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How High Is An "official Lift" Of The Inch


pdoire

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Years ago, hearing about Inch pulling the Old Switcheroo on the audience made me laugh. At that point, I understood that he was not, shall we say, a "Straight Shooter".

That doesn't mean that he didn't have the best grip of his time, and that didn't mean he was not a real strong guy. I have enjoyed the articles that I have read about his life.

I think "Showman", in the context of today's use of the word, is too nice a term.

I do think "Fraud" is way too strong a term.

Bill Clinton lied a lot. Not just about sex, hell, he can't tell the truth about his golf game. Was Bill Clinton a "Fraud"? No. He sometimes lied, but he was not a Fraud. He was a smart man, and the best politician of his time, without peer. Yeah I know, bad example.

My term for Inch? Huckster. According to my dictionary, for my meaning, it is "a haggling tradesman; tricky mercenary peddler"...

Hubgeezer

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it was such an poorly done "bait and switch"(if in fact that was what it was intended to be)

that it doesn't qualify as a deception or even an attempt at a deception.

Geez..."huckster" is also too strong based on this evidence..."aging Strength Icon

performs for newsreel cameras" fits best...and that's exactly what we are seeing.

Joe...please produce photos(and films) of Inch and his assortment of

"identical" dumbells of various weights...(no "authorless" clippings this time)

(I've heard tales from some that Joe Kinney somehow "faked" his close

of the #4...is the "Inch the Switcheroo artist" coming from this mentality?)

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Geez..."huckster" is also too strong based on this evidence..."aging Strength Icon

performs for newsreel cameras" fits best...and that's exactly what we are seeing.

Okay, I went to Roget's Thesaurus Online. Yes, the word "fraud" has some nasty synonyms to it. The word "Huckster" is not even close; for example, "businessman" is a synonym for it.

There was a word in there(under Huckster) that I thought fit best:

Pitchman

Yeah, that seems about right to me.

Hubsman

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it was such an poorly done "bait and switch"(if in fact that was what it was intended to be)

that it doesn't qualify as a deception or even an attempt at a deception.

Geez..."huckster" is also too strong based on this evidence..."aging Strength Icon

performs for newsreel cameras" fits best...and that's exactly what we are seeing.

Joe...please produce photos(and films) of Inch and his assortment of

"identical" dumbells of various weights...(no "authorless" clippings this time)

(I've heard tales from some that Joe Kinney somehow "faked" his close

of the #4...is the "Inch the  Switcheroo artist" coming from this mentality?)

More misdirections. No thanks.

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the inter-net seems to give some people a lot more courage than

they might be able to muster in a face to face encounter(and there are those

who seem to be committed to cutting many iron game heroes of the past

off at the knees...)

To call a man a "fraud" is a serious thing...I think the standard here

should be: say whatever you want as long as you have the evidence to

"prove it in Court"...

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We aren't talking about the Inch any more. I am starting a new topic under Goerner's Reborn Forum some time tonight. Joe and Kim's discussions, combined with Dale's mention of "The Super Athletes" book, caused me to pick it up and read a couple of dozen pages last night, as I had not looked at it since I joined "The Gripboard".

Hubgeezer

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Holy crap this topic led to some heated debate. :calm

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the inter-net seems to give some people a lot more courage than

they might be able to muster in a face to face encounter(and there are those

who seem to be committed to cutting many iron game heroes of the past

off at the knees...)

To call a man a "fraud" is a serious thing...I think the standard here

should be: say whatever you want as long as you have the evidence to

"prove it in Court"...

Kim, In case I am among those included in your post, let me say this.

If I could speak to Inch person to person I would ask him very specific questions (there are other references which I have not mentioned here that lend credence to my beliefs). It is hardly a matter of courage, it is a matter of investigation. Why would it take any courage to investigate weightlifting feats?

