Paul Anderson (weightlifter)

American weightlifter (1932–1994)

Paul Anderson

Personal information
Born| (1932-10-17)October 17, 1932
Toccoa, Georgia, U.S.
Died| August 15, 1994(1994-08-15) (aged 61)
Vidalia, Georgia, U.S.
Height| 5 ft 9.5 in (177 cm)
Weight| 360 lb (163 kg)
Spouse|

Glenda Garland

(m. 1959)​

Sport
Sport| Olympic weightlifting, strongman, powerlifting

Medal record

Men's weightlifting
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
| 1956 Melbourne | +90 kg
World Championships
| 1955 Munich | +90 kg
U.S. National Weightlifting Championships[1][2]
1st  | 1955  | +90kg
1st  | 1956  | +90kg

Paul Edward Anderson (October 17, 1932 - August 15, 1994) was an American weightlifter, powerlifter and strongman. He was an Olympic gold medalist, a world champion, and a two-time national champion in Olympic weightlifting.[3] Anderson contributed significantly to the development of competitive powerlifting and is widely considered one of the strongest humans in history.

## Early life

[edit]

Anderson was born in Toccoa, Georgia, the only son of Ethel Bennett and Robert Anderson. As a teenager, he began his early weight training and training on his own in his family's backyard to increase his size and strength so that he would be able to play on the Toccoa High School football team, where he earned a position as first-team blocking back.[4] He used special homemade weights that his father created out of concrete poured into a wooden form.[5] Anderson attended Furman University on a football scholarship, where he began lifting weights. He later moved to Elizabethton, Tennessee, with his parents, where he met weightlifter Bob Peoples, who would greatly influence him in squat training and introduce him into weightlifting circles.[4][6]

## Career

[edit]

In 1955, at the height of the Cold War, Anderson, as winner of the USA National Amateur Athletic Union Weightlifting Championship, traveled to the Soviet Union, where weightlifting was a popular sport, for an international weightlifting competition. In a newsreel of the event shown in the United States the narrator, Bud Palmer, commented as follows: "Then, up to the bar stepped a great ball of a man, Paul Anderson." Palmer said, "The Russians snickered as Anderson gripped the bar, which was set at 402.5 lb (182.6 kg), an unheard-of lift. But their snickers quickly changed to awe and all-out cheers as up went the bar and Anderson lifted the heaviest weight overhead of any human in history." "We rarely have such weights lifted," said the solemn Russian announcer as Anderson hoisted it in the two-hand press discipline.[7] Prior to Anderson's lift, the Soviet champion, Alexey Medvedev, had matched the Olympic record of the time with a 330.3 lb (149.8 kg) press. Anderson then did a 402.5 lb (182.6 kg) press. At a time when Americans were engaged in a symbolic Cold War battle with the Soviet Union, Anderson's strength — and his singular, tank-like appearance — became a rallying cry to all.[8]

During the 1955 World Championships in Munich, Germany, that October, Anderson went on to establish two other world records (for the press 407.7 lb (184.9 kg) and total weight cleared 1,129.5 lb (512.3 kg) for press, snatch and clean and jerk, as he easily won the competition in his weight class to become world champion. Upon his return to the United States, Anderson was received by then Vice-President Richard Nixon, who thanked him for being a goodwill ambassador.

In 1956, Anderson won a gold medal in a long, tough duel with Argentine Humberto Selvetti in the Melbourne, Australia, Olympic Games as a weightlifter in the super-heavyweight class (while suffering from a 104 °F (40 °C) fever). The two competitors were tied in the amount of weight lifted, but because Anderson, who weighed in at 137.9 kg (304 lb), was lighter than Selvetti at the time, who weighed 143.5 kg (316 lb). Anderson was awarded the gold.

