If you appreciate old-school strength, you’ll enjoy what’s coming soon: Kettlebell VIP: Vintage Iron Power for True All-Round Strength! Old-school lift variations. Forgotten methods. Timeless results. Favorite kettlebell lifts and “secrets of strength” from the Golden Era of legendary old-time strongmen. Want to be first to know when the new online course drops—and grab the special launch discount? 📩 Subscribe to my SIMPLEXSTRONG newsletter 👉 simplexstrong.com ✉️✅ #simplexstrong #strongfirst #kettlebell #kettlebellVIP #bestrongfirst

Coming soon: favorite kettlebell lifts, training methods, and strength secrets from the old masters. Forgotten by many. Proven by generations. If you appreciate old-school strength, you’ll enjoy what’s coming next. Kettlebell VIP: Vintage Iron Power for True All-Round Strength! Old-school lift variations. Forgotten methods. Timeless results. Favorite kettlebell lifts and “secrets of strength” from the Golden Era of legendary old-time strongmen. Want to be first to know when the new online course drops—and grab the special launch discount? 📩 Subscribe to my SIMPLEXSTRONG newsletter 👉 simplexstrong.com ✉️✅ #simplexstrong #strongfirst #kettlebell #kettlebellVIP #bestrongfirst

W. A. Pullum, bent pressing with a kettlebell and a dumbbell (!). “Extracts from the dlary of W. A. Pullum, who, at the suggestion of the Editor, is conducting an experiment upon himself to prove that physical culture and weight training can rejuvenate a man even though he be past the fifty mark.” — Health and Strength Magazine, 1939. — Dumbbell lifting 👉 enterthedumbbell.com Old-school kettlebell lifting 👉 Kettlebell VIP: Vintage Iron Power for True All-Round Strength! Old-school lift variations. Forgotten methods. Timeless results. Favorite kettlebell lifts and “secrets of strength” from the Golden Era of legendary old-time strongmen. Want to be first to know when the new online course drops—and grab the special launch discount? 📩 Subscribe to my SIMPLEXSTRONG newsletter 👉 simplexstrong.com ✉️✅ #simplexstrong #strongfirst #kettlebell #dumbbell #bestrongfirst

Two Hands Anyhow, performed with a barbell and kettlebell, on the cover of The Art and Science of Lifting by Thomas Inch, published in England in 1900. #thomasinch #twohandsanyhow #simplexstrong #strongfirst #bestrongfirst

“You can generate plenty of force when you begin the one-hand dumbbell clean from the platform—and that makes it a great exercise for developing explosive power. It’s easier than the swing or the snatch, and it may very well become one of your favorite dumbbell exercises.” — Brooks Kubik Dumbbell split clean with the legendary Milo Duplex dumbbell at the very first U.S. Enter the Dumbbell workshop at BrickHouse, the best gym in Modesto, California, run by Mike Sousa. — Old-school strength never went away. Some of us are just bringing it back. To learn more about old-school dumbbell lifting, check out my online course, Enter the Dumbbell: 👉 enterthedumbbell.com #oldtimestrongman #dumbbell #enterthedumbbell #simplexstrong #strongfirst @BeStrongFirst

“Pressing Kettlebells Upside Down” (or as we say today, bottom up) Place the kettlebell in front of you at a distance of ¼–½ arshin [36–71 cm] from the heels. The heels should be on one line and separated by ½–1 arshin [ 36–71 cm], depending on your height. The handle of the kettlebell should be perpendicular to your body. Take hold of the middle of the handle, not deeply in the hand, but rather so that the wrist is slightly bent outward. In this position the handle will rest firmly against the palm. With a strong, short pull, bring the kettlebell to the shoulder, keeping it bottom-up (Fig. 81), and then press it overhead until the arm is completely straight (Fig. 82). While doing so, it is permissible to bend the torso slightly toward the opposite side. … Pay special attention to ensuring that the handle sits firmly in the palm. To achieve this, one must become accustomed to keeping the wrist slightly bent outward. At first this will feel strange and unfamiliar, but once you become accustomed to holding the kettlebell in this manner, you will discover that there is no better way to maintain balance, and that no exceptional finger strength is required to press kettlebells bottom-up. Become accustomed to working equally with each hand and do not allow one arm to lag behind the other. — Lebedev, Ivan Vladimirovich. Heavy Athletics: A Guide to Developing Strength Through Training with Heavy Kettlebells. Petrograd, 1916. — Kettlebell VIP: Vintage Iron Power for True All-Round Strength! Old-school lift variations. Forgotten methods. Timeless results. Favorite kettlebell lifts and “secrets of strength” from the Golden Era of legendary old-time strongmen. Want to be first to know when the new online course drops—and grab the special launch discount? 📩 Subscribe to my SIMPLEXSTRONG newsletter 👉 simplexstrong.com ✉️✅ #simplexstrong #strongfirst #kettlebell #kettlebellVIP #bestrongfirst

