USAWA

by Al Myers

George Dick, of Scotland, performing the One Arm Hack Lift at the 2009 IAWA World Championships in Lebanon, PA. George will be in attendance this weekend at the 2012 Championships.

This lift is the “one arm” version of the Hack Lift.  It requires great gripping strength, much like the One Arm Deadlift.

The IAWA Rules for this lift are:

C11. ONE HAND HACKLIFT

The rules of performance for the hacklift apply, except that the entire lift will be performed with one hand, the choice of hand is down to the lifter, but it can not be changed during the lift.

Causes for Failure:
1. Failure to use one hand to complete the lift (the same hand throughout).
2. All other causes for failure are the same as for the hacklift.

C10. HACKLIFT

The rules of performance for the deadlift apply, except that the bar will be placed behind the lifter, and will remain behind throughout the lift. The bar may touch the calves and upper legs as it rises. The bar should be raised in one movement, but should the bar bind against the upper legs it is permissible for the bar to stop while a hip adjustment is made, so long as the bar does not lower during that adjustment.

Causes for Failure:
1. Any lowering of the bar during the lift, as the lifter adjusts, to free from binding on the back of the legs.
2. Raising the bar in a series of jerky, pull movements.
3. All other causes for failure are the same as for the deadlift.

This lift was contested at the past USAWA National Championship.  Some discussion was done after the meet regarding a rule violation that was being allowed in some instances, which involves the bar remaining “behind throughout the lift”.  It is a natural tendency for the bar to want to rotate forward to the side of the arm being used, which makes this a judgement call on the part of the official as to whether it remains behind the lifter .  Some leeway must be given, but this lift is a One Arm Hacklift, not a One Arm Side Bend.  My feeling on making “this call” is the front of a lifters body.  If it rotates forward just slightly, but the bar end is NOT IN FRONT of the lifter then it is a legal lift. Also, the bar must remain behind the lifter THROUGHOUT the lift, thus not allowed to rotate too far forward and then be rotated back into legal position.  This point will be emphasized on meet day.

Another rule infraction that often happens is not standing upright at the end of the lift  (which is different from the One Arm Deadlift).  Since the rules of the Hack Lift apply (which references the rules of the deadlift), a lifter must be standing upright at the completion of the lift.

by Al Myers

Scott Campbell performing a Fulton Bar Snatch at a past Dino Gym Challenge. This is the picture of this lift in the USAWA Rulebook.

Day two of the 2012 IAWA World Championships will “kick off” with the Fulton Bar Snatch. There are some differences in how the IAWA names lifts using the 2 inch non-revolving bar.  IAWA usually uses the description as “2 Inch Bar”  for most 2″ axle lifts whereas the USAWA identifies these lifts as the “Fulton Bar” lifts.   IAWA has only four lifts where the Fulton name is used: One Hand Fulton Deadlift, Two Hands Fulton Deadlift, One Hand Fulton Deadlift,  and the Two Hands Fulton DBell Deadlift.  The Two Hands Fulton Deadlift is done with an overhand grip, ie the same lift as the USAWA’s Deadlift – Fulton Bar, Ciavattone Grip.

The IAWA Rules for the Two Hands Snatch – 2 Inch Bar is:

F21. TWO HANDS SNATCH – 2 INCH BAR  

The rules of performance for the two hands snatch apply, except that the lift is performed using a 2 inch diameter bar. The bar does not have to be the same length as a standard barbell, either between the inside collars or the overall length.
Causes for Failure:    
1. The causes for failure are the same as for the snatch, except that a 2 inch bar is used.

At the Championships this weekend, an IronMind Apollon’s Axle will be used for this lift.  It weighs 15 kilograms. The rules are identical between IAWA and the USAWA for this lift.

by Al Myers

Chad Ullom (left) VERSUS Eric Todd (right) in a Neck Lift Challenge! Will one of these SUPERMEN exceed the 1000 pound barrier?

We are in for a SPECIAL TREAT this weekend at the 2012 IAWA World Championships. The two best Neck Lifters in the WORLD have agreed to have a duel – a NECK LIFT SHOWDOWN! Last year at the 2011 USAWA Heavy Lift Championships in York, PA, Chad Ullom became the first man to exceed 900 pounds in the Neck Lift with a lift of 900.  Then this year at the USAWA Heavy Lift Championships in Bowling Green, OH  Eric “ET” Todd broke Chad’s record with a outstanding 905 pound effort.  However, ET’s record didn’t last long, as Chad upped it to 915 pounds at a record day in the Dino Gym this summer.  Well, that didn’t set well with Eric so this challenge was issued! (ok…in reality I set it all up, but it sounds better this way!!!!).  Both of these guys are “on the hunt” to be the first man to break the magical 1000 pound barrier.  Maybe this challenge on this big International stage will bring it out in them?  This will be a good ole’ fashioned ONE ON ONE DUEL, reminiscent of past circus shows between strongmen. 

The greatest Neck Lifter in HISTORY Frank Ciavattone will be on hand to be the head official for this duel.  Frank holds the Guinness WORLD RECORD in the Neck Lift at 808# under the strict judging criteria of Guinness.  This is the link to Frank’s Guinness World Record:  http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records-4000/heaviest-weight-lifted-by-neck/ .  This battle will occur right after the finish of Sunday’s competition, while the meets scores are being tabulated. It is something that you will NOT WANT TO MISS!!

by Al Myers

STEINBORN LIFT

The “finale lift” on DAY ONE  of the IAWA World Championships is the Steinborn Lift.  The Steinborn Lift has a long standing history as a competitive lift with the IAWA.  It has been often contested at World Championships.  It is the TRUE ALL ROUND version of the squat.  But instead of taking the bar from squat stands, you load the bar onto the shoulders from the platform!  Once in that position, the rules of the squat apply until it is time to replace the bar to the floor – and that must be done in exactly the reverse order of the way you loaded it to the shoulders in the first place! It is a very challenging event.  Often for most lifters the “test” of it depends on what can be loaded onto the shoulders – NOT the squat portion.  I know that is the way it has always been for myself.  I have always been able to squat easily with whatever weight I could get from the platform to my shoulders.

The IAWA Rules for the Steinborn Lift is:

E9. STEINBORN LIFT

The rules of performance for the squat apply, except that the lifter has to take the bar from the floor to the shoulders, using a series of movements to get the bar in position, and be ready to receive the signal to squat. Following the completion of the squat and receiving the referees signal to replace the bar, the lifter must again use a series of movements to take the bar back to the lifting surface, under control. To get the bar to the shoulders the lifter will stand the bar on end  and move into a position against the bar so that the bar can fall or be rocked onto the shoulders. The bar can be brought onto one shoulder if desired, but must then be pivoted around and into position across the shoulders at the back of the neck. An aide can assist the lifter by placing a foot against the bottom of the up – ended bar to stop it sliding, both before and after the squat lift.

Causes for Failure:
1. The causes for failure are the same as for the squat once the bar has been received at the shoulders.
2. Failure to replace the bar to the platform in the same manner it was lifted, and under control.

A question on the USAWA Discussion Forum  arose whether spotters could be allowed on the platform while the Steinborn is being executed.  Apparently sometime in the past history of the IAWA this was not allowed.  However, now that is not a violation.  The Steinborn is like any other lift – and the use of spotters is allowed.  But just like any lift, if the spotters assist in any way the lift is not a good lift (except for the assistant which provides the foot to prevent the bar from sliding).   It is a debatable point if using spotters help with safety.  I actually prefer not to have spotters when I’m doing a Steinborn.  Timing and technique has to be perfect  to perform a Steinborn, and it is very easy for the “bar to get away from you”.  If this happens, I would prefer to be able to “dump it” without risking injury to any spotters trying to assist me.  I have seen injuries happen to spotters before with the Steinborn.

by Al Myers

Last week Andy Tomlin posed this question on the IAWA Facebook Page, “Does anyone have a list of the past Best Lifters at each World Championships?”  I thought this was an EXCELLENT QUESTION considering the upcoming World Championships next weekend.  Of course I knew the answer to this question (all TOP TEN Best Lifters at each World Championships are listed in the history section on this website), but I didn’t answer as to see if anyone else knew the answer.  Then our IAWA President Steve Gardner not ONLY responded with the answer, but provided lots of other information regarding past World Championships!  Steve provided a listing which included past best lifters, as well as the year of the meet, location, meet promoter, and the number of entrants.  Here it is:

by Al Myers

Pullover and Press

The Pullover and Press is the “original” chest press with a bar.  In the days before there were benches to lie on, if you wanted to chest press a weight you had to lay on the floor to do it.  Thus, the exercise FLOOR PRESS got its name.   The funny thing is that now Floor Presses are making a comeback in the weight game, and more lifters are including them in their training programs.  I’m sure the oldtimers who remember getting that first bench in their gym to lay on while chest  pressing are shaking their heads in disbelief!  I’m sure they felt at the time like a big advancement had been made when getting that bench. No more getting down on the dirty floor to lift. Nice supports to hold the bar in place.   Now with the comeback of the Floor Press it seems like a ”step backwards!”  Sorta like me wanting to go back to a flip-phone. But I digress.  The topic of today is the Pullover and Press.  That’s a Floor Press with the pullover added to get the bar to the chest.  This lift even predates the Floor Press.  This was done before lifters even had boxes to rest the plates on so they could crawl under the bar to press it.  With the Pullover and Press, the bar & plates start on the platform and the lift ends when the bar and plates are back on the platform.  A true original All Round Lift!!!

The IAWA Rules for this lift are:

B41     PULLOVER AND FLOOR PRESS

The rules for the pullover are the same as for the pullover and push (B43), except that the legs must stay flat, and must not be moved during the pullover so as to gain assistance. The lifter can choose the width of the legs position, but once elected they must remain in that position. With the bar at fore arms  length and the elbows on the floor, the lifter must await the referees signal to press. The bar is pressed to arms length as per the bench press, and on completion the official will signal for the bar to be returned to the lifting surface. Note: when the lifter has pulled the bar over, movement of the upper arms is allowed whilst the lifter finds a better / stronger position, prior to the press.

Causes for Failure:

1. Failure to keep the legs flat and motionless during the lift.
2.  All other causes for failure are the same as for the pullover and push

Now I know you are probably wondering why the IAWA name for this lift is different in the blog title than the rule description?  Well, if you didn’t –  I did.   That’s just the way it is in the IAWA Rulebook.  The name of this lift in the outline in the front on the IAWA Rulebook calls this lift the PULLOVER AND PRESS ON FLOOR, while deeper in the IAWA Rulebook where the rule is written, this lift is called the PULLOVER AND FLOOR PRESS.  Not a big deal – but with as many all-round lifts that there are  this just adds to the confusion.  You would think the name of a lift would be consistent in the same Rulebook!  The USAWA Rulebook calls this lift just the PULLOVER AND PRESS, but the good news here is that the content of the USAWA Rules and IAWA Rules are the same!!

by Al Myers

The 2012 IAWA World Championships is ONE WEEK AWAY!   Chad and I are in the final stages of having everything ready – just the “small stuff” now to take care of.  The list of registered competitors is set.  This is the 25 lifters who are entered:

Yesterday I went to pick up the awards and t-shirts from the “trophy shop”.   I think everyone will be very pleased with both!  The trophies are as nice as I’ve ever received in a competition, as they should be since this is a WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS.  I want to emphasize that every weight class within age groupings will be represented.  After all, this is the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS!   I plan to award certificates for the Best Lifter awards.  I also made up something “special” for all competitors.  I don’t want to reveal what this is yet, so it will be a surprise.  But it is something that you will keep and cherish as it represents the 25th Anniversary of the International All-Round Weightlifting Association.

As stated on the entry forms, this Championship will be held at the Dino Strength Training Center in Salina, Kansas.  The address is 742 Duvall Avenue. It is easy to find.  There is plenty of parking at the gym.  The General IAWA World Meeting will be held Friday night at 7:30 in the gym for those wanting to attend.  I will be in the gym most of Friday afternoon doing the final meet setup so if you get in town early please stop by (but if you do I will probably get you to help with the setup!).  IAWA President Steve Gardner will organize and preside over the meeting.

Weighins will be from 8-9 AM on Saturday.   This first-day weighin determines your weight class for the entire weekend.  You must also weigh in Sunday morning if you want to be eligible to set records on Sunday.  If you are not interested in this, you do not need to weigh in on Sunday.  At 9 Am we will have the opening ceremony and lifter introductions.  Immediately following this the meet will start.  The meet will be ran in a 2-session 1-platform format.  The two sessions will be divided this way – women and older men in first session, and younger men in the second session.  Sunday’s lifting will follow the exact way.   Also, since this is an IAWA event IAWA Rules and Scoring will be used.  The IAWA official scorekeeper Chris Bass from England will be in attendance to do the scoring.  IAWA President Steve Gardner will do the announcing. 