Paul Anderson performing the Carousel lift, 1957

In 1958, Paul tried his hand in professional wrestling. He wrestled in Chicago most notably wrestling against Bozo Brown in the International Amphitheater on November 7, 1958.[9]

Anderson could not compete in the 1960 Olympics because he had been ruled a professional for accepting money for some of his weightlifting and strength exhibitions, including a stint in professional wrestling. Thus at the 1960 Olympics the Soviet heavyweight Yury Vlasov bested records set at the 1956 Olympics, with Anderson not competing in the contest. A short time later, however, not to be outdone by the Russian as the World's Strongest Man, Anderson lifted the same weight as Vlasov three times in quick succession, demonstrating unbelievable strength. This feat solidified his position as the most dominant lifter in the world and cemented his legacy as the strongest of the strong.[10][11][12][13]

In 1961, Anderson and his wife Glenda founded the Paul Anderson Youth Home, a home for troubled youth, in Vidalia, Georgia. They both helped to build and support the home with an average of 500 speaking engagements and strength exhibitions per year—notwithstanding the congenital chronic kidney disease that eventually killed him at age 61. He would perform stunts such as hammering a nail with his bare fist and raising a table loaded with eight men onto his back.

The Guinness Book of World Records (1985 edition) lists his feat of lifting 6,270 lb (2,840 kg) in a back lift as "the greatest weight ever raised by a human being".[12] Anderson turned professional after the 1956 Summer Olympics, and thus many of his feats of strength, while some are credible, were neither done under rigorous enough conditions to be official nor can't be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. In fact, controversy surrounding the figure in the 1985 Guinness Book led to its withdrawal in subsequent editions;[14] the currently listed Guinness record is 5,340 lb (2,420 kg) set by Gregg Ernst in 1993.[15]

## Personal life

[edit]

In 1950, Anderson married Glenda Garland. The couple were devout Christians. They had one daughter, born 1966.

While competing, Anderson weighed 275–370 lb (125–168 kg)[16] and stood between 5 feet 9.5 inches (1.77 m) and 5 feet 10.5 inches (1.79 m) tall.[17][4]

## Death

[edit]

As a child, Anderson suffered from Bright's disease (now known as chronic nephritis), a kidney disorder, and he eventually died from kidney disease on August 15, 1994, at the age of 61.[18]

## Legacy

[edit]

Anderson's true life testimony can be heard through the Unshackled! radio ministry. It was first broadcast as program number 2521 and later redramatized as program number 3478.[19] Unshackled! has also produced a comic booklet telling Anderson's story, which includes breaking a brick and stopping bank robbers.

Paul Anderson Memorial Park, located at the corner of East Tugalo Street and Big A Road in Toccoa, is named for Anderson.[20] The park features a life-size sculpture of him performing an overhead barbell lift.[21] The sculpture was created by Jerry McKenna, renowned American sculptor.

Was once a contestant on "You Bet Your Life" with Groucho Marx. Paul and his partner answered four questions correctly, winning them $1000.

In July 2019, an episode of the History Channel show The Strongest Man in History featured Paul Anderson's story and several of his historic feats of strength.

## Personal records

[edit]

### Official records

[edit]

Olympic weightlifting Done in official competition in the "no-contact" style[17][16]

* Clean and press – 408.5 lb (185.3 kg) (1955 World Championships, Munich)
* Snatch – 335 lb (152.0 kg) (1956 Senior Nationals, Philadelphia)
* Clean and jerk – 440 lb (199.6 kg) (1956 Senior Nationals, Philadelphia)
* Total – 1,175 lb (533.0 kg) (C&P: 400 lb (181.4 kg), S: 335 lb (152.0 kg), C&J: 440 lb (199.6 kg)
(1956 Senior Nationals, Philadelphia)

→ Prior to 1964 no contact between the bar and the athlete's body was permitted during the pulling phase of either the snatch or the clean. From 1964 to 1968 a "thigh brush" was allowed, and from 1969 onwards a full-contact hip bump was permitted to assist in completing the lift.[22]

### Unofficial records

[edit]

