Isometric Exercise Alexander Zass The Father Of Isometric Training

The Incredible Strongman Alexander Zass And His Isometric Exercise Program

After leaving prison Alexander Zass walked out with more than a strong desire to see his family, he walked out with an incredibly muscular body and more importantly, a new way to train that would revolutionize the world of bodybuilding. Now you too can learn about Isometrics and the incredible Alexander Zass.

Alexander Zass was born in Vilna, Poland in 1888 however he lived most of his younger years in Russia. After 1924 he moved to Britain.

Here are some of the feats of strength that he accomplished:

• He lifted a 500-pound girder with his teeth
• Carried a small horse, caught a woman fired from a cannon
• Allowed professional boxers to hit him in the stomach,

However, his greatest talents were in bending steel bars and breaking chains that were the centerpiece of his music hall exhibitions.

Building Himself Up

At first, he developed himself by climbing trees, running and with home made dumbbells and barbells. Later he trained under some of the Great Russian professional strongmen including Krelov, Anokhin, and Demetrioff who taught their systems in person and through correspondence.

Anokhin taught his system to George Lurich who eventually became famous as a world champion strongman and wrestler.

The Russian Training Secret

Alexander Zass was very innovative and started bending green branches and twigs to develop his grip strength. Perhaps this was the start of his great belief in the application of isometrics and "maximum tension" (a concept that is present in Russian training methods to this day) for the development of strength.

He believed such an approach superior to the use of weights in developing strength. While a POW he continued to develop his strength with the use of isometrics by pulling on the bars and chains that imprisoned him.

This episode and the knowledge that he obtained from it later became the basis of his mail order course which featured isometrics in the form of pulling on chains of various lengths.

Alexander Zass lived a very full and exciting life on many fronts. In addition to being a strongman, he was also an accomplished animal trainer. as well as a superspy.

KGB- Soviet Intelligence

At one time, he worked for military intelligence in Russia and later as cover for his manager, Captain Howard, who was a British secret agent. Alexander Zass was murdered in 1962. However, his legacy of isometric exercise remains this day. Alexander Zass (The Amazing Samson) 1888 – 1962.