Immediately following Sundays lifting, we will have the award ceremony.   After that for anyone interested, we will have a post-meet celebration at my place.  I am calling it that instead of a banquet because this will be an informal affair.  Dress casually and show up ready to have an enjoyable evening.  This will be a good ole fashioned Kansas backyard BBQ, complete with “all-you-can-eat” barbecued meats, potato salad, baked beans and homemade ice cream!!  Refreshments will be there as well, but if you have something special you like to drink I would recommend that you bring it along.  I will have plenty of chairs and tables to sit back and relax, and hopefully will have a nice cool October night as well!  This BBQ is included as part of the “package entry fee” for all lifters, and for anyone else that is attending there will be a donation jar.  I highly recommend that anyone who can attend this evening event to make it, as it will give a time to meet new friends (or catch up with old friends) from overseas.  I will have directions available to my place at the meet for anyone who wants them.

by Al Myers

Tony Terlazzo performing a One Arm Clean and Jerk.

The second lifting event on DAY ONE of the IAWA World Championships is the one arm Clean and Jerk.  This is one of  “the original” all-round lifts, and once was even contested as part of the Olympics Weightlifting.  The athlete can choose either arm for this lift, but once the arm “is chosen” it must be used for all the attempts.   The IAWA rules are very similar to the USAWA rules for this lift:

B25.   ONE HAND CLEAN AND JERK

The rules for the two hands clean and jerk apply except that the lift is done with either the left or right hand only. An optional grip is used, and the bar is raised to the commensurate shoulder as the lifting arm, in a single movement. The bar must not touch any part of the legs or trunk below the line of the nipples. In receiving the bar at the shoulder it should not make contact with or rest, on the opposite shoulder or chest. The centre of the sternum is used as the line of indication. The free hand may be supported on the thigh or knee of either leg, but must not touch the lifting surface, lifting arm or bar during the lift. With a single distinct effort the lifter will jerk the bar to arms length above the head. The signal to replace the bar will be given on completion of the lift, when the lifter is erect and motionless with the feet on a parallel plane to the torso.

Causes for Failure:

1.  Touching the lifting surface, bar or lifting arm with the free arm.
2.  Touching the bar with the legs or trunk below the line of the nipples.
3.  Touching the chest or shoulder with the bar, on the opposite side to the lifting arm.
4.  Allowing the bar to rise above the lower level of the ear, when adjusting the grip prior to the jerk.
5.  Failure to control the bar and fix it motionless, at completion.
6.  All other causes for failure are the same as for the two hands clean and jerk.

The USAWA Rules for this lift are practically the same. However, there is one additional rule stipulation in the USAWA Rules which states, “the nonlifting hand must be clear of the body upon completion of the lift.”  This is not stated in these IAWA Rules, so it appears to be technically allowed under the IAWA Rules??  However, I wouldn’t take that chance – so remove the supportive hand upon completion!

by Al Myers

The strict Reverse Curl has a long tradition of being an All-Round Lift. This picture was published in a 1946 issue of Strength and Health.

Over this next week I’m going to highlight each lift that will be contested at the 2012 IAWA World Championships in Salina, Kansas on October 6th and 7th.  The total lifts contested is 7 – 4 on day 1 and 3 on day 2.  It is a good mix of lifts to test the all round strength of any lifter. The order in which the following list is listed is the order these lifts will be contested on meet day. 

Lifts on Day 1:

Reverse Curl (Curl – Reverse Grip)
One Hand Clean and Jerk (Clean and Jerk – One Arm)
Pullover and Press on Floor (Pullover and Press)
Steinborn (Steinborn Lift)

Lifts on Day 2:

Two Hands Snatch – 2 Inch Bar (Snatch – Fulton Bar)
One Hand Hacklift (Hack Lift – One Arm)
Straddle Deadlift (Jefferson Lift)

You may notice that each lift has 2 names.  The reason for this is that the IAWA rulebook has different names for several of the lifts than the USAWA rulebook.  The first name listed is the IAWA name while the second name (the one in parenthesis) is the USAWA name.    It is important to know that for this meet the IAWA rules for the individual lifts will be followed instead of the USAWA rules since this is an IAWA event.  The following is the IAWA rule for the Reverse Curl:

E32     REVERSE CURL

The rules of performance for the rectangular fix apply, except that once the curled bar reaches the midway point, it does not stop fixed, but continues in one movement, until the bar is at the top of the sternum / neck configuration.

Causes for Failure:

1. Starting to lift before the referees signal.
2.  The causes for failure are the same as for the rectangular fix, except that once curled the bar continues upwards to a finished position at the sternum / neck configuration.
3.  Any stopping or lowering of the bar on its upward journey.
4.  Lowering / replacing the bar before the referees signal.

E3       RECTANGULAR FIX

The barbell should be held at arms length, resting across the lifters thighs with the legs and body upright and erect. With a hand grip spacing of no more than shoulder width, and with the knuckles facing the front, the referee will signal to start the lift. With the upper arms remaining held in contact with the torso, the lower forearms will raise, holding the bar firm (not sagging at the wrist) until they are at right angles to the body and parallel to the floor. No raising of the heels and toes, or swaying of the body is allowed. When the bar is held fixed and motionless in the finished position, the referee will signal to replace the bar.

Causes for Failure:

1.  Starting the lift prior to the referees signal.
2.   Failure to hold the bar in the fixed, finished position, forearms at right angles to the body and parallel to the floor, until the referees completion signal.
3.   Any movement of the feet or swaying of the body during the lift.
4.  Failing to keep the legs and torso braced, upright and erect during the lift.
5.  Failure to keep the upper arms in contact with the torso throughout, or allowing wrists to sag.

The USAWA Rule for this lift (Curl – Reverse Grip) is the same, but just worded differently.  However, it is important to know that the USAWA does have a similar lift (Curl – Cheat, Reverse Grip) that follows the rule of the Cheat Curl instead of the Rectangular Fix.  That lift is NOT the one being contested!!! I’m reinforcing this point because the Curl – Cheat, Reverse Grip was contested at this past USAWA National Championships, and by that, could cause confusion!

by Al Myers

USAWA Rulebook 6th Edition

The new updated USAWA Rulebook is now available.  It is the 6th Edition, and contains all the updated rules changes.  It is available in the USAWA Online Store for $30 plus shipping.  The USAWA bylaws are now included as part of the Rulebook.  As always, the Rulebook is on the website FREE OF CHARGE to download (but it is a large pdf at over 4 MB, so it takes a little while).   The Rulebook for sale is a spiral bound book with a clear cover.

by Al Myers

John Vernacchio completing a Clean and Jerk.

It’s been a sad past couple of weeks with the passing of John Vernacchio.  He had many friends in the all-round weightlifting community.  However, it is a glorious occasion as well, because I know he is in heaven right now meeting family members and friends that have gone before him.  My bet is that he and Howie are having a hard training session together right now – with John pumping out those famous presses of his, while Howard is hooking up the belts to do a Harness Lift.

I would like to take today and share some of the accomplishments that John has achieved throughout his lifting career.  Most of this will be with his time lifting in the USAWA as I don’t have much information on his lifting before that.  However,  Joe Roark (Ironhistory.com) recently provided some important information on John that I wasn’t aware of prior to his USAWA involvement. Initially John did some competitive bodybuilding in his early weightlifting days.  These were his physique competition accomplishments:

Mar 12, 1960 was 11th at Mr. Jr. Middle Atlantic
Dec 09, 1961 was 7th in an Open Physique contest in Norristown, PA
Oct 13, 1962 was 18th in an Open Physique contest in Philadelphia
Apr 04, 1964 was 21st in a physique event at Holy Saviour

After that John become involved with Powerlifting and Olympic Lifting, lifting for the Holy Savior Weightlifting Team.  Joe Roark also provided some contest history of PL and Olympic meets that John competed in in the early 60’s:

Oct 19, 1963 at Atlantic Coast PL: curl 140, Sq 360, BP 200, Total 700 for 6th place in the 181 class
Mar 21, 1964 was last in an Open PL contest in Pittsburgh where his only successful lift was a 380 squat
Feb 13, 1960 in the 148 class at the Greater Philidelphia Open 200-170-235 = 605

In John’s Hall of Fame Bio, it stated that he won his first National Championship in 1961, at the National Collegiate WL Championships.  John also stated in his bio that his two favorites lifts were the Military Press and the Squat – which shows why John eventually found his calling in All-Round Weightlifting by enjoying two such different lifts the best. Most of his Powerlifting was done in his club – the Valley Forge WL Club.  This continued into the early days of the USAWA, as John usually brought a team from his club to represent in all-round meets.  The Valley Forge WL Club was a member club of the USAWA from 1989 to 1995. 

John Vernacchio (left) presenting Jerry Turner (right), a member of the Ambridge Club his award after a meet John was promoting.

John was one of the pioneer leaders of the USAWA.  He promoted the VERY FIRST USAWA National Championships in 1988.  That is still a meet the “old-timers” tell stories about.  He went on to promote three USAWA National Championships (1988, 1989, & 2004).  At this years Nationals, a special award was given to John for this contribution, as he was one of 4 that have promoted the most, at 3, USAWA National Championships.  I am really glad now that he received this final award from the USAWA before his death.  He deserved it! 

John was the second President of the USAWA, elected in January 1989 and serving till the end of 1992.  He also served as one term as the IAWA Vice President (elected in 2000).  In addition, he has served several terms on the IAWA Technical Committee.  He did several IAWA promotions as well.  He promoted three IAWA World Championships (1989, 1991, & 1997), as well as three Gold Cups (1992, 1996, & 2003).  John was “no stranger” to competing overseas.  Numerous times he attended the IAWA Worlds when it was held out of the states. I did some research and have discovered John competed in 12 World Championships!  He had a continuous 10 year run from the the first one in 1988 in Leicester, England to 1997 Worlds in Collegeville, PA.  This included World Meets in Glasgow, Scotland twice and England three times.  His last two World entries came in 2002 & 2005 in Lebanon, PA. John also promoted many Powerlifting meets and Olympic lifting competitions. He promoted the 1987 National Masters WL Championships as well as the 1991 Pan American Masters  WL Championships.  He promoted multiple Eastern Masters PL and WL Championships.

John was an active participant in the USAWA National Championships as well.  All together – he competed in 15 Championships (1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, & 2007).  He won numerous Best Lifter Age Group Awards through the years: 1988 Best Lifter 50-54, 1990 Best Lifter 50-54, 1992 Best Lifter 55-59, 1993 Best Lifter 55-59, 1997 Best Lifter 60-64, 2004 Best Lifter 65-69.  He probably won more Best Lifter Awards than this number, as this information came from the old meet results and often not all Best Lifter Awards were recorded.  His highest overall placing at the USAWA Nationals was 4th overall at the 1988 Championships.  He had 4 total “top ten” finishes at Nationals: 4th in 1988, 10th in 1989, 6th in 1990, and 8th in 1997.  John “V” also really supported the IAWA Gold Cup.  He competed in 13 Gold Cups, including Gold Cups  in England and Scotland.  He entered the “very first” Cup in 1991 directed by Howard Prechtel in Lakewood, Ohio and performed a 190 Kg 12″ Base Squat.

by Roger LaPointe

Rudy Bletscher, at 70 years of age, performing a Feet in the Air Bench Press at the 2006 USAWA National Championships.

How much do you bench?

How many times have you been asked that question?

To me, the bench press is an exercise. To other people, I know it can be a way of life. For the Masters Age lifter, it can be an enigma..

I have recently been doing more bench pressing, because of my focus on the Crucifix Hold records. Thanks to a torn rotator cuff twelve years ago, I quit doing regular bench pressing. Now, thanks to the Indian Clubs, I am not so hesitant to bench. It used to put that shoulder out of commission for a week, or two, if I pushed it at all.