Olympic weightlifting

* Clean and press – 445 lb (201.8 kg)[23] (Public record, 1963)
* Snatch – 347 lb (157.4 kg)[23] (Public record,1961)
* Clean and Jerk – 445 lb (201.8 kg)[23] (Public record, matched on several occasions)
* Clean and press for reps – 424.25 lb (192.4 kg) for 2 reps[24] (Public record, close miss on 3rd rep, 17 May 1958)
* Continental clean and jerk – 460 lb (208.7 kg)[25] (Public record, Steve Stanczyk's strength show in Florida, 1957-1958)
* Continental clean and press – 450 lb (204.1 kg) [26]
* Push press from stands – 500 lb (226.8 kg)[23] (Performed and photographed at Muscle Beach, California, 1957)

Powerlifting

* Squat – 930 lb (421.8 kg) raw (Public record, 1965 Dallas, Texas exhibition)[27]

→ Paul's heaviest authenticated squat to depth according to Bob Peoples. According to the contest report, Paul jumped from 820 lb (371.9 kg) to 930 lb (421.8 kg), which he lifted "with no trouble at all".[25]This remained the heaviest raw squat until 1976 when Don Reinhoudt squatted 934.5 lb (423.9 kg).[28] In 1973 Reinhoudt squatted 950 lb (430.9 kg) with only a lifting belt, but it was disallowed due to depth.[29]

* Squat for reps – 900 lb (408.2 kg) for 5 reps raw (Public record, 1965 or 1966 exhibition at Silver Springs boys club)[30][31]
* Bench press – 500 lb (226.8 kg)[32] raw, paused (Training session with Doug Hepburn during production of "Once Upon a Horse.")
* Bench press – 575 lb (260.8 kg)[23] raw, touch and go (Highest number reported in contemporary articles; considered credible by Neece.)
* Deadlift – 750 lb (340.2 kg) raw without straps[23] (Public record, 1965-66. Contemporary articles reference him exceeding 800 lbs (363 kg) on several occasions.)[33]

Strongman Different sources provide different numbers on these feats.

* Oil drum squat – 1,190.5–1,230 lb (540.0–557.9 kg)[4][34]

→ Partial range of motion, performed while standing in a hole dug on ground.

* Silver dollar safe squat – 900–1,160 lb (408.2–526.2 kg) (performed at Mapes Hotel and Casino, Reno, Nevada)

→ Upon replicating the implement, it was estimated by The Strongest Man in History TV show that the weight might have been around 720 lb (326.6 kg).

* Carousel lift (hip lift) – 2,700 lb (1,224.7 kg) (performed during The Ed Sullivan Show)
* Back lift – 6,270 lb (2,844.0 kg)

→ Was ultimately removed from the Guinness book of world records in the late 1980s due to insufficient evidence.

### Claims

[edit]

Olympic weightlifting During training, according to Anderson himself[17]

* Clean and press – 485 lb (220.0 kg)
* Snatch – 375 lb (170.1 kg)
* Clean and jerk – 485 lb (220.0 kg)

Powerlifting and Strongman During training, according to other fellow lifters or Anderson himself

* Squat (personal record) – 1,206.5 lb (547.3 kg) raw (Anderson claim)
* Squat for reps – 900 lb (408.2 kg) for 10 reps raw (Claimed to have witnessed by John Grimek, date uncertain)[25]
* Squat for reps – 800 lb (362.9 kg) for 2 sets of 10 reps raw (Claimed to have witnessed by Pat Casey, 1957)[25]
* Bench press – 627 lb (284.4 kg) raw (Anderson claim)
* Power shrug – over 1,000 lb (453.6 kg)[35][36]

→ Taken from hooks attached to a specialty belt. Weight pulled from hooks 6 inches below the belt to about 6 inches above the waist.

