• Paul Anderson is the strongest man in history. Father of Powerlifting Paul Anderson

    19.02.2024

    As a child, Paul suffered a dangerous kidney disease, which greatly affected him many years later. And his sports career needed a lot of nutrition and protein, so the load on the kidneys was enormous. As a result, 300 kidney stones were removed from him, and the question of a kidney transplant became important. During the transplant, his sister at the age of 59 became the donor. And the therapy, which was complex at that time, severely damaged the nerves in the inner part of the ear. Paul lost his balance and could no longer walk or stand; after this disaster, his legs became paralyzed, and the athlete became dependent on a wheelchair.

    The last years became painful for the champion of all time; he suffered greatly from pinched nerves that were compressed in the spine.

    The champion’s faithful support in those difficult times was his beloved wife, Glenda, and their daughter, who presented weightlifting athletes with prizes in honor of the Anderson Memorial.

    On August 14, 1994, a great man, nicknamed Crane, strongman, Olympic champion all-time weightlifter, record holder, and just a kind soul, Edward Paul Anderson.

    Name of the Greatest Athlete in History power types sport, will become an incentive and ideal for young athletes to be a strong and kind-hearted person.

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    Brief description of life and sporting achievements one of the legendary athletes of strength sports, “Crane” Paul Anderson.

    The “crane” appeared on October 17, 1932 in the town of Toccoa, in the state of Georgia. His father, who, by the way, was not physically remarkable in any way, worked as a builder of hydroelectric power stations, which doomed the Andersons to constant moving. Paul lived most of his life in hot Atlanta, where he began playing American football. By twenty, Paul, being 175 cm tall, began to rapidly gain weight, which eventually reached 176 kg, which, of course, reduced his endurance and sharpness. At the same time, his uncle gave Paul a barbell, and the young strongman took up weightlifting. What happened later defies comprehension: in less than three years, Paul Anderson becomes the most powerful man on the planet.

    In those years, the mark of 500 kg in weightlifting triathlon (snatch, standing press, clean and jerk) looked unrealistic, so it is not difficult to imagine the extent of the general shock when American agencies reported that at a competition in South Carolina a certain Anderson collected 518.5 kg! But according to the rules of that time, world records were recorded only at Olympic tournaments, world and European championships. Therefore, everyone was looking forward to Anderson's appearance in Munich, where the world championship was to be held in 1955.

    There the 23-year-old American wins easily gold medal with a result of 512.5 kg, and this amount was approved as a world record. In individual movements, Anderson left two world records: bench press - 185.5 kg, clean and jerk - 196.5 kg. Let's say, the 1952 Olympic champion John Davis (USA) gained 460 kg, and Anderson's immediate predecessor, the famous Norbert Shemansky, with whom Yuri Vlasov later competed more than once, had 487.5 kg at the 1954 World Championships, and this amount was considered magnificent.

    By the way, it was in 1955, his most brilliant year, that Paul Anderson visited Moscow with a team of American weightlifters brought by the legendary philanthropist Bob Hoffman. It was a rainy July day, but 12 thousand Muscovites packed the open Green Theater of the Central Park of Culture and Culture. He did not disappoint expectations and lifted a total of 518 kg. His appearance in Moscow changed our understanding of Anderson. They wrote about him purely from a class position, so to speak, presenting Paul as a kind of monster, flabby and slow, mentally limited. He appeared quite cheerful and lively, always ready for a joke. As for his dimensions, then - yes, he was a mountain of a man. But knowledgeable people noted that this is not at all a useless mess of fat, but very powerful, elastic muscles. And how can others lift record weights?