“When you curl a dumbbell or barbell the resistance quickly drops off near the top of the movement; the forearm bones are supporting the weight. The kettlebell’s center of gravity, however, is removed by a good foot from the body at the completion of the curl. That means that your biceps will have to work hard through a longer range of motion and consequently get a better growth stimulation than with a barbell or dumbbell.” — Pavel Tsatsouline Kettlebell curls are great - if they are not the only thing you are doing. Photo: “Alex Karasick — From Dyspepsia to Hercules”, from Strength, 1914 Karasick had trained for only about six months with the Milo Triplex Bell, yet had already developed remarkable strength and muscularity. Recorded feats: One-hand press: 150 lb (68 kg) overhead. One-arm “muscling out” / holdout: 83 lb (37.6 kg) at arm’s length. Supported a combined load of 1,500 lb (680 kg) on his body during athletic exhibitions. — Kettlebell VIP: Vintage Iron Power for True All-Round Strength! Old-school lift variations. Forgotten methods. Timeless results. Favorite kettlebell lifts and “secrets of strength” from the Golden Era of legendary old-time strongmen. Want to be first to know when the new online course drops—and grab the special launch discount? 📩 Subscribe to my SIMPLEXSTRONG newsletter 👉 simplexstrong.com ✉️✅ #simplexstrong #strongfirst #kettlebell #kettlebellVIP #bestrongfirst

Can you do it? “75 lb. [35 kg] bell is regarded in all gymnasiums as too heavy for anyone but a fairly strong man. In fact, men who try the physical tests in civil service examinations for the fire and police departments in most cities are well satisfied when they find that they are able to push up a 75 lb. bell. Men who succeed in doing this feat are marked 100% efficient.” —The Henry Higgins Strength and Muscle Course, 1915 Photo: Siegmund Klein #simplexstrong #strongfirst #dumbbell #enterthedumbbell #bestrongfirst @BeStrongFirst

Old-school strength never went away. Some of us are just bringing it back. To learn more about old-school dumbbell lifting, check out my online course, Enter the Dumbbell: 👉 enterthedumbbell.com #simplexstrong #strongfirst #dumbbell #enterthedumbbell #bestrongfirst

Old-Time Strongmen’s Popular Lifts According to Jowett Two Hands Continental Jerk Bent Press One-Hand Dumbbell Swing Two Hands Anyhow One-Hand and Two-Hands Snatch — George F. Jowett, “The Origination and History of Popular Lifts,” published in The World’s Weight Lifting Rules and Records, 1921. How many of them do you practice? #simplexstrong #strongfirst #bestrongfirst

"It is my belief that the lift is a good all around muscle developer and creates real strength of lasting qualities. Here is what I discovered. Having lived a fairly busy life with more irons in the fire than one man should have, I have had the misfortune to have my weight training interrupted at various times. Upon starting in again I always noticed that a lift such as the barbell clean and jerk had to be started again at a poundage far below my best lift, but the dumbells clean and jerk could be taken up at a poundage only slightly below my record best. That is why I make the claim that the lift builds strength of the lasting quality." Old article with an excellent program and my commentary: simplexstrong.com/2026/05/le… @BeStrongFirst kettlebell lifters will certainly ask: Can I use the template with kettlebells? Absolutely! #simplexstrong #strongfirst #dumbbell #enterthedumbbell #bestrongfirst

