Customer Reviews

The Super-Athletes: a Record of the Limits of Human Strength, Speed and Stamina

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David Willoughby, historian of Physical Culture, spent years compiling this record of athletic performance prior to steroids, human growth hormone, or the rest of the chemistry that makes contemporary champions. Obscure sports are covered, women's events, darned near everything you could want out of a reference work.

I first read this book over 30 years ago in the Cardinal O'Hara High School library, it's chock full of factoids strength fans young and old will find amazing. My favorite section is Miscellaneous Feats of Strength as it records "Working Man Strength" this is not a compendium of weightlifting or powerlifting totals, this book is a broad coverage of strength in all it's manifestations. Some examples:

Hugo Lauffer...carried two pieces of baggage total of 132 pounds, from Vienna to Paris (750 miles) in 25 days!

Crispus Maltese .......within the space of 30 minutes carried 35 barrels each 250 pounds up 3 flight of stairs! I doubt I could do 35 trips up three flights of stairs sans barrels in 30 minutes!

Mike Mahoney carried a small piano of 150 pounds over a mountain a distance of 1/3 of a mile

All the old time masters are here too!

This is a classic work and should be in every lifters library!