Sanjiv Gupta
Forum Replies Created
-
AuthorReplies
-
I would love the see the Dino Gym reclaim the Grip Championship.
If you defer hosting, I will be the first backup location (since Nisha took 2nd overall) and would like to put a bid in for:
April 18, 2026
High Country Vigour
The Lifts:
Pinch Grip Deadlift – One Hand (I16)
Deadlift, Fulton DB, One Arm (F8)
Vertical Bar, 1 Bar, 1 inch (I26)
Bear Hug (I1)If you want to create a new topic. Click on “General Discussion” first. Then you should see “Create New Topic”
I thought I was the only one who noticed this. Careful observers of the Individual Record List will find a couple of new entries which cannot be officially contested per the current USAWA rules and by-laws.
Bench Press, Repetition (1 min)
Bench Press, One Dumbbell – Right
Bench Press, One Dumbbell – Left
Bench Press, Larson (Fulton HT)
Deadlift, Heels Together FultonI started doing a little homework and these are the first repetition lifts in the record books (and for a lift that is not even a USAWA lift). The 1 minute cap seems to be a legacy from the British Strength Athlete Guild (BSAG).
IAWA has several repetition lifts with records and I hope to finish a website article on the topic.
The USAWA rules and by-laws are open to interpretation. The interpretation by Executive Board members, Special Assignment directors, meet directors and athletes are often at odds. This provides opportunity for infighting and calling foul. It also provides great opportunity for collaboration and discussion which this forum allows.
Leverage would certainly make it easier to load and execute some of the chain lifts. As much as I would like to think I would be breaking 1000 or 1500 pounds, my best chain lift to date is a relatively light 675 pounds.
I wonder how the changing angle would change the lift. When I have seen Carter Lifts executed, the loading of the hips and then the shoulders often pulls athletes forwards or backwards. I suspect with a pivot point in front, the lifter would have to drive somewhat backwards to avoid being pulled forward.
The organization is certainly moving faster and without much thought beyond a given member or club likes.
Some of the “rules” have not been well thought out in terms of implications. Just because the current Records Director sees no concerns with international folks setting U.S.A. records, does not mean a future records director will be able to manage. We have burned out records directors in the past.
I am not even sure that most members know that they are part of an international organization. The Gold Cup was hosted in the Walpole in 2024, but I did not see any U.S. entries beyond the east coast.
This is not new. Hindsight being 20/20, it was probably a mistake to add the Van Dam lift and Lano Lift to the list of official lifts. Even though I cannot perform an Inman mile or Self Loaded Leg Press, there is more history there.
Slowing down a bit could help the organization in other ways also. There is no reason to vote on knee sleeves (or any other issue) every year until it passes and then not be able to put the genie back in the bottle.
USAWA has done single issue straw polls in the past, but to my knowledge, this is the first full membership survey. An advisory committee was convened; they created and distributed a survey and collected the results. Huge thanks to the committee and the (53) respondents.
Despite a 450+ Facebook group and large distribution, only (47) members and (6) non-members filled out the survey. (41) respondents saw the survey on the website or by being sent a link. Only (8) respondents engaged through social media.
I got the impression that most respondents had been training for a while; mostly for health and fun but enjoy competing occasionally. Having live competition closer to respondents would help improve participation.
The only true guiding principles were Historic Odd Lifting and Drug Free Sport. Strongman/Support Gear/Records were closer to 50/50. Nearly 1 in 6 did not feel like USAWA was going in the right direction and only (14) responded that they have some voice in how the organization is run.
I did not find anything surprising on the records, live competition, website content or social media content.
Challenges were mixed with some athletes wanting growth and more competition near them. Some responses were questioning the organizational structure and would like USAWA to be more nimble and have fresh leadership.
Some of the opportunities listed were around social media, taking advantage of technology for officials training and competition and co-sanctioning competitions.
The final thoughts were age-old themes for any organization that has a decades long history. Veteran lifters don’t want to change anything, and new lifters want to change everything. Some want everyone to travel and compete together and some don’t want to travel so make it easier to compete.
My personal thoughts after reviewing the survey.