    From the book by Arkady Vorobyov - “The Iron Game” When at the Vnukovo airfield he stepped out of the plane and stepped onto the shaky ramp, an enthusiastic “wow!!!” came out of our mouths. "Dixie Derrick" - the "crane" as Anderson was nicknamed - was truly amazing. The short sleeve of the shirt exposed powerful arms. They were shaped like a bull's leg. Monstrous biceps Anderson's circumference was 57 centimeters. If one of Paul’s legs could be taken away and the remaining leg could be made into two, they would still surprise with their thickness. 22-year-old “Derrick,” with a height of 177.5 centimeters, weighed 165 kilograms. When he walked, he swayed and greatly resembled a compass: standing on one leg, he drew an arc with the other and brought it forward. Having transferred the support to it, he drew an arc with another. This gait further emphasized his bulkiness and power.

    Anderson has become a living legend that you can touch and feel. He jokingly told one journalist that several cows grazed on the lawn in front of his house so that he, Paul, could drink 12 liters of milk every morning. The journalist “in all seriousness” reported this fact to his readers. If he, Anderson, had said that he ate roasted sheep for breakfast every morning, then no one would have dared to doubt it. We went to a joint training session with the Americans as if it was a revelation. Again because of Anderson. Miracle or triumph of method? That's what interested me most. “Dixie Derrick” did not warm up, justifying his nickname.

    I lifted 147.5 kilograms on my chest (with a result of 145 or less, John Davis became the world champion five times) and calmly squeezed 6 times in a row. Wow start! Then he ordered 172.5 kilograms, which was 4 kilograms higher than the world record of Canadian Doug Hepburn. Not noticing our stupor, Paul squeezed this weight 3 times. During the same training session, he pulled out 135 kilograms; lying on a bench, I pressed 205 kilograms 3 times. At the end of the day, barefoot Anderson shouldered 275 kilograms. The vulture bent in an arc.

    Paul shook the barbell, as if to show that this monstrous weight was nothing to him. Indeed, the strength of his cyclopean legs, similar to inverted pyramids, knew no bounds. He easily squatted down five times. It was clear from everything that this was not the limit. Applause broke out in the crowded hall. We didn’t even notice how the training turned into a performance. I did not make any methodological or technical discoveries. However, the fact remained: world records were falling like bowling pins.

    Olympic champion Paul Anderson shows off his gold medal, photograph dated November 26, 1956

    At the 1956 Olympic tournament in Melbourne, he stood at the very precipice. For some reason we didn’t write about this, but there Anderson took to the stage on the day of an exacerbation of his throat disease. Bob Hoffman handed Paul a thermometer, and then almost fainted - the temperature was Olympic favorite rose above 39 degrees. Due to illness, he weighed unusually little - 137 kg. In a word, everything went towards the defeat of the American heavyweight, which would certainly have become the main sensation of the Games. Argentinean Umberto Silvetti, who is trying his hand at cinema and pop singing, unexpectedly for everyone and himself, won the 7.5 kg bench press. This huge, good-natured fat man, reminiscent of an advertising guy with a mug of beer, could have killed Anderson in the first movement, but he was unable to clearly record the already lifted 180 kg. In the snatch, both lift 145. The last movement is the clean and jerk. Silvetti stops at 180 kg. Paul orders 187.5 kg and, to his credit, lifts the weight with superhuman effort. Paradox, but the mountain man wins olympic tournament precisely due to its more modest weight.

    In the same place, Anderson states that he is leaving amateur sports, believing that tournaments are too physically and mentally exhausting. Now he travels around the United States with numbers of various demonstrations of power. Some exercises still inspire admiration today. In powerlifting, he produced such a dazzling series: squats with a weight of 544 kg, bench press - 284 kg, and, finally, deadlifts - 371 kg. In total this gave 1199 kg. Separately, I will say that this amount is still considered a record, now the world record in the super heavyweight without equipment is 1135 kg - Andrey Malanichev (in my opinion, this is the most objective comparison, since now there are a bunch of federations with their own rules and tolerances for equipment. .)

    Another phenomenal Anderson record is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records: the shoulder lift from the racks without any devices of a truly monstrous weight - 2844 kg, almost three tons! Apparently, Anderson’s physical capabilities were more consistent with just such exercises, and not with the classic triathlon of weightlifters, although he achieved the highest results on the amateur platform.

