Alexander Zass: biography, personal life, achievements, photos

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:41

In the article we will talk about Alexander Zass. This is an incredible person who at one time was very famous for his physical performance. Otherwise, he was called "Iron Samson". The man was a circus performer and strong man, known for his outstanding physical form.

Childhood

So, who is he - Alexander Zass? We will begin to consider the biography of this person from the fact that he was born in March 1888 in the Vilna province. He spent his childhood in Saransk, where his family moved shortly after the boy was born. Already in childhood, he demonstrated his amazing qualities. With a weight of 66 kg, he did a bench press with his right arm, loaded with 80 kg.

Life path. Home

Alexander Zass, whose photo we see in the article, was born in a family of strong men like himself. If we conduct research and dig deeper into history, we will find out that all Zasses had quite impressive power. However, it was the hero of our article who managed to surpass all his relatives thanks to constant exhausting training. He multiplied a hundred times what nature gave him ingerm.

In his rare interviews, Alexander himself said that, perhaps, one incident that happened in childhood determined his future fate. Then he went with his father to the circus. Most of all, the little boy was impressed by two numbers. The first of them is the performance of the trainer together with the animals, and the second is a demonstration of the strength of the circus strongman. Alexander said that what he saw shocked and impressed him for the rest of his life. He constantly thought and could not help thinking that he wanted to have the same power.

There was another interesting incident in Alexander's life. So, he went with his father to the circus, and during the performance, the circus athlete bent an iron horseshoe. He succeeded, and the audience was delighted, applauding him. After that, he invited everyone from the auditorium to repeat this number. Naturally, there were no people who would like to show their weakness, so no one came out. However, at that moment, Alexander's father got up and went on stage. He decided to try, which caused surprise not only in the hall, but also on stage. Surprisingly, he was able, like an athlete, to unbend a horseshoe. To say that the auditorium and the athlete himself were shocked would be an understatement.

This case shows us that not only Alexander, but also his father was very fond of demonstrating their strength. However, all this happened most often among family and friends, while Alexander wanted to conquer the whole world. And he really succeeded, because after this event he could not think of anything else,except for the circus.

First steps

The boy persuaded his parents and arranged for himself in the backyard of the house a fairly spacious area for training. At first it was only 2 horizontal bars with trapeziums installed. However, gradually the boy brought more and more sports equipment to his small corner, where he sat for hours. After a while there were kettlebells, dumbbells, then a barbell appeared.

After a fairly short period of time, the backyard turned into a gym, where Alexander spent almost all his free time doing strength training. He was not only doing something, but trying to repeat athletic numbers.

When visiting the circus with his father, he memorized the most interesting tricks and tried to repeat them at home. Surprisingly, without any help from adults or specially trained people, he was already able to repeat one of the most difficult tricks of circus strongmen even then. So, he learned to do somersaults on a horse, to pull himself up with one hand.

Despite the fact that the guy was praised and admired for his achievements, he understood that something was missing. So the training system of Alexander Zass appeared. Naturally, it was not formed immediately, because he changed it for a long time, chose certain elements and constantly improved it. However, it was during adolescence that he realized that to get a really high-quality result, some kind of order and structure is needed.

Deskbook by Alexander Zass-Samson

Building his own system began after his father brought him a book called Strength and How to Become Strong. The author of this edition was quite famous at that time athlete Evgeny Sandov. For a teenager, he was a real idol, so he accepted the gift with incredible delight. This book was very interesting and became a reference book for Alexander.

He said more than once that thanks to her he was able to accurately determine his choice in life and understand many decisive moments for a circus performer. Eugene Sandow in the book talked not only about training and tricks, but also shared special moments from his biography.

So, he talked about a fight with a lion that happened in his life. However, Alexander was determined, practical information was important to him, so he did not pay much attention to interesting cases, he tried to take a grain of truth from the book. And he found it. The author talked about 18 exercises that must be performed with dumbbells. It was them that the future Iron Samson, Alexander Zass, took note of. The training methodology now consisted of his own exercises and new 18s. However, as time went on, the young man realized that even this was not enough for him. He clearly realized that dumbbell exercises could not develop in him the incredible strength that he so aspired and dreamed of.

Search for mentors

After a while, Alexander was guided not by books, but by the recommendations of real people. So, he has long been worried about the idea of finding mentors and people who have achieved something and can share withhim with his valuable knowledge. Peter Krylov and Morro-Dmitriev became his teachers.

They were quite interesting and famous athletes, they impressed the audience with their numbers. It was they who created for the young man a certain set of exercises that would help him achieve the desired heights. At the same time, it should be noted that the training methodology of Alexander Zass, which he originally came up with, has been preserved. In other words, athletes recognized its effectiveness and simply supplemented it with certain exercises. It is believed that Morro-Dmitriev made the greatest contribution to the development of the future Samson, because it was he who told the young man about all the features, subtleties and tricks of working with a barbell.

