exhibition or training.

Anderson never claimed 600 overhead, let alone 600x3. That stuff came from Glossbrener and Hise, not Anderson.

Perhaps the biggest misunderstandings, in regards to why he didn't continue breaking official records , was because he would often be on the road travelling and giving speaking and lifting exhibitions several times a day, everyday throughout the year.

Add to this, inconsistent eating, sleeping, and little to no training between lengthy road trips, as well as the fact that his main concern was providing for his youth home, and I think you have your answer.

For what it's worth I'll mention Randy's book again. "The Mightiest Minister". Randy put together this book several years ago documenting Anderson's biggest lifts. From the 1160 squats in Vegas, to the backlift, to the material used, etc.

No doubt people will still draw their own conclusions, as well they should. Bottom line is, Anderson was so far ahead of his time and unfortunately, like most things, as time goes by hyperbole replaces facts.

Just like Cyr's lifting accomplishments, the evidence is out there if you want to find it. Anyone heard of the Police Gazzett ? This was thee source for accurate lifting documentation in the early 20th century.

Here's a thought. Why don't we just appreciate the man and his accomplishments, and most of all his work with the 1000s of troubled teens him and Glenda helped, and continue(Glenda) to help through the Paul Anderson Youth Home in Vidallia Georgia ? Leave the nonsense out of it.

[Jay Hagadorn]

We agree on principal there (DF) at least for now and for the masses!


Buller-

I do not know what you have against Canadians. Well as a matter of fact, my response was meant to point out confusion about your post.

In my eyes, there is very, very little difference between Canadians and people from the USA. We are both North American Continent countries, and if you travel between the two there is very little difference in the people.

So, also I want to point out...Dominique Filou seems to be a very nice guy, and very humble for his size. So if you are truly talking bad about Canadians, or about Dominique, go find another forum to post on...

[Scott Markowitz]

I think he's talking about the French-English division amongst Canadians, and Filiou being on the wrong side of the divide to make it in strongman. I don't know enough about Canadian culture to argue whether his point is valid, but I think that's what he's obliquely referring to.

[Dallas Hogan]

What does it matter what part of Canada he comes from? He lives in the same area as Hugo Girard and he didnt do to bad as a Strongman????

[Paul E Ohl]

Strongman like any other sport promotes friendship and defies bounderies and racism. That's the beauty of it all.

Canadians or Russians, who cares ? Misha Koklyaev shouted :" I love you all !" at Fortissimus and started singing Canada's national anthem. And he almost did the same at the Arnold's.

Now if we talk about the roots of Strongman in Canada, it is a historical fact that Québec is known as "the cradle of strongmen". And that is not an urban legend. It all began in the early XIXth century with Jean-Baptiste Grenon (the Hercules of the North), then Claude Grenache ( first to do public demonstrations). Then came the legendary Louis Cyr, who rocked the entire strength community from Canada to the UK, the USA and some European countries. Followed Horace Barré, Hector Decarie, Victor Delamarre, the Baillargeon Brothers. Then of course the more recent top guns: Marco Fortier, Hugo Girard, Jessen Paulin, and,nowadays, Christian Savoie , Jean-François Caron and Louis-Philippe Jean.

That take nothing away from the legendary Doug Hepburn(British Columbia) , and later, Tom Magee (Manitoba, now California). Plus Ontario's own Travis Lyndon.

[Paul E Ohl]

Oups, I did not mention big Dominic. He did some great things but was over-shadowed by Hugo Girard and Jessen Paulin. Had a fantastic 2005 WSM. Second Canadian only ( after Tom Magee) to get on the podium.

Dominic had the size and strength to reach the top. But he didn't quite put it all together. And he had a sad ending at 2008 Fortissimus.

The sport of Strongman is not different from any other sport: it is, at the end, mind over matter. Dominic hadn't that quite figured out. But his name belongs to the list of Canada's Strongman Fame.

[Alex Klotz]

I believe you, but I live in Montreal and I've never heard anyone call Quebec "The cradle of strongman" :p

[Paul E Ohl]

Alex, you have to refer to French Canadian historians as they wrote on the founding of the colony. The term " cradle of strongmen" dates back to the XVIII th century. The catholic clergy used it as well. As they saw fit to urge the farmers to put their strength to the service of God and colony. More than 90 % of the pôpulation were then farmers and settlers...the survival of the fittest ! As this was the case for Louis Cyr and family. His fame reinforced that old saying .

[Alex Klotz]

What is the saying in French?
Is it Berceau des hommes fortes?