5 Training Lifts for the Master Bencher

1. Crucifix Hold – I deal with a lot of Masters Age lifters and we all seem to have our particular collection of injuries, big or small. The Crucifix Hold is a funny lift. I have definitely found the classic flat bench press to be a helpful training lift to help with the crucifix 1RM, and vise versa.
2. Olympic Power Clean and Press – Don’t use a super arched lay back, like the Russians of the early 1970s, instead press like Schemansky. Jim Bradford told me that Norb (Schemansky) told him he needed to “massage the bar”. My buddy Dave Pohlzin has been teaching me to do it. It’s pretty cool. One day I hope to Clean & Press more than I can bench.
3. Incline Dumbbell Bench Pressing – Man, you need to crush it like Casey. I have an old Meet poster from Dr. Ken’s Iron Island Gym with a photo of Pat Casey doing incline dumbbell benches with some dumbbells that look to weigh around 220 pounds. Awesome. Most guys over do it with the flat benching and develop tendonitis and other problems at the point where the pecs, front delts and biceps meet at the front of the arm pit. This helps to avoid that problem.
4. Side Lateral Raises – I know you have heard it a million times before but you really do need to avoid muscle imbalance in the delts. On some of these things, the bodybuilders have it right. If you hate this classic bodybuilder movement, try a one arm barbell snatch high pull. I won’t beat a dead horse on this concept. Just try it.
5. Dumbbell Bent Over Rows – This will solidify the shoulder girdle like nothing else you can do.

Round out these movements with Indian Club work. Masters lifters all seem to have rotator cuff and biceps problems. In many cases, the Indian Clubs seem to solve that problem. They will help you bench more weight. Follow up the Indian Club work with the 5 exercises listed above and you might be benching more than when you were in your 20’s.

Roger LaPointe
“Today is a good day to lift.”

by Roger LaPointe

Al Myers doing a Steinborn Lift at the 2010 IAWA World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. The Steinborn Lift is a lift that requires very tight quality collars that won't slip off!

Clang! Ding! Bang! Ohhh! My TOE!

Imagine the sound of plate after plate hitting the floor and then the other plates bouncing off those plates and rolling on the floor, with the ringing sound of milled cast iron followed by intense cursing and swearing…

Yes, the catastrophic failure of a crappy spring collar is what I have just described. Of course, it is followed by intense pain, maybe a little blood and a quick trip to the emergency room. None of this is anything I want to be a part of. I really don’t want to be the guy being taken to the emergency room.

Before you do a lift, make sure someone reliable has checked your collars, particularly if you are doing a dumbbell lift. Equipment failures happen. If there is a bolt, it can come loose. If there is a collar, someone can forget to tighten it down. If there is a weld, it can break. As unbelievable as it sounds, I have even seen dumbbell heads that have sheared off the steal handles. The long and short of it is that people abuse gym equipment and there is NO way a manufacturer or gym owner can anticipate every stupid thing that can happen in a gym… Believe me, I can tell you stories.

Quality Spin-Lock Collars are available from Atomic Athletic.

You have to be responsible for your own actions. Check your equipment.

RULE #1
I never use crappy collars for dumbbell lifts and ALL Spring Collars are crappy.

RULE #2
If I am the one who might be injured, I check the equipment before lifting with it.

RULE #3
See Rule #1 and Rule #2. If I violate them, then I only have myself to blame.

I can get a little OCD and excessive about certain things and will simply go overboard sometimes. For example, I have a collection of collars, both standard size and Olympic sized. I use different ones for their ideal applications. If you are just realizing that your collars are an important part of your equipment arsenal, then here is a good place to start looking. I love spin-lock collars. I highly recommend that everyone own at least one pair. Click this link:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=Y36043

Happy lifting. Make sure to tighten down your collars.

Live strong, Roger
“Today is a good day to lift.”

by Roger LaPointe

Longtime USAWA member Randy Smith performing a One Arm Dumbbell Snatch at the 2011 USAWA National Championships.

What is the sound of one arm lifting?

Is it the sound of a grinding shoulder? I hope not. I hope all those dumbbell snatches are being done with tools that rotate, but I know they are not. Solid non-rotating equipment can be fun, but for some lifts, it can also cause real pain. Trust me, that is not a sound you don’t want to hear.

One hand explosive lifts, just like the two handed lifts, can be done with old school non-rotating tools. Of course, there is a proper technique you have to learn. Basically, you have to let go of the dumbbell, rotate your hand and then re-grip it. It sounds easy, until you try it with limit type weights, whether it’s your 1 RM, or just your last rep of a limit set. Once you hear that grinding, the damage is done. The next question is, how bad is the damage?

Rotating Olympic Dumbbells are a fairly easy solution to that problem.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=HIB20ZR

Just like with an Olympic barbell, you never loosen your grip during the lift. Bingo! You have eliminated one more variable in your training. I have heard it said that it doesn’t matter what kind of bar you lift on, if you are really strong. Which, of course, is a load of BS. It is very simple, do dumbbell snatches with rotating dumbbells and you will lift more, do it more consistently, and have a much lower risk of injury.

Hmmm… Would I like to lift heavier weights AND have a lower chance of injury in my back, rotator cuff, elbow or wrist?

A rotating Olympic Dumbbell Handle by Atomic Athletic

Dumbbell snatches are great. Use the right tool.

Live strong, Roger

by Al Myers

Art Montini, the oldest active lifter in the USAWA, was the first person to send his entry in for the IAWA World Championships!

The deadline has passed (September 15th) for entry into the IAWA World Championships to be held on October 6th & 7th in Salina, Kansas.   A total of 25 lifters have entered, which looks to be a good field of competition!  I am excited that there are 6 overseas lifters registered – from England, Scotland and Australia.  This will make this years meet a TRUE World Competition.  In the past there have been people who have not liked to refer to this big IAWA meet as a “World Meet” because of the limited number of countries in attendance.  I will say this – the invite is open to ANYONE IN THE WORLD to attend, so why is it not a World Meet?   Just because most countries elect not to attend?  No one is being excluded from participating in this one, so I would say that qualifies it as a World Competition.  I will always refer to this competition as the World Meet. 

I want to thank everyone who has entered.  Chad and I are “in the middle” of making the final plans to insure that this will be  a TOP NOTCH Championship.  Part of this plan-making process involves getting the final count of awards for the lifters, which was done first thing this morning.  That is one of the many reasons we needed to get a good “head-count” by enforcing a deadline for entry.  The awards we are giving out are VERY NICE and we want our order to be exact on this as to not leave any “left overs”.  So the order went out for 25 this morning for those 25 lifters which got entered in time -  and which was the final date deadline the trophy shop gave me.

Now onto “my soapbox” for a spell.  Promoting these type of big competitions cost money.  Anyone who thinks meet directors “get rich” are clueless – and these people should promote a competition themselves firsthand to find out how much it costs to put on a good show.  The entry fees never cover all expenses. I’m just lucky Chad agreed to “share the losses” with me on this one.   We made it pretty clear that there was a entry deadline with penalties for late entries (if they were going to be accepted).  Chad and I have decided we MAY take late entries with this stipulation – entry fee is now $100 and the late entrant will receive no award (since this order has already been placed), and you have asked us and received permission before the day of the competition  if there is still “room” for you to enter.  Another thing – an entry is not complete until the entry form AND ENTRY FEE is in hand.  I’m not interested in good will gestures of taking the word that a lifter will show and making plans for that, only to be stiffed.  It’s happened too many times to me in the past. 

Again – I want to thank all lifters who have entered.  Chad and I will do our best to insure that you will have a very enjoyable time!   And special thanks goes to Art Montini for getting the first entry in!!!

REGISTERED ENTRIES FOR WORLDS
Art Montini USA
George Dick Scotland
Frank Allen England
Sam Trews Australia
John Mahon Australia
Chad Ullom USA
Lance Foster USA
Paula De La Mata England
Graham Saxton England
Tim Piper USA
Dawn Piper USA
Dennis Mitchell USA
Ruth Jackson USA
Al Springs USA
Denny Habecker USA
LaVerne Myers USA
Rudy Bletscher USA
Frank Ciavattone USA
Dan Wagman USA
Bob Geib USA
Susan Sees USA
Dave Glasgow USA
Doug Kressly USA
Jera Kressly USA
Randy Smith USA

by Roger LaPointe

Pablo Lara

Do you know who Pablo Lara is?

Even if you do, I’m betting that almost nobody you know has a clue who Pablo Lara is or what he is famous for doing. For those of you who don’t know of Pablo Lara, he won the gold medal in the 76 Kg Weight Class in Weightlifting during the 1996 Olympics. His 205 Kg (451.9 lbs.) Clean & Jerk was an Olympic Record.

Motivations are funny things. By the year 2012, anyone knowing who won the 75 Kg (167 lbs.) weight class is filling up brain capacity with some pretty useless trivia. Yet, For PABLO LARA, that information is NOT TRIVIA. Lara set five world records during his career and was a national hero in Cuba.

You want to know about intensity? In 1997 I was able to watch Lara lift. I never spoke with Lara. I wanted to shake his hand, but really didn’t have a good opportunity. He was being watched pretty closely by the Cuban coaches. I was lucky enough to be sent down to Guatemala for the NACACI Championships in order to politic and try to sell weights for the York Barbell Company. Lara was my hero. I was able to watch every one of his warm-up attempts and his lifts on the platform. This was not a big contest, so he ONLY did a 190 kg Clean & Jerk. That is 418.9 pounds, more than any middle weight lifter has ever done from the United States.

Here’s some real motivation. I watched Lara come into the hotel, before the meet, with at least a pound of gold chains around his neck. I thought it was pretty ostentatious, but I had grown up in the Detroit area and had seen that sort of thing before. Leaving Guatemala, I saw Pablo in the airport and he didn’t have any chains. I found out, from one of the Canadian Coaches, that he had sold all of his gold so that he could bring back dollars to Cuba. Essentially, the Cuban team lived a good life sponsored by the state, but the lifters families were still in poverty and that is what the lifters would go back to when they were no longer part of the National Team. Those gold chains were going to be a chunk of Pablo Lara’s retirement. I have no idea how true that may be, as I have never heard anything more about him after that meet. I have heard similar stories about successful lifters from other third world countries. That is some motivation.

You have to find your motivation. I know that through that look of intensity, Pablo Lara also seemed like one smiling happy guy. Weightlifting is hard work. I also know that no one sticks with it without truly enjoying it. Ultimately Lara was done after 1996.

Live strong, Roger LaPointe

by Steve Gardner, IAWA President

Announcement – Knee Sleeves – An IAWA Worldwide Members Poll

As you will all be aware, there was a proposal recently being put to IAWA about allowing the use of ‘Knee Sleeves’ to be worn in all lifts when competing with IAWA. The Knee Sleeves were not being proposed to be performance enhancing or assisting, but simply, we were led to believe, to help keep the lifters knee joints warm and comfortable. Whilst that proposal could be easily understood there would of course be concern that this might well lead eventually to items being worn that would in fact become performance enhancing. It was decided that in this unusual circumstance, rather than let the issue be decided by the group of members that happen to be in Kansas this October, it would be a far better way to decide the issue if we conducted an individual poll of all IAWA members in all Countries. Many of those who did comment, made the point that it was easy enough to wear such an item whilst training and warming up, and then remove them whilst going onto the platform to perform lifts. Of those who spoke for allowing the move, most said that they not wish to see knee supports used as an aide to lifting, and many then went on to say that in fact, they couldn’t really see the point of bringing in such a move if it wasn’t going to be of any real assistance. IAWA does allow the use of wrist wraps, a belt (and knee wraps for the front and back squat only) and in the event, it seems that is how the IAWA membership want to see it remain.

My thanks go to Al Myers in the USA and Robin Lukosious in Australia for helping me conduct the poll, which was quite an undertaking. My thanks again to all those members who returned poll forms, and for the many constructive comments that were made ‘for and against’ and thank you to Dan Wagman from the US who forwarded a full report on the matter. The poll return was roughly 40% of the total membership who were polled. Of those that made returns, the result was 40% for the proposal and 60% against the proposal. The matter is now closed, and IAWA will continue without knee sleeves as per the majority vote result, in line with our democratic principle.

by Tim Piper

MEET ANOUNCEMENT – MACOMB FALL RECORD BREAKER

Tim Piper "in action" at the 2012 USAWA National Championships in Las Vegas. Tim did outstanding - placing 6th overall!!!

November 10th, 2012 the Macomb Salvation Army will host its second USAWA record breaker meet of the year.  This meet will actually follow directly after another meet, the American Drug Free Powerlifting Federation Macomb Push/Pull meet set for the morning.  We thought it might be nice for both federation lifters to mix together a bit and share in this day of strength.  Both organizations are aligned on their stance against drug use so we thought it could be a win-win.  Come out in the morning to watch, or compete, in the bench press and deadlift and stick around for some record attempts in the all-rounds.  We already have some lifters who are planning on both events that day!

Hope to see some out-of-towners at the meet but even if you can’t make it we will do our best to set as many records as we can and make the USAWA proud.