    One of Paul Anderson's signature moves was squatting over 544.5 kg - but not with a traditional barbell, that was $25,000 in silver. This show was held regularly in Las Vegas, according to the terms of the show, anyone could try to squat with such a projectile, and if the squat was successful, they could take the money, but no one except Paul was able to squat with such a projectile.

    In addition, Paul made good money from his kind of circus acts, which the Americans especially liked. He held a platform with 15 girls, sometimes 20, on straps, while playing the saxophone. In February 1960, he acted as a professional boxer, but this was no longer serious, although the earnings turned out to be large.

    Paul Anderson used the money he earned from power shows to run a boarding school for juvenile offenders.

    Alas, Paul was mistaken in believing that in professional sports he would not live for wear and tear. It was the inhuman stress that destroyed the health of this phenomenal strongman. First his kidneys failed, then Paul began to suffer from pain in his joints. In the winter of 1980, he was so bad that his 59-year-old sister Dorothy, who adored Paul, offered to transplant her kidney into the dying man. By that time he could no longer walk and weighed 77 kg. Those who had not seen Paul for some time before simply could not recognize him. The transplant operation was successful, which prolonged his life. During this tragic period, he seemed to be reborn internally. He donated all his modest savings to the maintenance of orphanages. He became a Christian preacher, sometimes combining his sermons with a demonstration of strength. But Paul donated these fees to charity every time.

    Paul Anderson preaching to prison inmates, 1983.

    He often said that his current philosophy of life was taken from the Bible. “The main thing in my life is Jesus Christ. I strive to give more than to take, I strive to realize my abilities to help others in every possible way. This does not mean that I am kind, but blind, I see and understand a lot.” He never spoke disparagingly about his past. “Every young man must set himself up to become a champion. It is a great happiness to be a winner. Not only over others, but above all – the conqueror of his weaknesses. But sports passion should not overshadow other things - spiritual life, duty to society. Selfishness and selfishness impoverish a person and make him unhappy.”

    This great man passed away in 1994, having lived 63 years.

    Americans are extremely skeptical about holding any kind of memorial tournaments, but here Paul Anderson is among the exceptions. To this day, weightlifting competitions in memory of Paul Anderson are held in Atlanta, and his daughter presents prizes to young strongmen.

    The content of the article:

    Surely weightlifting fans who are over 50 years old remember such a legendary figure in the past as Paul Anderson. He competed among amateur weightlifters for only two years (from 1955 to 1966), but even this period of time was enough for journalists to give him the most high-profile titles. Americans can be proud to have raised this athlete.

    Paul’s popularity can be evidenced by the fact that Y. Kutsenko himself (long-term coach of the USSR national weightlifting team and world record holder in the clean and jerk) dubbed him a man with magical powers. Of course, in all the time that has passed since Paul’s triumph, all his records in the classical all-around have been broken more than once, but his achievements are remembered to this day. Over the past two decades, almost nothing has been heard about him, and we decided to correct this injustice by telling you the story of the athlete Paul Anderson.

    Biography of Paul Anderson

    The athlete was born in 1932 in the city of Toccoa, located in the state of Tennessee. Just by his last name it can be assumed that Paul’s ancestors were emigrants from Sweden. Paul's parents did not have a large build; for example, his mother was only 157 centimeters tall, and his father weighed just over 80 kilos.

    Like all children, Anderson Jr. was actively involved in sports at school, in particular American football and running. He clearly did not take after his parents and already at the age of fifteen his weight was 90 kilograms, and by the age of 19 he reached 120 kilograms, but his height was only 172 centimeters. The guy started weightlifting in 1952, when he was given a barbell. Paul paid special attention to squats.

    Just two years later he could lift heavy weights that no one could handle. Of course, along with great hard work and diligence, a large share of the credit for such rapid progress belongs to genetics, but the guy’s desire to reach the sporting peaks was also great.

