The Heavy Lift Championships have the longest history aside from the National Championships. The first event was promoted October 30, 1994, by Bill Clark and won by John Carter and Kerry Clark. Eight records still stand from that event including Bill Clark’s 1200-pound Back Lift and Kerry Clark’s 1460-pound Back Lift. The meet included at least the Harness Lift, Hip Lift and Neck Lift as well.
An article by Dale Friesz in 2010 lists all the Heavy Lift Competitions which have included Heavy Lift Championships, Schmidt’s Backbreaker Pentathlon (since 1987), and the Strongman Pentathlon (1986 & 1988). In recent years, The New England Heavy Lift Classic (2024 & 2025) could be added to that list.
Historically, five lifts were contested as part of the Heavy Lift Championship. The website has a great write up on the 2011 event which was cut down to three lifts due to venue time constraints at York Barbell. I assume, the Back Lift was removed due to needing a dedicated apparatus for a Back Lift which is not always easy to fabricate or move around. Similarly, the Harness Lift requires hand supports to achieve a true max effort.
HIP LIFT – Men’s records in the range of 2000-2500 pounds; women’s records in the range of 800-1200 pounds
Men’s Hip Lift Records
Women’s Hip Lift Records
NECK LIFT – Men’s records in the range of 500 to 800 pounds with some extreme outliers. Women’s records are lighter, but I do need to highlight Kerry Clark’s 555-pound Neck Lift in 1995. The next highest women’s record is 400-pounds by Jacqueline Caron in 1992. In the last decade, the heaviest women’s neck lift was 325 pounds by Cassie Morrison in 2016.
Men’s Neck Lift Records
Women’s Neck Lift Records
HAND & THIGH – Men’s records are around 1500 pounds. Women’s records are around 800 pounds.
Men’s Hand & Thigh Records
Women’s Hand & Thigh Records
In recent years, the top lifts at the heavy lift contests have been lower. The athletes are lifting amazing numbers, but they are a fraction of the weights lifted by athletes in the first decades of the organization.
This year’s Grip Championship was an all-Colorado event. Nisha and Kim lifted in flight 1 and Sanjiv, Jarrod and Joshua lifted in flight 2. Weigh-ins and rules briefings were conducted and the meet was contested using the one official system.
We started with Pinch Grip, Deadlift, One Hand. This is the first time the lift was contested at the Grip Championship and mistakes were made. Flight 1 set the plates up vertical to the platform and had top lifts under 30 pounds. Essentially, they did a Pinch Grip Strict, One Hand. Jarrod correctly pointed out the error and Flight 2 set up the plates horizontal to the platform. Flight 2 all had good lifts at 100 pounds or more. Kim and Nisha declined the option to repeat their lifts. For record purposes, they should be recorded as Pinch Grip Strict, One Hand.
Next was the Deadlift, Fulton Dumbbell, One Hand. This was the fifth time this lift has been contested at the Grip Championship, and some big numbers were put up. The women’s field accounted for Age Class and ALL age records in their weight classes.
Next was another favorite, the Vertical Bar, 1”, One Hand. This was the third time this lift has been contested in the Grip Championship and athletes who competed in Tony & Allison’s Birthday Bash got to test their max lifts recently. At 86 pounds on a fourth attempt for a record, Nisha was the only athlete to set a record in this lift.
The last competition lift was the Deadlift, 3” Bar. Records were set across the board. Everybody was feeling the effects of the first three lifts, but everybody also knew what they needed to hit the overall field. Jarrod narrowly missed his third attempt at 355 pounds, securing Sanjiv’s position atop the men’s field. Joshua followed suit attempting 355 pounds on his third attempt.
The Pinch Grip Clean & Press, One Hand was offered as an exhibition lift. This is an IAWA lift and the IAWA rules were followed.
The lifter will grip the weight, either in front or to the side, as in the one hand pinch lift. The lifter will clean the weight to the shoulder and stand ready for the signal to press. The lifter will be standing erect with the weight held at the side of or just above the deltoid muscle, or even resting on the shoulder muscle (if desired). The stance is as for the start of any pressing movement, foot spacing is optional, but the feet will be parallel to the lifters front. On the referees signal the weight will be pressed out to arm’s length, as in the one hand dumbbell press. On completion the referee signals to replace the bar.
All athletes were able to complete the lift. However, maintaining a plate width spacing on the lighter loads required the use of foam spacers to achieve an outside spacing of 2.25-2.50 inches. The other challenge with lighter lifts was incremental plate loading. We utilized magnetic weight attachments so that athletes could still get a full grip on the plates.
Nisha – 15, 17.5, 20 pounds
Kim – 20, 22.5, 24 pounds
Sanjiv – 25, 28 pounds
Joshua – 28, 35 pounds
Jarrod – 25, 28 pounds
The consensus was that it was not a fun lift. As the weights approached maximum efforts, missing a lift resulted in an explosion of weight and collars as the plates came crashing down. The width of the rod was also a concern as the rod was coming dangerously close to the lifter’s ear. When I watched a video of Matt Jones’ 30-kg lift, it appear he used two 10kg plates, a 12-18 inch metal rod and 2.5 kg and 1.25 kg change plates along with collars. Our best lift was 35 pounds (16kg). Joshua attempted 50 pounds (23kg), but the weight slipped and went crashing to the floor.
