Tag Archives: Joe Garcia

The Hand and Thigh

By Eric Todd

HEAVY LIFT CHAMPIONSHIP – THE HAND AND THIGH

Joe Garcia pulls a big hand and thigh at the Heavy Lift Championship at York

Joe Garcia pulls a big hand and thigh at the Heavy Lift Championship at York

(Due to the Corona virus, as of right now no official decision has been made on the Heavy Lift Championships.  We will keep an eye on the situation and make a decision before long.  As of right now, I am proceeding as though it will go on, but will keep the membership informed)

The Hand and Thigh will be the second lift contested in the Heavy Lift Championship, which is being contested on May 9th this year. When I last hosted in 2018, this was the article I posted regarding the execution of the lift: Hand and Thigh

I am not going to go so far as to say the hand and thigh has a richer past outside of IAWA/USAWA than the neck lift, but it certainly has a more well documented past. Many of the Old Time strongmen of past used the hand and thigh as part of their routine.  This very lift was one of those contested when John B. Gagnon bested Warren Lincoln Travis for the unofficial title of World’s Strongest Man as mentioned in my last article on the neck lift.  It was also included in Travis’s “Challenge to the World,” which was included as part of his will upon his death in 1941.  This challenge included 10 feats that must be performed, including several that were repetition lifts, within 30 minutes.  One of the items on the list is a single successful effort with a 1600 pound Hand and Thigh.  The man who successfully completed the challenge would be awarded Travis’s “diamond-jeweled gold and silver” championship belt.  To date there have been no takers.

Travis had a protégé by the name of Charles Phelan who, like Travis, performed his feats at Coney Island, New York.  One of the lifts he performed on Coney Island was the Hand and Thigh, where he was credited with a lift of 1125 pounds.  Phelan was also known for his capacity to entertain, as he would tell jokes between his feats of strength.

The famous Canadian strongman, Louis Cyr is credited with a lift using the hand and thigh method of 1897.25 pounds. More recently, a strongman who was inspired by Cyr performed the hand and thigh out in New Jersey.   His name was Jack Walsh, and he claimed a hand and thigh of 1500 pounds around 1950.  Iowa strongman Archie Vanderpool claimed a lift of 1840 pound in the hand and thigh.  He utilized the method of a bar through two barrels to get the weight up in lieu of the big bar attached to a chain method that we use in the USAWA today.  When I first saw a picture of him using this style, it seemed familiar.  That is because I had seen Milo author, and renegade strongman, the heavy metal iron master himself, Steve Justa using that method in the book “Rock, Iron, Steel” that he authored.  Apparently, Justa’s father was a friend of Vanderpool.  In the book, Justa claims to have lifted over a ton using this method on multiple occasions.  While he did compete at least once in the USAWA (it was a Kevin Fulton meet back around the time I was first getting started in the all-rounds), I do not believe he has ever performed this lift in competition.  I am sure that is a rather abbreviated record of old time strongman performers who have been known for the hand and thigh lift.

That brings us to the hand and thigh lifting done in the USAWA, which, from any meet I have witnessed was done under professional judging within strict guidelines.  In the Women’s  class I am including any lifter who has gone 600 pounds or more.  Our number one here, Armorkor Ollennuking is in a league of her own with 1100 pounds in this discipline:

1) Armorkor Ollennuking  1100 pounds 1997 Zercher

2)Jacqueline Simonsen 810 pound 1994 Nationals

3) Cara Ciavattone 702 pounds 1996 New England Championships

4) Jaenne Burchette 700 pounds 1991 Nationals

5)Mary Jo McVey 605 pounds 1993 Worlds

6) Jenna Lucht 600 pounds 2014 Old Time Strongman Championship

7) Amy Burks 600 pounds 1998 Zercher

 

For the men, I am including lifters who have gone 1400 pounds or better. Again, our leader is in a class of his own, with Joe Garcia hitting 1910 pounds:

1) Joe Garcia 1910 pounds 1997 Zercher

2)Frank Ciavattone 1610 pounds 1995 New England Strongman

3) Eric Todd 1510 pounds 2015 Heavy Lift Championship

4) Al Myers 1505 pounds 2010 Deanna Springs Memorial

5) Jim Malloy 1400 pounds 1995 Worlds

6) John Carter 1400 pounds 1996 Zercher

7) Steve Schmidt 1400 pounds 2004 Backbreaker

8) Sam Huff 1400 pounds 2005 Deanna Springs Memorial

9)Joe Ciavattone Jr. 1400 pounds 2013 Heavy Lift Championship

The Hand and Thigh has a rich history both in old time strongman performances and the USAWA.  I am sure we will add to that history at this year’s Heavy Lift Championship.

