kelby Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 i live way up north. we just had a road built here in the early eighties. before that we never had television, so people just worked and telled stories. and i remember my grandpa used to talk about peope having an event to see who whould have the strongest grip. he said that they used to try and break a bone from a beaver. (the short part of the front leg) it is hard and very slippery. he told me you have to have a very strong grip to break it. not too many people can do it. they would set around and try breaking it. in away i guess it was like the ironmind grippers. everyone is trying to close them and only a few can. i was twisting fingers with him lastyear and man he is strong even at eighty years old. i could not beat him he hurt my middle finger. he also talked about lifting up 45 gallon barrels full of fuel. he couldn't do it but he mentioned he saw only one person lift a 45 gallon barrel, the guy was only five foot three and about hundred and eighty pounds. he was from england. oh i forgot to mention my grandpa was a fishermen,trapper and worked with steel and ships all his life. he has lots of old stories about trapping all over and meeting unique and strong people from all over the world. boxers, wrestlers and just tough people of long ago. maybe i will go and visit for him to tell me more stories. he always said he can't read but he can remember from years back even the dates. i find that impressive. i also remember when they drank they used to twist off the caps. this is in the seventies. way before twist off bottles were aroun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricMilfeld Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 Kelby, I'm one of those weird animal lovers, so I hope the beavers were deceased. Are you up in the Great Lakes area? Thanks for sharing, and some details regarding some of these "old days" stories would make for some interesting reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twig Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 Kelby, are you an eskimo/innuit? (I'm from the UK, if these terms are offensive please correct me) If so, have you taken part in the games? They look really scary! I mean, the finger wresting is cool, but the ear wresting and the ear lift? WOW, I'd be terrified about getting them cut off, but having said that, I'd really like to try it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave H Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 Kelby, Nice store, man. I love hearing about the old timers. They were tuff son's of guns. Sixgun... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sybersnott Posted September 18, 2004 Share Posted September 18, 2004 kelby, Please do us all a big, big favor. Please get a camcorder and videotape your Grandpa telling all those strength stories! Also, if you can get other men about his age from that area to tell their stories too.... these are great to hear - my grandpa worked as a lumberjack and was a very strong young man in his own right. I just wish I coulda taped a bunch of his stories and I know he had a lot to tell. He died years ago and those very interesting stories went with him..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueshadow Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 Yes indeed,the oldtimers were strong,my grandfather was old ever since I remember,but he was really strong,he was poor, uneducated and a laborer,but he could work non- stop at building walls,fences etc all day,wish I could've tested his grip that many years ago before he passed on,no doubt he would have been amazing!! Thanks for sharing and igniting old memories Kelby!! To Health JJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueshadow Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 Yes indeed,the oldtimers were strong,my grandfather was old ever since I remember,but he was really strong,he was poor, uneducated and a laborer,but he could work non- stop at building walls,fences etc all day,wish I could've tested his grip that many years ago before he passed on,no doubt he would have been amazing!! Thanks for sharing and igniting old memories Kelby!! To Health JJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueshadow Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 My apologies for the double post!! Geezzzz! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonL Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 My grandfather passed away a few years at the age of 100 years old. He is from Russia. He was a carpenter and a locksmith his whole life. One thing that impressed me most when he was on his death bed and took my hand to tell me something. His hands were still soo strong and big even when he was dying. Pretty amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave H Posted September 23, 2004 Share Posted September 23, 2004 Nice thread! Sixgun... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darco Posted September 23, 2004 Share Posted September 23, 2004 My Grandfather was a Gravedigger, just try to imagine the stories he's told me. And to keep this on topic, my grandfather was strong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nagual Posted September 24, 2004 Share Posted September 24, 2004 I apparently had a great great grandfather that possessed impressive strength. The claim was that he could lift a smaller wooden table by the leg overhead,... and that he could hoist an empty wine/beer barrel to his shoulder, both feats done one-handed. (Actually the claim was a large wooden table, and a filled winebarrel, but I took the exaggeration that happens over the years into account, and amended the feats to something more probable, extrapolating from my own genetic disposition towards feats of strength, which is not that of an easy-gainer. ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cajunjay Posted September 24, 2004 Share Posted September 24, 2004 I love these kinda stories about grandparents, life was harder for them so being strong was just how you had to be to get by. Nowadays there are computers and what not which makes life simpler but these computer guys still head down the gym each day after work in search of the strength and abilities which came naturally to our grandparents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp76 Posted September 24, 2004 Share Posted September 24, 2004 As a child my mother and aunts and uncles regailed me with stories of my Great Grandfather who at 92 still did 20 push ups a day and a head stand for two minutes a day. Until the age of 82 he was said to be able to do an iron cross in the garage where he had his old gymnastic rings hanging. The uncles also recall for his size 5'9" he possesed incredible hand strength and could crush most peoples hands in a hand shake contest. Now that I have trained grip, I would attribute this strength to the work on his rings. Stories of our elders always make me want to train harder. So lets keep this thread going. -SMP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volko Krull Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Sorry to bring this up again, but I just handed a wrapped piece of 5/16" x 8" steel to my dad. He held it how it came naturally, in a reverse style very close to his throat. He bend it about 30 deg., then had to stop. I unwrapped it and noticed that it bend about 2 inches off-center ! He is close to 57 years old and, apart from armwrestling and construction work never did serious training oO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKtheGreek Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Wait, what did they do to the beaver?