Category Archives: USAWA Daily News

Quiz of the Week

by Al Myers

Who is this lifter and which USAWA lift is he performing?

It’s time for another Quiz of the Week!!  This one is going to be a little harder than previous ones, and it requires TWO ANSWERS.

Who is this lifter and which USAWA lift is he performing?

You must provide the answers to BOTH questions!  The rules are the same as before – only 1 answer per day, and the person with the first correct answer wins. Answer must be sent to my amyers@usawa.com email address.

Winner will receive a USAWA Patch

We have a WINNER!

Thom Van Vleck correctly identified this lifter as USAWA Hall of Famer, and the man of 1000 lifts –  John Grimek.  He is performing the Kelly Snatch (also known as the Reverse Swing)

Delaware Valley Postal

by Al Myers

MEET RESULTS

THE 2010 DELAWARE VALLEY OPEN POSTAL MEET

BILL COOKSON WINS BY CLOSE MARGIN

Bill Cookson, of the Dino Gym, won the Delaware Valley Postal Meet following his return to the gym from being overseas fulfilling his military obligations.

I just received the results of the Delaware Valley Postal Meet  from John Wilmot,  which is one of the four quarterly postal meets that are part of the USAWA Postal Series.  The number of competitors was slightly down, probably due to the other All-Round competitions that were occurring at the end of September, but the quality of lifting was high.  Bill Cookson made his comeback to the USAWA after being gone overseas on military duty by edging out Randy Smith.   It came down to ONE POINT!!  That is as close as it gets.  Helen Kahn competed in her first USAWA event, and was the top woman lifter.

RESULTS:

Delaware Valley Open Postal Meet
September 1-30, 2010

Meet Director:  John Wilmot

Lifts:  Bench Press – Reverse Grip, Squat – Front, and Continental to Chest

Lifters using a certified USAWA Official:
Helen Kahn – official Randy Smith
Bill Cookson – official Mark Mitchell
Kohl Hess – offiicial Denny Habecker
Andrew Hess – official Denny Habecker

Lifters using a non-certified official:
Randy Smith – official Helen Kahn
Denny Habecker – official Kohl Hess
John Wilmot – official Kay Wilmot

Women’s Division

Lifter Age BWT CLS Bench Squat Cont Total Points
Helen Kahn 58 156 75 65 75 80 220 271.6

Men’s Division

Lifter Age BWT CLS Bench Squat Cont Total Points
Bill Cookson 45 212 100 280 286 220 786 720.8
Randy Smith 55 195.5 90 195 255 235 685 719.1
John Wilmot 63 215 100 150 180 155 485 516.2
Denny Habecker 67 185 85 165 110 132 407 486.8
Kohl Hess 16 300 125+ 165 242 198 606 484.1
Andrew Hess 46 310 125+ 176 176 176 529 405.1

NOTES:  BWT is bodyweight in pounds.  CLS is bodyweight class in kilograms.  Total is total pounds lifted.  Points are adjusted points for bodyweight and age correction.

The 10 Worst Lifts in the USAWA

by Al Myers

Ok, I’m getting tired of Thom getting all the recognition for his  “human interest” stories involving his weightlifting life experiences, while the deep  thought-provoking technical stories I write (which require actual research)  get ignored (I actually wonder if anyone EVEN read my last one on the fairness of the Lynch Formula).   It’s time I step up my game – and put a little controversy in what I write!!   The truth is that I really don’t like to OFFEND anyone, and thus my avoidance of any story that may seem offensive.  On the other hand, Thom doesn’t care if he gets hate mail!  He even reads it with a smile on his face. That is what makes him a much better columnist than myself – but TIMES ARE A CHANGING and I’m going to try to “stir the pot” a little with this story.  Here it goes – and I hope AT LEAST one person gets offended and makes a derogatory comment about this story on the USAWA Discussion Forum (and that’s NOT counting YOU Thom).

The Ziegler Clean even makes "The Champ" Chad Ullom look like a clown, despite the fact that he has lifted the most weight ever in this lift. But who really cares about that? All you see is that silly little plate balancing on the top of his head.

1.  French Press – Definitely the WORST  lift in our list of lifts.  That is why I’m listing it first.  Whoever wrote the original rule for this lift must have been a cynic.  Why else would the rules of this lift be written in such a way that it is impossible to perform and COMPLETELY different than how it is performed in the gym by EVERYONE else that trains it?  Judging this lift is even worse.  Did the bar touch the neck? Did the elbows drop?  The answers are always NO and YES. I have YET to see this lift performed the way our rules call for it to be done.  Any lift that has rules so subjective  that it would require instant replay in slow motion  to make an official  judgement needs to be RE-WRITTEN.