ENTRY FORM (PDF) – Macomb Fall Record Breaker

by Al Myers

John Vernacchio Sr. - December 27, 1937 to September 2, 2012.

The following newspaper article was given to Denny by Dick Durante at John’s funeral.  The article tells about the Holy Savior weightlifting team going to California in 1980 to compete in the World and National Weightlifting and Powerlifting Championships.  John took second in his class in both events.

Holy Savior Weightlifting Team

by John McKean

John "V" Vernacchio performing a hip lift

I’d just met the extremely muscular 40-something-year-old weightlifter, and it appeared he was trying to kill me! I often have that effect on people, but they usually have to talk to me at least for a few minutes prior to reaching for my throat; not so for no-nonsense John Vernacchio; he was all set to drop a 300+ pound barbell on my head practically at first sight! You see, I was the head judge at one of the very first National Masters Olympic lift meets, held at our own Ambridge VFW. John was noticeably more husky than most of the masters competing, and had opted to take one of the heaviest final clean and jerk attempts. It was a mighty struggle but John thrust it overhead to a good lock. Only problem was that his feet weren’t too content with their position. John shifted a little to get balance, then a few more steps toward the front of the platform, followed by some faster shuffling forward, then a bit of a run to catch up. With merely one foot of platform left, I reflected on one sage old judge mentioning that the head ref should always hold his position, no matter the jeopardy. Forget that, my integrity wasn’t so solid, and I dove for the audience!!  But I kept an eye on ole John, who now just took baby steps, finally staying steady – he actually returned the bar to the edge of the platform after the relieved down signal, and earned three white lights! I shook my finger in amusement at John, who, I’m convinced, started my rapid subsequent hair loss in those scary few seconds!!

Oh, I got even with him some years later, via my then 6-year-old wild child youngest son, Sean. John was holding one of his elaborate All-round meets in his big carpet store and warehouse near Philadelphia. As was the case with most of V’s promotions, this was very well attended, and the warehouse portion certainly was a huge, wonderful facility to stage such events. The store section was closed to the public that day, but well furnished and a nice place to sit or lay down to relax before or after attempts for us lifters. But some of the guys complained to John about the “damn bird” in that room which was somewhat annoying when trying to rest! John said there were never any birds in his store, but came out for a listen. He THOUGHT he heard a slight “peep” after a while, and old time lifter, Paul Eberhardinger, identified it as a parakeet. Completely puzzled, John & Paul searched every corner of the room, hearing several more “peeps” all the while, but seeing no bird. In desperation, John started lifting sections of his sample carpetting. Finally on one pull of a plush piece, John came eyeball to eyeball with a smirking Sean who just looked him square in the eye and said “PEEP!” John coulda strangled the impish little lad! Later that day, Sean managed to throw a rock at a beehive and kick up an angry swarm of bees, and still later, John found he’d uncovered a deep open retaining pit outside the store and was attempting to do parallel dips over the treacherous hole!! Not that John ever told me, but I suspect Sean still has a lifetime ban from any Philly meet!!!

Yes, it was always an adventure and a first class thrill to compete in any Vernacchio contest! He went all out to make sure every detail was in place so competitors were free to do their very best. His combination olympic & powerlift weekends via his Easter National Masters contests were legendary! His enthusiasm was so contagious during these events, that he even managed to talk ME into olympic lifting on the Sunday Olympic lift portion, and I actually ENJOYED it, even as an awkward 42-year-old novice to those tricky lifts! I’ll never forget the time Art & I were at the Easterns and the overall best lifter trophy (both days-olympic & powerlift total), a huge sucker, was awarded to Art Montini by a proud and smiling John Vernacchio  – Art smiled back, but then whispered to me, “Get the car started quick, and let’s get outa town in hurry; they must have made a mistake!!”

John was always a joy to compete with at all the many all-round contests we shared. Always grinning, he was as good a competitor as he was a coach & friend. Yet for as strong and dedicated a lifter that he truly was, he never took himself all that seriously – He laughed as hard as the rest of us when this very powerful man was beaten by my older son Rob, then 10 years old, in the hack lift one year (try as he may John just couldn’t get much more than a bare bar up past his massive thigh biceps!!!). Or the time during one of his IAWA world championships that he planned just ONE Steinborn lift (because it caused him TREMENDOUS shoulder agony to get the bar onto his back), but was three red lighted because he didn’t squat deep enough! (Yeah, he easily corrected that on a second attempt, laughing all the while!).

Yep, we’ll be telling John Vernacchio stories forever in the USAWA – there were so many crazy antics with him around, and he was so well loved by everyone! When you think about it, John will certainly ALWAYS be with us!

by Al Myers

John Vernacchio's funeral handout.

This was sent to me by Denny Habecker, which was the funeral handout from John Vernacchio’s service.  I know John had many friends from all over the World that were unable to attend his funeral, so that is the reason I’m sharing this on the website. 

REST IN PEACE JOHN – YOU WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED BY YOUR ALL AROUND WEIGHTLIFTING FAMILY.

by Steve Gardner

John Vernacchio front squatting at the 1997 Gold Cup in England.

Still cant get over the fact that my old friend is not with us anymore. This photo was from the Gold Cup in 1997 which I ran at Bass Museum in Burton. It doesnt seem 5 minutes ago but John would be about 60 here I guess. He is performing the front squat, the Squat and the Military Press were Johns favourite lifts and he excelled in both in his glory days. I met John at the first IAWA Worlds in Liecester in 1988, we became friends there and in 89 I went over to his place in Philadelphia for the 2nd World Championships. John came over to England to all of the competitions I ran including the 93 Gold Cup and the 94 Worlds. I went over to Johns every single year for Gold Cups, Worlds or even just for a holiday. John was the same age as my Dad but was more like a Brother. He was a part of my family, and me and my family became a part of his. I am so sad he is gone but I have a lifetime of great great memories. John used to laugh when we would talk him up and call him the ‘Legend’ but I know this for sure, John did have something special and I will never forget him.

by Frank Ciavattone

My heart goes out to the Vernacchio family. Like the many stories that all my friends are writing to you about John, they are not only true but without John most of us would not of even had been in this Great wonderful sport. I spent a countless number of hours from 1988 to two days before the 1989 I.AW.A. & U.S.A.W.A. Championships held in Pennsylvania, U.S. As being a prior Olympic lifter I needed some coaching on the All-Rounds. He never once did not take my call and was able to coach me to win my first championships in both the Worlds and the U.S. title. Most of all through him I met a true family which is second to none over my acclompishments and thats Judy & Denny Haybeker, Karen & Steve Gardner, Steve Angell, Barry Bryan, Bill Clark, Dennis & Flossy Mitchell, Howard Prechtell, John Mckean, Art Montini and there families! I went through many diffacult times in my life and without my All-Round family and my own family it would have been tough. My condolenses to the Vernacchio family and to thank John for making me part of this family.

by Steve Andrews

John was a top guy and a great lifter. I remember him hosting Worlds in Pennsylvania in 1989 where i lifted with Adrian Blindt and Frank Allen. I enjoyed competing with him over the years. Condolences to John’s family at this sad time. RIP John.

by Tom Ryan

I am very sad to read this. Yes, John was 75 and would have been 76 near the end of the year. Technically, he didn’t live in Philly but lived outside Philly. John was indeed a USAWA pioneer and was very active in staging competitions, including competitions in the building that housed his carpet business! I knew him well, especially from the 1989-90 academic year that I spent in the Philly area and trained a few times in John’s gym. John told me after one of those training sessions that his father suffered a lot during the final years of his life. Since John had a stroke a few years ago, as Denny informed us some time ago, his final years obviously weren’t great, either, so at least he is now free of earthly pain and troubles. RIP, John, you were a very giving person in many ways, including once treating my mother and I to dinner at that famous all-you-can-eat place that I believe was/is in Collegeville. You contributed a lot to the USAWA and you will be greatly missed.

John Vernacchio performing a Fulton Bar Deadlift of 375 pounds at the age of 68 at the 2005 USAWA National Championships in Youngstown, Ohio.

by Steve Angell

Been thinking about John a lot today (Feels the same as when my father passed away) I am full of sadness AND guilt as i lost contact with John in resent years. Just wanted to re-share the post i put up a couple of months ago regarding John. Looking back John was there to shout for me during all of my best ever lifts and i will always be grateful for the help & support he gave me. I have looked at the results of resent IAWA world championships with a little envy, as i would love for my body to have given me one chance to put it on the line against Al, Chad & Mark Haydock. That would have been a battle royal! But do you know what? Being around in the 90’s and sharing a platform with and being inspired by John, Howard & co were amongst the best days of my life. I would not change that for anything. Al asked for stories about John. I have an encyclopaedia full of them, but this will make you all smile. John was telling me about when he was a school teacher and one of his pupils who was a good football player was getting a hard time from the school bully. John kept him back after class. Had a John V type chat with him (I loved those no BS chats we had). Then looked him in the eye and said “Now go kick his fucking ass” which the kid duly obliged. The world should have more teachers like JV!!!!

Quote from home page.
Tireless John Vernacchio directed and lifted and led his Valley Forge team to first place in a one-man demonstration of dynamic energy July 9-10 in Plymouth Meeting, PA. as the new United States All-Round Weightlifting Association staged its first-ever National All-Round Championships. Vernacchio thus completed his second in a three-sport round of national lifting championships. In 1987, he was the meet director (and organizer and lifter) for the National Masters Weightlifting Championships. In 1989, he’ll do the same for the National Masters Powerlifting meet for the USPF.

I just wanted to elaborate a little on John as some of you guy’s may never have had the pleasure of meeting him. John Vernaccio is a LEGEND pure and simple. Not only was he a National Masters Champion in Olympic lifting, All-Round lifting and Powerlifting; He was also World Champion in all three sports Winning the Masters World Olympic lifting Championships on Oxford (England) in 1992?. I had the absolute pleasure of staying with, training with and competing with John on many occasions, and i will openly say, i love John Like another Father, and i owe him so much for all the help and support he gave me during the 90’s.

Just some of the competitions i lifted in with (Against) John that he promoted include:

England V America 3 match tour 1994
England v America v Scotland 2 match tour 1996
1996 Gold Cup
1997 World Championships

I also stayed with John and travelled across to Ohio for the 1994 Gold Cup and 1995 World Champs. I also Competed in the WNPF World Powerlifting Championship with John in 1995. He won the Masters title and i won the Deadlift title. Unfortunately, i have not been in contact with John for a while, and the last i heard he was having some health issues. I just wanted to take the opportunity on this forum to let the World know how John played an integral part of my success as a strength Athlete, and i put him along side Howard Pretchtel in my list of heroes and strength legends.

by Al Myers

I first met John at the 2003 National Championships in Youngstown, Ohio. I have to admit that at first I was taken back by John’s imposing physical presence – heavily muscled physique, commanding voice, strong facial features, and slicked back dark hair. I had previously “heard about him” and his involvement in the USAWA, and I would have to say, was a little intimidated by him at first impression! We didn’t talk much during the meet. However, the day following the meet as I was hitting the hotel’s continental breakfast, John was there already eating and invited me to join him at his table. I couldn’t believe how nice he was to me. He commended me on my lifting performance, and offered several words of encouragement to me in pursuing all round weightlifting. I was a little taken back – as I was just “newbe” to the USAWA, yet this legend of the sport was taking interest in me and thanking me for making it to the meet? It made an impression on me as I left that morning. That’s how John was to all new lifters. He is responsible for getting more lifters involved in the USAWA than probably anyone else throughout the years. He also was a man who put “the organization” above his own personal lifting goals, and because of this, has left a legacy in the minds of many.

WEBMASTER’S NOTE: AT THE 2012 IAWA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ON OCTOBER 6TH & 7TH IN SALINA,  A FEW WORDS WILL BE SAID  AND A FEW MINUTES OF SILENCE WILL BE DONE IN JOHN’S MEMORY BEFORE THE MEET.

by Steve Gardner

John Vernacchio pressing big weight in his earlier lifting days. This picture is on the wall of Steve Gardner's Powerhouse Gym in Burton. (caption by webmaster)

Long time All Round Weightlifting enthusiast from Pennsylvania USA: John Vernacchio, is being laid to rest today. John was a superb lifter, Promoter of several World Championships and Gold Cup Events, Official, and USAWA Board of Officials Member. John had suffered ill health in recent years and finally suffered a very bad heart attack which led to his sad demise. On this day of his funeral I am sure all members of IAWA(UK) would join me in sending our deepest sympathy to his family and friends, and keeping John and them in our thoughts. John was a really good guy, friendly and helpful to everyone, not only in lifting but in life too. I and many others in the UK had the pleasure of knowing him well. He was a good friend and he will be missed by many! John will leave a big hole in the family of friends that is all round weightlifting, but John V you will never be forgotten xxx

by Steve Gardner

Details for John Vernacchio’s Funeral:

 Boyd Horrox Funeral Home
200 W. Germantown Pike
Norristown, PA 19401

Viewing Wednesday evening 6pm-8pm
Viewing Thursday morning 9am-10am, followed by service\

Sympathy and/or Remembrane cards can be sent to John’s brother Sal at:

Sal Vernacchio
2929 Third Street
Trooper, Norristown PA 19403, USA

by Tom Ryan

(Webmaster’s note: Occasionally posts are made on the USAWA Discussion Forum that deserve to be seen by more than just those that follow the forum, and this post by Tom Ryan regarding Dan Lurie is one of those.  A while back Dennis Mitchell wrote a nice bio story on Dan Lurie, and these were the followup comments made by Tom Ryan, which included a few pictures he emailed to me.  Thanks Tom for providing this interesting information!)

