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jogill
climber
Colorado
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 27, 2012 - 01:05am PT
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Jasper Benincasa, legendary gymnastic strength athlete, passed away last week at the age of 90. Jasper’s amazing feats and his helpful nature inspired generations of bodyweight enthusiasts in the NYC area. He had a diverse career, working the high steel on one hand and joining a circus as well.
I was told he would finish the day on a high rise project by doing a hand traverse on an I-beam, performing one-arm pull-ups as he went. According to David Willoughby in his book Super Athletes, Benincasa could do 14 consecutive one-arm pull-ups with either arm, although other sources claimed he could do more.
Once, in Madison Square Garden, he climbed a rope in the front lever position, to a wildly cheering crowd. The actor Rex Harrison wanted Jasper to climb a rope holding Harrison’s wife between his legs, but he declined to do so.
As in climbing, at some point myth overtakes reality and it is difficult to separate the two. However, some of Jasper’s performances were recorded on film, including the lever he claimed was his hardest: the CTI (close to impossible). He insisted on doing it on a horizontal bar rather than the rings, where it might have appeared as a half-way point when moving from a Victorian to a regular front lever. The Victorian was a move I visualized 50 years ago, but could only pull into it for about a half second, finally concluding it was beyond me. 30 years later it was finally done during a still ring routine, and remains about the toughest lever ever (apart from the CTI).
Jasper and I could each do a one-finger one-arm lever, but he left me in the dust with his other feats. It is said he could early on do more than 100 consecutive pull-ups, but abandoned them quickly as too boring. He is said to have climbed a 20 foot rope in 2.4 seconds, but missed reaching the tambourine at the top by an inch. The record, established in the 1950s, remains 2.8 seconds. One starts from a seated position on the floor. I never broke the 3 second barrier, coming in at 3.4 seconds in 1957.
Some of you will find this report interesting, while others might suffer ennui. Rock climbing and gymnastic feats, while not mutually exclusive, stem from different athletic perspectives. As a climber you want to execute a move as efficiently, as economically as possible – hence the androgynous nature of the sport – while strength feats are goals within themselves and are dramatically inefficient, though impressive. I became entranced with both climbing and strength feats years ago, and now find that my remaining strength provides a nice athletic outlet that still gives pleasure.
On my website, there is a long section devoted to these kinds of things, with various “records”. As I gathered data I was impressed with the bodyweight strength of several heavy athletes, and decided to make a simple adjustment for weight specifically for one-arm pull-ups. However, it is impossible to circumvent the “mouse/elephant effect”, even with simple math: I decided to rank athletes performing this feat by simply multiplying the number of one-arm chins done consecutively times the weight of the athlete, then divide by 100. With my seven pull-ups and 180 pounds I gathered a score of 12.6, but Jasper at 130 pounds and 14 chins earns an 18.2 (or higher, depending on who you believe!)
Some of you might recall the circus performer Lillian Lietzel who was rumored to have done 22 in a row while warming up for a photographer in Philadelphia in 1919. Athletic historians are prone to discard this “record” since Lietzel kipped everything she did and undoubtedly kipped those 22 as well.
Jasper liked to talk about a “One-arm Chinning Club” that anyone who had done at least one was automatically a member. Any members on this thread? Several websites are considering a pull-up day on March 25th, Jasper’s birthday, to celebrate his life and accomplishments. Just do a pull-up and contact the site for recognition. A day or so before, I will post a thread here on ST to remind you. If you think you might join in, post a comment here!
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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Jan 27, 2012 - 01:13am PT
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wow, john, i didn't know he was still alive. he looks great in that pic of him at 89.
another of those tough little italian guys. how tall was he?
i like his haircut in that 1948 pic. pomp in front. probably a boston in the back.
(my barber is another of those tough little italian guys. he's 81 and all he talks about when i go in are his rental properties, the girls in lycra heading to the studio next door, and muscle boats.)
and i'm in for pullup day 3/25. i'll do at least one one-arm. or maybe at least two pullups in a front lever. so long as i get to straddle the lever.