2. Press – Dumbbell, One Arm – This lift was just in the World Championships and after what I saw there  it now makes my list of Ten Worse.  The IAWA rules require the center of the rod of the dumbbell be no higher than the clavicle.  Obvious the person who decided on this rule knew NOTHING about human anatomy.  Do most lifters know where the clavicle is?  From watching the judging,  it was obvious the judges don’t.  I have a copy of Gray’s Anatomy, I’ll send you a picture. It is MUCH lower than the top of the shoulder. Practically no one  started the dumbbell this low (myself included!). Also, what’s up with all  the side pressing when doing a dumbbell press?  That’s not supposed to be allowed – we got ANOTHER LIFT for that one!  The bottom line – this lift is performed and officiated differently than how the rules are written so SOMETHING should change to “keep it real”!

3.  Deadlift – Stiff-legged – Another impossible lift to judge.   Judging is ALWAYS very subjective and lifters will bend their legs and get the lift passed.  And I can’t figure out WHY sumo deadlifting is allowed in the rules – it seems to defeat the purpose of a stiff legged deadlift.

4.  Ziegler Clean – Come on, this lift is just ridiculous.  Balancing a plate on your head while you do a clean?  When I first heard of this lift I thought the person telling me about it must be joking.  No one would really want to train for THAT!?!  Lifts like this make a mockery of All-Round Weightlifting, and you got to know people probably LAUGH at us when we report on the Zeigler Clean.

5.  Van Dam Lift – This lift got approved for one reason – us “selling out” for publicity that we never got. Did we really think Rob Van Dam and his professional  wrasslin’ buddies were going to start lifting in our All-Round Meets?   We should be ashamed of ourselves for approving this lift.

6.   Inman Mile – Carry 150% of your bodyweight in the form of a bar across your shoulders for 1 mile??  Give me a break – even the person it was named after couldn’t do THAT!!   This is just another “official lift” that makes us look like a goofy weightlifting organization.

7.  Lano Lift – I respect the fact that lifts are named after someone deserving.  I have met Jack, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he proposed this lift as a joke  just to see if the membership was gullible enough to approve it.  How many different movements are in the Lano Lift?    I can’t keep track of them!  Who would REALLY want to do this?  It is the lift with the longest written rule in the USAWA Rulebook.  Even Jack has never  set a record in this lift that carries his name.  That should tell you something.

8.   Phumchaona Lift – Another screwball lift named after a famous USAWA lifter.  This lift requires you to clean and press a pair of dumbbells WHILE doing a Hip Lift!!  Like THAT is going to be better than your max Hip Lift.  If I was going to do this lift, I would use a pair of 1/2 pound dumbbells and after doing my MAX Hip Lift just raise up my arms.  This “official lift” is so stupid NO ONE  has EVER done it.  That’s right – NO ONE!!

9.  Carter Lift – The only thing more ridiculous than clean and pressing a pair of dumbbells while doing a Hip Lift is SQUATTING a bar while Hip Lifting.  But I’ll give John credit – the picture of himself  performing this lift in our Rulebook  does look IMPRESSIVE, and at LEAST he had the courage to perform his lift in public.

10.  Weaver Stick – Absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to judge fairly.  The arm is NEVER straight, and it only takes a tiny little bend to add a few pounds to this lift.  The records in this lift really are meaningless.   Now STRAP your arm to a fixed pole and THEN see what you can do in the Weaver Stick.  That’s the way it should be done.

**** The above controversial comments are mine alone,  and may not reflect the opinions of the USAWA membership.  Please direct your hate mail to me and not to Thom Van Vleck****

Clark’s Record Day

by Joe Garcia

Clark’s Gym was the setting for another record day, today Sunday October 24,  one of many over the years overseen by the man that started all this, Bill Clark.  It was a beautiful day outside and a fun one inside.  While we didn’t have a large number of players, it is always good to participate in the strength game and be around others who also enjoy lifting.  Leading off was the bench master Dave Beversdorf, along with a young protégé of his, Chris Arnold.  I came in to see whom ever showed up, set some records, talk to Bill and of course, go out to eat afterwards.  Though he is physically hurting and really needs to get his shoulder replaced, even Bill decided to set a couple of records, but was stopped on doing too much because of his right shoulder.

