What Was The First Barbell Ever Made And Is It Used Today?

Whilst strength training has existed in one form or another since the dawn of time, techniques, equipment and methodology have all evolved around that time.

The modern barbell is specially designed for lifting, being thick enough and strong enough to hold the rubber bumper plates typically fitted to it, and yet has sleeves that smoothly rotate and a capacity to store some elastic energy in order to make it safer and more consistent.

Despite the relatively ancient origins of resistance exercise, this revolving barbell was first devised in 1908 by the German inventor Franz Veltum.

However, nearly two decades before this, a very early progenitor of the barbell was designed, made for and named after one of history’s most famous early strongmen, and the influence of both Apollon and his Axle cannot be underestimated.

To understand why, we need to explain who Apollon was, why he mattered, and separate history from mythology.

Who Was Apollon?

Born Louis Uni in Marsillargues, France, Apollon the Mighty was born into a family of giants and ran away from home at the age of 14 to join the circus, becoming a strongman not long after that despite attempts by the police to return him to his parents.

He eventually adopted the name Apollon, after the Greek god of the same name, and was claimed to be a descendant of an undefeated gladiator of Ancient Rome, with the most powerful arms, hands and wrists of any competing strongman at the time.

This was part of the reason why he managed to not only become a hugely popular strongman at such a young age; his sheer strength meant that he could accomplish extraordinary feats of strength with little training.

By the 1880s, by which point he had started to train further, he was known for breaking the bars of iron cages and specialised in lifting weights that were seemingly too thick and too awkward for other strength athletes of the day.

Most famously, he easily lifted a 118 kg (260 lb) set of train car wheels and accompanying axle in a competition with fellow strongman Batta, who could only lift it to his shoulders due to the issues he had with grasping the thicker bar.

He would continue to perform as a strongman into his 60s, his career only interrupted by an unfortunate accident trying to pull back two motorcars, which tore his muscles and caused him to fall to the ground in pain.

However, his legacy would be linked to the Axle, which bears his name, leaving a legacy that remains even a century after his death.

What Was Apollon’s Axle?

Inspired by his success lifting actual train car axles, Apollon commissioned an especially thick barbell that was 49.3mm in diameter, with two 26-inch railway wheels attached to it for a total combined weight of 166 kg.

The sheer size and weight of Apollon’s Axle, as well as its unusual shape and weight distribution, have made it a fascinating part of weightlifting folklore akin to the Atlas Stones or the Dinnie Stones, aided as much by mythology as history.

The earlier story of his lifts against Batta is often conflated with Apollon’s Axle, but there is no proof that he ever performed a challenge lift with the axle himself, with his heaviest confirmed lift believed to be 155 kg. Despite this, they were commonly displayed in his act.

It is considered to be amongst the most difficult challenges in weightlifting, less because of the weight itself and more because of its distribution and the bar itself.

The bar is almost two inches thick and completely smooth, with no rotational force at all. This makes it far more difficult to get an effective grip.

Who Has Lifted Apollon’s Axle?

Four years after Apollon died, Charles Rigoulet became the first man to lift Apollon’s Axle in an approved meet, doing so on 3rd March 1930. 

Nearly two decades later, John Davis would become the second in 1949, with Norb Schemansky being the third and last to lift the original wheels in 1954.

In 2002, the Arnold Strongman Classic was held for the first time, and as part of the festivities, the Axle was replicated, and modern weightlifters had a chance to try and lift it. 

Famously, weightlifting world record holder, former Olympian and professional wrestler Mark Henry was the first to lift it overhead, with eight others doing so between 2002 and 2009.

It is an incredible feat, but part of the reason why this is the case is that it highlights just how much has changed in a century of weightlifting.