History of the Squat

RICKY CRAIN NEWSLETTER

In ancient Greece, before the time of Christ, there was an aspiring young man who dreamed of being the Isthmus Games (forerunner of the Olympic Games) wrestling champion. He was not sure what would help him get bigger and stronger, but figured that lifting something heavy for a period of time might be the answer. His name was Milo of Crotona and he decided to start with a young calf. He would get under the calf and rise to the erect position, then walk around with it on his shoulders. Milo did this regularly and a few years later, when the calf was grown, he was now doing a squat with a grown cow, probably 500 or 600 pounds in those days. The leg, back and all round power he built from this enabled him to reach his goal, that of being the wrestling champion of the Isthmus Games. So, Milo was probably the father of the squat.

In the late 1800's, Karl Moerke, the 5'3" 250 pound Vienna, Austria strongman squatted 550 pounds. In the early 1900's, Henry "Milo" Steinborn established the first official squat record with 552 pounds.
In the days before squat stands, Milo loaded the bar to 552, stood it on end, rocked it over onto his shoulders; proceeded to do a full squat with it and then stand erect.
Peary Rader was the first author to push squat training as the key to getting bigger and stronger. He was extolling the benefits of the squat as far back as the late 1930's.
Doug Hepburn of Vancouver, British Columbia was squatting 600 + and benching 500 in the early 1950's. He was considered the world's strongest man at 5'8" and 280 pounds He won the world Olympic lifting title during this time period, mainly because of the strength built from squatting and benching, since he did not use the low positions in the snatch and clean.
SOME AMAZING SQUATTING FEATS
In the early 1950;s, Alice Yarick, wife of Ed Yarick, who trained Clarence Ross, Jack Delinger, Steve Reeves and Roy Hilligen (all Mr. America winners) performed a remarkable feat of squatting endurance. Before a crowd of several thousand in Oakland , California, she squatted 100 consecutive reps with 100 pounds.
Phil "Boston Blackie" Guarnacia, in late 1950's, accomplished a kind of squat that may never have been duplicated. Phil did this a number of times at physique contest and odd lift meets. He would take 360 pounds or more off the squat rack and squat to a full sitting on the floor position, with feet completely extended in front. Then he would bring both legs back under him and rise to the erect position.
When you think of squatting, some names automatically come to mind as pioneers of the lift. Paul Anderson in the 1950's, Jon Cole and George Frenn in the 1960's, Jerry Jones in the 70's, Fred Hatfield in the 80's. Paul Anderson was probable the most perfectly constructed human being for the squat of all creation. His genetics led to a hip and thigh structure unmatched, before or after. At his peak in the late 50's and 60's, he was 5'9 1/2" and 370 pounds with 37" thighs.
Paul started squatting in 1951 at the age of 18 and 210 pounds body weight. His first workout was 10 reps with 400 pounds, and of course no suit, belt, wraps or steroids. His squatting routine for the first few years was unique to say the least. He squatted in a room of his home in Tocoa, Georgia, that had been structurally reinforced for the purpose. He would squat all day, every other day, drinking gallons of milk as the workout went on. Squats and half and quarter squats were done. Train wheels and other huge wheels were used for the partial squats. Weights were way in excess of 1,000 pounds. In two years, his squat went up to 660 pounds. and his body weight to 275. At the age of 20, Paul went to an Olympic lift meet and did an official squat of 660 in 1953 to break Steinborn's 552 pound record. Later that year at the age of 20, he became the first human to squat 700lbs. To show the value of the squat for all round body power, in later 1954, Paul, while training for the Sr. National Olympic lift meet, broke his wrist while doing cleans. With the wrist in a cast, he continued training on the squat and no other lift for several months. He resumed training on the Olympic lifts only four months before the Sr. Nationals. At the meet he won the heavyweights and set three world records.
After winning the Olympic games in 1956, Paul set out to raise funds to start a boy's home in Georgia. He signed up to do a nightly show at a casino in Las Vegas. His performance was to squat with a bar that had a large glass case of silver dollars on each end. The total weight was over 1,200 lbs. He would challenge anyone to duplicate it and receive all the money, which was about 50,000.00.
The Guiness Book of World Records shows who has the strongest legs and back of all times. It lists Paul Anderson's back lift in 1957 of 6,270 pounds, as the heaviest weight ever lifted.