* Deadlift – 820 lb (371.9 kg) raw[37] (Anderson claim)
* Assisted deadlift (using metal hooks attached to the wrists) – 1,000 lb (453.6 kg)[4][16](Claimed to have witnessed by Tommy Kono, date uncertain. Kono in 1992 also claimed that Anderson pulled "Nearly" 1,000 lb (453.6 kg) for reps.)[25]
* Push press (off the rack) – 545–600 lb (247.2–272.2 kg)[17] (Different sources provide different numbers. The uppermost number is claimed to have witnessed by Bob Hise, date uncertain)
* One-arm dumbbell side press – 380 lb (172.4 kg)[4] (Claimed to have witnessed by Paul Magistratte, date uncertain)

## Training routines

[edit]

The following are examples of training routines used by Anderson at various points in his life. According to Anderson's autobiography, he preferred to train at 95 percent intensity for every lift.[38]

Olympic lifting routine, prior to April 1954[17][39]

Monday-Wednesday-Friday

* Overhead press – 320 lb (145.1 kg), several sets of 2 reps
* Dumbbell press – 135 lb (61.2 kg) per hand, multiple sets of 3 reps
* Snatch – 310 lb (140.6 kg), multiple singles
* Clean – 400 lb (181.4 kg), multiple singles
* Deadlift – 690 lb (313.0 kg), 2 sets of 3 reps, raw with metal hooks to aid grip
* Clean pull to waist height – 500 lb (226.8 kg), 4 sets of 3 reps, raw with metal hooks to aid grip
* Additionally, Paul deadlifted 700 lb (317.5 kg) for a single with mixed grip as a demonstration

Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday

* Back squat – 780 lb (353.8 kg), 1 to 3 sets of 2 reps. Paul's best single at this time was 820 lb (371.9 kg)

Occasionally

* Bench press – 410 lb (186.0 kg), 3 sets of 2 reps

* Quarter squat – 1,800 lb (816.5 kg)

Power training routine circa 1955-57. Gallagher's earlier date (1955)[40] is disputed by Charles Poliquin, who places it after Paul turned professional following the 1956 Summer Olympics in December of that year.[16] This dating is supported by the fact that Paul spent much of 1954 recovering from a car accident in which he suffered a hip injury and several broken ribs[41] and Paul's own statement that he only trained the bench press regularly from 1955-1957 and again later in 1965.[42]

Monday-Wednesday-Friday

* Overhead press – 300 lb (136.1 kg) × 6 reps, 370 lb (167.8 kg) × 2 reps, 390 lb (176.9 kg) × 2 reps, 400 lb (181.4 kg) × 2 reps
* Overhead press from sticking point to lockout – 500 lb (226.8 kg) × 4 reps
* Overhead press from shoulders to top of head – 500 lb (226.8 kg) × 4 reps
* Push press – 450 lb (204.1 kg) × 3 reps
* Bench press – 400 lb (181.4 kg) to 450 lb (204.1 kg), multiple sets of 6 to 8 reps

Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday

* Back squat – 600 lb (272.2 kg), 2 sets × 10 reps, 825 lb (374.2 kg) × 2 reps, 845 lb (383.3 kg) × 2 reps, 900 lb (408.2 kg) × 2 reps
* Half squat – 1,200 lb (544.3 kg) × 2 reps
* Quarter squat – 1,800 lb (816.5 kg) × 2 reps
* Deadlift – 650 lb (294.8 kg) for 4 sets of 6 to 8 reps

Finally, Jeff Everson relates Anderson's squat training routine when Anderson was in his prime during the early 1960s, at a bodyweight of approximately 370 lb (167.8 kg):[43]

* Back squat – 600 lb (272.2 kg), 3 sets × 10 reps, 800–850 lb (362.9–385.6 kg), multiple sets of 4 to 6 reps
* Half squat – 1,200 lb (544.3 kg)
* Quarter squat – 1,500 lb (680.4 kg)

## Quotes about Anderson

[edit]

* "I could do 310 in a standing one-arm side press with a dumbbell. Paul could do it for reps with ease." [44]
– Chuck Ahrens (strongman)