Dan Lurie Bent Pressing Miss California.

I did want to add a few comments to supplement Dennis’s article on Dan Lurie.

Dan has both a website and a Wikipedia entry and I have observed that the latter is updated almost immediately when someone passes away. So I am pretty sure that Dan is still alive — at the age of 89.

I recall seeing Lurie appear on TV each week in the early or mid-1950s as “Sealtest Dan, the Muscle Man” on the Sealtest Big Top show. He can be seen in this YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZldsSnESew at about the 6:25 mark doing some overhead presses on the show, in what amounts to a commercial for Sealtest milk. There is also an interview of him, conducted a few years ago, here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbHKzhpZ61c

Sealtest Dan, The Muscle Man

During the late 1950s, when I was getting started in weight training, he had a mail order catalog that included a photo of him bent pressing Miss California. Now we know that Dave Whitley goes around bent pressing women when they are vertical, but Lurie did it when they were more like horizontal.

I had a copy of that catalog but I no longer have it. Although I am not a big collector of strength memorabilia, I do some collecting, so about 10 years ago I contacted Lurie’s son in an attempt to obtain a copy of that catalog, or at least the photo. He knew what photo I was referring to but they no longer had either the catalog or the photo. He did send me a photo of his father bent pressing some other woman, however, as Lurie may have made a habit of this. LOL

Dan Lurie Bent Pressing a man that weighs around 200 pounds.

Fortunately, one of my collector friends has the catalog and sent me the photo and a photo of the cover of the catalog. I also have a photo of Lurie bent pressing a young man of maybe 200 pounds that presumably occurred on the TV show. I am e-mailing these photos to Al.

Now about Lurie’s claim that he bent pressed 285. That would be a prodigious bent press for someone his size and I doubt if he ever lifted that much. John Y. Smith also weighed 168 (same as Lurie) when he bent pressed a dumbbell weighing 275.5 and Willoughby claimed that was equivalent to doing 313 with a barbell. Lurie was not in the same league with Smith as a strongman, however.

Lurie does, however, deserve a prominent place in history as a bodybuilder, promoter of physique contests, entrepreneur (I still have some Lurie barbell plates), and TV strongman performer.

by Al Myers

Two legends in All-Round Weightlifting, John Vernacchio (left) and Frank Ciavattone (right) at the 2009 IAWA World Championships in Lebanon, PA.

Yesterday brought some bad news to the All-Round Community with the news of the passing of John Vernacchio.  Anyone who has been involved with the USAWA for any length of time knows John.   John has been one of the primary leaders in our organization since the beginning, and without his efforts the USAWA might not even exist today.  I could go “ON AND ON” regarding John’s titles and lifting resume, but today I want to take the time to remember John for “the man he was”, and from the comments that I have received about him, it is obvious that he was loved and well-respected by all.  Please continue to send any comments and/or stories about John, and I’ll share them here on the USAWA website.

by Steve Gardner

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but for those who knew him, just wanted to let you know John Vernacchio has passed away. John was my very good friend and buddy from Philadelphia USA, a prolific all round weightlifter and powerlifter in his early days and a big mover and shaker in the US all round organisation too. John was 75 I think, and he suffered a fatal heart attack this morning. So very very sad. Rest in peace John.

by Andrew Tomlin

he was a gentleman and a legend R.I.P john

by Barry Bryan

Very sad news to hear. I lifted for his gym,trained with him, and he is the one who got me in the all round lifting. We had many great times.

by James Gardner

RIP JOHN. ALWAYS A LEGEND

by Joe Garcia

Sad news indeed. Remember a lot of good times with John at his meets. I called Bill and let him know. If anyone has current address or funeral data shoot them to me.

by John Gardner

Very sad to loose the legend will miss you mr v

by Steve Angell

Am sitting here with tears in my eyes. This has just become one of the saddest days of my life. l owe that man so much and had a love for him like a father. RIP John. You really were a legend!

by Rick Meldon

Horrible news, a great bloke indeed

by David Horne

Very sad news. I always remember my time at his place in Philly with fondness. A great chap!

by Tom Ryan

Yes, very sad news. I echo the comments made above. I knew John well, especially from the 1989-90 academic year that I spent in the Philly area and trained a few times at his gym. John was very active in staging competitions during the early years of the USAWA, in which he was a charter member. And he was a force on the lifting platform! He was a good Olympic lifter who switched to powerlifting after the press was eliminated, as the press was his best lift. John retained his strength as he aged much better than most of us do, as he squatted with 601 at the age of 47, which tied his personal record. Yes, John was 75 and would have turned 76 near the end of the year.

by Graham Saxton

Very sorry to hear the news. I had the pleasure to spend sometime with him on a number of occasions. Treasured memories.

(THERE WILL BE MORE TRIBUTES TO COME OVER THE FOLLOWING DAYS)

by Roger LaPointe

Chad Ullom performing a 150 Right Arm Dumbbell Swing at the 2012 USAWA Club Challenge in Ambridge, PA. Chad has the best Dumbbell Swing of ALL TIME in the USAWA.

As a competitive lift, the dumbbell swing has not been part of the Olympics since the first one, or maybe it was the second modern Olympics? I don’t know and the records are a least a little sketchy. So why do it?

Dumbbell Swings are simply AWESOME for your grip work.

Leading up to our last All-Round Weightlifting Meet, I hadn’t done any traditional deadlifting and hardly any clean pulls. Instead, I did a lot of stone lifting, snatches, cleans and the three lifts in that competition: the crucifix hold, one arm deadlift and thick bar Jefferson lift. I was doing the stone lifting because I was training Casey Pelton for the German American Festival Steinstossen event and because I just love summer outdoor stone lifting.

“Wow! Isn’t that actually over training you back?” exclaimed my Dad.

The quick answer, is “Yes… and No.” The volume of back training was pretty big, but most importantly, the volume of grip training was really high. I needed to hit my grip and single arm work, in a genuinely periodized fashion. I really needed to hit some lighter weights, with super high intensity. I felt like the dumbbell swing might just fit the bill.

There is no way to do a serious dumbbell swing being highly intense about it. Without intending to create this dichotomy, it also happens to be a nearly perfect lift to balance out the crucifix hold. Nice.

If you want to see the dumbbell I use to train the Dumbbell Swing, check out this shot. It is a very nice Olympic Plate Loading Rotating Dumbbell. The handle diameter and knurling is about as perfect as you could hope for and my York weights were not sloppy, like on the old one I was previously using. It was a wonderful upgrade. Check it out here:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=HIB20ZR

Live strong, Roger LaPointe

by Al Myers

Dale Friesz (center) at the 2012 USAWA Nationals in Las Vegas. He is surrounded by Dennis Mitchell (left) and the meet venue owner John Broz (right).

The choice for the lifter of the month of August was a pretty simple one – DALE FRIESZ.   In the month of August he won the prestigious Presidential Cup, the premier of the USAWA Record Days.  Dale has been involved with the USAWA from the very early days, and at the USAWA Nationals was “one of four” awarded the special award of Top Participation Award of past USAWA Nationals.  I consider Dale one of the “founding members” of the USAWA.  He has a passion for All-Round Weightlifting and the USAWA that very few others have. Despite having endured MANY physical hardships that would have put other lifters “on the sideline”, he continues to make a presence at meets, and in turn gives inspiration to any lifter that is facing a physical obstacle themselves.  Because no matter how bad you may think your issue is – it is NOTHING compared to what Dale has been faced with, and yet he continues to work out and compete.  That puts things in perspective.  In fact, I have NEVER met anyone like Dale who has such a underlying passion for weightlifting.   He is a true champion and very deserving of winning this month’s LIFTER OF THE MONTH.

by Al Myers

I just want to remind everybody that today is the LAST DAY to cast your vote in the knee sleeve poll.  The deadline is September 1st, so tomorrow I will be turning the USAWA poll results into IAWA President Steve Gardner so he can tabulate the “Worldwide vote”.  At that time you have “missed the boat” to cast a vote in this poll.   Shortly after that, the poll results will be announced on the website. 

This issue has been a “hotly contested” discussion item on the USAWA Discussion Forum.  It has been the most discussed single thread the forum has seen, and has “by far” the most views (closing in on 1000 views!!!).  I want to thank everyone who participated in this forum discussion, because the opinions expressed by everyone represent the voice of the USAWA.   I know there are those that have strong feelings on this (for and against) and will be disappointed however the poll turns out (either way), but I hope that those “hard feelings” can be placed to the side, and a sense of pride can be felt by knowing the fact that the USAWA now operates in a democratic fashion, with the direction of the organization determined by the majority vote of the membership.  I grant that there are still “rules in the book” that seem hypocritical, but this healthy debate brought those issues to the surface and now can be addressed in the future.

IF YOU HAVEN’T VOTED YET – CAST YOUR VOTE TODAY

by Al Myers

The IAWA World Championships in now just a little over a month away – with the entry deadline being September 15th.  Entries have been coming in slow, so if you are coming it’s now TIME to get that entry in.  Chad and I are going to alot of work to make this a great meet, but we need to get a good “head count” to make the appropriate plans.  I have only 1 more week to turn in my shirt and awards order to get things done in time, and knowing the number of lifters that plan on attending is VERY IMPORTANT in our making this decision on how much to order.  It’s costing us enough the way it is without estimating too high on awards & shirts, and then having too many extras.  Depending on the number of entries by the deadline, we MAY or MAY NOT accept late entries.  But if we do take late entries, the entry charge will be $100 instead of the $75 it is if you get your entry in on time.  I want to also mention that oversea lifters need only to email me their entry by the deadline, and may pay at the time of meet checkin.  But this DOES NOT apply to USAWA lifters!

The blog outlining the details of the 2012 IAWA World Championships is found here:

http://www.usawa.com/world-championships-3/

The host hotel for Worlds is the Ramada  Conference Center and Hotel .  The blog giving the details on this can be found here:

 http://www.usawa.com/host-hotel-for-worlds/

If you are just interested in the entry form, here it is again:

2012 World Championship Entry Form

By Al Myers

Winner of the FIRST EVER Presidential Cup Dale Friesz (left). The USAWA President Denny Habacker presented the award (right).

The FIRST EVER Presidential Cup hosted by USAWA President Denny Habecker was a huge success this past weekend in Lebanon,PA.  Six experienced and veteran lifters took part – Denny Habecker, Barry Bryan, Art Montini, John McKean, Dale Friesz, and myself.  As per the rules of the Presidents Cup, our Prez had to pick which  lifter had the record lift which “was worthy” of winning the cup. I’m glad this wasn’t my decision to make – as there were several championship worthy lifts put up over the course of the day.

Denny ended up choosing Dale THE MIRACLE MAN Friesz as the winner of the inaugural Presidential Cup with his efforts in the Ring Fingers Deadlift. Dale put up a 154 pound record in this lift.  I was simply amazed at Dale’s lifting.  Dale then followed up this lift with several other finger lift records, as it appears that these type of painful finger lifts are becoming his specialty.  When asked how he can handle this many record lifts on the sensitive fingers, he replied, “just train them everyday and your fingers get used to it.”  That hardcore attitude is one of the reasons he won this years Presidential Cup!

Participants in the 2012 Presidential Cup (left to right): Art Montini, Al Myers, Dale Friesz, Denny Habecker, Barry Bryan, & John McKean.

I really enjoyed catching up with John THE BIG FISH McKean.  John has a wealth of information on the history of the USAWA, and I always learn new things from him in our conversations.  Art THE MAN OF STEEL Montini made the trip with him, and put up a couple of nice records himself.  The plans for Art’s birthday bash are obviously underway as both John and Art were sporting the meet tshirts for this years meet in October on Art’s 85th!  I have never seen lifters wearing shirts for a meet that hasn’t happened yet!