Again, I am not committed to anything but trying to find the accurate details of what transpired. Often those investigations lead to conclusions contrary to what armchair, superficial students of the game may have come to believe based on less study. I have never, as in NEVER, looked at only one side of an issue regarding iron feats with a goal in mind to undermine what is popularly believed. I simply do not care where the evidence leads- you do seem to care, based on what evidence I have no idea, because you tend not to share references or leads. You have my word on this: present differing evidence that proves that my conclusions about Inch are incorrect, and I will apologize for my wrongful conclusions. If you simply wish to express your opinion without any trail of verification, then that is certainly something you may continue to do. But such a course does not interest me.

Finally, I think you are painting the word 'fraud' with too broad a swipe. Inch certainly misrepresented, deceived, and faked out many people over several decades, and I was among those deceived. For a while. So was he a fraud in regard to the bait and switch of the bells? In my view yes. In other aspects of his lifting career in competitions where weights were weighed, he was of course noteworthy to the point of being Britain's Strongest Man. So I am not saying his whole person was a fraud, of course. He was after all a champion lifter and deservedly so.

That's really all I have to say on this matter, here, unless new evidence comes to my awareness, so I will not respond unless it is to address such arguments.

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the inter-net seems to give some people a lot more courage than

they might be able to muster in a face to face encounter(and there are those

who seem to be committed to cutting many iron game heroes of the past

off at the knees...)

To call a man a "fraud" is a serious thing...I think the standard here

should be: say whatever you want as long as you have the evidence to

"prove it in Court"...

Ahhh, back to the old Kim. If you disagree with him and make unkind comments (in his opinion) of his heroes and should perchance be fortunate enough to meet he will make sure that you need real world balls not internet balls. Inferred or otherwise - you're a naughty boy Kim - naughty. But I digress...

The strange thing is I am aware that Kim, like Joe, has made a study of the Iron game and more than a few have been able to sit with Kim and watch some rare films and videos. Some of these films show stuff not seen anywhere else. If and I don't think it (the evidence) exists to prove that the 'world famous Inch Challenge dumbbell' changed as Inch got older from the recognised 172 lb we are familiar with to the nutted bell presented in the Pathe news reel then is what Inch has clamied on that film untrue - yes. Is that fraudulent, yes. Is he then a fraud - yes.

In bringing on stage variously weighted bells (Joe has a picture of two which look identical and yet differ in weight by 30 pounds) and claiming, in his showman style, that they were THE Inch Challenge dumbbell knowing full well that an audeince of, say, miners had not a chance of lifting any of the bells never mind thr 'big one' - is he a fraud? Ahh there is the true question. They were all a challenge and so he may have been able to claim that they were all Inch Challenge bells knowing, as I said, none could be lifted by whom they were being presented to. They just weren't our 172 heavyweight Inch bells etc etc

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Are there anyone on Grip Board except for Dickey Oscarsson who are capable to lift the Inch Dumbbell with a "pinch grip" ovet the handle instead och using a regular grip and support from the wrist? I doubt about there are anymore.

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I never do it from the wrist. Many times I have seen guys try and nigh on curl their hands under and then, as soon as they take the full weight, the bell straightens their hands out and it rolls away. But I case I am at cross-purposes with your 'pinch' meaning do you have a picture?

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I never do it from the wrist. Many times I have seen guys try and nigh on curl their hands under and then, as soon as they take the full weight, the bell straightens their hands out and it rolls away. But I case I am at cross-purposes with your 'pinch' meaning do you have a picture?

He grab over the middle of the handle with his wrist slightly dorsal flexed. Normally you have your wrist in straight och slightly palmar flexed position.

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So more thumb than fingers? I doubt it makes that much of a difference and would be willing to give it a try. The strength of the thumb and it's opposing of the fingers is where the strength lays in pulling any thick handled dumbbell. If they are both strong enough then doing it his way is only a little bit harder IMO than a neutral grip.

