Farmer's Walk With Inch Replicas

[Roark]

Is anyone aware if a farmer's walk using

two replicas of the Inch dumbell has been

contested anywhere yet?

If so, what was the distance walked, and

by whom?

Thanks.

[Guest Harlan Jacobs]

If anyone is going to have the replica's at any pro strongman show,bring 2 if you can.When  I see Schoonie ,I will ask him to give it a go.I seen him take 350 for 200' .I know he can take them for a stroll.

[Bill Piche]

Phister probably could as well?

[Sybersnott]

Richard Sorin has done it.  Ask him about it.

[supersqueeze]

Snott is correct except, as I recall, 1stCoC walked with only one DB. Not to say that he couldn't do two if he put himself to it, but I haven't heard of anyone doing two yet.

Mike M.

[Roark]

Okay, I will adjust, downward, my original post here.

Has anyone yet deadlifted an Inch replica in each

hand at the same time?

When you do it, snap a photo, because, I think,

you will be the first to do so.

Then while you are standing there smiling, take

a few steps.

Thomas Inch had two versions of walking around

the 150' border of his garden. Deriaz was visiting

from Paris, hoping for the cash if he could lift the Inch

bell. He could not. So, Inch claims, he grabbed the bell and walked around his garden. The other version has

Inch grabbing a second, hollow bell, and walking

around the garden. What Inch did not reveal to Deriaz

was that the second identical bell weighed only 75 lbs. Still

an incredible feat (if true) but one wonders if Inch

left Deriaz believing he had just witnessed Inch carry

two bells the weight of the one he himself had just

failed to lift. If Deriaz had grabbed the lighter of the

two, be sure that Inch would have said "No, that's

not the Challenge bell, this one is." But since Deriaz

happened to select the 172, Tom, in my opinion,

played a joke on Deriaz.

[Sybersnott]

Roark..... that's a funny story!  Where did you read that?  Sometimes certain strongmen will play practical jokes on each other - all meant in good fun, but when performing in public, that is frowned upon.  I believe there was a another story involving Tom where he put weights (the dumbbells) out for the local strongmen to try.  They were weights much lighter than Tom was used to, but looked just like the heavier ones he used in his show.  Word was that there was a cash prize for anyone who could duplicate the feat.  Many of the locals lifted these dumbbells with relative ease.  However, once they (the local strongmen) got on stage with Inch, the heavier weights were then used, and they couldn't lift them!  Thinking Inch was pulling some sort of a trick like glueing the weights to the floor, they asked him to lift it - he did, and the prize money went unclaimed.

Tom Inch was one stong son-of-a-gun!  

[Roark]

Sybersnott,

Story of one bell garden walk in H&S

Jan 21, 1922; story of two bells S&H

May 1939. Inch's stories changed over time

in meaningful details. Sometimes his own

words trap him when he inadvertently reveals

facts that contradict his other claims.

For example Inch referred to himself as an

articicial strongman- by that meaning that he was

not born with great natural strength, but had to

train to maintain what he had developed. But

actually he did not maintain that much- usually

just as a contest was nearing. Indeed there

appear to be large blocks of time when he lacked

the strength to lift the Inch bell overhead with one

hand- by his own admission he at one point could not

perform a one hand clean on a regular bar with more

than 170, so how could he at that stage lift the 172

thick handled bell with one hand? Obviously, he could

not have. His legend would have been better served

by not revealing the truth about the 170 lb one hand

clean on a regular one inch bar.

Does no one else consider it odd that during the

'thousands' of times Inch had the 172 bell overhead

with one hand, mostly all such occasions at a public

forum, that absolutely nobody got a photograph of

it taking place? For that matter, is there a photo of

him deadlifting the 172?

The search continues.

[BarBender]

If there is sufficient demand, John Szimanski could offer build-to-order globe style dumbbells. These could be called Szimanski dumbbells. I would consider getting a pair for farmer's walk. Lifting the Inch DB or its replica is beyond my ability at this point but I may toy with a much lighter version. The first commercial gym that I trained in had two pairs of the globe style dumbbells -- two 50-pound and two 100-pound. The handles were 1.5-inch thick or more but less than two inches. There was no knurling. There were also a few wide lipped York 45-pound plates but I digress.