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matty
Trad climber
under the sea
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Jan 27, 2012 - 04:10am PT
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I found it interesting. Thank you for the words John. I never heard of the man until now. I like your ranking system. As am fellow math teacher I see the appeal.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Jan 27, 2012 - 08:45am PT
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Can you describe a victorian front lever ? A CTI? I'll look at your site. I'm in for 3/25
Jaybro, 9 in my prime!
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Jan 27, 2012 - 09:56am PT
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I have never been able to do a 1-arm . Only Cdn climber I knew who could do that was Hamish Fraser. Fiercely strong !!!
Actually, you know two Cdn climbers who could do one arm pullups.
I worked for a while in a climbing/bike/ski shop in a building that had a really high ceiling in one area. I hung two aiders (end-to-end) from the top and would work out on them. Started by doing pullups with my hands in different steps to stress one arm more than the other, and gradually just diminished the amount of pull in the lower arm. Eventually I could climb the aiders -- probably ten steps total -- doing alternate strict one-arms.
Despite this, I could somehow never climb as well as Hamish.
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blahblah
Gym climber
Boulder
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Jan 27, 2012 - 12:12pm PT
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I did a 1-arm several times off of a hangboard jug--you sort of twist around so you are not in exactly the same position that you are in when you do a regular (2-arm) pull-up.
At the time, I was capable of mid-11 sport climbs max, and never got too much better.
There was clearly almost no correlation between 1-arms and being a good climber, at least in my case. And as doing them made me feel like my arm may rip out of my body, I only did them a few times, in my mid-20s, and then quit forever.
Still, bump this thread on pullup day and I'll try to do a few (regulars).
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Todd Eastman
climber
Bellingham, WA
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Jan 27, 2012 - 01:15pm PT
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I used to be able to do several one-arms. What was also fun was doing pinch pull-ups on 2X6s; rough cut was much easier...
Funny, the boulder problems seemed easier back then!
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Jan 27, 2012 - 01:25pm PT
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Wow -- I can see how he must have inspired you, just as you inspired my generation. What an athlete!
Thanks for the post, even if it isn't happy news.
John
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Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Joshua Tree
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Jan 27, 2012 - 01:27pm PT
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Can you describe a victorian front lever ?
Full tilt sickness, the frenchie who did one (actually two, in the same routine) in the '08 Olympics:
[Click to View YouTube Video]
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Jan 27, 2012 - 01:55pm PT
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Got it, El cap.
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Double D
climber
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Jan 27, 2012 - 01:59pm PT
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Wow, thanks for posting John. I'm always amazed at the limits, or lack thereof, that are possible on pure strength.
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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Jan 27, 2012 - 02:04pm PT
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cool vid, tarek.
although i dont know about that guy's pants.
he's getting a lot of rotation coming down on those single-finger chins-- looked fairly dangerous.
and will beat me to the danny r video. the maltese/victorian/cross combo is amazing.
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tarek
climber
berkeley
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Jan 27, 2012 - 03:20pm PT
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Yeah, Kerwin, he didn't get the leg wear memo. Dude weighes about what Benincasa weighed, but I'm most impressed by his seeming lack of muscle. Some people just have better wiring.
That 1-arm back lever by Benincasa is quite a feat--cool photo.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Pebble Wrestling.... Badly lately.
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Jan 27, 2012 - 04:49pm PT
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Reminds me of Waugh in his 20s - he could do about 13 with his right arm and weighed about 130 too, 7 or 8 with his left.
I was good for one or two with either arm. Now I am good for one or two with both arms...