Justa, Steve. “The Hand and Thigh Lift or the Quarter Deadlift.” Rock Iron Steel: the Book of Strength, IronMind Enterprises, 1998, p. 52.

“Louis Cyr.” <i>Wikipedia</i>, Wikimedia Foundation, 4 Mar. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Cyr.

Murray, Jim. “Jack Walsh — World’s Strongest Man?” Iron Game History, vol. 4, no. 5, Oct. 1995, pp. 10–11.

Myers, Al. “Hand and Thigh Club.” USAWA, 2 Aug. 2011, usawa.com/hand-thigh-club/.

PeoplePill. “Warren Lincoln Travis: Strongman – Biography and Life.” PeoplePill, peoplepill.com/people/warren-lincoln-travis/.

Wood, John. “Archie Vanderpool.” Www.oldtimestrongman.com, 12 Oct. 2017, www.oldtimestrongman.com/blog/2016/08/23/archie-vanderpool/.

Wood, John. “Charles Phelan and His GIANT Kettlebell.” Www.oldtimestrongman.com, 6 Dec. 2018, www.oldtimestrongman.com/blog/2018/12/05/charles-phelan-giant-kettlebell/.

HOF BIO – JOE GARCIA

By Al Myers

(Webmasters Note: Over the next month I will be running a series of biography blogs covering all past USAWA Hall of Fame members.  These bios will be added to the history section, under Hall of Fame.)

HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHY

JOE GARCIA  – CLASS OF 1997

_______________________________________________

 Garcia-HT

Joseph Anthony Garcia was born in Dewitt, Iowa, August 12, 1953. Joe and his wife Cindy started dating the last week of high school, got married August 11, 1973 and currently live in the country near Sturgeon, Missouri on 27 acres with their animals. Joe received a Business Degree with a major in accounting from the University of Iowa and got his first job as an accountant, but has spent the majority of his employed life in software, both as a developer and as a consultant. Joe’s immediate family consists of his wife and himself, a cat and 5 horses. He comes from a large family that had 9 kids. Joe actually started lifting back in the late 70’s when he was a policeman. As part of getting into shape, he got involved with the USAWA in 1987 when he was at a customer’s location and looked out the window and saw a small sign that read ‘Clark’s Championship Gym’. Joe said, “I went over and met Bill, joined the gym and have been a member of both the gym and the USAWA since that time.” Joe has been involved with some sport ever since he was a little kid, from baseball to track, basketball and football in high school, rugby in college, boxing as a cop, and finally Taekwondo in the early eighties, where he received a second degree black belt. Now days, he coaches boxing, lifts and competes in Cowboy Mounted Shooting. When asked who was responsible for getting him involved in all-round weightlifting, Joe replied, “Bill Clark introduced me to the USAWA and I would have to say he is responsible for my having accomplished what I have in the sport.”

Joe lifts both at Clark’s gym and at home. Joe has been the USAWA Record Keeper since the start of the USAWA and still holds that position. Joe was also responsible for designing and starting the USAWA website in the mid 90’s. He has been an official at many meets over the years. Bill and Joe have promoted three USAWA National Championships in Columbia, Missouri (1995, 1997, 2001). He has also helped Bill put on numerous meets at the gym. Joe’s favorite lifts are the big bar lifts, and when asked if there was any record he was the most proud of, he replied, “I would have to say my record of 1910 pounds in the Hand and Thigh Lift is the one I am most proud of.” Joe’s record in the Hand and Thigh of 1910 pounds, which was set in 1997, remains the top Hand and Thigh Lift in history. Joe competed in the first World meet which was held in England, and has competed in several World Championships and National Championships since. Joe has placed in the Top Ten Overall in 10 National Championships, with three third place finishes overall in 2001, 1997, and 1988. He was the top overall Master at the National Championships in 2006 and 2001. He has also won numerous age group Best Lifter Awards at the Nationals. Joe is one of very few lifters who have been with the USAWA from the very beginning who is still competing at the top level – as showed by his most recent placing of 4th overall at the 2009 National Championships. Joe is always helping out new lifters at meets and has done numerous things through the years to promote the USAWA. Joe Garcia sets the standard that all future Hall of Famers should aspire for.

Lifter of the Month – Joe Garcia

by Al Myers

The USAWA lifter of the month for April goes to Joe Garcia.  Joe won overall best lifter in the Zercher Strength Classic, a meet that dates back to the origins of the USAWA.  Many great all-rounders have competed in the Zercher through the years.  It is a grueling affair – with 13 difficult all-round lifts contested in a single day.

Congrats Joe!!!

