Warren Lincoln Travis and the Back Lift
by Al Myers
Warren Lincoln Travis Back Lifting. His best Back Lift was 4240 pounds.
Discussion this past week on the USAWA Discussion Forum involved discussing our favorite Old Time Strongmen. One who was brought up was Warren Lincoln Travis. I have always been a fan of Travis – he always did his own thing and didn’t follow the crowd of other strongmen. He obviously was most famous for his Hip Lifting, Harness Lifting, Back Lifting, and Finger Lifting. These lifts were not exactly the fortes of other strongmen. I would have to say that Warren Lincoln Travis is the reason that we do the Heavy Lifts in the USAWA today.
Travis would always challenge other lifters to contests involving Total Poundage. With his specialty on the Heavy Lifts and the large amount of weight that he could lift this way – he never found any takers!!
I recently found this video of Warren Lincoln Travis Back Lifting (Thanks to Abe Smith!!). On his platform, he used people as weight. Unbelievable!! Watch how he twists his body when he has his Back Lift locked out. This video can be viewed using Windows Media Player. Plus – watch how he likes to reward himself after a hard workout. This is classic!!!