[John Szimanski]

Szimanski dumbbells! Bwahahahahhaaaaa!!

[Sybersnott]

Roark,

There is no doubt that Inch COULD lift his dumbbells, especially the 172 pounder.  This has been verified by many, including Arthur Saxon, his best friend in the business.  One story involves the dumbbell (the 172 .lb), and whether or not Inch could lift it at all.  This was backstage at a circus that was in town.  As they were talking about it, Inch showed up, picked it up, and took it outside to an awaiting taxi.

Inch himself said that it took him six years of training to be able to lift it overhead.  Of course, having a somewhat narrow hand and long fingers helped him tremendously.  As for pictures, I just couldn't tell ya.  I guess back then photography wasn't that hot, and credible witnesses made up for nagging doubt.  Arthur Saxon went through the same thing - most people couldn't believe that this 200 pound man could lift such incredible weights.... but he could and did!

[Roark]

So far as Arthur Saxon verifying Inch lifting the

172: Inch told that story. And even if it is true

that when Inch left the bell at Hengler's Circus

for one day or one week (again two versions)

for Ivan Padoubny to try, Inch by his own account

performed a walk with it, not an overhead lift, which

is the part of the lift I dispute. David Webster has

told me that he knows Inch could deadlift the 172.

I think there is little room for doubt about that. But

regarding putting that bell overhead? There is a

Hengler's Circus worth of doubt.

Padoubny was on the same bill as Apollon for one

engagement at Hengler's. I have not been able to

pin down other occasions where they shared a

wrestling bill, but IF Inch left the bell on an occasion

when Apollon was in town, well...nevermind, he did

not leave it then because the bell would have suffered the same fate as Desbonnet's barbell when John Gruhn

Marx taunted Apollon by saying he (Marx) was the only

man able to one hand deadlift it, whereupon Apollon

one hand snatched it, lost his grip, and the bell landed

several feet away. It did not roll several feet away, it

landed. Imagine the power required to throw a 226

pound barbell with one hand. The bell's diameter

was 2.36".

With respect I say, I disagree that it is well established

that Inch ever overheaded the bell. Aston reported that

when called upon to lift the 172, Inch would substitute

one of the lighter bells which looked identical. Indeed,

tiring of Inch's challenge to lift the 172, Aston replied

that he would bring his own dumbell which he would

lift with one hand, lower with one hand, and then

LEAVE THE BELL SITTING RIGHT THERE so Inch could

come out right away and try it. Aston added that he

would appreciate Inch doing the same thing: one hand

up, one hand down, leave it there. Inch did not accept.

Aston had been in Inch's employ and knew his tactics.

My point in all this is to get  to the truth. The first

rule of thumb in studying history is to ask "Who wrote this" and I have developed a list of authors of descending reliability based on how accurate they

have proven to be. Many authors simply accept at

face or two-faced, value, stories that have been

rehased more times than a cheap diner's breakfast

potatoes. I have read and re-read and checked and

re-checked everything I have in my collection (6,000+

magazines) about Inch; have typed in relevant portions

into the computer for easy referencing. There has

been more cross-checking going on with this than in

a league of hockey players.

So far no assertion that Inch lifted the 172 has panned

out, which by itself proves perhaps that the relevant

evidence awaits discovery. But one does tend to wonder

why so many smoke-screens have been put in place

about the matter. Where there is smoke...

Also, Inch did not say it took him six years to raise

the 172 overhead. He was speaking of his first

thick handled bell, the 140, and he said it took six

years to clear the floor, which I interpret as a partial

deadlift. How long it took him after 1903 (when he

cleared the floor) to clean it, I have no idea. But I

am of the studied OPINION that the 172 bell was

not manufactured until circa 1906, and that when

Inch introduced the 172 on April 20, 1907 he was

able to deadlift it, but certainly not overhead it. And

four years later was when he was unable to clean 170

on a one inch bar, so are we to believe that he cleaned

the 172 dumbell sometime between 1907 and 1910-1911, and then lost so much strength? When shall we

factor in the 'thousands' of times he put it overhead?

He turned 30 in late 1911, and a study of his contests after that does not lead me to believe he could handle

the 172.

