The Russian Lion, George Hackenschmidt
The Russian Lion, George Hackenschmidt George Karl Julius Hackenschmidt (aka the Russian Lion) was born August 2nd, 1878 in the small town of Dorpat in Estonia.
He went on to become one of the greatest wrestlers and strongmen that the world has ever known. Between 1889 and 1908, it is estimated that Hackenschmidt won over 3000 matches over some very tough competition.
His match with American Champion Frank Gotch in 1908 is widely regarded as the greatest wrestling match of all time (Gotch eventually won after over 2 hours of grappling.)
As far as his strength prowess, Hackenschmidt established several impressive records, including a "Crucifix" hold with a pair of 90-pound dumbbells, a wrestler's bridge pullover-and-press with 311 pounds, and a bent-press of 279 pounds (besting Eugen Sandow's previous record.)
Read more about George Hackenschmidt and his training methods in his classic training book The Way to Live (1908)
Labels: Bent Press, Crucifix, Estonia, Eugen Sandow, Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, Oldtime Strongman, Russian Lion, Russian Strongman, Wrestler's Bridge, Wrestling
posted by John Wood @ Wednesday, March 12, 2008
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