It was also great to see Barry THE BOMB Bryan in action again on the platform.   When Barry lifts, the weights just explode!   I know most of the younger lifters don’t know Barry – but just look back in the past history of the USAWA and you soon will!  Barry was the overall best lifter in the 1990 USAWA National Championships and 4th overall at the 1991 USAWA Nationals.   He also placed 4th overall at the 1990 IAWA World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland and 5th overall at the 1991 IAWA World Championships in Collegeville, PA. Those type of titles are not just handed out to anyone! Barry is one of the true champions of our organization.

In closing, I want to sincerely thank Denny and Judy for hosting this weekend of fun. This meet is now our premier record day within the USAWA, and again, congrats to Dale for being crowned the LIFTER OF THE DAY by winning the first-ever  Presidential Cup.

MEET RESULTS

2012 Presidential Cup
Habecker’s Gym
Lebanon, PA
August 25th, 2012

Meet Director:  Denny Habecker

Officials (three used on each lift): Al Myers, Denny Habecker, Art Montini, Barry Bryan, John McKean, Dale Friesz

Dale Friesz – 72 years old, 160# BWT

Deadlift – Ring Fingers: 154#
Deadlift – Index Fingers: 115#
Finger Lift – Right Ring: 112#
Finger Lift -Right Middle: 129#

Denny Habecker – 69 years old, 193# BWT

Clean and Jerk – Behind Neck: 145#
Clean and Press – 12″ Base: 141#
Clean and Press – Heels Together: 141#
Deadlift – Fulton Bar, Ciavattone Grip: 231#
Snatch – Fulton Bar: 88#
Deadlift – No Thumbs: 286#

Barry Bryan – 54 years old, 193# BWT

Deadlift – Fulton Bar, Right Arm: 132#
Clean and Press: 176#

Art Montini – 84 years old, 173# BWT

Arthur Lift: 66#
Deadlift – Dumbbell, Left Hand: 132#

John McKean – 66 years old, 163# BWT

Deadlift – 2 Dumbbells: 324#
Deadlift – Dumbbell, Right Arm: 162#
Deadlift – Dumbbell, Left Arm: 162#
Hack Lift: 256#

Al Myers – 46 years old, 247# BWT

Deadlift – Fulton Bar, Right Arm: 176#
Deadlift – Fulton Bar, Left Arm: 154#
Deadlift – Fulton Bar: 475#

By Dan Wagman, PhD., CSCS

Consultant, Body Intellect

Publisher/Editor in Chief, Journal of Pure PowerBody Intellect Sports Performance Enhancement Consortium

As part of my training for worlds, I have visited the USAWA website off and on. A topic that caught my attention is the consideration by the IAWA to allow lifters to use knee sleeves. I thought that a rational and scientific analysis of this question might aid in the decision-making. Thus, I will look at what this sport stands for, what research shows on the topic of knee sleeves from a health and performance enhancement perspective, and what the sum of that information indicates in terms of allowing knee sleeves in all-round weightlifting.

ADVOCATING RAW STRENGTH

As step one let’s clarify what the sport of all-round weightlifting stands for. The mission of all-round weightlifting is to test pure, raw, unadulterated maximal strength in a large number of different exercises. A review of IAWA rules supports this. Only in the squat and front squat is the type of equipment that artificially enhances the strength of an athlete—in the form of knee wraps—allowed. This, despite the fact that many other lifts also test the muscles that provide strength and stability to the knee.

In the case of the squat and front squat the main mission of all-round weightlifting seems to be compromised. But consider that in all other lifts the use of performance-enhancing devices isn’t permitted and one must still come to the conclusion that in this sport the use of implements that artificially inflate an athlete’s strength is contrary to the sport’s purpose, mission, and conviction. Indeed, even the use of minor aids such as taping of the thumbs and/or fingers (as permitted in weightlifting) or the use of baby powder for the deadlift (permitted in powerlifting) is not allowed in all-round weightlifting. Though the use of wrist wraps and a belt is authorized, they don’t fall into the same category as knee wraps; the former’s primary function is to only provide joint stability as opposed to outright performance enhancement by aiding in the movement of the joint through its range of motion as knee wraps do. Admittedly, there does appear to be a lack of consistency within the rules of the sport regarding the use of equipment. However, it is equally apparent that because in the overwhelming majority of lifts no outright performance enhancing equipment such as knee wraps is allowed, the sport’s main mission is to remain pure and uncontaminated in the test of maximal strength.

WHY STRAY?

With the fundamental purity of all-round weightlifting in mind, what argument would support changing the rules to allow for the use of knee sleeves? Could it be overall knee health? From a sports medicine perspective, there is absolutely no reason, nor evidence, as to why a healthy knee would require any degree of support, or warming, or anything else in order to move through its full range of motion, even under the sort of substantial load you would experience from, say, a heavy squat.

Consider that one of the ligaments of the knee (posterior cruciate ligament or PCL), designed to keep the thigh and leg together firmly, has been found to have an ultimate strength of up to around 1,000 pounds and another (anterior cruciate ligament or ACL) up to 540 pounds (10, 12, 15), and that the forces of a squat would actually be distributed among a total of four ligaments (though to varying degrees), not to mention tendons and muscles and bones, then it seems clear that the knee joint doesn’t need any artificial help. Of course you might argue that the stresses of lifting weights adds to the stresses of the knee. But first you ought to consider that there is a training effect. In other words, as you train to get stronger so does the rest of your body, including all structures of the knee from exercises that stress that joint. Then consider that research has shown that the max forces of a 615-pound squat only amount to about 450 pounds of shearing forces upon the most highly stressed ligament of the knee during that exercise (PCL) (9), and you’ll have to again conclude that the knee doesn’t require any additional help.

ON HEALTH

But what about an unhealthy knee, say a knee with arthritis? Might that knee benefit from a knee sleeve? And does that benefit constitute the type of performance enhancement that would violate the spirit of all-round weightlifting? Allow me to share my findings with you from a search of all relevant sports medicine research on knee sleeves.

In a review study that looked at a total of 444 people with arthritic knees, knee sleeves improved pain over just taking medication (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).(2) In another study that looked at overuse injuries to the knee (not arthritis) in 395 army recruits, those that wore a simple elastic knee sleeve had significantly better comfort levels than those who didn’t.(5) Another study wanted to find out about the time-period of improvement.(11) Here, in the beginning weeks of the study patients with osteoarthritis who took meds and wore a knee sleeve did better than those who only took meds. But toward the end of the two-month study there was no difference between using a knee sleeve or just taking meds. Another study also found that wearing an elastic knee sleeve provided immediate pain relief for subjects with osteoarthritis who participated in a stair-climbing power test.(3)

So what about the heat-retaining aspect of a knee sleeve? Many athletes believe this to be perhaps the most important aspect of a knee sleeve. A study conducted at the Indiana University School of Medicine found that the differences were so minor between the knee sleeve and the no knee sleeve conditions, that the investigators couldn’t draw any meaningful conclusions.(8) Of course you have to take exercise into consideration, too. So a study seeking to find out what differences might exist in treating an arthritic knee with exercise, a knee brace, exercise and knee brace, or exercise and knee sleeve found no statistical differences between any of the treatments.(7) In other words, if you exercise, you get just as much pain relief as you would from adding a knee brace or a knee sleeve.

PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT

A critical concern for any sports organization has to deal with what sort of ergogenic aids it will or won’t allow. As it pertains to knee sleeves, one must obviously consider the type of knee sleeve because they aren’t all created equal. I have a knee sleeve that I received as a promotional gift from Titan Support Systems. It is difficult to argue that this knee sleeve is the same as what you would get from a pharmacy or physical therapist; it’s very thick, tight, and rather non-elastic providing much spring to a squat. Unfortunately, there is no research available that sought to quantify the differences in ergogenic properties from this sort of knee sleeve to the one manufactured for people suffering from arthritis. Despite the lack of empirical evidence, it seems rather clear that there is little difference between the Titan knee sleeve and knee wraps, especially if you also consider that a tighter knee sleeve, one that might require two people to don, just like tighter knee wraps will enhance performance more than loser ones. And of course, the more stability a knee sleeve provides the joint, it naturally follows that it will also provide resistance to bending the joint, which in turn means more assistance during lockout.

But performance enhancement doesn’t need to be limited to the obvious, such as aiding the knee in locking out. It can also entail more subtle things such as how a knee sleeve might be able to benefit your balance, kinesthetic feedback, brain signaling, etc. Naturally, the person who doesn’t get this sort of benefit is at a sporting disadvantage. Please consider that all of the findings that follow employed a medical knee sleeve, not the kind you find in powerlifting circles. Now, obviously balance is a big part in most if not all lifts contested in all-round weightlifting, but perhaps most in one-armed lifts. With that in mind, consider that patients wearing a knee sleeve were able to balance better in static and dynamic conditions compared to those who didn’t wear such a sleeve.(4)

Part of being able to balance effectively means that you actually have a sense of where your body is in space. A lot of this sort of kinesthetic feedback comes from the joints. So might wearing a knee sleeve improve a person’s sense of knee joint position during a leg extension and leg press? Yes, but perhaps the most interesting finding of a study that looked precisely at that was that the degree of benefit derived from wearing a knee sleeve was highly person-dependent.(1) In other words, some people got a lot from it, others much less. Another similar study found that wearing a knee sleeve consistently improved proprioceptive acuity, meaning that your sense of position and movements are enhanced.(6) Of course as an athlete you have to deal with the effects of fatigue. Obviously, as you fatigue your performance will suffer. A study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports found that by wearing a knee sleeve while fatigued, joint position senses were significantly enhanced.(14)

From a scientific perspective, it seems rather clear that wearing a knee sleeve can be beneficial in terms of enhancing performance. But what could be causing this? Scientists from the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy at Ghent University Hospital in Belgium looked at brain activity while wearing a knee sleeve.(13) They used a method called functional magnetic resonance imaging, which allows you to watch changes in the brain as they occur. What they found is that wearing a knee sleeve while moving influences brain activity in a positive way.

FAIR COMPETITION?

A logical and rational approach to answering the question regarding knee sleeves in all-round weightlifting must first address whether doing so would compromise what the organizations that govern this sport stand for. In this case, it seems clear that the overwhelming evidence stands for testing maximal strength sans any type of equipment that might enhance performance. Of the over 100 lifts that can be contested, only the squat and front squat allow for performance-enhancing knee wraps. Though perhaps misguided, to the rational person this only constitutes an aberration to the overall mission of the sport, not necessarily a precedent for allowing additional equipment.

And yet one must ask that if it’s indeed permissible to use knee wraps in two lifts, by what logic would it not be permissible to use the exact same equipment in all similar lifts? And by this extension of rational thought, why would knee sleeves not be permissible? Of course if they do become permissible, one must also ascertain under what rules of logic would it then not be permissible to use elbow sleeves? After all, an argument based on anatomy and physiology would fall way short in allowing for a sleeve around the large and powerful knee joint, yet not for the elbow joint.

Clearly the research on knee sleeves in an arthritic population shows that it can hold many benefits from pain reduction to increased proprioception and being able to deal with the effects of fatigue. A legitimate need to wear a knee sleeve would be having an arthritic knee. But from an organizational perspective, how does one determine the degree of arthritis and the extent to which it limits the athlete and causes pain? Does that athlete have to bring a doctor’s note to competition? How else would one determine wether a competitor suffers from this sort of medical condition, or a related one, or just wants to have an unfair advantage over his/her competition? And why should an allowance be made in the first place for an injured athlete? Isn’t sport supposed to test the most capable of bodies? It’s one thing to allow a person to use drugs to control pain, an entirely different situation for allowing the use of mechanical devices a person wears to control pain (and thus enhance performance).

In the final analysis it seems that the first test is what the sport of all-round weightlifting stands for. With that in mind, the only rational answer to the knee sleeve question is not to permit it for any lift. The second tier of reasoning ought to look at any anatomical, physiological, or biological need for the use of knee sleeves. As we have learned, the knee and its associated structures are immensely strong, rendering the need of knee sleeves gratuitous, even in the arthritic knee as exercise controls pain well. And in all-round weightlifting, we sure exercise.

References

1. Birmingham, T.B., et al. Effect of a neoprene sleeve on knee joint position sense during sitting open kinetic chain and supine closed kinetic chain tests. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 26(4):562-566, 1998.

2. Brouwer, R., et al. Braces and orthoses for treating osteoarthritis of the knee. Cochrane Database Systematic Reviews. 25;(1):CD004020, 2005.

