Who is George Hackenschmidt?
A strongman, wrestler, and strength pioneer from the early 20th century, George Hackenschmidt was of Baltic German descent.
He was renowned for his strength achievements that broke records and for popularizing the bench press and hack squat.
After performing a 214-pound overhead press with just one arm in 1896, George Hackenschmidt initially came to public attention.
George’s career took off from there; he went on to win over 3000 wrestling contests and establish himself as one of the strongest men of his time.
Body Measurements of George Hackenschmidt
| Full Name: George Hackenschmidt |
| DATE OF BIRTH: 1877 |
| ERA: 1900, 1910 |
| PROFESSION: Strongman, Professional Wrestler |
| NATIONALITY: Baltic German |
| ALIAS: The Russian Lion |
| HEIGHT: 5’9″ (175cm) |
| WEIGHT: 215 – 225lbs (93.0 – 102.1kg) |
Accomplishments
Awards and Achievements
- Greco-Roman Wrestling
- European Greco-Roman Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Professional Wrestling
- French Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship (1 time)
- George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2003
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
- Class of 2002
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (class of 1996)
- WWE
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2016)
Biography of George Hackenschmidt
George’s Early Years
In 1877, George Hackenscdhmit was born. He was raised in Livonia, which at the time was a part of the Russian empire. His parents Georg and Ida raised him.
No one in George’s family was physically powerful or muscular, even though he would later become well-known for his strength, according to George. The sole exception was his grandfather, who had a reputation for being a strong man.
School Strengths Displayed
George Hackenschmidt was a naturally robust and well-built man, just like his grandfather. He started attending school, and that’s when his inherent power showed.
At this point, George started to become good at several sports, like swimming, weightlifting, cycling, and gymnastics, to mention a few.
George frequently impressed his teachers with impressive strength displays. He was reportedly capable of lifting 200 pounds overhead with just one hand. While he was still enrolled in school, George was once seen picking up a miniature horse.
Start of Weightlifting
After completing his education, George relocated to Tallinn, now known as Reval, where he worked at a sizable engineering factory.
Although George’s scholastic days were over, his love of sports was still very much alive. Later, he started riding and competed in several races.
George had to find a new interest, though, once winter arrived. He finally decided on weightlifting.
Strong Points
At a neighborhood club festival in 1896, George’s strength started to draw people’s attention.
George’s amazing lifts, which included a 214-pound one-arm shoulder press, stunned the festival crowd.
In addition, George used the practically flawless form to lift extremely heavy weights. He pressed the weights up with his shoulders after lifting them slowly off the ground with the aid of his biceps.
Match in Wrestling History
Soon after the 1986 strength festival, George had a chance encounter with Zurich, a Greco-Roman strongman, and wrestler.
With his tiny group, Zurich went around the city, inviting everyone game enough to wrestle. Only a select few accepted the challenge; George Hackenschmidt was one of them.
George instantly understood Lurich was a very difficult opponent during the match. George had never encountered somebody with his physical strength and power matched before.
George lost the match by a narrow margin due to his inexperience in wrestling.
Setting a World Record
George wasn’t happy about the defeat to Lurich. He grew angry because, while thinking he was stronger than Lurich, he was unable to demonstrate it on the day of the contest.
George became even more motivated as a result to excel at wrestling and strength.
It didn’t take long for George to turn his frustrations into an advantage. He worked hard every day while training and eventually proved himself by breaking the world record for the overhead press with 243 lbs. in July 1897.
George also stated in his book, “I lifted a ball weighing 171 lbs. with my legs bent and my wrists crossed behind my back.”
A Brief History of the Bench Press
In only six months after breaking the record, George increased his overhead press by 275 lbs. George also performed one of the first-ever floor presses at this time, an exercise that was essentially unknown in those days.
With 304 pounds of weight on top of him, George lifted and propelled himself up while still lying on the ground. Soon later, he surpassed his record by performing a 334-pound floor press.
Later, the floor press was referred to as the wrestler’s bridge. The development of the bench press was greatly influenced by this exercise. At the time, George was unaware of the enormous impact he was having on the lifting community.
Breaking New Records
George competed in one of the biggest competitions of his weightlifting career in April 1898.
Many of the greatest weightlifters in the region attended a lifting competition that the Reval Athletic Club staged to display their prowess. George ultimately proved to be the strongest of them all and won the competition that day.
His lifts were the following;
- Jerk – 251lbs
- Snatch – 256 lbs
- One-Arm Press – 269 lbs
After the event, George continued to train hard with the assistance of the athletic club doctor for the following six months. Together, they tried to increase George’s strength even more.
After six months of arduous training, George broke Eugen Sandow’s previous record of 116 kg by setting a new one-hand press world record of 122.25 kg.