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jogill
climber
Colorado
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 27, 2012 - 09:43pm PT
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In a tragic effort to salvage my self-esteem I devised an equation for equivalancies between performances like regular pull-ups or one-arm pullups that shows what you might have been able to accomplish at an earlier age given what you can now do. I used the rough guide of percentage decline of strength from age 30 to age 80 in a composition of a simple quadratic function and an exponential function to arrive at equivalancies:
For example, if you can do 15 pull-ups at the age of 60, how does this compare with what you might have done at age 30? Answer: 15 X 1.683 = 25+
Here are the conversion factors (to age 30) for 5-year intervals:
Age 40: 1.115
Age 45: 1.195
Age 50: 1.304
Age 55: 1.459
Age 60: 1.683
Age 65: 2.014
Age 70: 2.516
Age 75: 3.302
Age 80: 4.681
How do you stack up in regular pull-ups? I'm doing between 15 and 20 consecutive right now (age 75 in a month), so I could have done 50 - 66 BITD! (which I never did, having given up these in my early 20s) ;>)
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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Jan 27, 2012 - 09:52pm PT
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I'm doing between 15 and 20 right now
wow. yr shoulders are obviously feeling better.
i went through a brief period where i did lots of regular chins. never did more than forty five or so in a single set (cant remember the exact number-- didnt make it to fifty, though.)
when i was living in kits beach in vancouver i used to go down to the park and there was a group of folks who met there pretty often to work out on the rings and do pyramids on the bar. the idea was one chin, then two and so on up to ten, then work back down. usually seven or six on the way back down was a sticking point.
the twist was defining the kind of pull-up for each run. if we started with one arms, we could clear the circle pretty quick, then go to ultra-wide grips.
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jogill
climber
Colorado
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 27, 2012 - 09:56pm PT
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wow. yr shoulders are obviously feeling better
Interesting I can still do these kinds of things with absolutely no cartilage in the shoulders, but can't climb due to the inflammation and pain of small muscles around the shoulder. Weird.
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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Jan 27, 2012 - 10:08pm PT
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yeah, it's funny how specific pain/injuries can be.
pullups and peakbagging isnt a bad combo, though. ive been thinking about it as a change of pace.
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Patrick Oliver
Boulder climber
Fruita, Colorado
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Jan 28, 2012 - 01:21am PT
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John Gill is my friend and inspiration, the best person I know.
Remember, he developed his strength in large part on his own, and
in some part as a god-given gift. He climbed beyond others
in the late 1950's, though at that time the establishment
thought his climbing was insignificant. As
he humbly notes, his relatively large physical stature made
some feats quite interesting. I have always admired larger people,
such as John and John Long, that they are able to develop so much
strength. It's so much easier to climb, when one is light. I have told
that story of Eric Varney, who strolled up to the Red Wall on
Flagstaff as a total beginner.... He was about 80 pounds, thin as
a string bean, but tall, and onsighted what is now
called "the Varney Direct,"
still somewhat of a testpiece. He didn't know what he was doing but
didn't need to, it was so easy to lift his body. He saw some of us
climb and simply tried it himself. Later he simply went on to other
things. That Gill should take a second longer than the
strength master, on the rope... well, there is a big
difference in body size there.
Rich Borgman is another climber so light he almost floated,
if his shoes weren't weighted. The only difference between Rich and
Eric is that Rich had tremendous climbing ability and was a master,
John Gill's main Fort Collins partner.... I competed with Rich in
a gymnastic meet in Boulder in 1967 or '68, and he threw his body
around the side-horse as though gravity had ceased. I was always
too heavy... even when I was the lightest I was, back then... But
in gymnastics one could lose his routine if he gained a pound. I
sometimes did, however, eat a spaghetti dinner before a meet, and
certainly a few minutes before I made the first ascent of
"Ament's Arete" in Yosemite. That rush of happiness from my
favorite food... made certain things possible.
(Update)
I wanted to have the second Gill film out by now, but at the last
second, when it was edited and ready I had a catastrophic failure
of the program, where I almost lost everything, even backup stuff,
after a couple hundred hours of editing to make one of the best
works I've ever done.
I'm still sorting it out. For a month I have done nothing but
try to get it all back together, often staying up all night
and currently beyond total exhaustion. Now, as I thought
I had made some headway... some new complications...
Thanks to those who put in orders, thanks for your patience. I hope to
resolve things, or just finally I will give up, within... two weeks.
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