Some of this is simply OPINION, some of this is catching Inch in the traps that he set for us, and therefore

exposing him. There are plenty of photographs avail-

able of strongmen who came before Inch, and Inch was

a wealthy man, so poverty did not prevent any photos.

[Roark]

A correction and a clarification:

In my previous post I said that Inch

left his bell at Hengler's for either one

day or one week; it should have been

one day or two weeks.

Also, it took Inch six years to clear the floor

with the 140, and in another place he indicates

he went from the floor to overhead during that

sixth year.

Sorry about the clumbsy writing.

[mobsterone]

Is the question was it possible or did Inch?

Hmm...

As has been hinted at, never by Inch, but by others including joe here Inch was and this should never be forgotten a showman.

In his book Alan Radley states that he believes it was possible as he himself has done, cleaned and then pressed 152 using a 2.5 inch handled db. Then we have the various stories of Bill Richardson cleaning it, we have seen a push press by our injured Welsh friend Chris James et al.

I have one hand deadlifted it and you even have Bill Kazimier using a replica according to a recent issue of Muscle Mag International (amid a lot of stage fog and supporting his free hand on a chair0.

I beleive it is and was possible, probably no more than handful of times when he was feeling his oats and as with most of us when a camera isn't about.

1000's of times - I doubt it. Joe himself as a historian will be well aware that very few strongmen/showmen put themselves out every time/night.

How about this then. Which one of the board will hve a go. Don't look at me. I feel I will get a 300 one hand deadlift (259 best so far) using a 2.5 inch handled solid set dumbbell and will pull my own 226, but press it - never in a million!!

[Roark]

The question is why are there so many

variant versions of the same facts(s)?

First Inch did it hundreds of times; then

thousands of times.

I am probably among the weakest group

on this board, but ANY weight that I have

lifted overhead thousands of times, can in

no way be deemed my limit effort. So by

that logic, if Inch could lift the 172 thousands of

times- spread out over years, of course-

then it could not have been a limit lift for

him either. Further, any weight that I have

lifted thousands of times, I can lift ANYTIME.

Because there are men now who may someday be

able to overhead the Inch bell, does not speak to

whether Tom could or not. Indeed, the very fact

that Kaz cannot put it overhead 'at will' thousands of

times in the coming years should make us very

wary of accepting Inch's claim.

It is amazing how seldom the Inch bell is mentioned

in the old mags, especially when one British friend tells

me that the money Inch was offering was the same

as five years of earnings for Edward Aston in his job

at the time. This should have been BIG news all over

England among every dockworker and laborer and

other heavy duty worker.

[Sybersnott]

Roark,

Your knowledge of Inch and the 172 dumbbell is very impressive!  After reading your follow-up posts, now I am in doubt as to whether or not he could do it.  Usually we have to go with the originator of the story - in most cases, Inch himself.  My question:  why would Inch make up such stories about himself and his claims?  There are things we know about, things we speculate about, and things we may never know the real truth about.  Even Inch was a mystery after his death - not wanting obits published.  I guess the mystery continues.

[mobsterone]

Perhaps I am not making myself clear. I am, in fact, agreeing with you. I am saying that it was a near or at limit lift done on only a few occasions. Hundreds or thousands of lifts - NO WAY. The lighter dumbbells you are familier with - 130/150 yes way. 172 no way.

I also infer that it is possible for it to be done. Again not every night and twice when he did a matinee.

Regards the award. Like today, as with 'yesterday' few if any of the trainers practiced to beat Inch using mocked up replicas. We know (via Dave Webster - is that your mates name ) that of the three that pulled it from the floor at the Spartan Club Sports Revue, when Inch wasn't there, only one had pictures of how he practiced.

As an example. Roughly 150-170 Iron men and women go to the OHF dinner every year - every year...

Most if not all will be people that have worked out or still do. The 'tang' of Iron is still in their blood. Every year, for five years, they will be have been aware that the Inch db was 'going to be there'.

In the four years I went only myself, Alan Radley, Bill Richardson and Eddie Ellwood pulled it from the floor. Eddie, Alan and I praticed. Bill had done it and has a very strong grip. Chris James had also praticed but only the press part. He also busted his hand the night before - look at the non lifting hand in the picture of him.

It costs me money to buy extra weights and the special handle, as it did Eddie and Alan. We did it for no money just the 'adding of names to the list'.