I didn’t get any pictures, due to having to mess with business in the morning,  but Shelly Beversdorf did get some videos, which will probably end up on YouTube.

Officiating was done mainly by Bill and then myself,  and James Foster and I  also provided the spotting for the heavy bench attempts.  Lifting was done over the course of about 3 hours, and 21 records were set, not counting attempts that might be both open and master records.  Looks like a good warm up for Thom’s record event coming up at the end of the week.  Afterwards, we retired to George’s for a bite and more conversation.  Next on the agenda at Clark’s will be the Schmidt Heavylift Pentathlon.

Results:

Clark’s Record Day
Clark’s Gym, Columbia Mo
October 24, 2010
All lifts and weights are in pounds

Dave Beversdorf – Age: 45, Weight: 299, Class: Hwt
Bench Press – Left Arm: 145
Bench Press – Right Arm: 165
Bench Press – Hands Together: 275
Bench Press – Reverse Grip: 410
Bench Press – Alternate Grip: 410

Chris Arnold – Age: 17, Weight: 180, Class: 85kg
Bench Press – Left Arm: 110
Bench Press – Right Arm: 110
Bench Press – Hands Together: 185
Bench Press – Reverse Grip: 185
Bench Press – Alternate Grip: 225
Bench Press – Feet in Air: 205

Joe Garcia – Age: 57, Weight: 205, Class: 95kg
Bench Press – Hands Together: 185
Continental Snatch: 135
Continental to Chest: 205
Deadlift – Fulton Bar, Ciavattone Grip: 260
Vertical Bar Deadlift – 1 Bar, 2″, Left Hand: 170
Vertical Bar Deadlift – 1 Bar, 1″, Left Hand: 225
Vertical Bar Deadlift – 1 Bar, 1″, Right Hand: 200

Bill Clark – Age 78, Weight 247, Class: 115kg
Vertical Bar Deadlift – 1 Bar, 2″, Left Hand: 110
Vertical Bar Deadlift – 1 Bar, 1″, Left Hand: 175
Vertical Bar Deadlift – 1 Bar, 1″, Right Hand: 105

What Goes Around….

Arthur Saxon would probably be considered "cutting edge" with most of his training techniques today!

by Thom Van Vleck

Recently, I had a young guy come out to my place to try out the Highland Games.  He was in his early 20’s and had done some weight training at the local YMCA and in high school, but was not a hard core lifter or iron game follower.  What was funny was I gave him a tour of my gym and he started pointing to things I had like they were new and cutting edge.  As if my gym was equipped with “all the latest”.  In particular, he pointed to my Kettlebells and said, “Wow, you have some kettlebells, I would like to try training with those, I’ve heard they are really good to train with”.

This was in contrast to when my Uncle Wayne Jackson saw the Kettlebells right after I had bought them.  Wayne gained the bulk of his training knowledge from reading S&H, MD, and Ironman in the 50’s and 60’s.  He said, “So what are you going to do with those old things”.  As if I had raided the York Barbell museum!   Wayne’s comments leaned towards how Kettlebells were never us used in his day and you couldn’t find those for years and he wasn’t sure what good they were going to do me.

In 2009, I got to go to the Arnold Fitness Expo.  It was there I found out just how “popular” Kettlebells had become again. They were having a competition that centered around doing all kinds of different maneuvers with the kettlebells, some of which I could see a lot of benefit, some….not so much…but hey, I swing a hammer in circles and flip telephone poles in my spare time….so who am I to judge.

I have a lot of stuff in my gym, most of it is pretty old or “well used”.  It is funny to me how things go in and out of style.  It got me to pondering “WHY”?  A lot of times exercises and equipment get run out of town by the “latest thing”.  Usually being sold by some guy looking to make a buck more than he’s trying to “revolutionize” the fitness industry.  He tells us that the old stuff is dangerous, useless, or inferior and enough people buy into it that it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy and the old stuff falls to the wayside.  But form follows function and eventually, what works is rediscovered and comes back again.

Now, this wasn’t intended to be an article on the benefits of Kettlebells, they are just an example.  I’m not trying to sell you on the and I don’t sell them!!!  Just remember, in our effort to get better (whether that be bigger, faster, stronger at lifting, throwing, team sports, whatever) we need to gain a broad understanding of what’s out there.  We need to know our history, we need to know what works and what doesn’t and filter what comes from the so called “experts” so that we may find the tools we need to achieve our goals.  We need to constantly look at what’s been used, what’s on the “shelf” (so to speak) and how can it be used to freshen up our training and lift us to victory!  (no pun intended!).

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