Make all-round athleticism and physical culture great again! “The first outdoor school of physical and sporting education, which began operating in 1886 in Lille, on the banks of the Deûle, and which was founded by Professor Desbonnet, with the necessary comfort and the most natural hygiene. There, everything was brought together: rowing, swimming, physical culture, weightlifting, cycling, gymnastics, English boxing and French boxing, cane fighting, Greco-Roman wrestling, running, etc. All of this was taught free of charge, which, as one might imagine, brought in very little income.” —Chevillet, Pierre. La Culture Physique pour tous: Force. Beauté. Santé. Paris: Librairie Athlétique de La Culture Physique, 1941. Title translation: Physical Culture for Everyone: Strength. Beauty. Health. The title strongly reflects the classic French culture physique tradition of the late 19th and early 20th centuries: physical training not merely for sport, but for strength (force), aesthetics (beauté), and health (santé). #simplexstrong #strongfirst #physicalculture

“Position with weight high above head, in one hand. It is most important that one keeps his eye on the bell at all times when it is above the shoulders, and it should be balanced above a point midway between the two feet.” — MacFadden’s Encyclopedia of Physical Culture, Vol. II, 1912. #simplexstrong #strongfirst #enterthedumbbell

“In those days, lifting weights was considered unfeminine. People used to say that if women worked out, they would become masculine-looking or wouldn’t be able to get pregnant. We just laughed because we knew they were wrong.” — Abbye “Pudgy” Stockton, quoted from Sports Illustrated Women, 2002; cited in Dennis McLellan, “Abbye Stockton, 88: Weightlifter Elevated the Status of Women’s Fitness,” Los Angeles Times, June 30, 2006. Ladies, get strong - Enter the Dumbbell! 👉 enterthedumbbell.com — #strongwomen #dumbbell #enterthedumbbell #simplexstrong #strongfirst @BeStrongFirst

Lifting and Pressing While Lying on the Back The weights or dumbbells are laid crosswise on the floor in front of the head and from there lifted, as far as possible with straight arms, into the extended-arm position. One-arm, two-arm, and alternating-arm pressing can easily be added to this. The exercise is to be made more difficult by increasing the weight of the apparatus; however, it should be undertaken only by more practiced persons, since failure may easily result in serious injuries. Skilled assistance is very appropriate here. Related to this exercise, though considerably more difficult, is: Lifting and Pressing While Lying with the Body Extended Between Two Chairs or Other Supports Here only the head and heels rest on supports, while the remaining parts of the body are freely suspended in the air. Only someone who has already repeatedly and successfully practiced lifting and pressing while lying on the floor should attempt this exercise — Müller, A. Höchste Muskelkraft durch 12 Hantelübungen: Anleitung zur systematischen Kraftentwickelung des ganzen Körpers auf Grund neuer Prinzipien des Kraftturnens. Leipzig: Verlag von Quelle & Meyer, 1925. English translation: Maximum Muscular Strength through 12 Dumbbell Exercises. A Guide to the Systematic Development of the Strength of the Entire Body Based on New Principles of Strength Training. — Learn more in my upcoming online course #KettlebellVIP: Vintage Iron Power for True All-round Strength Old-school lift variations. Forgotten methods. Timeless results. Favorite kettlebell lifts & “secrets of strength” from the Golden Era of legendary old-time strongmen. Want to be first to know when it drops (and grab the special launch discount)? 📩 Subscribe to my SIMPLEXSTRONG newsletter 👉 simplexstrong.com ✉️✅ #simplexstrong #strongfirst #kettlebell #vintageironpower

Old-School Dumbbell Squat Tutorial Standing between two dumbbells (heels together), simultaneously take them from floor to “ shoulders’ rest” position shown and place the feet astride. This done, sink steadily into a “deep knees bend,” during this action-and the immediately following eturn one of rising to the erect position—preserving an upright carriage of the body and head, looking straight to the front all the time. The distance to which the heels areseparated from their initial placing will largely decide whether bodily carriage is accurately preserved. That it should be so cannot be too strongly stressed. — Health & Strength, March 10, 1949. Photo: Martin Heywood, well-known sculler, shows the Double Dumb-bells Deep-Knee Bend during his training at the Camberwell Club. — To learn more about old-school dumbbell lifting, check out my online course, Enter the Dumbbell: 👉 enterthedumbbell.com — #oldtimestrongman #dumbbell #enterthedumbbell #simplexstrong #strongfirst @BeStrongFirst