Complete Results:
USAWA Grip Championship High Country Vigour Lakewood, Colorado April 4, 2026 Meet Director: Sanjiv Gupta Scorekeeper: Sanjiv Gupta
Officials: (1-official system) Sanjiv Gupta, Jarrod Fobes, Kim Van Wagner, Nisha Gupta
The Lifts: Pinch Grip Deadlift, One Hand; Deadlift, Fulton Dumbbell, One Hand; Vertical Bar, 1 Bar 1”, One Hand, Deadlift, 3” Bar
Bodyweight and Lifts in Pounds
WOMENS DIVISION
Lifter
Age
BW
Strict Pinch
Fulton
V-Bar
3” Bar
Total
Points
Kim
58
127.6
27.5 (R)
81 (L)
86 (L)
154
348.5
661.3
Nisha
17
87.3
22.5 (R)
61 (R)
76 (R)
88
247.5
610.7
MENS DIVISION
Lifter
Age
BW
Pinch
Fulton
V-Bar
3” Bar
Total
Points
Sanjiv
54
208.5
120 (L)
126 (L)
156 (L)
315
717
719.2
Jarrod
48
206.5
100 (R)
141 (L)
161 (R)
305
707
675.8
Joshua
41
257.1
120 (R)
136 (R)
161 (R)
305
722
575.7
Pinch Grip Clean & Press, One Hand [Exhibition]
Lifter
Age
BW
OH Pinch C&P
Lynch
Kim
58
127.6
24 (R)
45.5
Nisha
17
87.3
17.5 (R)
43.1
Sanjiv
54
208.5
28 (R)
28.1
Joshua
41
257.1
35 (R)
27.9
Jarrod
48
206.5
28 (R)
26.7
4th Attempts for Records
Kim Van Wagner Pinch Grip Strict, One Arm, Right – 30 pounds Vertical Bar, 1”, 1 Bar, One Arm, Left – 91 pounds Deadlift, 3″ Bar – 164 pounds
Nisha Gupta Vertical Bar, 1”, 1 Bar, One Arm, Right – 86 pounds
To determine the overall winner, the meet director decided to take the Age-Weight-Gender Lynch Totals of the three lifts performed to the same rule set:
Kim Van Wagner – 321 total pounds – 609 Lynch points
Sanjiv Gupta – 597 total pounds – 599 Lynch points
Jarrod Fobes – 607 total pounds – 580 Lynch points
This years Heavy Lift Championship is just a few weeks away! Make sure to get your entry form and payments in before April 18th to be eligible. Please make sure to select what venue you will be lifting at on your entry form, as we are privileged to offer 3 separate venues this year!
Meet name: Heavy Lift Championship
Date: May 2, 2026
Midwest Location: 10978 SW Pueblo Dr, Turney, MO (KCStrongMan)
Northeast Location: 204 East Street, Walpole, MA 02032 (Frank’s Barbell Club)
Western Location: Lakewood, CO 80235 (High Country Vigor)
Promoter: Jessica Hopps, Frank’s Barbell Club
Sanctioned by: USAWA-membership is required of all lifters
Lifts: Neck Lift, Hand and Thigh, Hip Lift
Cost: $35 payment can be made to Jessica Hopps (Venmo @Jessica-Hopps and Paypal preferred- jesshopps@hotmail.com) or check can be mailed to Jessica Hopps C/O Franks Barbell Club 204 East Street Walpole MA 02032
Awards: There will be awards for the lifters
This is a drug tested event. Please only enter if you know you can pass a drug test!
The Grip Championship is considered one of USAWA’s signature events. It has been contested since 2011 (with the exception of 2021).
The earliest reference I found to grip events on the USAWA website was a 2009 article on the Middle Fingers Deadlift. That article refers to the 1994 Super Grip Challenge where Kevin Fulton had a 400-pound Middle Fingers Deadlift and the 1992 British grip Championship where Steve Sherwood had a 330-pound Middle Fingers Deadlift.
Perusing the records, the Super Grip Challenges were hosted through the 1990s and there are standing records from the 2003 edition. Matt Graham had a 200-pound pinch grip, strict that has stood since that meet and will probably stand for another two decades.
The Dino Grip Showdown was promoted by Ben Edwards in February 2010 and was very well attended with eight athletes squaring off for the title that was won by Andrew Durniat.
The first installment of the Grip Championship as we know it was promoted by Al Myers and featured (5) lifts:
Deadlift – Vertical Bar, 2” One Arm
Pinch Grip
Deadlift – Fingers, Middle
Deadlift – Fulton Bar, Ciavattone Grip
Deadlift – 3” Bar
Al Myers took the men’s title and Felecia Simms took the women’s title.
