Sri Chinmoy began his weightlifting career on June 26th, 1985, at the age of 53, by lifting a 40-pound dumbbell overhead from the ground with his right arm. By September that year, Sri Chinmoy was able to clean and press 85 pounds, but his bad back and injured knee were making this lift increasingly difficult. He asked one of his assistants if an apparatus could be made to hold the dumbbell, and so was born “The Cage.” By April 1986, Sri Chinmoy was lifting 210 pounds from the cage. On August 11th, 1986, on his 214th attempt, he lifted 303-1/4 pounds. Over the next five months, the weight increased in 50-pound increments, then 100 pounds at a time. By November 27th, its weight was such that the entire bar bent under the strain; from then a truss was attached along the top of the giant dumbbell to keep it rigid.
“A man of belief
Compels the impossibility-tiger
To sit at his feet.”
– Sri Chinmoy
This post is taken from a series of displays made to commemorate Sri Chinmoy’s 25th lifting anniversary in June 2010.