By the age of 18, the young guy had developed tremendous strength. He regularly visited the circus in order to look at the circus strongmen and learn something new from them. When he reached a certain peak, he decided to develop himself further. He did not want to stop, so he replenished his props with nails, metal rods, horseshoes, etc.

All of this was new to him because he had never encountered such elements before. Nevertheless, he understood that if he stopped there, he would remain developed and strong, but an ordinary athlete. He himself admitted that it was then when he began to work with non-standard props that he realized that this is what develops physical spiritual strength very strongly, and not kettlebells and barbells. In order to work with such unusual tools, it is necessarymuch more strength, endurance, patience and will.

Road to Glory

For the first time in the circus, a man performed in 1908 on the Orenburg stage. And all his further path was inextricably linked with this. He became famous for being the strongest man in the world. For several decades, he adorned all circus posters. Alexander Zass - Iron Samson was a welcome guest in every city and every country. They called him a rising star. This is not surprising, given how unusual and varied his circus performances were. He tried to be original and create something new, avoiding carbon copy. He was very good at it, because his performances delighted and shocked the audience at the same time.

The incident that made this man famous happened in 1938. Until that time, he was engaged in physical development, worked in the circus, but was not a star for the broad masses of people. So, in 1938, in a small town in England, he clearly demonstrated his capabilities. Alexander Zass was lying on the square and he was being run over by a truck filled to the top. All this was watched by people who were shocked and delighted with the capabilities of the Iron Samson. After that, he just stood up without a single scratch or dent on his body.

War has come

The First World War began precisely at the time when the guy entered the military age. He served in the Vindava Cavalry Regiment. It was during the war that an incident occurred that impressed not only ordinary people who were not aware of the guy’s strength and capabilities, but even his acquaintances and relatives who knewwhat he is capable of.

One day a guy was returning from reconnaissance and was ambushed by the Austrians. An Austrian soldier injured his horse's leg, but realized that he was near the Russian border, so he quickly hid away from problems. Alexander behaved quietly and calmly for some time in order to wait out the danger, and after that he got to his feet in order to move on. It was then that he saw that his horse had been seriously wounded in the leg, and he realized that he could not leave her to die. It was about 600 m to go to the regiment, but even this fact could not stop the man. He put the horse on his shoulders and carried it straight to the regiment.

After a while, when the war ends, Alexander will remember this incident again and will use it in his speeches. It is he who will bring him fame and become one of the brightest and most impressive numbers. However, the war for a man was a rather terrible event, which left a lot of sad memories for life.

So, once he badly injured his leg, and it began to fester. As a result, the doctors decided on the necessary amputation, but the man begged them not to do this. He himself did not like to remember this moment, because it was very tragic for him, and this is quite understandable.

Captivity

Also, Alexander 3ass was captured 3 times and each time he escaped. However, he was caught twice, after which he was rather severely punished, which for some time discouraged him. But only for a while. The third time the escape was successful and it was he who caused the man to climbcircus Olympus. Before the war, he was just a fairly well-known athlete, but did not regularly perform in the circus. He practiced just for himself, although sometimes he visited the circus to watch this or that number.

After getting out of captivity, he reached a small town in Hungary, where Schmidt's circus was touring just at that time. It was the most famous circus in Europe, which everyone aspired to get into. Alexander decided that this was his chance. He began negotiations with the owner of the circus, shared with him information that he was a prisoner and an escaped soldier. At the same time, he spoke about his capabilities and great strength. During the first meeting, the owner decided to check the guy. He gave him a large metal rod and an iron chain for the guy to show his abilities.

It should be noted that before this, Alexander lived for several days without food and water, because he was on the run. However, he understood that his future depended on whether he could prove himself. Therefore, he gathered all his physical and spiritual strength and was able to break the chain with his bare hands, after which he still bend the rod. Immediately after that, the owner of the circus accepted him into the circus troupe, and the news of an incredibly strong athlete spread throughout the city.

However, not everything went so smoothly. The training of Alexander Zass continued to excite and interest the public. He became more and more popular and interesting circus performer. But at one fine moment, the Austrian commandant drew attention to his performance. Togo was impressed by Alexander's numbers, so he became interested in his biography. Then he learned that Zass was a Russian prisoner,who escaped from the captivity of the Austrians.

After that, Alexander was severely beaten, and he ended up in a dungeon. However, he found a solution to this problem again thanks to his strength. With his bare hands, he tears the chains and unbends the bars. This time he manages to escape and get to Budapest. There he meets a rather famous and good-natured wrestler named Chai Janos, who helps him get a job at the local circus. In the future, thanks to this man, the man will get into the troupe of the Italian circus.

Tour Europe

The training of Alexander Zass, as well as his amazing tricks and numbers, impressed the Italian impresario, so he offered the man a contract. It was this agreement that brought world fame to Alexander in the future. He signed it and went on a European tour.