Clark’s Spring RD

by Al Myers

MEET RESULTS – CLARK’S GYM SPRING RECORD DAY

Clark’s Championship Gym was an active day for 2 lifters – Joe Garcia and David Emslie – and 1 busy official Bill Clark. When the Deanna Springs Meet was cancelled due to lack of interest,  Bill turned the day meet sanction into a full fledged record day. Bill stated in his summary letter that Al Springs intended to compete in the Deanna but injured his wrist and could not participate. Let’s all hope Al gets his wrist healed up and back in competition soon.  After entering these 2 guys long list of new USAWA records in this meet results,  I have to wonder if any time in the day was left for the Golden Corral! It is interesting the broad array of different lifts that they set their records in. The USAWA is full of lifting challenges, and Joe and David did their part in taking this challenge on!

Meet Results:

Clark’s Gym Spring Record Day
Clark’s Gym
Columbia, MO
March 28th, 2015

Meet Director: Bill Clark

Officials: Bill Clark and Joe Garcia
(Lifter David Emslie used 2 officials, Joe Garcia used 1 official)

Lifts: Record Day

Joe Garcia – Age 61, Bodyweight 206#
Bench Press – Fulton Bar: 220#
Bench Press – Alternate Grip: 185#
Bench Press – Reverse Grip: 155#
Bench Press – Right Arm: 85#
Bench Press – Left Arm: 75#
Clean and Jerk – Right Arm: 75#
Clean and Press – 2 Dumbbells: 120#
Cyr Press: 80#
Reeves Deadlift: 241#
Deadlift – Left Leg: 135#
Bench Dip: 150#
Deadlift – Inch Dumbbell, Left Hand: 128#
Deadlift – Inch Dumbbell, Right Hand: 128#
Deadlift – 2 Inch Dumbbells: 236#
Pinch Grip: 130#
Swing – Dumbbell, Right Arm: 85#
Swing – Dumbbell, Left Arm: 70#
Swing – 2 Dumbbells: 120#
Abdominal Raise: 22#

David Emslie – Age 74, Bodyweight 174.75#
Bench Press – Alternate Grip: 130#
Bench Press – Reverse Grip: 125#
Bench Press – Right Arm: 45#
Bench Press – Left Arm: 45#
Bench Press – Roman Chair: 75#
Roman Chair Situp: 90#
Abdominal Raise – Roman Chair: 32#
Clean and Press – Behind Neck: 80#
Clean and Press – Alternate Grip: 95#
Clean and Press – Reverse Grip: 100#
French Press: 65#
Clean and Seated Press: 90#
Clean and Seated Press – Behind Neck: 75#
Clean and Press – On Knees: 100#
Snatch – On Knees: 100#
Curl – Reverse Grip: 85#
Curl – Cheat, Reverse Grip: 90#
Rectangular Fix: 85#
Miller Clean and Jerk: 75#
Clean and Press – Middle Fingers: 75#
Good Morning: 100#
Bench Press – Fulton Bar: 150#
Bear Hug: 210#
Reeves Deadlift: 226#
Bench Dip: 100#
Abdominal Raise: 22#
Clean and Press – Fulton Bar: 100#
Deadlift – 3″ Bar: 235#
Pinch Grip: 120#
Deadlift – Inch Dumbbell, Right Hand: 103#
Deadlift – Inch Dumbbell, Left Hand: 103#
Deadlift – 2 Inch Dumbbells: 196#
Vertical Bar Deadlift – 2″, Right Hand: 125#
Vertical Bar Deadlift – 2″, Left Hand: 125#
Swing – Dumbbell, Right Arm: 50#
Swing – Dumbbell, Left Arm: 50#
Pullover and Press: 135#
Pullover and Push: 150#

Joe Garcia Appreciation Award

by Al Myers

Joe Garcia's Appreciation Award

Another USAWA appreciation award was given to another great contributor to the USAWA.  Joe Garcia has been the USAWA Records Director/Record Keeper for the USAWA since the very beginning, and just recently stepped down from this position.  Joe’s efforts single handedly are the reason we have a very comprehensive record list in the USAWA.  We owe him eternal thanks for this, as the Record List is a very important entity within our organization.  It has been kept up to date with diligence for over 25 years, consisting now of over 10,000 records. That’s a lot of records!!!  Joe has undoubtedly spent thousands of hours  of work on this.  It also requires that things are done with perfection to prevent wrong information incorporated into our official Record List.  Not very many people would have the energy  and persistence to keep a list like this up to date!!!!

Again, I had hoped to present this Appreciation Award firsthand to Joe, but could not get something worked out in a timely manner so it was mailed to him.  Joe contacted me immediately by phone upon receiving this award to give his thanks to the USAWA for it.  He seemed very surprised and moved by this. I’m hoping at a later date to interview Joe to highlight his accomplishments and efforts as the USAWA Record Director/Keeper.

Congrats Joe!!!

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