Siegmund Klein

Siegmund Klein (April 10, 1902 – May 24, 1987) was a German-American strongman, bodybuilder, magazine publisher, and gymnasium owner prominent in physical culture. He was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 2006.

Early life "Sig" Klein was born in 1902 in Toruń, Germany (now within Poland), and his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio a year later. A reader of strength magazines, and admirer of his father's muscular arms, Klein began his own weight training at age 12 with an improvised use of window counterweights. By age 17, he was training with a standard set of 100-pound barbells.

Gymnasiums in New York In 1924, Klein arrived in New York City and arranged to take over operation of a gymnasium previously owned by Louis Attila, the inventor of the bent press weight training exercise and trainer of pioneering bodybuilder Eugen Sandow. Klein met and later married Attila's daughter Grace. At only by , Klein's "Physical Culture Studio" became one of the most well-known gyms in the U.S. in the 1940s and 1950s, and many photo shoots for Joe Weider's magazines were conducted there. He closed his gym for the first time in November 1968 to attend Bob Hoffman's 70th birthday party; it closed permanently after 48 years of operation (circa 1974),

Later life and legacy The organization that became the Association of Oldtime Barbell and Strongmen (AOBS) began with Vic Boff, Leo Murdock, and others putting together a surprise 80th birthday party for Klein in 1982. The strong interest by attendees at this and several followup events solidified the formation of a group that honors old time champions and preserves weightlifting history.

Klein died of cancer in 1987 at age 85, survived by his wife and a daughter. He is described in Arnold Schwarzenegger's Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding as a pioneer in giving value to physique, beyond strength alone, as a demonstration of physical health.