There, a man demonstrated numbers with lions, horses, lifting the piano and exercises with a belt. Alexander Zass tried to improve every time in order to surprise the audience again and again. As a result, it was after a chic performance in England that the greatest athletes of that time started talking about him. The most amazing thing is that they themselves tried to repeat certain numbers, but could not. The audience was delighted with Samson (Alexander Zass).

Numbers

So, let's look at the main numbers in the circus, which were represented by strongman Alexander Zass:

• Easily lifted the piano on which the girl was sitting. He not only lifted them, but also wore them around the arena.
• Caught a core weighing more than 9 kg with bare hands. At the same time, it must be added that the core was thrown from a distance of 80 m,therefore, when flying, it acquired additional weight.
• He could hold a metal structure in his teeth, on which two people or two large animals sat.
• He also tied himself under the dome of the circus by one leg, hanging upside down. In this position, he held the piano between his teeth.
• Without a shudder, he could lie down on his bare back on a surface with nails and needles. After that, a stone weighing about 500 kg was still placed on his chest. But the test didn't end there. Usually they invited spectators from the hall, who could hit the stone with a sledgehammer with all their might. Alexander Zass did all this absolutely calmly, without a grimace of pain or even discomfort.
• Could break the links of a steel chain with just his fingers.
• Skillfully hammered nails into thick boards with his bare palms.

Features

Athletic numbers, which the man showed, made a huge sensation. People paid big money to admire the Iron Samson - Alexander Zass.

I must say that his numbers and performances attracted not only the fact that they excited the worldview of a normal person. The highlight was that in appearance the man was a completely ordinary ordinary person. He weighed about 80 kg with a height of 170 cm. The volume of the biceps was about 40 cm. In other words, we can say that he did not look like a standard circus strongman who boasts huge muscles and a massive body.

Alexander Zass himselfsaid that the presence of a pile of impressive muscles does not yet indicate the strength of a person. He argued that the most important thing is the ability to feel your body, skillfully manage it and cultivate willpower. The man believed that these qualities could make a real strong man out of anyone.

Training and performances

As the circus performer himself recalled, most often he was asked how he could become so strong. He answered honestly, without embellishment or exaggeration. He spoke about the fact that strength is the result of exhausting work and strong tension not only of physical, but also of spiritual forces. He has always honestly admitted that his success is entirely based on constantly working to the limit.

Alexander Zass never shrouded himself in some tales and myths that he was born with such incredible strength and is a miracle of nature. He just worked hard towards his goal. The system of Alexander Zass will impress anyone, because he adhered to a very strict regimen all his life and constantly trained. If you try to briefly and succinctly describe his life, then it will be periods of training and performances. In fact, these are the two main activities that have occupied a talented and stubborn man throughout his life.

It seemed simply incredible that this man remained true to himself and his views even in his old age. So, in old age, he continued to work. Of course, he could no longer demonstrate any power numbers, but nevertheless continued his activities as a trainer. And yet hecould not help but show a few power tricks during the performance, which only warmed up and excited the audience even more. Around this age, he still shocked viewers by holding a structure with two lions sitting on it with his teeth. He could not only hold them, but also walk around the stage with them.

However, the last public performance took place when the circus performer was 66 years old. After that, he only worked "behind the scenes" and trained animals. He really enjoyed working with horses, dogs, monkeys and ponies. He also trained large animals such as lions and elephants.

Book

His book, published in 1925 in London, which is in fact his memoirs, was incredibly popular. It sold out very quickly, and a new edition was needed. It was called “The Amazing Samson. Told by him… and not only.” In Russian translation, it appeared only in 2010, to the great regret of our compatriots. So, in addition to the text, there were about 130 more illustrations, which were photographs of various documents, posters and real photographs of Alexander.

Inventions

After signing a contract with the Italian circus, Alexander was a circus performer until the end of his days. In general, he spent about 60 years in the arena. Interestingly, in addition to his unsurpassed performances and exercises, he left behind some inventions.

So, he invented a wrist dynamometer and a cannon that shot a man. Also, it is he who is the author of the idea of amusements "man-shell". In one of the rooms he caughta girl who flew out of a cannon he invented. Surprisingly, before falling into his hands, she flew about 12 m.

Few people know that this man spoke several European languages at a high level. And this destroys the modern stereotype that "there is power - no mind is needed." There are many excellent examples that this statement is a complete fallacy. Alexander is a vivid proof of this.

Memory

The great circus performer died in 1962. They buried him in the small town of Hockley near London. It was in that area that he lived until old age.

In honor of great achievements, a monument to Alexander Zass was erected in front of the Orenburg Circus in 2008. The grand opening of the monument was timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the first performance of Zass in this circus with power tricks.

Summing up, we note that Samson is a man of incredible willpower. He was one of the most outstanding athletes of his time. Until now, not every athlete and strongman can repeat his numbers. The gymnastics of Alexander Zass is still very popular, and many novice athletes are trying to practice according to his system. However, we must remember that it is not only a matter of physical effort, but also of nurturing mental stamina.