LOUIS CYR
Louis Cyr stands out in history as probably the strongest man that ever lived.
Born in Saint-Cyprien-de-Napierville on October 10, 1863, he spend some years working as a mill boy in Lowell, Massachusetts, USA.
The French Canadian farmer boy had never seen a dumbbell before the age of 19. But from the moment he touched the iron-cast weight at the Donovan’s gym in Lowell to his retirement, 23 years later, he shook the world with his feats of strength. In January 1895, Dr Dudley Allan Sargent, a professor of physical culture at Harvard University, after getting the tale of the tape (324 pounds bodyweight, 60 inches chest, 21 inches biceps and over 31 inches thighs), called him the «eighth wonder of the world».
At age 21, Louis Cyr became the first strongman ever to accomplish a one arm dumbbell press, in strict fashion, with 210 pounds (95,5 kg). He bettered that record in November 1889, reaching 265 pounds (120,5 kg). And, on January 19, 1892, in London, UK, he hoisted an all-time 273¼ pounds (124,2 kg) with his right arm. He would later, on May 8, 1896, do a left arm dumbbell press with 258¼ pounds (114,4 kg).
Records kept piling on. On May 25, 1895, at the Austin and Stones Museum, in Boston, Massachusetts, he backlifted the astounding load of 4 337 pounds (1 971,4 kg), an unprecedented feat.
On September 1891, Louis Cyr had pulled against two teams of two horses, the pairs weighing over 4 800 pounds (2 182 kg). Arms crossed over his chest, he held the horses for 55 seconds.
Between May 1892 and September 1896, Cyr increased the one finger lift (middle finger of the right hand) from 450 pounds (204,5 kg) to 558 pounds (253,7 kg).
On May 1896, at the Saint-Louis Hall, in Chicago, Illinois, Louis Cyr did a crucifix hold with 97¼ pounds (44,2 kg) in his right hand and 88 pounds (40 kg) in the left hand, for 10 seconds; a right arm dumbbell press with 162½ pounds (74 kg) for 36 consecutive repetitions; a partial deadlift of 1897 pounds (862,3 kg) and a one hand and thigh lift of 987 pounds (448,7 kg). That evening he hoisted a total of 14 455½ pounds over seven challenging strength events in less than 2 hours, an all-time record.
In 23 years as a strongman, Louis Cyr gave some 2500 public strength exhibitions, plus another thousand with the Robinson’s Circus, the Ringling Brothers’ Circus and his own Circus. He accomplished near 2000 backlifts, thus cumulating over 3000 tons; pulled over 500 times against teams of horses, and did over 2000 one arm dumbbell presses.
At age of 43, Louis Cyr, already seriously ill, retired undefeated. He was then holding all the world strength records.
