Jessica Hopps has shined during the month of May by winning the 2025 USAWA Heavy Lift Championship with a very impressive 1830 pound total to earn May Lifter of the Month honors. This came on the heels of the March New England Winter Heavy Lift Classic where she won the women’s field with a 2000 pound total.
Jessica has records on the books going back to 2013. She has competed at National Championships and World Championships and is well on her way to the Century Club with 65 records to her name.
April was an exciting month with meets being held in Colorado and Missouri. Jeff Wenzel earned lifter of the month with some incredible lifts in the Club Championships and winning the Bench Press Heptathlon. His 250-pound Reg Park Bench Press was good for an all-ages record at 110kg.
Jeff has been enthusiastically competing and setting records since 2023 in the 45-year-old age category and since the 50th Birthday Bash in the 50-year-old age category. Jeff is a member of the Century Club and was honored as 2024 Newcomer of the Year.
All-Round weightlifting is a family sport in the Wenzel household. Spencer (17), Logan (10) and Riley (20) quickly in Jeff’s footsteps. They tend to favor the obscure and currently all four athletes hold records in the Anderson Squat, Jackson Press, Roman Chair Sit-up, Pinch Grip Deadlift and Bench Dip.
March was a busy month with meets being held in Massachusetts, Kentucky, Missouri and Colorado. Randy Smith earned lifter of the month for March by shining in the Colorado Single Arm Challenge and Jeff’s 50th Birthday Bash. He was first overall in the Single Arm Challenge with a massive 420 pound unadjusted total at 198 pound bodyweight and 70 years of age. During Jeff’s Birthday Bash, he completed four of five lifts with an impressive 130 pound Roman Chair Sit-up.
Randy has records dating back to the 2003 National Championship and has competed in 16 National Championships and was the best lifter in 2015. He is a member of the Century Club with 144 records. 31 of those are National Records, which puts him at 5th behind some pretty impressive company.
Most recently he has taken a role on the USAWA Advisory Committee which was tasked with better understanding the membership.
This is the 4th time Randy has earned Lifter of the Month with past recognition in July 2014, June 2015 and October 2021. Congratulations Randy!
Jeff Bankens is the lifter of the Month for February. Jeff is a newcomer to the organization, but has already made an impact by hosting the first ever USAWA meet in Louisiana and setting four records along the way.
Jeff is also active on USAWA’s social media platforms with (5) posts in February in addition to his strongman show clips in 2024. Finally, Jeff is active in his church community and brings people of the world together not only through the Gospel, but also through strength sports. Congratulations Jeff!
In honor of the 100th anniversary of George F Jowett’s book the World’s Weightlifting Rules and Records, I wanted to share some of the history of the lifts in the USAWA rulebook and the records that were published back in 1925.
The USAWA Rulebook 13 Edition Preface states “This rulebook was compiled from a variety of sources including past Strength Journals from England, the original IAWA handbook for the 15 International Lifts, The World’s Weightlifting Rules and Records by George Jowett, past monthly Strength Journals published by Bill Clark, and other previously compiled rules and guidelines established by the membership of the USAWA.” So far Jowett’s book is the only original source I have found.
Per Wikipedia, George Jowett was an English-born Canadian strongman, weightlifter, magazine editor and author. He was co-founder of the American Continental Weightlifting Association. He became known as “The Father of American Weightlifting.”
In World’s Weightlifting Rules and Records (WWRR) Jowett listed (41) Title Lifts and an additional (14) Record Lifts. USAWA currently contests (25) of the Title Lifts and (11) of the Record Lifts.
Jowett competed at 168 pounds and his records still eclipse anything in the USAWA record book at 75kg. He had a right hand snatch of 172.5 pounds (vs 110 pounds in our books). He had a right hand clean & jerk of 200 pounds (vs 132 pounds in our books).
Given the upcoming New England Winter Heavy Lift Classic (hand and thigh) and the Colorado Single Arm Challenge (1H Snatch, 1H C&J, 1H DL), I wanted to with the best of luck to the athletes that keep showing up to contest these lifts. Our membership includes lifters that struggle with overhead positions and/or have had joint surgeries, repairs and replacements. Our athlete’s enthusiasm and perseverance is well aligned with the writings of Jowett 100 years ago.
“We want you to help us build this into a national institution for good, and help the national reform laws build up a stronger, healthier nation of men and women. You do not have to be a weight lifter in order to join. As long as you are interested in physical training, health, food reform, or weight lifting as a sport you are wanted. Our object is to keep the sport of weight lifting clean, and keep established a record list founded on merit only, and give credit where credit is due”
– Jowett on the American Continental Weight-Lifters Association from 1921
(41) Title Lifts
1&2 Right (and Left) Hand Military Press
2&3 Right (and Left) Hand Snatch
5&6 Right (and Left) Hand Swing
7&8 Right (and Left) Hand Continental Press
9&10 Right (and Left) Hand Clean & Jerk
11&12 Right (and Left) Hand Clean & Bent Press
13&14 Right (and Left) Hand Bent Press from Shoulder with Dumbbell
15&16 Right (and Left) Hand Anyhow with Bent Press
17&18 Right (and Left) Hand Bent Press from Shoulder with Barbell
19&20 Right (and Left) Hand Deadlift
21&22 Right (and Left) Hand Deadlift – Platform Style
23&24 Right (and Left) Hand Clean and Side Press
25 Two Hands Clean and Military Press with Dumbbells
26 Two Hand Clean and Jerk with Dumbbells
27 Two Hands Clean and Continental Press with Dumbbells
28 Two Hands Clean and Military Press with Barbell
29 Two Hands Clean and Continental Press with Barbell
30 Two Hands Snatch
31 Two Hands Clean & Jerk – from Behind Neck
32 Two Hands Clean & Press – from Behind Neck
33 Two Hands Clean & Jerk with Barbell
34 Two Hands Continental Jerk with Barbell
35 Two Hands Anyhow with Barbell and Kettlebell
36 Two Hands Deadlift
37 Kennedy Lift
38 Jefferson Lift
39 Back Lift
40 Harness Lift
41 Hand & Thigh Lift
(14) Record Lifts
R1 Abdominal Raise
R2 Crucifix
R3 Rectangular Fix
R4&5 Right (and Left) Hand Slow Curl with Kettlebell or Dumbbell
R6 Lateral Raise Standing
R7 Lateral Raise Lying
R8 Hold out in Front – Raised from Below
R9 Hold Out in Front – Lowered from Above
R10 Pullover at Arms Length
R11 Pull over and Press on Back without Bridge
R12 Pullover and Press on Back with Shoulder Bridge
R13 Pullover and Press on Back in Wrestler’s Bridge
