Feats of strength
Feats of Strength are acts strongmen exhibit to showcase their great strength. They often require immense hand and finger strength, as well as core musculature. Modern feats of strength are sometimes performed in circuses or on television.
Some commons ones include:
- Coin-bending.
- Crowbar-bending.
- Tearing a phone-book in half.T
- Lifting large weights over one's head.
- Holding back pulling horses.
Some feats of strength require skill in a greater proportion than strength, whereas others are purely strength tasks.
Criss Angel performs feats of strength as part of his television show Mindfreak, although it is not clear how much of his performance is due to strength and how much due to prestidigitation.
Masculine Competition:
Feats of Strength is an annual event staged in Chicago in the month of October. Contestants, known as "Gladiators of Destiny", compete in a series of rigorous events staged throughout a one day period. The most recent Feats of Strength was held in 2006 and was known as the "Legacy of Champions". The 2006 competition was dedicated to the legacy of great champions such as David Hasselhoff and Magnus ver Magnusson. The competition is in the format of two man teams. The team names have often caused a spectacle and usually allude to pop culture references, such as movie names like Double Impact, or include famous aliases like Ron Mexico.
Events included:
- Car Push
- Hammer Throw
- Spelling Bee
- Beirut
Contestants compete for a trophy known as "The Radiant Leg of Helen", which takes the form of a common Leg Lamp. The contests seek to seperate themselves from their peers by excelling in acts of masculinity. Corporate sponsorship is currently being sought for the event.
Critiques of Feats of Strength:
While Feats of Strength has been held to near unanimous acclaim, a small but vocal group of dissenters exists. This group is composed largely of females and refer to themselves only as "The Disciples of Martha Burk". The group has made public their disapproval of what they perceive to be the perpetuation of male hegemonic ideals by the Feats of Strength.
Opponents of the "Disciples of Martha Burk" have noted that their complaints are likely staged out of jealousy of their exclusion from Feats of Strength and the competitions' doctorine decrying "Women shall be neither seen nor heard". The group has also been known to be commonly referred to as "Salty Sally's".