In the October 1945 Strength and Health Magazine there was featured Al Bonchamps of Quebec City, Canada performing a one-legged squat with a 205 lb. barbell on his back, while standing on the edge of a table. Squatting became a competitive lift around 1950. It was one of several lifts called the "odd lifts". The squat and bench press became a favorite contest pair in the 50's, especially in California. Powerlifting became an official sport in 1962 and the squat records started taking off in the 60's and thereafter. The 1970's were really the "decade of the squat". George Frenn of Los Angeles really got it going. In September 1970, he squatted 819 pounds, at 242 (ten pounds over the Super Heavy record). Three months later he did 853 at 242. Jon Cole of Phoenix started his record assault in March 1971 with a 797 squat at Super Heavy (he only weighed in the 250's...no 275 class then). By summer of 71 Jon did an 820 at Super. George Crawford of Toledo, Ohio was the best middleweight squatter in the early 70's and held the record at 625. The first time two lifters both did an 800 pound squat in the same meet was when Hugh Cassady and Jim Williams did it in the 1971 World Championships. In 1972 Jim Williams squatted 860 pounds.
At the 1972 Senior Nationals Jack Barnes did 710 at 181 and Jon Cole squatted 869 at Super, both world records. In November 1972 at the 2nd World Championships, John Kuc squatted 905 at Super for a new record. Actually, a few weeks earlier at the Arizona State Championships, Jon Cole had become the first to break the 900 barrier, with a 905 squat. In March of 1973 a new big man appeared on the scene. He was Don Reinhoudt and he upped the Super record to 911. In 1974 Don squatted 915 and wore no knee wraps. George Crawford raised the 165 record to 640 in late 1973.
In 1974 at the IPF Worlds, Inaba squatted 430 in the new 114 pound class. At the 1975 Junior Nationals, Rickey Dale Crain pushed the 148 record up to 550. In 1975 Joe White upped the Super record to 920. At the 1976 Senior Nationals Rickey Dale Crain broke the 148 record twice with 555 and 565. At the same meet, Jerry Jones did a world record 716 in the 198. At the 1976 Worlds, Inaba squatted 463 at 114, the first 4 times bodyweight squat. In the same meet Marvin Phillips got the 242 record with 775 lbs.
In 1977 the first National Womens Championship meet was held and saw a 360 squat at 165 by Cindy Reinhoudt and a 385 by Heavyweight Jan Todd. Also in 1977 Larry Pacifico did a 755 world record in the 220's. In 1978, Joe-Joe White, a New York Super Heavy was the first lifter to attempt to break the 1000 pound barrier. In a much publicized meet on January 21, 1978 at Columbiaville, New York Joe-Joe started with 1,000 lbs. on the bar. Tony Fitton had come all the way from England to witness the historic event. The building was packed and six spotters were ready behind him. He squatted to somewhere around parallel and with incredible effort arose to knees locked. The three officials were Larry Pacifico, Tony Fitton and Joe Spack. The lights were; one white and two reds.
In March of 1978 Gus Rethwisch put on his annual Hawaiian Invitational with nearly 6,000 spectators and the records flew. 33 world records were broken and in the squat they were: Precious McKenzie with 460 lbs at 123, Marvin Phillips with 810 at 242. At the 1978 Senior Nationals Mike Bridges squatted 606 at 148, Jerry Jones did 766 at 198 and Marvin Phillips dropped down to 220 for a 788 record. 1979 saw no let up in the record barrage. Inaba pushed the 114 recoerd to 473 and McKenzie upped the 123 to 496. Mike Bridges pushed the 148 record to 622 and Jerry Jones the 198 to783.
In 1979, Mike Bridges and Rickey Dale Crain took turns breaking the 165 record. First Rickey Dale Crain did 684 at the Hawaiian Invitational and in August did 700 at the Senior Nationals only to have Mike Bridges follow him on the platform with a 705. Bridges then upped it to 716 at the 79 worlds. Ron Collins also made a record squat of 733 at 181 in the same meet.
In the early 1980's Danny Wohleber of Cleveland, Ohio had the heaviest squats. In 1980 and 81 Jim Lem held the over 50 World Masters squat records in three weight classes, with 578 in the 165, 660 in the 181 and 600 in the 198. Jim did not even start lifting until the age of 39 years of age.
Fred Hatfield, pre year 2000, was the lightest person to have squatted 1,000 pounds, having only weighed 256 pounds.
Dave Waddington was the first lifter to break the 1000 lb barrier officially. Lee Moran was the first lifter to squat 1,000 lbs. in a National competition. Lee, a superheavy, made this lift at the 1984 Senior Nationals in Dayton, Ohio. On his first try with it (his 3rd attempt), after getting set up with it, one collar flew off the bar and plates went everywhere like guided missiles. The officials of course gave him another attempt and he nailed it easily. The road from zero to 1000 and beyond is indeed filled with a legacy of legends.