Through 2025, twenty-eight different lifts have been included in the grip championships. The majority have been deadlift variations using a pinch grip, vertical bars, thick bars or only using specific fingers. There are also a handful of miscellaneous lifts that are grip limited.
In recent years, the New England Grip Classic has been contested in 2023 and 2024. I intended to host the Colorado Grip Classic in 2025, but it was elevated to the USAWA Grip Championship.
Similar to most contests, I assume feats of grip strength started out somewhere along the lines of “I bet I can…”
The Dinnie Stones were hoisted by Donald Dinnie in 1860. The combined 733 pounds were carried over 17 feet across the width of the Potarch Bridge. Jack Shanks put wind under the stones in 1972 and the Shanks family has been stewards of the stones ever since. They host the Dinnie Gathering annually.
Thomas Inch had his unliftable dumbbell commissioned in the early 1900s. The 172-pound weight combined with the 2.47 inch diameter smooth handle was too much for even the strongest spectators.
Arthur Saxon’s 3″ plank dates to at least 1922. The planks were of various weights. One story features a 90 pound version being snatched overhead with one hand.
Goerner’s Challenge Barbell was 330.75 pounds and had a diameter of 2-3/8 inches. There is a famous photo of him lifting it overhead in 1923. Fat Bastard Barbell Company has a 2-3/8 inch barbell named after Andrew Durniat and dubbed Andrew’s Axle. Staniewicz Strength Equipment named their 2-3/8 inch barbells the Goerner Barbell.
The Bearhug seems like the closest approximation to stone lifting that All-Round has created.
This weekend’s upcoming contest will feature four lifts with the all time records in parenthesis.
Pinch Grip Deadlift – One Hand (Jarrod Gaddis 204 pounds, Cindy Garcia and Jo Schuster – 90 pounds)
Deadlift, Fulton DB, One Arm (Joe Ciavattone – 205 pounds, Beth Skwarecki – 99 pounds)
Vertical Bar, 1 Bar, 1 inch (Ben Edwards – 315 pounds, Stacy Todd – 200 pounds)
Deadlift, 3” Bar (Matt Graham – 600 pounds, Felecia Simms – 280 pounds)
Grip certainly embodies the mission of the USAWA to perform lifts based on state acts of challenge lifts of old time strongmen.
On a personal note, the 2024 Grip Championship was the second All-Round event that I attended in person. I had heard or read that Al Myers liked athletes to look professional so I made a point of purchasing a singlet. Like most rumors, this was false and most of the athletes were in shirts and shorts, but I liked looking the part and still wear a singlet for premier All-Round events.
USAWA has very reasonable expectations for officials. There is a written rules test and practical experience. To expand the pool of officials, USAWA has offered video practical experience for Level 1 status and allows officials in other strength federations to carry over that experience.
Level 1 – (16) listed officials, (8) are 2026 USAWA members
Level 2 – (32) listed officials, (18) are 2026 USAWA members
It is quite impressive that over half of the 2026 members have passed the written test or Level 1 or Level 2 officials.
I feel like every athlete should be working towards becoming an official. First, the open book written exam is a great way to learn about the lifts, commands and how competitions are run. Second, the USAWA always needs officials for competitions. With more certified officials, flights can operate smoothly and officials are not stuck officiating and can socialize. Third, upon achieving Level 2 Status, the official can train aspiring officials. This helps USAWA grow and expand geographically.
USAWA has an athlete training program for a couple of reasons. First, it is a requirement for membership in the International All-Round Weightlifting Association. Second, it ensures fair competition.
Officials are human and may make mistakes. Early or late down commands are frustrating. Quick lifts have often been red lighted as press outs. Overall, it averages out.
Having a training program minimizes mistakes in commands, points of performance (when do the shoulders need to be erect vs when do the legs need be straight?), is the uniform correct, and is the equipment appropriate for competition. Having multiple certified officials allows for discussion when the rules are unclear.
Most recently, I was involved in a discussion about vertical bar deadlifts. The rules state that the legs must be straight and knees locked, but the shoulder and body do not need to be erect. “The lifting hand must be above the level of mid thighs at the completion of the lift.” We considered the thigh to start above the kneecap and end at the inseam. We did not mark the mid-thigh on the athlete’s uniform. We further decided the hand started at below the wrist and most lifts even with a very wide stance would comply with the rules if the legs were straight and knees locked.
Level 1 – Test Qualified or Experience Qualified – Test Qualified is written test and 3 practical training sessions. Experience Qualified is 25 practical training sessions. A training session is sitting in the chair next to an official in the one-official system or being one of three judges in the three-official system. Practical training could also be done by performing video officiating tests.
Level 2 – Elevate to Level 2 after officiating in 25 competitions. 10 of these competitions must be USAWA and 15 could be taken from another federation at the Officials Director’s discretion.
Full details on officials are in section VII of the rulebook and on the website.