3. Bryk, F., et al. Immediate effect of the elastic knee sleeve use on individuals with osteoarthritis. Revista Brasileira De Reumatologia. 51(5):440-446, 2011.

4. Chuang, SH., et al. Effect of knee sleeve on static and dynamic balance in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Journal of Medicine and Science. 23(8):405-411, 2007.

5. Finestone, A., et al. Treatment of overuse patellofemoral pain. Prospective randomized controlled clinical trial in a military setting. Clinical Orthopaedics And Related Research. 293:208-10, 1993.

6. Herrington, L., et al. The effect of a neoprene sleeve on knee joint position sense. Research in Sports Medicine. 13(1):37-46, 2005.

7. Lun, V., et al. Effectiveness of patellar bracing for treatment of patellofemoral pain syndrome. Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine. 15(4):235-240, 2005.

8. Mazzuca, S.A., et al. Pilot study of the effects of a heat-retaining knee sleeve on joint pain, stiffness, and function in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Arthritis and Rheumatism. 51(5):716-721, 2004.

9. Nissel, R., et al. Joint load during the parallel squat in powerlifting and force analysis of in vivo bilateral quadriceps tendon rupture. Scandinavian Journal of Sports Science. 8:63-70, 1986.

10. Noyes, F., et al. Biomechanical analysis of human ligament grafts used in knee-ligament reparis and reconstructions. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. 66A:344-352, 1984.

11. Pajareya, K., et al. Effectiveness of an elastic knee sleeve for patients with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized single-blinded controlled trial. Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand. 86(6):535-42, 2003.

12. Race, A., et al. The mechanical properties of the two bundles of the human posterior cruciate ligament. Journal of Biomechanics. 27:13-24, 1994.

13. Thijs Y., et al. Does bracing influence brain activity during knee movement: An fMRI study. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy. 18(8):1145-1149, 2010.

14. Van Tiggelen, D., et al. The use of a neoprene knee sleeve to compensate the deficit in knee joint position sense caused by muscle fatigue. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. 18(1):62-66, 2008.

15. Woo, S., et al. Tensile properties of the human femur-anterior cruciata ligament-tibia complex. The effects of specimen age and orientation. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 19:217-225, 1991.

by Roger LaPointe

Dave Polzin set several new USAWA & IAWA records, including in this lift, the Fulton Bar Jefferson Lift.

National and World record sized lifts were made at the Atomic Athletic Tractor Pull Weekend USAWA Weightlifting Meet! There were 10 National and 5 World Record level lifts. Not too shabby…

We also had a lot of fun, which is what it is really about.

The lifts were the Fulton Bar (2” Diameter Thick Bar) Jefferson lift, the One Arm Barbell Deadlift, and the Crucifix Hold. Record attempts succeeded in each of the lifts. Some of the highlights included:

Dave Polzin’s (Age 62, 100 Kg Wt. Class) 402 lbs. Fulton Bar Jefferson Lift
Roger LaPointe’s (Age 41, 80 Kg Wt. Class) 75 lbs. Crucifix Hold
John McKean’s (Age 66, 75 Kg Wt. Class) 276 lbs. Right Arm Dead Lift
Scott Schmidt’s (Age 59, 110 Kg Wt. Class) 90 lbs. Crucifix Hold

Tshirts from the meet are still available for sale!

If you have never tried any of these old school lifts, you probably should. As John Kurtz, one of the officials, pointed out to me, “these are great old lifts that you can find in all the old York, Healthways and Milo Bar Bell courses. Everyone did these before the age of machines!”

We have a couple of shirts left in each of the various sizes. Make sure to jump on those. They are done in an awesome green with black printed artwork. Here is the link:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=PICNIC2

Stay tuned for future events!

Live strong, Roger LaPointe

by Roger LaPointe

The 2nd Annual Atomic Athletic Tractor Pull Weekend Meet went very well. Everyone had a blast.   While it is not yet official, it looks like we may have collectively broken 10 US records and 5 World Records. Each of our lifters broke some sort of record.

We had an unexpected surprise, thanks to the efforts of Scott Schmidt. We have two Ohio based officials that are getting back into the All Round Weightlifting game: John Kurtz and Jim Malloy. As John McKean pointed out, both were very active lifters, with John being both a founding member and an official at many of Howard Prechtel’s events, including the Nationals. I had never previously met them, but hope to make them a fixture at Atomic Athletic events. They each seemed to enjoy themselves and fit right in with our group. By the end of the meet, they each seemed to be itching to pick up some weights. Who knows, maybe we can convince them to do a little coaching or even get them on the platform. I know that I have learned a good deal from lifting with Dave Polzin, who has continued his annihilation of almost every record he sets his sights on. Maybe I will get a chance to learn a bit from Jim and John as well.

I would like to thank everyone who lifted, officiated and helped to clean up. I hope to see everyone at the next Atomic Athletic meet. If anyone would like to make some lift suggestions, please send the requests to me.  We also have meet shirts left over. If you would like to buy one,  the photo will be up on the site tomorrow, but it reflects the general design of the site graphic with black ink on a green shirt. I will make sure to note which sizes are left tonight. Here is the link:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=PICNIC2

MEET RESULTS:

2012 Atomic Athletic Tractor Pull Weekend Meet
August 18th, 2012
Atomic Athletic, Bowling Green, Ohio

Meet Director: Roger LaPoint
Officials: Scott Schmidt, Jim Malloy, John Kurtz, John McKean

Lifts: Deadlift – One Arm, Jefferson Lift – Fulton Bar, Crucifix
USR = New “possible” U. S. Record
WR= New “possible” World Record

If anyone is wondering about the odd weight increments for the 1 Arm Deadlift, we were using a 45 pound bar,but lifting with kilo plates. The Crucifix Hold was done with antique York Kettlebell Handles, which are about half a pound lighter than the current kettlebell handles we sell at Atomic Athletic, making the handles, bar and collars a combined weight of 10 pounds. It was a convenient set up for use with pound increment standard size plates.

by Al Myers

USAWA Rulebook 6th Edition

The new, updated Rulebook is now available on the website.  I’m a little behind on my August 1st deadline, but I have lots of excuses.  I have included the bylaws in this years book, so everything is “nice and tidy” concerning the rules and regulations of the USAWA.  All of the passed agenda items from this year’s National Meeting have been included.  As always, it is free to download it but a printed bound Rulebook comes with a pricetag.  It will continue to be available in the online store.

by Roger LaPointe

Jefferson Lift

So you want to build some crazy back and leg strength?

Try out the Jefferson Lift, also called the Straddle Deadlift in Great Britain.

I have loved the Jefferson Lift since the day I first started lifting. My Dad taught it to me as, “the best and safest way to squat.” Well, it’s not technically a squat, but a deadlift and it is also not necessarily the safest.  However, it is a great alternative to traditional deadlifting, which can replicate the feel of a front squat, at least in the legs.

Check it out here

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=VID001

Or check it out here, with some “How To” and discussion:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=BK103

The Jefferson Lift gets its name from the old circus strongman Charles Jefferson (1863?-July 12, 1911). Originally from Canaan, New Hampshire, he traveled and performed with Barnum and later with Barnum & Bailey. He was known for chain breaking and lifting “enormous” weights. I have never been able to find out what was considered “enormous”.

Alan Calvert, of Milo Barbell, seemed quite fond of the Jefferson Lift, as he wrote about two different variations, including photos, in his book “Super Strength”. Interestingly, when I worked at York Barbell, Jan Dellinger told me that John Grimek was also extremely fond of the Jefferson Lift, and considered “Super Strength” to be his single reference work for lifting. Of course, Grimek did modeling for the Milo Barbell Company before working for Hoffman. At the time, Jan had told me that Grimek believed in only doing the Jefferson Lift as a partial lift off of blocks. Both of the methods shown in Calvert’s book reflect Grimek’s opinion. Calvert also writes, “In performing this exercise, the legs are bent no further than shown in the picture,”

As for technique, beyond Calvert’s book, I have seen a number of other methods. In some photos, I see the the bar is perpendicular to the shoulders with a high degree of twist to the spine. In other shots, which I call the Hirsh technique, the bar is lifted with an alternate grip, like a standard deadlift, but the legs straddle the bar in a fashion very similar to a split jerk, with the heels being allowed to rise. Al Myers, of the USAWA, did an excellent article about the Jefferson Lift, featuring this photo of Bob Hirsh, who easily had the best modern Jefferson Lift.  Check it out on this website.

If you would like to compete in a variation of the Jefferson Lift, you can do so at our Atomic Athletic Tractor Pull Championship Weekend Meet, this Saturday, August 18th. The variation we will be contesting is with a 2 Inch Thick Bar, called a Fulton Bar in the USAWA. Here is the link:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=PICNIC2

Live strong, Roger LaPointe

by Al Myers

This is a reminder to everyone that the worldwide poll on knee sleeves is underway.  This issue was brought up at the USAWA National Meeting, ending with a motion to refer it to the IAWA Technical Committee for evaluation before being placed on the IAWA agenda at the IAWA Meeting in October at the IAWA World Meet.  Steve Gardner and myself decided that a world-wide poll should be taken on this issue as well, as both of us feel that this issue is one that should be decided by ALL members, not just the membership that is attendance at the meeting.  A couple of weeks ago a blog was ran on this website which included the details of the poll, so if you missed it, look back in the archives of the USAWA Daily News. I’m not going to “rehash” all that again in this story.  

There has been some  discussion in the USAWA Discussion Forum on this.  Discussion has included the pros and cons by several members. If you haven’t been “keeping up” with this issue, that is a good place to look to “get up to speed”.  So far only 26 USAWA members have voted, and the vote is tied at 13-13.  It is important to remember that the deadline in this poll is September 1st. I’m going to include some of the forum posts in this blog to stimulate thought:

By Big T -

I guess I want to discuss this a little as I’m surprised at the results.

My feeling is that it’s a pandora’s box. In Highland Games we have the Weight Over Bar event where the thrower has to throw a 56lb weight over a bar, kinda like a high jump bar that goes higher and higher with the highest being the winner. Well, the rules don’t say you can’t spin but traditionally, it was done from a standing position. One day, someone did spin, and while it was debated, nobody stopped it. Soon, guys were spinning all over the place. Hell, I did it when I realized it was a superior way to do it. Now, some games allow it, some don’t and it is a point of contention. Why? Because you can throw higher spinning….but then others argue you don’t! In my mind, it’s a separate event. Guys argue about it and in the mean time records are broken until only the spinners have all the records and nobody can remember who did what standing, spinning, or whatever. Now, there are guys double spinning!

My point, I like spinning, but I don’t consider it the same. I like knee sleeves, I own two pair! But this is an pandora’s box and we either need to create a “geared” record list and ungeared (good lord…how many records would that be!……500 pages!) or just keep it raw and a guy can were his knee sleeve to keep warm, take it off to lift, then go on with life. For the record, I voted no, but in reality, I would rather see all gear allowed with limitations. But to me, it’s all or nothing and its disrespectful to past champs to beat records with advantages they didn’t have.

By Dinoman –

Thank you for your input on this, you made some very good points. I’ll be honest here – I’m REALLY disappointed in the number of votes cast so far for an issue this big and the the lack of opinions from lifters defending their viewpoints. Only 25% of the membership so far have even voted! That tells me that this issue doesn’t mean much to the remaining 75%. Or maybe it is just the apathy of voting now-a-days, with the attitude that an individuals opinion doesn’t count for anything so why show up to vote.

I’m really glad we are doing this poll as it gives EVERYONE an opportunity to be part of this decision. I will say this – if you don’t vote NOW I don’t want to hear you B***** later!!

By KCSTRONGMAN –

I voted yes, but did so with reservation-that I completely see your point. However, I disagree whole heartedly with the separate record list bit. So, you have used knee sleeves? Have you ever lifted anything with them that you would not have lifted without? Maybe there are types where that would be the case. I have used york and Dino sleeves, and have never gotten a single pound over what I would have done without them. Just like Benching with wrist wraps. Never a single pound over, but it allows me to protect a joint in order to not have to spend the next month rehabbing it. Now, like I said, maybe there are some that would give you weight, and maybe that is something that needs to be researched out before a decision is made, I dont know. And if the knee sleeves thing fails I will not lose a moments sleep over it, I will just train with them, when I feel I need them, and compete without. It wont make any difference, as I will lift the same amount one way or the other, as long as I am healthy.