The creation of the Hack Squat
George accomplished yet another career milestone on January 27, 1901.
This time, he bent his knees while lifting 187 lbs of weight behind his back, breaking the previous record in the process. The Hack Squat is the name given to this exercise, which is still practiced by weightlifters today.
George not only set a record for the hack squat but also the iron cross; with both arms outstretched, he gripped 89 pounds in the left hand and 90 pounds in the right.
Later Wrestling Career
George won more than 3,000 matches in wrestling between 1901 and 1911, breaking numerous lifting records in the process.
He made a significant mark on the wrestling and weightlifting communities all across the world with these accomplishments.
Later Life and Retirement
George’s career as a wrestler came to an end in 1911. He then began penning books on strength and weightlifting. He gained notoriety for his insightful talks as well as for his ability to make people stronger through his in-depth counsel.
Five books about physical culture and training were afterward published by him. George even detailed all of the exercises he used to achieve his level of strength in one of the books. These included his signature floor press and hack squat.
Death
At the age of 90, George Hackenschmidt passed away in England in 1968. He established himself as one of the most recognizable strongmen and wrestlers of all time with his numerous accomplishments.
Training of George Hackenschmidt
George’s Training Method
Depending on his schedule, George trained two to six times per week. His exercises took 30 to 60 minutes.
He spent most of his time in the gym performing strenuous compound exercises, such as floor presses, squats, and more complex moves like dumbbell isolations.
“At first, the workouts shouldn’t last more than a quarter of an hour; they shouldn’t be lengthened by more than five minutes afterward. Following that, thirty minutes are more than enough to build and maintain strength and endurance. G. Hackenschmidt
To “grow all muscles synergistically,” George preferred to mix up his workout routines. He also liked to vary the manner he performed exercises; for instance, he would work a muscle from one angle before altering his technique to work it from a completely other posture.
This, in his opinion, was a successful strategy for concentrating on all the muscle fibers and strings.
Heavy Lifts To Build Massive Muscle
When trying to gain strength and muscle, George always preferred using big weights. He contends that to lift as much weight as possible, the body must be forced to move beyond its “comfort zone.”
“The only way a guy can hope to build truly enormous power is through working out with heavy weights.”
George thought that while bodyweight exercises had their place in training when it came to generating pure strength, large weights were superior. He stated:
“A man can achieve and maintain a level of fair physical fitness through weightless exercise… However, one cannot expect to get truly powerful without using weights.
Ensuring Proper Rest
George worked hard both in his training and in making sure his body recovered after his sessions. He enjoyed lifting weights, but he never encouraged going too far since he thought it would be counterproductive.
George lifted things very heavy, but he also made sure to maintain perfect form. He would drop the weight if his form wasn’t flawless until he could lift it with a calm, controlled motion.
“Do not perform any exercise to excess, so as to tire yourself out. If you feel tired and exhausted, give yourself the necessary rest, and, as in everything else, use moderation and common sense. Remember that excessive and rapid exercising is harmful.”
Nutrition
Eating Raw Foods
“Just as Mother Nature intended,” George firmly believed, was the best way to eat food. Man is born without a stewpot or frying pan, he claimed.
He demonstrated that it is possible to be physically fit while consuming a diet high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and nuts. Because he thought it was difficult to find these goods from healthy, grass-fed animals, George eschewed meat and dairy.
“I think I’m right when I say that our Creator gave sustenance and nourishment to every living thing for its benefit. Therefore, fresh, raw food and nuts would be the most natural foods for humans.
Additionally, he avoided fried foods, refined carbohydrates, and foods with a lot of seasoning that was processed. George, on the other hand, had no problem eating foods that naturally contain sugar, such as dates, pears, and strawberries.
“Much has been said lately in praise of sugar as food, but as artificial sugar is an acid-forming substance, I should not recommend it. Natural sugar, such as is contained in dates, figs, and other fruit, is certainly preferable…”
Influences and Idols
George has influenced generations of lifters from all around the world through his strong feats and publications. He pioneered two lifts that are still a part of many training regimens today: the bench press and the hack squat.
What George Hackenschmidt can teach us?
George became well-known as a wrestler, powerlifter, and strongman.
His accomplishments included winning almost 3000 wrestling matches with only two losses and performing a 275 lb overhead press with one hand. Later in life, he also penned five volumes on physical culture and fitness.
What we can learn from a legend like George is that you can completely change your body with just a few activities. As George has demonstrated, intense training with a few compound exercises like bench presses and squats may significantly alter your physique.
He started in gymnastics and cycling, went on to win the first-ever wrestling championship, and is now one of the strongest weightlifters in history. For George, it all started with a single, uncomplicated trait: a love of power. He’s shown us how to do it ourselves using just a bench and some dumbbells, and how to build a body of greatness.