Before Arnold Schwarzenegger, even before Charles Atlas, there was Eugen Sandow. Rising from obscurity in Prussia, Sandow became an international celebrity during the Golden Age of the Strongman in the late 19th century for his amazing feats of strength and his well-sculpted physique. While Sandow wowed crowds in the United Kingdom and United States, he also preached a new gospel of physical fitness and well-being.
Our podcast guest today has recently published a biography of Sandow and his times. His name is David Waller, and his book is The Perfect Man: The Muscular Life and Times of Eugen Sandow, Victorian Strongman.
For more information about the book, visit Victorian Strongman.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Gross. Real men don’t pose practically nude.
Nice interview! very interesting.
Maybe the audio could be better next time though?
Can’t understand the interviewee. Not because of his accent, but because of the way he’s been recorded. I could understand him, but I had to turn it up so loud the other guy was like a bad commercial blasting the stereo in the middle of the Godfather on AMC.
Great to hear about Sandow, but let me mention another noteworthystrongman, the Canadian Louis Cyr (1863-1912). And while his physique may not quite be Schwarzenegger-esque, he is widely considered to be the strongest man who has ever lived. In 1895 in Boston, he lifted 4,337 lbs on his back by putting 18 men on a platform and then lifting them.
This is amazing and I’m going to look up more information on him seeing im into health and natural bodybuilding.
Great to hear people know of Sandow and Louis Cyr. Also check out Bert Assirati and John Grimek. If anyone is interested in getting in great shape without weights check out anything by Pavel tsatsouline or Paul “Coach” Wade.