THE THOMAS INCH MIDDLEWEIGHT DUMBBELL
By David Horne
This article was featured in Iron Grip magazine Vol 1 # 1, Dec 2000.
The most famous of the four Thomas Inch dumbbells is the well-documented 172-pounder (2) the most known, tried and tested of its 80lb, 140lb and 153lb siblings. At one time owned by the Reg Park Company, the heaviest dumbbell has been subject to many changes of scenery: firstly living in a box inside old-time enthusiast Bert Lightfoot’s shed,(3) then passing onto David Prowse in the late sixties and finally journeying to America to reside in Kim Wood’s strength collection, alongside Apollon’s thick handled dumbbell and Joe Roark’s ‘Challenge’ dumbbell (1). Perhaps a fate not unlike the solitude of Bert’s shed has befallen the middleweight dumbbell: indeed, there has been neither sight nor sound of it since April 1958.
All four dumbbells are twenty inches in length, but the 153lb middleweight most resembles the 80lb bell in its dimensions, with a handle diameter of 2.25 inches and a circumference of 7.07 inches (2). The history of these great dumbbells begins around 1897, when a sixteen-year-old Thomas Inch ordered to be made a dumbbell, some 50lbs heavier than the 100lb factory made bell he already owned. Without consulting Inch, the foreman constructed the dumbbell with an extraordinarily thick handle, and upon receiving his goods; Inch quickly discovered the difficulty that he and many others found in lifting it. Indeed, Inch was well into his twenty-first year before he could raise this 153lb dumbbell above his head. Steadily, however, Inch’s strength grew with his stature, and at one time he stated: ‘Naturally, as I grew heavier and stronger, I had other bells made of much greater weight, so that I could challenge the world, which I did, offering £200 to anyone to lift the heaviest of my thick handled dumbbells' (4). Hence the birth of the massive 172lb Inch Dumbbell.
Around 1957, Thomas Inch presented the Middleweight Challenge Dumbbell to Tom Fenton of Cathays, Cardiff. Tom was a Physical Culture enthusiast (receiving the Inch diploma), and specialised in Yoga and muscle control. After belonging to Alban Jones’ ‘Alboss Fitness Club’ (9) for a period of time, Fenton decided to set up and run his own club from home, presumably including the Thomas Inch dumbbell in his training routines. He loaned the dumbbell to the organisers of the Mr. and Miss. Wales Display on May 25th, 1957, held at Parc and Dare Hall, Treorchy. Along with the Bodybuilding, Weightlifting and ‘Fittest Pensioner in Wales’ shows, there was to be the Thomas Inch Middleweight Challenge Dumbbell Contest. Although it was initially intended that the dumbbell should be raised in the style of a One Hand Bent Press, it was quickly discovered that many competitors were having difficulties in lifting it from the floor, let alone hoisting it above their heads. The award eventually went to George Davies of Ebbw Vale for the best attempt (8).
The letters page of the August 14th 1957 ‘Health and Strength’ magazine included mention of the Middleweight Inch Dumbbell, where Fenton posted a letter and photograph (shown above with Fenton's daughter) regarding the item (5). At the Mr. Universe contest on October 19th 1957, John Gallagher won a prize for his attempt at the Challenge dumbbell, after pulling it to thigh height (7), then Jacobus Jacobs (later backstage) lay on the floor, ‘pulled it onto his chest, stood up, and then hoisted it overhead.’ Later Jacobs contacted ‘Iron Man’ magazine disputing their claim that Inch was the only man to have lifted the bell overhead. Jacobs obviously claimed to have accomplished this feat, yet failed to mention the dumbbell he used was, in fact, 153lbs and not 172lbs, and nor did he divulge his horizontal methods of completing the task! (2)
The latest solid information available on the middleweight dumbbell is in the Reg Park Physical Culture Journal of April 1958, in a letter from L. McIntyre of High Wycombe, stating that he wished to attempt a clean and jerk of the bell, and required information regarding it. In this issue, there is a note that the 172lb dumbbell was being kept at the Reg Park warehouse, available for any modern day strongman to attempt (6).
Perhaps the last public sighting of Thomas Inch’s dumbbell was at the 1962 Cavalcade of Sport on the 16th of June, held at the Gwyn Hall, Neath. At this particular show, Mike Brown of Port Talbot won a challenge dumbbell contest as he lifted the cumbersome object about five feet from the ground. An article written depicting the contest states that: ‘...those of you who can recall a similar contest at one of our Mr. Universe shows some years ago will understand why [Mike Brown’s lift was so impressive] when I tell you the handle was 3¾ inches thick. It’s weight? That’s a secret…’ Now, if the 3¾ inch thickness of the handle stated here is incorrect, the dumbbell used could certainly have been Thomas Inch’s Middleweight Challenge Dumbbell. Nevertheless, Mike Brown’s lift is undoubtedly impressive, especially if it were with a dumbbell another 1½ inches thicker than Inch’s own (10).
Information regarding the 172lb Inch dumbbell has been in circulation since its production until today, but the fate of the 153lb Middleweight Dumbbell remains a mystery. Personally, I dread the thought that this important historical artefact may be lost in the vaults of time, and refuse to believe that such an item can simply disappear. Such a challenge as this cannot afford to be left cold and forgotten in a box in the garden shed. Surely, someone must know where it is? Please contact me if you do.
1. Hardgainer, Issue 35, March -- April 1995, vol.6, no. 5. pg 41.
2. Joe Roark’s Musclesearch, Issue 23, February – March 1989.
3. Telephone conversation with David Prowse, 1998.
4. Muscleman, August 1953. pg 41.
5. Health and Strength, August 14 1957. pgs 23/42.
6. Reg Park Physical Culture Journal, April 1958. pg 35.
7. Health and Strength, November 20 1957. pg 9.
8. Percy Hunt. The Great Mavello by Colin Spong Jones, 1999. pgs 120/121/123.
9. Health and Strength, July 4 1957. pg 25.
10. Health and Strength, July 26 1962. pg 37.