* "Though I never met him personally until the Strength Symposium in Florida, I saw films of him lifting in his heyday, with such absolute ease it was astonishing. Using his strength to benefit others is something that should make all powerlifters proud. What a great benefactor to mankind."  – Ed Coan (powerlifter)

* "My love and respect for Paul runs deep. His ability to lift enormous weights in limited movements surpasses all. Those who attempt to discredit him shame our sport."  – Jon Cole (powerlifter)

* "He's the king of strength. His backlift was unbelievable. But more amazing was his total commitment as a Christian."
– Bill Kazmaier (powerlifter & strongman)

* "Paul was an inspiration to me. Some of his feats may never be surpassed."  – Don Reinhoudt (powerlifter & strongman)

* "A lot of lifters gathered at Sydney's on Santa Monica Beach near the base of the Pier. Here, as they got pissed [drunk], their stories became more and more fantastic. One heard of deltoids like watermelons and squats of a thousand pounds. This last turned out to be a solid fact for the incredible Paul Anderson. He was squatting with almost twice as much as anyone else's maximum." [45] – Oliver Sacks (powerlifter & neurologist)

* "Anderson overcame the limits of human capabilities .. I eagerly absorbed the crumbs of information about his training from the sports magazines. I tried to understand the nature of his amazing power. I did not associate it only with body weight. There should have been something in his training, different from the accepted norms." [46] – Yuri Vlasov (weightlifter)