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So more thumb than fingers? I doubt it makes that much of a difference and would be willing to give it a try. The strength of the thumb and it's opposing of the fingers is where the strength lays in pulling any thick handled dumbbell. If they are both strong enough then doing it his way is only a little bit harder IMO than a neutral grip.

Yes, more thumb than fingers. If you can pinch 2x25 kg old wide Eleikoplates you need to have a strong thumb. ;)

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Joe, I had no idea that you had actually witnessed Inch's so called

"bait and switch" high-jinx(sleight of hand with thick handled dumbells

weighing over 100lbs. is an awesome feat in itself!)...or were you "fooled " in some other way? (Steve. I think you might

find that Joe's photos of various sized "Inch replicas" were taken at my house)

Actually, I have few if any "strength heroes", Joe...if I have any beef relative to

the tagging of Inch as a "fraud" it is that there seems to be a few people here

that are a little bit too quick to draw a conclusion of "fraud" when the

evidence is at best, sketchy...

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Joe, I had no idea that you had actually witnessed Inch's so called

"bait and switch" high-jinx(sleight of hand with thick handled dumbells

weighing over 100lbs. is an awesome feat in itself!)...or were you "fooled " in some other way?                                            (Steve. I think you might

find that Joe's photos of various sized "Inch replicas" were taken at my house)

Actually, I have few if any "strength heroes", Joe...if I have any beef relative to

the tagging of Inch as a "fraud" it is that there seems to be a few people here

that are a little bit too quick to draw a conclusion of "fraud" when the

evidence is at best,    sketchy...

after seeing the video of inch have a few guys attempt the "inch"...then, after noone could do, he walks up to it, picks it up, cleans and presses it...with no more strain than if you were ripping a piece of paper, i call him a fraud as well.

That video was a joke, and there is no doubt in my mind, that thomas inch was out to pull a fast one on people.

One video is proof enough for me...why should I require more?

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Joe's eyewitness account is enough to justify it for me, even if it was in the name of "showmanship".

"Inch certainly misrepresented, deceived, and faked out many people over several decades, and I was among those deceived. "

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Joe, I had no idea that you had actually witnessed Inch's so called

"bait and switch" high-jinx(sleight of hand with thick handled dumbells

weighing over 100lbs. is an awesome feat in itself!)...or were you "fooled " in some other way?                                            (Steve. I think you might

find that Joe's photos of various sized "Inch replicas" were taken at my house)

Actually, I have few if any "strength heroes", Joe...if I have any beef relative to

the tagging of Inch as a "fraud" it is that there seems to be a few people here

that are a little bit too quick to draw a conclusion of "fraud" when the

evidence is at best,    sketchy...

Thanks Kim, I thought they might have been (the bells and photo) but didn't want to say for sure.

As for slight of hand. It has been written many years ago of the various tricks of the trade. One, whose name escapes me, had a bell which had two bung holes in the bell/globed ends. Such a piece would be filled with sand etc. It was positioned just so on top of two barrels and various would be strongmen would be asked to 'have a go'. Then an assistent would be seen to move the barrels and bells into a 'better position'. In doing so the bungs would be removed and it's filling empty into the barrels. The 'real strongman' would then heave the mighty barbell overhead etc thus demonstrating his strength.

Bob Hoffman used to use a specially made 'light' set for his strength demonstrations and there are others.

If Inch, in his act, stated on many, many occasions that this is 'my challenge dumbbell' of which no one 'and many have tried', 'including many famous strongmen' and the bell he shows isn't THE Inch we all know and love then I think it is fraudulent.

That said I'd have loved to have had the small barrel of whiskey etc etc that was said to have been on offer.

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A reminder. Subscribers to the paysite at cyberpump.com can check the archives for the 22 installments of INCH 101, which began Feb 6, 2002 and ended Nov 14, 2002.

There are details there which may help to answer some questions about Inch.

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Kim, I thought you were big about honesty?

In the video of inch I saw, he is lifting a different dumbell. If that's not fraud I don't know what is.

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