I suspect it would have been difficult, costly and therefore off putting for what may have seemed an impossible task - like breaking the sound barrier or four minute mile.

I wasn't aware of the great history and of the names that had tried and failed so maybe that was to my advantage?? Loads of lads 'had a go' at the OHF dinner but were either not seen again or didn't bother. I think a few that did, myself included, had it annoy us enough to want to 'get the bugger'.

Sybersnott: Answer to your question. Cos it was a living and he was a showman. He would be taking quite a few pounds on the door every night. Dave Prowse used to offer a barrel of Scotch - never had anyone win it.

[Roark]

A couple of points.

It was my understanding that Inch's wife, not

Inch himself requested that the mags not publish

details of his passing. It is my opinion that he

would have wanted to be honored, based upon his life's

contributions to the sport. And based upon his ego,

it would not surprise me that he had outlined his

own achievements in the form of an obituary, which

may have been among the possessions tossed out

after his passing. That is a total guess on my part.

Which brings us to point number two.

Why would he make such a claim if it were not true?

I can only offer an opinion based on my study of a

parallel situation with another famous lifter:

If you want your name to stay in the lifting record

books for a very long time, then you must offer

an achievement that is so far beyond current

standards, that it will literally require decades

to pass before your lift is surpassed. Hence, and

again I stress this is my opinion (based upon an

immense amount of study) Inch could not have

claimed only to once in a while overhead the 172,

because sooner or later a Kaz would stroll down

Iron Lane and match him at that feat. Inch had to

put the lifting of the 172 in Neverland, so  it was

claimed that he lifted it twice nightly; that he lifted

it hundreds of times; that he lifted it thousands of

times; that he could lift thick handled bells as easily as

he could lift regular diameter bells (and that he always

had this ability, apparently forgetting that even he

asserted it took six years to break off the floor with

his 140).

It was done for a place in history. And we may yet discover that the absence of the other, identical-

looking Inch bells was not an accident. If all we have left

to examine is the 172, and the other bell which he used

for competitions (I have not yet determined whether

this was the 140, or another bell that was referred to

as 'new' circa 1930), then we cannot even prove that

Inch substituted a lighter bell for the 172.

My love for this sport and its rich history is surpassed

only by my love for the accuracy of it all. If I may use

an illustration: When David Horne closes the #4, as

he will in time if all goes well, and he decides to film it,

then I want to see him close the #4, not a #3 that has

been altered to appear to be a #4. Even if everybody

knows he can close the #4 when he does it, I do not

want a substitution, and the thought 'Well, it was

easier to hold the #3 steady for the camera, what's

the difference, we all know he can close the #4.' The

difference if reality.

Inch was a very strong man, and in some lifts, phenomenal. But as a showman, what he showed

was not always what we thought we were seeing.

[OldGuy]

"Information on Grun is scarce.  Harry Houdini, who was known as a great skeptic of strongmen, was very impressed by Grun."  Taken from Tom Black's article on John Grun . Houdni was a great magician and showman . He travelled the world and must have many times appeared on the same bill as many of the famous strongmen of his time . If he was skeptical of them it must have been for a reason .No doubt he witnessed a lot of deception and rigged stunts just as he did with mediums and clairvoyants .

[Tom Black]

 I'm certainly not an expert on Houdini, but I think you are correct Oldguy.  Houdini's perspective was that of a great magician and I think that he could probably have very readily figured out if something was deceptive.  The circus people call this "gafting."  Willoughby notes in "The Super Athletes" that the harness lift, for instance, can be faked, but that it is unlikely that Grun would have needed to resort to that because his strength was so obvious.  In a way, Houdini's mis-description of Grun's bodyweight probably is an indication of how impressively muscular Grun was in real life.  You can read Houdini's entire chapter on Strongmen by following the link in my article.

 At first I thought your post was mis-placed, belonging in the thread regarding my article.  I see your point, however, that Houdini witnessed deception in strongman stunts.  I can't understand why Inch would resort to deception, but it may be a matter of making a living.

