Arthur Saxon (April 28, 1878 – August 6, 1921), born Arthur Hennig and nicknamed "The Iron-Master", was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

strongman In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or similar circus performers who performed feats of strength. More recently, strength athletics, also known as strongman competitions, have grown in popularity. Thes ...

and

circus performer A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...

from the late 19th century into the early 20th century. Saxon is best known for the

bent press A bent press is a type of weight training exercise wherein a weight is brought from shoulder-level to overhead one-handed using the muscles of the back, legs, and arm. A very large amount of weight can be lifted this way, compared to other types of ...

, a lift in which he was far superior to any other strongman, setting a world record of 168 kg (370 lb) which remains unbroken to this day. He also lifted 175 kg (385 lb) informally in a gym, as well as making a "

two hands anyhow The Two Hands Anyhow is a traditional strongman weightlifting exercise. The goal was to lift as much weight overhead with two hands (two separate weights) in any method. The exercise was popular with lifters such as Arthur Saxon and Thomas Inch ...

" lift of 203 kg (448 lb).

Career

Arno Patschke, known as Arno Saxon on stage, a performer and former

Greco-Roman wrestler Greco-Roman (American English), Graeco-Roman (British English), classic wrestling ( Euro English) or French wrestling (in Russia until 1948) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first mo ...

from Germany was eager to make money performing strongman acts. He traveled to

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

, where he convinced Oscard Hilgenfeldt and Arthur Hennig to join him in creating the "Greatest Strong Show" in the country. Eventually Arthur's two brothers, Kurt and Hermann joined the group as well, forming the "Saxon Trio," and in 1897, the Trio began performing for a circus in Europe. In one act, Arthur Saxon lifted his seated brothers on a barbell with one arm. Another popular portion of their performances included opening the stage to anyone who challenged the validity of a lift, to try for themselves. At one point during a

performance Saxon claimed the act could not be repeated by the famous

Eugen Sandow Eugen Sandow (born Friedrich Wilhelm Müller, ; 2 April 1867 – 14 October 1925) was a German bodybuilder and showman from Prussia. Born in Königsberg, Sandow became interested in bodybuilding at the age of ten during a visit to Italy. After a ...

. Unbeknownst to Saxon, on February 26, 1898, Sandow, in the audience at the time, accepted the challenge. Sandow was unable to replicate the lift and, in retaliation, took the Saxon Trio to court. In the case Sandow won with a ruling that he had "handled the bell in exactly the same bodily attitude as Arthur", the judge not fully understanding the lift. Personal Records Saxon recorded several of his personal records in his books "The Development of Physical Power" and "The Text Book of Weightlifting". Bent press - 371lbs/168kgs Two Hands Anyhow - 448lbs/203kgs One-Hand Snatch - 200lbs/90kgs Two-Hand Military Press - 252lbs/114kgs One-Hand Military Press - 126lbs/57kgs Behind-The-Neck Jerk - 311lbs/141kgs

Clean and jerk The clean and jerk is a composite of two weightlifting movements, most often performed with a barbell: the clean and the jerk. During the ''clean'', the lifter moves the barbell from the floor to a racked position across the deltoids, without res ...

- 342lbs/155kgs One-Hand Clean and Jerk - 247½lbs/112kgs Pull Over and Push - 385lbs/175kgs

Publications

In 1905, Saxon published ''The Development of Physical Power'', which explains his methods for performing lifts including the usage of barbells, dumbbells, and kettlebells, as well as Ring, Ball and Square lifting. This book also depicts Saxon displaying the lifts in 45 pages of photographs. Saxon's ''The Text Book of Weight-Lifting'', published in 1910, includes some psychological explanation of lifting, rather than strict routine. He explains several lifts, such as the famous bent press and continental lifts.

Death

While Saxon was exempt for service in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he nonetheless suffered from

malnutrition Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is "a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients" which adversely affects the body's tissues a ...

due to food shortages in Germany, even as he continued his strongman act in Scandinavia. After the war he tried to continue his strongman act, which conflicted with his unhealthy condition. He grew weaker and developed tuberculosis. Saxon eventually developed pneumonia, causing his death on August 6, 1921, at age 43. His occupation at the time, as recorded on his death certificate, was as a stonemason.

References

Arthur Saxon and the Saxon Trio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saxon, Arthur 1878 births 1921 deaths Circus strongmen and strongwomen German strength athletes Sportspeople from Leipzig People associated with physical culture