    In 1955, Paul achieved significant success, winning the World Championships and the Olympics. However, already in 1956 Anderson decided to leave the sport. Many are sure that this happened due to the lack of worthy opponents on the platform. But Anderson was able to win at the Olympics only in the last approach, although this was due to the athlete’s illness. As a result, the athlete simply lost motivation for further performances.

    In 1957, Paul began performing on a professional stage with his power routines. Let's note. That he had no shortage of fans. So he continued to perform until 1970, when another life drama awaited him. However, let's still talk about the time of the athlete's triumph.


    Having won the Olympics, Anderson goes on a tour around the world and demonstrates his strength. Of course, by this time he was already one of the most popular personalities in his homeland. For example, in one of the nightclubs in Las Vegas, Paul squats with a barbell weighing 526 kilos three times in a row. He performs this routine every day for several weeks. If you decided that this weight is close to his maximum, then you are mistaken - for Paul it is working.

    An interesting fact about the history of athlete Paul Anderson is that he never used bandages and a weightlifting belt and performed exercises barefoot. Today it is difficult to talk about Anderson’s limit, since in the absence of competitors on the platform he did not have to give his best.


    Witnesses claim that Paul could squat a barbell weighing 408 kilos ten times, and perform a half squat with a weight of 680 kilos. But Anderson didn’t really like the bench press, perhaps due to injuries to his left hand received during training. However, here too he succeeded, squeezing a projectile weighing 136 kilos 11 times in a standing position, and only with his right hand.

    In July 1957, numerous spectators in his hometown witnessed Paul lift a weight of 2.84 tons from the racks. This is almost 1000 kilos more than other athletes managed to do previously.

    For almost a decade and a half, Anderson traveled around the world on a private plane and surprised people with his physical characteristics. At the same time, Anderson preached the basics of Christianity, becoming a missionary. He performed and at the same time lectured on Christian morality and did not pay attention to the commercial component of his shows.

    Very often, he did not take money at all for visiting his show or gave the entire fee to charity, in particular to create and provide shelters for orphans. Almost all the money he earned went to charity.

    In those years in the Soviet Union they always tried to find some kind of negative in the capitalist system. Paul also suffered from the Soviet press. Very often in their articles, journalists called him clumsy, despite the fact that Anderson could jump three meters from a standstill.

    Largely due to Paul's performances, people developed a keen interest in exercises such as deadlifts, squats and bench presses. As a result, a new sports discipline- powerlifting.


    According to Paul himself, he never regretted his decision to leave the sports platform. He is sure that he was able to do a lot of good for people. During his childhood, Anderson was diagnosed with kidney disease, and his studies strength training required plentiful food. As a result, he developed kidney stones, which led to the need for an organ transplant.

    His sister, who was 59 years old at that time, agreed to become a donor for Paul. Despite the close family ties, the compatibility of the organ with Anderson’s body was 60 percent. After surgery and subsequent intensive care, Paul's inner ear was seriously damaged. As a result, the athlete lost the ability to walk or stand and ended up in a wheelchair. In this difficult hour for him, his wife Glenda and daughter were always nearby. Paul Anderson passed away in 1994.

    How did Paul Anderson train?


    You might be interested in learning about some of the features of Anderson's training that he was willing to share. Paul is sure that his body was unique and all nutrients were absorbed quickly enough. In their training programs he constantly changed exercises, doing this in response to signals from the body.

    Paul's main exercise was squats. He also often performed partial movements using weights that were significantly higher than working weights. At the time of his performances, steroids had not yet been created, but Anderson is confident that he could do without them. In fact, he proved what can be achieved with natural training.

    You will learn more facts about the greatest Paul Andersen from this video:

    Anderson, Paul Edward

    Paul Edward Anderson
    Paul Edward Anderson
    Occupation:

    weightlifter

    Date of Birth:
    Place of Birth:

    Toccoa, Georgia, USA

    Citizenship:

    USA

    Date of death:
    Spouse:

    Glenda Garland

    Paul Edward Anderson(English) Paul Edward Anderson; 17 October ( 19321017 ) - August 15) - famous American weightlifter, Olympic champion and world champion, holder of the world record for lifting the barbell. The last American to win olympic gold V weightlifting in superheavy weight category.