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ealonzo Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 my grandpa grew up in a tough area in mexico, and since he was a kid, he could do an iron cross with no gymnastics training whatsoever, and he was a leading physicist for the mexican government Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Beatty Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 My grandpa was a boxer, and he used to tell stories about some of the men he knew, back when a fight was entertainment & not grounds for lawsuits. He told me about a friend that worked for a dairy farm & used to lift the 5 gallon steel milk buckets from the ground in front of him, would press them & put them on a tall flatbed truck without turning, and do this for hours at a time. This fellow was famed for his punch & tough guys would come from all around to fight him. Dad also told a story about grandpa, about when the one room schoolhouse grandpa went to was absorbed by the Longview HS, and the first day a local bully picked a fight with my grandpa because he heard he was a fighter, grandpa proceeded to knock him through the principal's door. The principal said if the bully started a fight with a smaller man, then he deserved the KO. World was a bit different then, eh? My dad still lifts 3 times a week & does 10 handstands every night (he's 68), he was a gymnast in college. Worked as a roofer most of his adult life. Still very strong, flat stomach, broad shoulders & thick chest. Losing weight with age, but still strong. Wants to learn how to bend horseshoes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climber511 Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Geezers are everywhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pancake Sprawl Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 (edited) my father told me his grandfather was 6'8 and around 450lbs. he didn't tell me anything about his strength, but he used to husk coconuts with his teeth and eat things that most people would throw away lol. i guess that means he's got a strong appetite, and stomach plus some pretty strong teeth lol Edited March 17, 2009 by Pancake Sprawl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coombsfh Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I had a great experience with the father of one of my best friends a while ago (roll on the jibes). He started life as a frustrated, heavily dyslexic (mistaken for idiocy), aggressive person. He flopped at school and went to work as a carpenter. Long story short he is now a multi-milionaire cabinet, kitchen, and furniture maker, a fellow of mensa and incredibly down to earth. I asked how he started working with wood; his answer was that he cut it. He then worked through the different procesing stages. Sawmill - heavy lifting, timber yard - heavy lifting, floorer hitting in large cut nails with a 4lb lump hammer in 2 hits and so on! I asked whether he had ever trained for strength since he thinks nothing (even at 60) of spending a whole weekend in his woods, hauling splitting and cutting trees and logs. He answered that he liked to arm wrestle at any oportunity, he liked lifting heavy things and he liked sledge hammer levering! My eyes it up, I had not long levered a 16lber for the first time so I showed him on his and it was excellent to know that I was doing a feat that he could relate to. Just great to have something we could both undesrstand. He is full of excellent stories and is the sort of guy used to interviews and who might consent to cataloging his memories, especially knowing how much he appreciates old time strongman stuff... will see him over easter and ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volko Krull Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 My grandpa (mason) once told me about a co-worker of his who could walk about 12 yards with 5 (1) sacks of concrete, weighing 111lbs each. One under each arm, one over each shoulder and one across. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gothrik Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 (edited) I worked on a farm up in Canada for a while... my boss who managed the farm told me his grandpa used to pick up the front of large tractors for fun... I asked him how large... and he pointed to our second largest tractor on the farm. Though I've also heard this self same grandpa used to lift 50 gallon barrels of oil like they were nothing. Another friend I had in Canada was telling me about his Grandpa back in the "old country" (An east block country.) Who once lifted their wagon out of a rut in the road when the horses couldn't budge it and 3 other guys couldn't lift it. Just said move boys and lifted it easily. Though he also told me his Granddad threw a bear off a bridge once cause it was in his way. Crazy old guys. Though I hope for my own prides sake these stories from their families were exaggerated. Edited March 17, 2009 by The Steve Train Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pancake Sprawl Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 LMAO!!! THROWS A BEAR OFF A BRIDGE!!! i don't know if that's really true, but that's still a great story and funny image in my head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grippster Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 My grandpa (mason) once told me about a co-worker of his who could walk about 12 yards with5 (1) sacks of concrete, weighing 111lbs each. One under each arm, one over each shoulder and one across. I actually heard a similar story from my grandfather. He used to work in a flour mill over in Germany when he was younger and there was a guy that would carry literally 400 pounds of flour down the stairs in the mill and the owner used to have a fit every time he saw that, fearing the staircase would give in. It never did though, but the surprising part about it was that the man himself was rather skinny looking. Nothing at all like a strongman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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