“Charles Rigoulot set 12 world records in the light-heavyweight and unlimited classes from 1923-26.... His best lift was the snatch and he was a specialist in the one-arm snatch. While a prisoner in Germany during World War II, he is alleged to have bent the bars of a cell with his bare hands in order to assist an escape.” #simplexstrong #strongfirst #bestrongfirst

Coming soon! Learn the following old-school, almost-forgotten kettlebell lifts – online! Assisted Swing, Power Clean, and Push Press, Calvert’s Hand-to-Hand Swing, Strongman Get-Up, Palm Get-Up, Swing to Power Clean, Split Clean, Dead Clean, Saxon Press, Strict Military Press, Klein’s Clean and Press, Lebedev’s Assisted Snatch, Power Snatch, Imperial Swing-Snatch, Dead Power Snatch, Bottom-Up Swing-Snatch, Vintage Goerner’s Chain, Hack Squat, Kettlebell Windmill, Anderson’s Side Press, Windmill-Style Side Press, Squat Curl, Standing Curl, Bottom-Up Curl, Swiss Lift, Circular Swing, Two-Arm Swing with Partial Release, Hand-to-Hand Swing, Palm Catch, Two-Hand Kettlebell Swing Flip, One-Hand Kettlebell Swing Flip, Hand-to-Hand Kettlebell Swing Flip, Palm Press… Get ready for my upcoming online course, Kettlebell VIP: Vintage Iron Power for True All-Round Strength! Old-school lift variations. Forgotten methods. Timeless results. Favorite kettlebell lifts and “secrets of strength” from the Golden Era of legendary old-time strongmen. Want to be first to know when the new online course drops—and grab the special launch discount? 📩 Subscribe to my SIMPLEXSTRONG newsletter 👉 simplexstrong.com ✉️✅ #simplexstrong #strongfirst #kettlebell #kettlebellVIP #bestrongfirst

This book is gold for old-school strength history. In 1906, Émile Keusch published Jeux olympiques et sports athlétiques — Olympic Games and Athletic Sports. It was not “fitness content.” It was physical culture. Stone lifting. Stone throwing. Wrestling. Pole vaulting. Shot, discus, hammer, weight throwing — and, in Chapter VIII, Poids et Haltères: weights and dumbbells. The dumbbell chapter starts with a point every lifter should remember: Many men tried to lift heavy weights and failed not because they lacked effort, but because they lacked method. Keusch draws on the expertise of old-time strongman Émile Deriaz and makes a sharp distinction: wrestling demands suppleness and prolonged effort; heavy weights demand short, intense efforts of only a few seconds. Over 100 years later, the lesson still stands. Strength is not random effort. Strength is method. Before machines. Before influencers. Before “functional fitness.” There were stones, weights, dumbbells, barbells, records — and the pursuit of all-around physical capability. Special thanks to David Black Mastro for bringing this book to my attention. #physicalculture #oldtimestrongman #dumbbell #enterthedumbbell #simplexstrong #strongfirst

How much has the fitness world changed? Check out this old manual: Body Building with Bar Bells and Dumbbells. No machines No isolation training Big lifts and their variations—including many “odd lifts” A one-arm snatch on the cover of a bodybuilding (!) manual An entire chapter dedicated to the bent press, of course Old-school physical culture was built on strength, skill, athleticism, and real lifting. This is my blood type. This is what I do—plus kettlebell lifts and bodyweight strength skills, as taught by our School of Strength, StrongFirst. To paraphrase Stanley Kubrick: “Everything has already been done. Every bell has been lifted, every drill has been taught. It is our job to do it one better.” As for dumbbell lifting—check out my online course 👉 enterthedumbbell.com #strongfirst #simplexstrong #barbell #dumbbell #enterthedumbbell #bestrongfirst