History of Fitness Episode II: Who Was Paul Anderson?

Some of us may not be familiar with the name of Paul Anderson, I myself wasn’t until recent years, but he may arguably be a part of the top 10 greatest athletes from the United States. He was the last Heavyweight-class weightlifter to win a gold medal at the Olympics for the USA; he did so in the 1956 Melbourne, Australia Olympics. During his career, he was considered a phenomena, having gained worldwide popularity for his ability, even is places like Russia, which at the time had tense political relations with the USA. In fact, it was during a lifting exhibition in Russia in which he broke 3 world records (back then the Standing Press was an Olympic event) that the crowd chanted “Wonder of Nature!”

Much of his early strength training was done with homemade, and often unconventional, apparatuses. A famous picture depicts Paul with a train car axle on his back performing squats! He had several, very severe, injuries during his prime, both from lifting and a car accident; but he used unusual methods, like modifying his cast, to continue his training.

His best official (in-competition) lifts include, but are not limited to:

Clean and Press: 185.5 kg (408.5 lbs)

Clean and Jerk: 199.5 kg (440 lbs)

Snatch: 150.25 kg (335 lbs)

Though his personal claims of out of competition bests were significantly higher, it is interesting that the Guinness Book of World Records used his feat of lifting 6,270 lb. in the “back-lift” (a lift that would seem very strange to most of us if we saw someone performing it) to mark his place as the world’s strongest man.

After his weightlifting career, Paul established a home for troubled youth known as the Paul Anderson Youth Home in Vidalia, Georgia. He also became somewhat of a traveling minister, combining preaching with feats of strength. Paul Anderson passed away on August 15, 1994. He was truly an impressive athlete, and an impressive humanitarian.

The above information was taken from this link.