Paul Anderson Strongman|Weightlifter
Some say Paul Anderson is the Strongest man who ever lived and in some senses 'rightly so' with reports of 1200lb squats 6000lb back lifts 425lb overhead for reps you possibly can't argue with that!!
Paul Anderson was an Olympic Gold medallist in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics but was banned from Amateur Sport due to taking a few dollars in Wrestling and would have likely won 60,64 and the 68 Olympics if he had been given the chance (which would have equalled Al Oerter the discus thrower)
What stood out most about Paul Anderson was that he was light years away from all other strength athletes of his time! Not only in the weights he could raise but also the wya n which he trained.
Paul Anderson combined very short but intense training sessions throughout the day, routines such as 10 reps squat with 600lb then rest for 30 mins or an hour and contiue through out the day. Years later this type of routine was done in Eastern Bloc countries (or at least where people had the time)
Another trait of Paul was his milk consumption, he would drink about a gallon of milk throughout the whole day (sounds familiar? See Milk and Squatting)
Paul Anderson Weight Lifting Example Session
Day One
Full squat – 600 – 2×10
825 – 2 reps
845 – 2 reps
900 – 2 reps
Half squats – 1200 – 2 reps
Quarter squats – 1800 – 2 reps
Deadlift – 650 – 4×6-8 reps
Day Two
Press off racks,
300 – 6 reps
400 – 2 reps
390 – 2 reps
370 – 2 reps
Press outs, 500 pounds, several sets of 4 reps from about the sticking point in the press to overhead.
Press from shoulders to top of head – 500, 4 reps.
Push press off rack – 450, 3 reps.
Bench press – 400 to 450, sets of 6-8 reps.”
In addition to being incredibly strong, Paul Anderson was also very athletic. He could do handstand press ups and had a 36 inch vertical jump and could standing long jump over 10 feet whilst weighing in at around 360lbs (this is a common trait of many olympic lifters - explosive strength)
One can only dream about being this strong but we can take many things away with us from such a STRENGTH LEGEND.
Squatting and pressing is what makes us grow add to this plenty of fuel and rest and you have the raw ingridients for Super Strength. Consistent training and pushing into new boundaries and you'll be as strong as you can ever be
Bodybuilding Routines