    His own weight fluctuated between 158 and 170 kg. Height - 1.73 m.

    Biography

    Born in Toccoa, Georgia, USA.

    IN adolescence Anderson began weight training in his backyard in Toccoa, Georgia, to increase his strength so he could get into school. football team. He subsequently became the best quarterback on the team.

    Having received a sports scholarship, Anderson entered Furman University (South Carolina), but studied there for only one year. He then moved with his parents to Elizabethton, Tennessee, where he met weightlifter Bob Peoples, under whose influence Paul began doing barbell squats. Peoples introduced Anderson to other weightlifters. In 1953, he first met Robert Hoffman (Bob Goffman).

    In 1955, at the height of the Cold War, Anderson, as the winner of the US weightlifting championship, went to international competitions to the Soviet Union.

    When Anderson's gigantic figure appeared on the platform, excitement began in the auditorium, which increased when Anderson began an exercise with a barbell. He bench presses 182.5 kg. This is a new world record. Anderson improved the previous world record held by Hepburn (Canada) by 14 kg. In the snatch, Anderson records 142.5 kg. In the clean and jerk he shows 193 kg. This adds up to a huge weight of triathlon - 518.5 kg. Medvedev gained a triathlon total of 450 kg (145+135+170) (Then in Moscow Anderson weighed 155 kg)…

    At the World Championships in Munich in October 1955, Anderson also set 2 world records (press - 185.5 kg, triathlon total - 513 kg), easily taking first place in his weight category. In the United States, he was visited by then Vice President Richard Nixon, who thanked him for his sporting achievements.

    In 1956, at the Olympic Games in Melbourne, there was a tense fight between super-heavy category athletes, Argentinean Umberto Selvetti, and Paul Anderson, who had a fever (up to 39 °C) due to a sore throat. With an equal amount of triathlon, the gold medal went to Anderson, the athlete with less own weight(137.9 kg, and Umberto Selvetti has 143.5 (Reference book Weightlifting, Moscow "Physical Education and Sports" 1983). After this Olympics, Anderson went into professional sports, so he could no longer participate in Olympic Games in Rome 1960, where Yuri Vlasov broke his records in the total triathlon.

    In professional demonstrations of strength, Anderson managed to lift 1,600 kg from the platform and lift it to his knees. In addition, he performs an incomplete squat - a “short squat” with a weight of 900 kg, walks with 700 kg on his chest and squats according to all the rules with 425 kg.

    Yuri Vlasov “Justice of Force”

    He is also the "father of powerlifting". The amount is 1199 kg. - a record that has not yet been broken.

    In 1959, Paul Anderson married Glenda Garland. Together they founded a center for troubled teenagers in Vidali, Georgia in 1961.

    Paul Anderson died of kidney disease in 1994.

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    Categories:

    • Personalities in alphabetical order
    • Born on October 17
    • Born in 1932
    • Died on August 15
    • Died in 1994
    • US weightlifters
    • Olympic champions from the USA
    • Olympic weightlifting champions
    • Champions of the 1956 Summer Olympics
    • Weightlifters at the 1956 Summer Olympics
    • World weightlifting champions

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      Wikipedia has articles about other people with this surname, see Anderson. Paul Anderson: Anderson, Paul Thomas (born 1970) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. Anderson, Paul William (1926 2001) American science fiction writer... ... Wikipedia

    Anderson, Paul Thomas (b. 1970) American film director. Anderson, Paul William (1926 2001) American science fiction writer. Anderson, Paul William Scott (b. 1965) English film director. Anderson, Paul Edward (1932 1994) American weightlifter, ... ... Wikipedia

    In the fifties of the 20th century, the name Paul Edward Anderson was known to everyone involved in sports. The young weightlifter was known throughout the world thanks to his records. The athlete’s achievements are still amazing, let alone the last century. Paul received the nickname “crane” for his incredible power and strength. Already at the age of 23, Anderson became the most authoritative person on Earth. After moving to Atlanta, Paul's life changed. At the age of 20, Edward began to gain weight sharply, and it was at this time that his uncle gave him a barbell. After several workouts, Paul realized that the barbell was for him. It was he who began to devote all his free time

    and within a few years he became the most powerful man in the world of sports. The path to conquering the world of sports was not easy, but weightlifter Paul Anderson did not choose his fate, sport itself chose him.

