How would these two historical titans of strength measure up against the best strength athletes of today?

I don't know. I think Cyr was clearly a genetic freak though, and if he was born today he would also beat himself. Science has evolved quite a bit after all.

Yes, it's basically the same question as Capablanca vs Carlsen.

trying to picture that back lift. also the one finger lift.
true. there have always been freaks like this but nowdays you can add roids and advanced diet and training science on top of all this.

perhaps one of those Chinese finger traps.

Feet on floor, hands on bar or slightly elevated platform. Flat surface resting on back. Press with all four limbs, very little range of motion.

Paul Anderson:

Official records[edit]
Olympic weightlifiting

Done in official competition[19][18]

Clean and press: 185.5 kg (408.5 lbs) on 1955-10-16, in Munich at the 1955 World Championships
Snatch: 150.25 kg (335 lbs) on 1956-06-02 in Philadelphia at the 1956 Senior Nationals
Clean and jerk: 199.5 kg (440 lbs) on 1956-06-02 in Philadelphia at the 1956 Senior Nationals
Total: 533.5 kg (181.5/152.5/199.5) / (1175 lbs (400/335 /440) (clean and press + snatch + clean and jerk) on 1956-06-02 in Philadelphia at the 1956 Senior Nationals
Unofficial lifts[edit]
Lift included in the Guinness Book of World Records This record has been expunged due to no official witness being present, and no evidence of the weight's measurement. (Source: "Guinness Book of World Records".)

Backlift: 6,270 lb (2,840 kg) (weight raised slightly off trestles; done June 12, 1957, in Toccoa, Georgia)[19]
→ listed as the greatest weight ever lifted by a human being[19][22]
Powerlifting

Guinness also listed Anderson's best powerlifts[19]

Done in small exhibitions or training (according to Anderson himself)

Squat: 1,200 lb (540 kg) raw[23]
Bench press: 628 lb (285 kg) raw
Deadlift: 820 lb (370 kg) raw[24]
Olympic weightlifting

Best gym lifts (according to Anderson himself)[19]

Clean and press: 485 lb (220 kg)
Snatch: 375 lb (170 kg)
Clean and jerk: 485 lb (220 kg)
Other lifts

Done in small exhibitions or training

Best "authenticated" full squat: 930 lb (420 kg) – as a professional at Silver Springs, Maryland in 1965
Full squat: 1,206 lb (547 kg)[6]
Assisted deadlift: 1,000 lb (450 kg) (using metal hooks attached to his wrists)[6][18]
Push press: 560 lb (250 kg)[19] (off the rack)
Military press: 435 lb (197 kg)
One-arm side press: 380 lb (170 kg)[6]

lard ass

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Anderson_(weightlifter)

>1955
>Prior to Anderson's lift, the Soviet champion, Alexey Medvedev, had matched the Olympic record of the time with a 330.5 lb press. Anderson then did a 402.5 lb press. At a time when Americans were engaged in symbolic Cold War battle with the Soviet Union, Anderson's strength—and his singular, tank-like appearance became a rallying cry to all.

>The Guinness Book of World Records (1985 edition) lists his feat of lifting 6,270 pounds (2,850 kg) in a back lift as "the greatest weight ever raised by a human being". Anderson turned professional after the 1956 Summer Olympics, and so many of his feats of strength, while generally credible, were not done under rigorous enough conditions to be official.

youtube.com/watch?v=VwVozOq8myc

My dad says he saw him in person. Came to his church as a kid and hammered nails into a table with his bare hands. Then invited a bunch of young men from the audience to come sit on a table and got under it and lifted them. Don’t know what sort of lift.

>squat is 62 lbs off of current world record

there's your answer OP. they would definitely be competitive today.

they wouldnt. all of their lifts are either gimmicy trick lifts or just complete bs. none of this shit was on calibrated equipment, and none of it was recorded

>>>/reddit/
youre as bad as the fag the other day who was posting about charles bronson and push ups lmao

read the thread dumb virgin

especially with modern juices

I did. I read alot of
>(according to Anderson himself)
>This record has been expunged due to no official witness
>Cyr's feats of strength may have been exaggerated over the years

think about it you retard. whats more likely, he was stronger than all modern lifters even tho we now have drugs and better training methods. or its tall tail, exaggerated bullshit?

but, but, people back then had MUCH MUCH MUCH higher test meme!

just like your grampa who grew up on a farm, ate lard and just so happened to be able to outlift you on every lift by 100lb even tho he doesnt actually know what a deadlift is :^)

No you go back to fucking Reddit you LARPing newfag. You have the ovaries to come on here and not even know who two of the greatest classic strength icons are? Do you even lift?

I know who they are and I know theyre faggots. Ive been here much longer than you and Ive never seen them deified by Veeky Forums. only occasionally posted by some fag who gets bfto

The goalposts keep moving yet you don't? Shoo shoo, stop LARPing.

>whats more likely, he was stronger than all modern lifters even tho we now have drugs and better training methods.

nobody said they were

you would know that if you read the fucking thread instead of skimming through it, B-lining on the stuff your brain wanted to see and making your knee-jerk shitpost

>The goalposts keep moving
???
the goal posts didnt move. theyre "records" were fake and they wouldnt be able to beat modern strength athletes. thats pretty much all there is to it

>theyre "records" were fake
>theyre

promptly kill yourself

>How would these measure up against athletes of today?
>they wouldnt

I answer youre post you retard