* "Absolutely no question, Paul was the strongest of the strong. His physical deterioration and prolonged illness for the last 16 years of his life was a fate unbefitting such a great strongman and humanitarian. Paul was really a powerlifter and did the overhead lifts only because powerlifting as a sport did not exist 40 years ago. He excelled and was world and Olympic champ because he was far stronger than anyone else. When I hear people talk that a powerlifter will never win an Olympic gold medal, I tell them that Paul Anderson already did it, almost forty years ago."  – Bruce Wilhelm (strongman)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "U. S. Weightlifting Champions - Men (all weightclasses)". Hickok Sports.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2004. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
2. ^ "Olympic Weightlifting On the Web!". LiftTilyaDie.Com. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
3. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Paul Anderson". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on December 4, 2016.
4. ^ a b c d e f "American Strength Legends: Paul Anderson". Samson-power.com. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
5. ^ Bisher, Furman (October 8, 1955). "The Strongest Man on Earth". The Saturday Evening Post. Vol. 228, no. 15\. p. 96. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
6. ^ Poliquin, Charles (April 2012). "Squat or Deadlift?". Flex. Vol. 30, no. 4. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
7. ^ "Moscow Marvel". Time. Vol. 65, no. 26\. June 27, 1955. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
8. ^ Morais, Dominic G. (2013). "Lifting the Iron Curtain: Paul Anderson and the Cold War's First Sport Exchange". Iron Game History. Vol. 12, no. 2\. p. 33. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
9. ^ "Bozo Brown vs Paul Anderson". June 27, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2024 - via YouTube.
10. ^ "Insane lifts by paul aderson". Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
11. ^ "Paul Anderson at the Lift Up Hall of Fame". Chidlovski.net. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
12. ^ a b "American Strength Legends: Paul Anderson". Samson-power.com. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
13. ^ "Welcome thealphaproject.org - BlueHost.com". Thealphaproject.org. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
14. ^ "Paul Anderson's June 12, 1957 Backlift" (PDF). Starkcenter.org. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
15. ^ "Log in". Guinness World Records. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
16. ^ a b c d "The Strength Legacy of Strongman Paul Anderson". March 24, 2012. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
17. ^ a b c d e "Paul Anderson: Superman from the South" by Jim Murray Starkcenter.org
18. ^ Thomas, Robert McG. (August 16, 1994). "Paul Anderson Is Dead at 61; Was 'World's Strongest Man'". The New York Times. p. B 10. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
19. ^ "Paul Anderson", Unshackled!. Pacific Garden Mission. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
20. ^ "Paul Anderson Memorial Park". Retrieved June 4, 2016.
21. ^ "Paul Anderson - Toccoa, GA - Statues of Historic Figures on Waymarking.com". Waymarking.com. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
22. ^ Winter, Gregor (May 5, 2012). "History of Weightlifting Bar Contact Rules". All Things Gym. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
23. ^ a b c d e f Neece, Steve (1992). "Paul Anderson's claims". The Tight Tan Slacks of Dezso Ban. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
24. ^ Roark, Joe (June 2001). "Ironclad: Paul Anderson's June 12, 1957 Backlift" (PDF). Iron Game History. Vol. 7, no. 1\. p. 34.
25. ^ a b c d e Wilhelm, Bruce (April 1993). "Paul Anderson: Force of Nature". Milo. Vol. 1, no. 1\. p. 11.
26. ^ Van Vleck, Tom (September 15, 2011). "Rules for the Anderson Press". Retrieved September 25, 2024.
27. ^ David Chapman (August 1994). "Paul Anderson 1932-1994" (PDF). Iron Game History. Vol. 3, no. 4\. p. 3.
28. ^ "900 Pound Unequipped Squat Hall of Fame | Powerlifting Watch". Archived from the original on November 7, 2006.
29. ^ Murray, R. L. (2014). "The Great Don Reinhoudt" (PDF). Power. Vol. 5, no. 1\. p. 30.
30. ^ Gallagher, Marty. The Purposeful Primitive. p. 50. Link. Retrieved 21 Sept. 2024
31. ^ Gallagher, Marty (May 7, 2022). "Gallagher's GOAT - Top Ten Greatest Powerlifts Of All Time". ironcompany.com. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
32. ^ Hepburn, Doug. "Doug Hepburn lifts against Paul Anderson". Retrieved September 26, 2024.
33. ^ Carroll, Jay. "Deadlift Your Way to Back Power". The Tight Tan Slacks of Dezso Ban. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
34. ^ Perine, Shawn (2015). "The 10 Strongest Humans Ever to Walk the Earth". Muscle & Fitness. Vol. 76, no. 3. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
35. ^ Anderson, Paul. "How I Developed My Pulling Power". The Tight Tan Slacks of Dezso Ban. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
36. ^ Anderson, Paul. "The Big Pull". The Tight Tan Slacks of Dezso Ban. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
37. ^ Simmons, Louie (December 2013). "Don't Deadlift". Flex. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
38. ^ Neece, Steve (1992). "Paul Anderson's claims". The Tight Tan Slacks of Dezso Ban. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
39. ^ "A Paul Anderson Power Training Routine". The Tight Tan Slacks of Dezso Ban. February 11, 2008. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
40. ^ Gallagher, Marty. The Purposeful Primitive. pp. 52–53. Link. Retrieved 21 Sept. 2024
41. ^ Morais, Dominic; Todd, Jan (February–March 2013). "Lifting the Iron Curtain: Paul Anderson and the Cold War's First Sport Exchange" (PDF). Iron Game History. Vol. 12, no. 2\. p. 25.
42. ^ Todd, Terry; Anderson, Paul (1972). "Developing Size and Strength: The Bench Press". The Tight Tan Slacks of Dezso Ban. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
43. ^ Everson, Jeff (1985). "Paul Anderson". The Tight Tan Slacks of Dezso Ban. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
44. ^ "Bodybuilding & Weightlifting Books". Super Strength Training. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
45. ^ Sacks, Oliver (October 2015). "Mind Over Muscle". Muscle & Fitness. Vol. 116. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
46. ^ Kalinina, Elena (June 5, 2022) https://gorenka.org/6474/ Власов Ю.П. Стечение сложных обстоятельств. gorenka.org.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Anderson, Paul (with Jerry B. Jenkins). The World's Strongest Man. Victor Books, Wheaton, IL. 1975 ISBN 0-88207-651-5.
* Barnett, Bob (1968). "The Uplifting Story of Paul Anderson". The Saturday Evening Post. Vol. 260, no. 8\. p. 58. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
* Fair, John D. "Paul Anderson (1932-1994)". New Georgia Encyclopedia. 20 April 2016. Web. 1 June 2016.
* Ryan, Thomas P. "Paul Anderson: The Story of the "World's Strongest Man"". GeorgiaInfo: an Online Georgia Almanac. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
* Strossen, Randal J. Paul Anderson: The Mightiest Minister. Ironmind Enterprises, Inc., Nevada City, CA 1999 ISBN 0-926888-08-0.

