Hack and What It Takes To Be Great

George Hackenschmidt (1877-1968) var en verdensrekord holder vektløfter og World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion før bryting ble avtalt og løftere brukte steroider. Hackenschmidt oppnådd et nivå av storhet skyldes flere faktorer.

Han oppnådde et høyt nivå av fysisk form. Hans fysiske tilstand tillot ham å være den mest suksessrike fotballspiller av hans tid. A few wrestlers may have been better technicians but Hackenschmidt was the strongest. He often overpowered his opponents and was very difficult to throw. He is only known to have lost to Frank Gotch as a professional.

He was adaptable. George never locked himself into one way of thinking where he never changed. Hackenschmidt originally wrestled Greco-Roman style. Despite winning the world championship with this style, he switched to catch as catch can wrestling around 1904. He defended his title in this style until he lost to Frank Gotch in 1908.

He had perseverance. Hackenschmidt was undefeated world champion for seven years from 1901 til 1908. Most people can only stay on top of the world for a couple years. To be undefeated for seven years in almost 3000 matches is an incredible record. He had to bring his “A” game each night.

Besides his wrestling exploits, George Hackenschmidt was also considered the strongest man in the world at the turn of the century. He held records in the Bench Press, Hack Squat, etc.. He actually invented the Hack Squat, which is named in his honor.

George Hackenschmidt met Frank Gotch on April 3, 1908 in Chicago, IL. Gotch finally ended Hackenschmidt’s undefeated streak. On September 4, 1911, Gotch and Hackenschmidt had their rematch with the same result. Hackenschmidt, who was suffering from “housemaid’s knee”, decided to retire.

He stayed active in fitness training though. He wrote How to Live in Strength and Health (affiliate link) and continued training people. In his 80s, he was said to jump a chair 50 times, bench press 150 pounds and run seven miles. “Hack” died in 1968 på 90 år.

What can we learn from “Hack er” example? Do you find his story inspiring? You can leave a comment or ask a question about this post on my Facebook-side and Twitter-profil.

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