By casinoman -

Neoprene knee sleeves are not geared. To say they aid in a lift is a miseducated statement, meaning no offense. But I am with ET I get nothing out of a NEOPRENE knee sleeve, but I do own knee sleeves that are like a knee wrap and do get some poundages out of them. But they help immensly in being in less pain. I am amazed especially by the amount of older lifters by how many no votes there are. I can guarantee when I am in my 40 and 50s I will be wearing neoprene damn near head to toe, hell I am almost that way now on workout days. I think people need to understand that neoprene sleeves are not geared lifting, they don’t give you any extra poundages, but they help keep the joint warm. I have had both meniscus removed and on squat days, if I go without my sleeves I pay for it dearly, can I squat without and squat the same amount of weight, yes, but the next day the pain is worse.

PLEASE VOTE AND LET YOUR OPINION BE KNOWN

by Roger LaPointe

“Why do you like the All Round Weightlifting so much?”

Of course I like the competition. I also like variety in my competitions. The idea that I am competing in a lift that was historically significant, if you consider anything that only one or two circus guys performed as significant, is also cool. However, it is more than that. I love the USAWA because of the people.

The lifters in the USAWA are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. The vast majority are also Masters Age lifters and have tons of knowledge. Yet, there are many strength organizations that are potentially huge sources knowledge, but I have never seen anyone hoard that knowledge in the USAWA.

Atomic Athletic is holding the 2nd Tractor Pull Championship Weekend Meet this Saturday, August 18th. I encourage any of our readers to come and watch. I would love it if you lifted, but new strange lifts can be a bit intimidating. I won’t lie about that. Most serious lifters have never heard of a Jefferson Lift. The fact that we will be doing the Crucifix Hold with a pair of antique kettlebell handles from the 1930s, is lost even on my wife. Don’t let any of these things stop you from watching.

Unlike the Picnic we had in the spring, this is a small, more typical, All Round meet. The atmosphere will be relaxed and you can fire away with the questions, just wait until the lifters are off the competition platform…

Remember, it is FREE to watch.

Here is the link to the Event Page:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=PICNIC2

I hope to see you there.

Live strong, Roger LaPointe

Today is a good day to lift.

by Al Myers

The first Team (2-Man) Neck Lift ever performed, by Al Myers and Chad Ullom, at the Dino Days Record Day. We lifted 1205 pounds.

Seven lifters performed record attempts at the Dino Days Record Day on August 12th.  Of these 7, three made it that didn’t compete the previous day in the Dino Gym – Tim Songster, Mike Murdock, and Molly Myers.

I’ll start the report with the youngest lifter of the day.  My daughter Molly continues to amaze me with her lifting ability. She has spent some time in her young life training, but never anything consistent.  I keep telling her that she has great ability lifting weights, but I haven’t over-pressured her to be a weight lifter.  Usually in record days, I have picked lifts for her that she could set records in easily, as I didn’t want her to feel disappointed if she couldn’t exceed a previous record.  But this time, I picked a few records that I knew she would have to get a great performance to exceed the current record on the books.  The first choice was the Fulton Bar Ciavattone Grip Deadlift.  The previous record was 148# (which I consider a very good mark) and Molly exceeded it with her last attempt at 151#.  This got her very excited and after that the records fell at a rapid pace, ending with a very fine 130# 12 inch base squat.

Mike Murdock performing one of the "first ever" Jackson Presses at the Dino Days Record Day.

Since I’m reporting in the order of age, that makes Chad at 40 the next in line!  Chad started the day off with a 135# Jackson Press.  When he finished he made the comment that he picked that lift to recognize the JWC, since none of the JWC members were in attendance.  He then started focusing on regaining his Neck Lift record, which he lost to Eric Todd at the Heavy Lift Championships.  I decided I would join him in the Neck Lift, but I knew I would only be his “pace car” as he proceeded to heavier and heavier poundages!  I dropped out at 700 but to Chad it seemed as he was still just warming up.  He finished with 915# for the new ALL TIME record in the Neck Lift. After that we decided to do some 2-Man Neck Lifts.  This was our first time trying out this new bar apparatus I had made to do this lift, and we finished with 1205#.  We could have done alot more, but we need some more training time to synchronize our efforts.  Unlike other 2-Man lifts, this one is performed “totally blind” as you are looking up and have no visual cues.  Add in the element of danger, and this lift becomes much more difficult than other 2-Man lifts.

I was glad to meet another lifter from Jobe’s Steel Jungle.  Tim Songster made his first appearance in the Dino Gym. Tim set 8 new records in various different lifts.  I could tell Tim is a true all-rounder, as he seems to really enjoy the variety of the different lifts.  If someone else was trying a different lift, he wanted to “give it a try” as well, and in the process learn how to do this new lift. Welcome to the USAWA Tim!

LaVerne made an appearance on both days at this year’s Dino Days.  The day before he teamed with Dean Ross in the Team Championships. It appeared to me that he must have still been on this “team approach” as it seemed they did all the same lifts!  LaVerne, Dean and Mike started the day off doing the Bear Hug. The Bear Hug is a lift very rarely contested in the USAWA, and it seemed like they were doing it for over an hour.  They must have tripled the weight they started with.  LaVerne ended up on tops with a lift of 206#, followed by Dean at 181#, and then Mike at 156#.  However, in the new USAWA lift, the Fulton Bar Bench Press, Dean and Mike had the best lifts (178#), followed by LaVerne at 123#. Another lift that “stuck out in my mind” was the 1250# Back Lift by Dean.  That is a huge lift!

Again, I want to thank everyone who attended this record day.  I really enjoy watching others have fun lifting weights, and afterall, that is what it should be all about.

MEET RESULTS

Dino Days Record Day
Dino Gym
Abilene, Kansas
August 12th, 2012

Meet Director: Al Myers

Officials: Al Myers, Mike Murdock, Chad Ullom, Jesse Jobe, LaVerne Myers

Lifters:

Molly Myers – Female, Age 13, 164# BWT
Deadlift – Fulton Bar, Ciavattone Grip: 151#
Deadlift – Fulton Bar: 201#
Deadlift – Heels Together: 182#
Bench Press – Feet in Air: 100#
Curl – Cheat: 75#
Jackson Press: 45#
Press – From Rack: 45#
Squat – 12″ Base: 130#

Chad Ullom – Age 40, 253# BWT
Jackson Press; 135#
Clean and Press – On Knees: 211#
Neck Lift: 915#
Turkish Get Up: 71#

Tim Songster Sr. – Age 45, 208# BWT
Bear Hug: 181#
Swing – 2 Dumbbells: 130#
Swing – Dumbbell, Right Arm: 85#
Turkish Get Up: 53#
Extension – Back: 110#
Swing – Dumbbell, Left Arm: 85#
Bench Press – Roman Chair: 65#
Jackson Press: 160#

Al Myers – Age 45, 248# BWT
Neck Lift: 690#
Extension – Back: 140#

LaVerne Myers – Age 68, 249# BWT
Jackson Press: 75#
Bench Press – Fulton Bar: 123#
Bear Hug: 206#

Dean Ross – Age 69, 275# BWT
Jackson Press: 95#
Arthur Lift: 75#
Bench Press – Fulton Bar: 178#
Bear Hug: 181#
Turkish Get Up: 35#
Back Lift: 1250#

Mike Murdock – Age 72, 225# BWT
Jackson Press – 115#
Bench Press – Fulton Bar: 178#
Bear Hug: 156#
Deadlift – Fulton Bar, Ciavattone Grip: 201#

Al Myers and Chad Ullom
Team Neck Lift: 1205#

NOTES:  All lifts are recorded in pounds.

by Al Myers

Group picture from the 2012 USAWA Team Championships. (front left to right): Al Myers, Chad Ullom, Mac Chapello, Jesse Jobe. (back row left to right): Jera Kressly, Doug Kressly, Darren Barnhart, LaVerne Myers, Dean Ross

What a GREAT WEEKEND!  The annual Dino Days Weekend started of with the USAWA Team Championships on Saturday and finished with the Dino Days Record Day on Sunday.   The Team Champs started out with a BANG, with 4 teams in attendance.  Chad and I lifted together again, Jobes Steel Jungle brought a team of Jesse Jobe and Mac Capello, two other Dino Gym members teamed up – Dean Ross and LaVerne Myers, and for the first time we had a Mixed Pair  (male & female) team compete.  Doug and Jera Kressly made their USAWA debut, and put up big lifts together. 

Jesse and Mac took "bragging rights" in the Team Bent Over Row, as they put up the top lift of the meet at 560 pounds.

Chad and I were able to defend our USAWA Team Title, but had some serious competition from the apes that represented Jobes Steel Jungle.  The KING APE Jesse brought a sibling primate along to team up with him, and Mac BABY CHIMP Chapello showed that he has what it takes to someday be the king of the jungle.  It was a close comp till the final event, the 12″ base deadlift, when Chad and I “pulled it out”.   We took what we needed for the win (1020#), and then took a fourth attempt which was successful with 1100#.   That now becomes the top 2-MAN deadlift of all-time in the USAWA, exceeding the effort of Bryan Benzel/Troy Goetsch (a couple other Jungle lifters) set earlier this year. 

Doug and Jera Kressly showed "perfect harmony" with each other all day long, as they won the first Mixed Pair Team Title in the history of the USAWA.

I can’t say enough how much I was impressed with Doug and Jera Kressly.  I have known both of them for many years (through the Highland Games), and I knew they would also be great All-Round lifters.  I sure hope they make it back to a USAWA competition soon.  Their Mixed Pair victory makes them the FIRST Mixed Pair team to win the USAWA Team Championships.  Hopefully next year, another Mixed Pair team will join in the fun of this competition so Doug and Jera can have some “two-on-two” competition.  I was especially impressed with their Team One Arm Clean and Jerk. 160 pounds is a HUGE lift for a 2-Man team, let alone a Mixed Pair team. 

LaVerne Myers and Dean Ross and their 380# Fulton Bar Ciavattone Grip Deadlift. These two teamed up quite nicely as they both are physically built very similar.

The Dino Gym’s OLD GEEZERS Dean Ross and LaVerne Myers showed up with one goal in mind, to beat the Mixed Pair team of Doug and Jera.  Doug and Jera was leading after the first two events, but then Dean and LaVerne used their strong callused hands  in the Fulton Bar Ciavattone Grip Deadlift to go past them.  It was a tense moment when Doug and Jera was deadlifing, after the OLD GEEZERS  had finished.  However, in the end the OLD GEEZERS edged them out (but ONLY because of the 29% age correction they received!).  So there are benefits to being a Senior Citizen Weightlifter!!

Al Myers and Chad Ullom and their record-setting team deadlift of 1100 pounds.

I want to thank everyone who attended this meet this year.  I especially want to thank Darren Barnhart for showing up just to officiate. Darren is “that guy” in the Dino Gym that I can always count on to show up to help out when he’s not competing, and I hate to think how much I owe him for the contributions he has made over the years.  

This is truly one of the “most fun” meets in the USAWA.  As I was explaining after the meet to Jesse, the reason I like this meet is because if you don’t do well in a lift – you can always blame it on your team mate.  That’s when I noticed the BABY CHIMP nodding his head in agreement…

MEET RESULTS:

USAWA Team Championships
Dino Gym
Abilene, Kansas
August 11th, 2012

Meet Director: Al Myers

Official: Darren Barnhart

Lifts: Clean and Jerk – 1 arm, Deadlift – Fulton bar, Ciavattone Grip, Bent Over Row, Deadlift – 12″ base

TEAMS:

Dino Gym – 115 KG Class, 40-44 Age Group, 2-Man
Al Myers – 45 years old, 247# BWT
Chad Ullom – 40 years old, 252# BWT

Jobes Steel Jungle – 110 KG Class, Senior Age Group, 2-Man
Jesse Jobe – 35 years old, 235# BWT
Mac Capello – 34 years old, 240# BWT

Team Kressly – 115 KG Class, Senior Age Group, Male/Female
Doug Kressly – 32 years old, 252# BWT
Jera Kressly – 27 years old, 209# BWT

The Old Geezers – 125 KG Class, 65-69 Age Group
Dean Ross – 69 years old, 274# BWT
LaVerne Myers – 68 years old, 250# BWT

NOTES: All weights recorded in pounds. Total is total pounds lifted. Points are corrected points for age and bodyweight.

EXTRA LIFT FOR RECORD:

Myers & Ullom: Deadlift – 12″ Base 1100#

BEST LIFTER AWARDS:

Mixed Pair – Doug and Jera Kressly
Senior Age Group – Jesse Jobe and Mac Capello
Master 40+ Age Group – Al Myers and Chad Ullom
Master 60+ Age Group – LaVerne Myers and Dean Ross