## External links

[edit]

* Paul Anderson at Olympics.com
* Paul Anderson at Olympic.org (archived)
* Paul Anderson at Olympedia
* Paul Anderson at Lift Up
* Paul Anderson at the Lift Up Hall of Fame
* The Paul Anderson Youth Home
* Paul Anderson Memorial Park
* Article on Anderson by Clarence Bass
* Article on Anderson at the Univ. of Georgia website
* Unshackled!
* Paul Anderson at Weightlifting Exchange
* You Bet Your Life - The Secret Word Is...Money \- Paul Anderson as contestant. Hulu.com. NBC Films. Airdate October 19, 1956
* Dear Paul. Wish you were here / Baldy. "Dear Paul. Wish you were here", 1958, editorial cartoon by Clifford H. Baldowski, Clifford H. Baldowski Editorial Cartoon Collection, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, presented in the Digital Library of Georgia.

* v
* t
* e

Olympic Champions in Weightlifting – Men's Heavyweight

* 1920:  Filippo Bottino (ITA)
* 1924:  Giuseppe Tonani (ITA)
* 1928:  Josef Straßberger (GER)
* 1932:  Jaroslav Skobla (TCH)
* 1936:  Josef Manger (GER)
* 1948:  John Davis (USA)
* 1952:  John Davis (USA)
* 1956:  Paul Anderson (USA)
* 1960:  Yury Vlasov (URS)
* 1964:  Leonid Zhabotinsky (URS)
* 1968:  Leonid Zhabotinsky (URS)
* 1972:  Jaan Talts (URS)
* 1976:  Yury Zaitsev (URS)
* 1980:  Leonid Taranenko (URS)
* 1984:  Norberto Oberburger (ITA)
* 1988:  Yury Zakharevich (URS)
* 1992:  Ronny Weller (GER)
* 1996:  Timur Taymazov (UKR)
* 2000:  Hossein Tavakkoli (IRI)
* 2004:  Dmitry Berestov (RUS)
* 2008:  Andrei Aramnau (BLR)
* 2012:  Navab Nassirshalal (IRI)
* 2016:  Ruslan Nurudinov (UZB)
* 2020:  Akbar Djuraev (UZB)
* 2024:  Liu Huanhua (CHN)

* +82.5 kg (1920–1948)
* +90 kg (1952–1968)
* 110 kg (1972–1992)
* 108 kg (1996)
* 105 kg (2000–2016)
* 109 kg (2020)
* +102 kg (2024–)