[Tyrannosaurus Dave]

Speaking of thick-handled dumbbells, Warren Lincoln Travis was reputed to have a challenge DB of 110 pounds with a 3 or 4 inch handle.  Some accounts said the handle was chromed, all accounts say it was not knurled.  Apparently Travis could snatch the thing when no one else could break it from the floor.  Anyone else heard of this lost piece of iron history?  Tdave

[Roark]

You may be referring to the bell mentioned

in Muscular Development August 1969 p 25,

but there is no photo of the 110 lb bell, but a reference

that its handle was larger than the bell that is shown

which has indeed a huge diameter- which may in fact

be three or four inches- hard to tell from the photo.

It weighed 110 lbs empty. Travis, whose real name was

Roland Morgan, never struck me as having a great

amount of hand strength, but I have not looked into

him in detail yet.

[Roark]

As my grand-daughter would say, "I'm

growing old here!". If I were able, my

un-manicured hands would each pick up an

Inch replica and walk with them. Those of you

who are able, are you not wanting your name

to top the list of those who will accomplish this?

Perhaps you do not have access to two replicas?

Hopefully someday the farmer's walk using two

replicas will be standard at major grip competitions.

I am guessing Richard Sorin has the ability to

become the first man to succeed at this, and,

because he sells the replicas, may have access

to two of them.

History waits.

[The Mac]

It seems that our Iron Game is rife with historical claims which are (or have been) accepted as fact with little or no "real" evidence to support them. This recent discussion on Inch is one of the first I have seen to seriously question whether he was able to do what he claimed. There are other lifts which must be looked at as closely. Goerner's one-hand deadlift was unmatched until David Horne recently broke it. Saxon's one-arm lift (and Grimek's "400lb lift to shoulder") remain unchallenged. Anderson still gets credit for a 1200lb squat and 900+silver dollar deadlift. I know that many of these lifts have been questioned (I know Steve Neece was particularly sceptical of Anderson's lifts) but many people still view them as fact. Most historians (from what I have read) simply repeat these stories, further muddying the water.

The 1920's Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi is rightly regarded as one of the greatest athletes ever. Yet his best times are being run now by average club athletes, young boys and even women (don't mean to offend the better half of the population). I find it hard to believe that these weightlifting marks are so far ahead of their time. Whilst the bent press is no longer a popular lift, I doubt that someone (especially Anderson) would not have approached Saxon's mark if he were capable of it.

I firmly agree with Mr Roark. The difference IS reality.

I don't know whether these great strongmen could do what was claimed for them or not. In some ways I hope so. But to claim one thing and not be able to do it does take some of the magic away.

Chris McC.

[Roark]

Regarding Paul Anderson, the weight of his famous

safe (used in his hip and back lifting), you may find

my three part series for Iron Game History (U of Texas)

interesting. It is now known that his safe did not weigh

the claimed 3500 lbs, but 2300 lbs, so any lift  involving

that implement must be reduced accordingly.

Perhaps not so surprisingly, those who oppose my

(studied) position regarding Paul and his lifts, have

to my knowledge remained silent following the pub-

lication of this three part series. Either I lacked the

ability to convert their thinking, or they lack the manhood to acknowledge being mistaken.

Anderson lacked the flexibility to be efficient in the

bent press.

The three Saxons each managed to shoulder about

425(from memory) in the bent press but could not

stand with it.

I had posted something earlier on Anderson but the

board took away the heading so it is now not reachable, so I'll try it again:

Years ago in Peoria, Illinois, I met a man who is an

unabashed fan of Anderson (as I was until studying

his lifts). He immediately asked me, "Don't you think that Paul Anderson was the strongest man who ever lived?"

"In which lift", I asked.

"In ANY lift", he replied.

"Then, no" I said,' "his hand strength was very weak."

Then came the bombshell that is of concern to this

board: "Oh, hand strength, that doesn't count".

So those of you who grab a  bar and perform a

heavy deadlift (which used to be called 'two hands alone'), or those of you who have tried a bent press

with all that pressure on your wrist, or those who

try to bend steel, you know of course, that hand

strength does not count; it is, after all, only the beginning

point of basically EVERY lift attempted.

Please do not interpret this as personal against Paul,

whom I admired for his many good deeds. I admire

the grip board members for their pursuit of hand strength also, but if you cannot close the #4, don't

claim that you can. The truth is not good or bad,

it is only fact.

Paul would have turned 69 tomorrow (Oct 17)