[Stu Christensen]

My thoughts... Hugo and big Dom did not get along, and when Hugo runs the show as far as national representation goes, that's a big strike against you. Dom fought an uphill battle everyday against Hugo and it got to be too much for him to tackle...too much energy to waste on things other than training to make it worth his while.

[Paul E Ohl]

Almost there Alex.

It is: Le berceau des hommes forts.

Well done.

[Wolfgang Hasenmaier]

That Anderson bashing is pure bs.

Anyway agreed regarding the following:Many numbers attributed to Paul Anderson are vastly excaggerated.

But: One verified example of quiet a few is a parallel raw squat of 900+ after driving 700 miles, getting out of the car. Having a bite and squatting. No belt and no spotters. Did I mention no spotters? Who else does that? The pic of that lift shows a hip and thigh structure considerably bigger than Shane Hamman`s((the latter of 36 inch thigh fame) . Paul A. often was not in the best shape because of countless miles on the road generating $s for his youth home. But sometimes he had a few months to focus. After his amateur career he was banned from amateur contests. And therefor not capable to participate. Huge efforts were made by Bob Hoffman (the head of the US strength scene then) to get Anderson reinstated. All efforts were denied by the AAU. As a pro Anderson gained at his peak 30-40 extra lbs of mass.

Ever heard of Marty Gallagher who has coached Kirk Karwoski, Ed Coan and Shane Hamman? He is a high calibre witness and witnessed Paul A. squatting 900+ for five reps. A no limit effort. No belt no wraps. No spotters... Who else does that?

Don Reinhoudt makes the list as well.

[Corey DuCharme]

Alex, you have to refer to French Canadian historians as they wrote on the founding of the colony. The term " cradle of strongmen" dates back to the XVIII th century. The catholic clergy used it as well. As they saw fit to urge the farmers to put their strength to the service of God and colony. More than 90 % of the pôpulation were then farmers and settlers...the survival of the fittest ! As this was the case for Louis Cyr and family. His fame reinforced that old saying .

Aw gee, you make me proud of my French Canadian heritage *sniff*. :D

[Mark A Cummings]

Strongman like any other sport promotes friendship and defies bounderies and racism. That's the beauty of it all.

Canadians or Russians, who cares ? Misha Koklyaev shouted :" I love you all !" at Fortissimus and started singing Canada's national anthem. And he almost did the same at the Arnold's.

Now if we talk about the roots of Strongman in Canada, it is a historical fact that Québec is known as "the cradle of strongmen". And that is not an urban legend. It all began in the early XIXth century with Jean-Baptiste Grenon (the Hercules of the North), then Claude Grenache ( first to do public demonstrations). Then came the legendary Louis Cyr, who rocked the entire strength community from Canada to the UK, the USA and some European countries. Followed Horace Barré, Hector Decarie, Victor Delamarre, the Baillargeon Brothers. Then of course the more recent top guns: Marco Fortier, Hugo Girard, Jessen Paulin, and,nowadays, Christian Savoie , Jean-François Caron and Louis-Philippe Jean.

That take nothing away from the legendary Doug Hepburn(British Columbia) , and later, Tom Magee (Manitoba, now California). Plus Ontario's own Travis Lyndon.


No Canadian list of Strongmen is complete, in my opinion, without mentioning Tom Magee. Not only was he tremendously strong for his size, he was fun to watch and very well spoken when interviewed. Paul, any idea what happened to Tom after the early 80's? Where he went, what he did, etc.?

[Paul E Ohl]

Mark this is a terrible forgetting. I apologize and thank you for reminding us all of Tom Magee.

Tom not only deserves to be on such a list, but moreso he deserves to be near the top.

Born in Manitoba, Tom was a fabulous powerlifter ( World champion in the heavyweight class), and an even more fabulous strongman. He was the only Canadian ever to finish as runner-up in WSM, back in 1982, second to Kaz. And he beat Kaz in Montreal at the Défi Louis-Cyr by the way a couple of years later.

Tom Magee resides in California and has his own business in extreme outdoors trekkings, mountain climbing and kayak expeditions.

We honored him in 2004 as recepient of the Louis Cyr Order od Merit. He looked in tremendous shape at a bodyweight of 225 lbs. Lean, muscular and his mind at peace.

Tom remains a fan of the sport.

[Paul E Ohl]

Mark this one is for you .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2j8ljGO-aA

Tom, with his Hollywood looks, makes it big ihe DL back in New-Zealand . Watch his very last pull !!

[Mark A Cummings]

Mark this one is for you .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2j8ljGO-aA

Tom, with his Hollywood looks, makes it big ihe DL back in New-Zealand . Watch his very last pull !!

Tom was an incredible fighter, thanks for posting this Paul!