* v
* t
* e

World Champions in Weightlifting – Men's Heavyweight

* 1891:  Edward Lawrence Levy (GBR)
* 1898:  Wilhelm Türk (AUT)
* 1899:  Sergey Yeliseyev (RUS)
* 1903:  François Lancoud (SUI)
* 1904:  Josef Steinbach (AUT)
* 1905 (I):  Josef Steinbach (AUT)
* 1905 (II):  Josef Steinbach (AUT)
* 1905 (III):  Émile Schweitzer (FRA)
* 1906:  Heinrich Schneidereit (GER)
* 1907:  Heinrich Rondi (GER)
* 1908:  Josef Grafl (AUT)
* 1909:  Josef Grafl (AUT)
* 1910 (I):  Josef Grafl (AUT)
* 1910 (II):  Josef Grafl (AUT)
* 1911 (I):  Josef Grafl (AUT)
* 1911 (II):  Karl Swoboda (AUT)
* 1911 (III):  Berthold Tandler (AUT)
* 1911 (IV):  Karl Swoboda (AUT)
* 1913:  Josef Grafl (AUT)
* 1920:  Karl Mörke (GER)
* 1922:  Harald Tammer (EST)
* 1923:  Franz Aigner (AUT)
* 1937:  Josef Manger (GER)
* 1938:  Josef Manger (GER)
* 1946:  John Davis (USA)
* 1947:  John Davis (USA)
* 1949:  John Davis (USA)
* 1950:  John Davis (USA)
* 1951:  John Davis (USA)
* 1953:  Doug Hepburn (CAN)
* 1954:  Norbert Schemansky (USA)
* 1955:  Paul Anderson (USA)
* 1957:  Aleksey Medvedev (URS)
* 1958:  Aleksey Medvedev (URS)
* 1959:  Yury Vlasov (URS)
* 1961:  Yury Vlasov (URS)
* 1962:  Yury Vlasov (URS)
* 1963:  Yury Vlasov (URS)
* 1964:  Leonid Zhabotinsky (URS)
* 1965:  Leonid Zhabotinsky (URS)
* 1966:  Leonid Zhabotinsky (URS)
* 1968:  Leonid Zhabotinsky (URS)
* 1969:  Bob Bednarski (USA)
* 1970:  Jaan Talts (URS)
* 1971:  Yury Kozin (URS)
* 1972:  Jaan Talts (URS)
* 1973:  Pavel Pervushin (URS)
* 1974:  Valery Ustyuzhin (URS)
* 1975:  Valentin Hristov (BUL)
* 1976:  Yury Zaitsev (URS)
* 1977:  Valentin Hristov (BUL)
* 1978:  Yury Zaitsev (URS)
* 1979:  Sergey Arakelov (URS)
* 1980:  Leonid Taranenko (URS)
* 1981:  Valery Kravchuk (URS)
* 1982:  Sergey Arakelov (URS)
* 1983:  Vyacheslav Klokov (URS)
* 1984:  Norberto Oberburger (ITA)
* 1985:  Yury Zakharevich (URS)
* 1986:  Yury Zakharevich (URS)
* 1987:  Yury Zakharevich (URS)
* 1989:  Stefan Botev (BUL)
* 1990:  Stefan Botev (BUL)
* 1991:  Artur Akoyev (URS)
* 1993:  Timur Taymazov (UKR)
* 1994:  Timur Taymazov (UKR)
* 1995:  Ihor Razoronov (UKR)
* 1997:  Cui Wenhua (CHN)
* 1998:  Ihor Razoronov (UKR)
* 1999:  Denys Hotfrid (UKR)
* 2001:  Vladimir Smorchkov (RUS)
* 2002:  Denys Hotfrid (UKR)
* 2003:  Said Saif Asaad (QAT)
* 2005:  Dmitry Klokov (RUS)
* 2006:  Marcin Dołęga (POL)
* 2007:  Andrei Aramnau (BLR)
* 2009:  Marcin Dołęga (POL)
* 2010:  Marcin Dołęga (POL)
* 2011:  Khadzhimurat Akkaev (RUS)
* 2013:  Ruslan Nurudinov (UZB)
* 2014:  Ilya Ilyin (KAZ)
* 2015:  Alexandr Zaichikov (KAZ)
* 2017:  Ali Hashemi (IRI)
* 2018:  Simon Martirosyan (ARM)
* 2019:  Simon Martirosyan (ARM)
* 2021:  Akbar Djuraev (UZB)
* 2022:  Ruslan Nurudinov (UZB)
* 2023:  Akbar Djuraev (UZB)

* Open (1891–1904)
* +80 kg (1905–1913)
* +82.5 kg (1920–1950)
* +90 kg (1951–1968)
* 110 kg (1969–1991)
* 108 kg (1993–1997)
* 105 kg (1998–2017)
* 109 kg (2018–)

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* FAST
* WorldCat

National|

* United States

Other|

* SNAC

*[m.]: married
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