![]() Lifting heavy weights as an end in and of itself was a novel enough concept that a fascinated public was willing to pay to watch muscular men heft dumbbells, barbells, and oddly shaped objects. Strongmen further spiced up their acts with stunts like breaking chains, tearing apart decks of cards, bending iron bars and horseshoes, pulling loads by their teeth, and engaging in mock gladiatorial contests.Ī lot of chicanery went on with these shows, with entertainers employing tricks and subterfuge to accomplish their apparent feats of strength. Strongmen plied their trade by demonstrating their strength and prowess in vaudeville acts staged in music halls and dime store museums. Others had simply been blacksmiths or factory laborers who saw a chance to make a living using their brawn in a less grueling and/or monotonous way. Some had served as physical training officers in the military. ![]() ![]() Some emerged from the world of professional and amateur sports and had been boxers and wrestlers or competitors in the Olympics and Highland games. Strongmen came from all over the world and from a variety of backgrounds. If men could no longer tame the frontier and challenge the enemies of nature, they could master themselves and pit their hardihood against the weights of a gymnasium. Strongmen were symbols of virility maintained - proof that citizens still had the grit, power, and strength of their pioneer forebearers and the potential for doing manly deeds. ![]() With the proliferation of office work, there became a growing concern as to how this new sedentary lifestyle was affecting the health - and manhood - of the country’s men. Strongmen emerged from the physical culture movement that had been building during the 1800s, and was itself a response to the Industrial Revolution. ![]() At the turn of the 20th century, the world saw the rise of a new kind of public hero: the professional strongman. ![]()
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