Most athletes do not know the history of All-Round Weightlifting and that is USAWA and IAWA’s own fault. The first 25 years of the organization’s history is lost to the pre-internet days and will likely never be published.
Most athletes do not know how USAWA and IAWA are organized. The organization was originally intended for worldwide participation in the thousands and may not be appropriate for 150 lifters in the UK, 100 in the USA, 30 in Canada, 20 in Australia and 10 in New Zealand plus a few more in the rest of the world.
Most athletes participate in other mainstream strength sports that they enjoy and are good at. They rightfully want the competition to feel very similar. However, having a voice in Powerlifting, Olympic Weightlifting, Highland Games, CrossFit, Grip and others is nearly non-existent unless you are a state or national chair; executive or major sponsor.
My daughters have participated in USAWA, but I have tried not to push it too much. Junior lifters do not understand a 1 rep max. When “handling” my kids, I always have them stop at a Relative Perceived Effort (RPE) of 7-8. There is no consensus on the lifts they enjoy or dislike but teaching them how to move with atypical loads is important. If they choose to compete in the future, I will push powerlifting as most schools have clubs or competitive teams. Powerlifting is easier to train and compete in your whole life.
I enjoy lifting in USAWA because it is a small organization where I can have a voice if I choose to speak up at the annual meeting or contribute website articles. There are rules and by-laws that ensure the organization can survive for decades. I can do postal lifts in the comfort of my own home or fly to national and international competitions. I don’t need an expensive belt, shoes, knee sleeves, wrist wraps or singlet to feel like I am on a level playing field. There is no financial success possible so there should be no incentive to use performance enhancing drugs, but people still do so there is a drug test protocol that ethical meet directors are required to use.
Not sure what happened to my original post, but this was in reference to Larry Traub’s amazing 340 pound Reeves Deadlift at the Ledaig Heavy Athletics Record Day. At 71 years old and 197.5 body weight he beat the 90 kg all age class record that has stood since 2012. The next closest Reeves Deadlift by a 70+ year old athlete is 255 pounds.
I am glad to see his name on the National Championship start list. After reading some of his USAWA articles, I am looking forward to meeting him.
Looks like the dual venue option worked really well. 13 lifters is a great turnout and should keep the tradition of chain lifting alive for the future. There were plenty of records broken with Jessica and Chad competing in lighter weight classes. Impressive performances by all.
Congratulations to Ben Edwards for winning the USAWA Grip Championship! Full results will be posted on the website.
Good luck to all of the athletes in the USAWA Heavy Lift Championships! I am excited to read the meet report with the dual venue.
If you do make it down, you should definitely compete in the grip competition in addition to the push/pull. I was surprised at how many of the other events had some pretty decent prize pools (between $1000 and $5000).
I would love to get out to Louisville for this event sooner rather than later. I am not particularly concerned with the big brands (Rep, Rogue, Titan), but love the smaller players like Belt Fed Strength, Arm Assassin Strength Shop, Darko Lifting, Bearfoot Shoes, Mutant Metals, etc.
However, like you I should probably be getting rid of things.
I thought I could do a Turkish Get Up until the load got heavy. After Dino Gym (10/10) and Ledaig (7/10), Habecker’s (5/10) had competed in the most club championships. Hopefully your club can be on the platform next year!
Congratulations to Clark’s Championship Gym for winning the 2025 Club Championship!
I could set up the Bavarian Deadlift for you. My set up is a little sketchy as I set up 12 inch plyo boxes on stall mats. The loading pin and 1″ handle is safe enough, but as you go heavy in a sumo stance elevated on blocks that are not bolted to the floor you can see the potential for hamstring/groin injuries if anything shifts.
The Nemesis grips “fat dumbbells” have a full 2.5″ diameter and take standard axle bar collars. I do not see this size on their website anymore. The handles take chalk very well and I expect records to be broken.
The FBBC Final Form V-Bar does not take chalk as well as it is unfinished steel. In a few more years with some seasoning I think that will improve. Expect your lifts to be lower than they would be with 1.9″ pipe or other painted implements.
-
AuthorReplies