    Weightlifting competitions have not changed significantly since then. In powerlifting, as now, in those years athletes did three exercises: bench press. And it never even occurred to anyone that there was a person on earth who could break existing records. Gaining a total of 500 kg is a mission impossible, but not for Anderson. The athlete was able to break the record of the 1952 Olympic winner, American John Davis, with a result of 460 kg, when he gained 518.5 kg while participating in competitions in South Carolina.

    At the World Championships in Munich in 1955, everyone expected Anderson to conquer new heights. And he is Paul Anderson, a weightlifter whose record was 512.5 kg. He received a gold medal. This figure became a new world record. The athlete did not stop there and set several more records: in the bench press - 185.5 kg, in the clean and jerk - 196.5 kg.

    American weightlifting team

    In 1955, Paul's pace in the sport picked up speed. Having joined Bob Goffman's team of American weightlifters, Anderson did not disappoint the expectations of his fans. At demonstration performances in Moscow in the same year, weightlifter Paul Anderson was able to win the hearts of all fans of weightlifting - he lifted a total of 518 kg. In addition to world records, the “man mountain” won the hearts of women with his charm, which cannot be taken away from him. In 1956, after the Melbourne Olympics, Anderson announced that tournaments were exhausting him and decided to retire from the sport.

    World records

    Weightlifter Paul Anderson decided that his skills and knowledge should not be wasted. Paul began to travel around America, demonstrating his talents. Sometimes he showed circus acts that surprised the audience with their exclusivity and incredible performance. To this day, no one can break Anderson’s world records, although many athletes have tried to do this. Paul Anderson is a weightlifter, another achievement of which was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records - he was able to lift a huge weight from a support with his shoulders without the help of various kinds of tools. The athlete's result is 2844 kilograms.

    Press, squat and deadlift

    To achieve incredible results, weightlifter Paul Anderson performed various types of exercises that are still used today. The squat master had a habit of doing this three times a week, and sometimes daily, performing several sets throughout the day. High frequency training consisted of using an identical exercise 3 to 15 times over the course of a week.

    It is not problematic for you to squat with a weight of 408 kilograms 19 times. In addition, he performed half squats with a weight of 680 kilograms. Anderson liked bench press exercises the least; he tried to do them a minimum number of times. Training was very important for Anderson, although he had no competitors, Paul tried to constantly train in order to stay in good health for as long as possible physical fitness. Anderson believed that it was necessary to change the usual exercises - first lifting weights from a standing position, and then from a lying position.

    Working hard

    Unfortunately, in professional sports it is problematic to work without wearing out the body. Paul Anderson is a weightlifter who lifted weights that were too heavy for the average person. Gigantic power loads had a negative impact on the athlete’s health, and he began to gradually decline. The kidneys were the first to fail, then the joints began to bother me. Paul was rapidly losing weight. At the time he received a kidney transplant, Anderson weighed no more than 80 kilograms. And, although she saved him, Paul did not return to the sport.

    Caring for orphanages

    The athlete donated all the money he earned to orphanages that his family helped. Paul's health led him to give up sports entirely and become a Christian preacher.

    Paul Anderson, a weightlifter whose cause of death has not been officially announced, passed away in 1994, just shy of 63 years old. But even without official disclosure, it is clear that the reason for this was his exhaustion work. This rhythm of life destroyed Paul. Every year, weightlifting competitions are organized in Atlanta in memory of the famous athlete who conquered the whole world. Paul Anderson was buried in Atlanta. The Paul Anderson Memorial is located in Toccoa.

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