Remembering Dale

by Al Myers

Today I would like to share several of the tributes to him from friends and lifters.  These comments have been taken from several sources – emails, facebook comments, forum comments, etc.  It is obvious that Dale had many friends in the All Round community, and that he was very well respected.  First, I would like to say a few things about Dale.  I’ve always considered him the Historian of the USAWA, even though it was an unofficial title. Whenever I had a question on something that had happened in the past in the USAWA  and I didn’t know the answer – I would ask him and he would know.  Often his answer included more information than I requested.  He had a “complete set” of old Bill Clark Strength Journals and kept everything well-organized as an historical archive. I will greatly miss Dale’s help!  I also could count on Dale to give me his “honest opinion” on USAWA matters.   In his weekly emails, he would always have some comment on USAWA matters on how he would like to see things done.  I greatly respected him for that, and took his issues “to heart” as he presented them in a reasonable, logical manner.  I have NEVER meant someone who had such a passion and love for the All Rounds as Dale.  Most would have given up lifting facing the physical barriers that Dale faced – but he kept positive and maintained his involvement in the sport to the best of his ability.  I will forever remember this about him. 

After meeting Dale years ago during an All Around Weightlifting competition, it was obvious to me this man had his focus on success.  Not only was I impressed by his determination, but his positive attitude was remarkable as well. As our USAWA events continued, Dale displayed his commitment to competition not only for his own results, but also attended them to remain a great motivator in the background for other fellow athletes. Dale’s strong spirit enabled him to overcome countless critical health circumstances. I’m certain his strength training background allowed him to activate positive improvements to his condition. In spite of all the suffering Dale had to put up with, ultimately his faith in positivity kept him going. Dale’s record setting attitude has to be a USAWA textbook example of how determination leads to success. Rest in Peace, Dale. May our Dear Lord comfort and bless your family.  – Scott Schmidt

My sympathies go out to Dale’s friends and family. – Lance Foster

Condolances. Rest in Peace, Dale – Eric Todd

I would just like to say that Dale was Crazy…but he is my kind of crazy! What I mean by that is I’ve been lifting since 1977 and competing since 1979 and I have no plans on quitting….ever! I will lift up until the day God calls me home and I hope there’s a lifting platform there or in my book that won’t be heaven! Dale was a guy that never quit. Even when he was on his last leg…literally…the guy DID not quit. I know some folks would think that was crazy, but I think it took courage. I recall Michael J. Fox, after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s doing an interview. After he listed all his projects the reporter said, “shouldn’t someone like you be resting more” and he got mad and looked at her and said, “RESTING FOR WHAT…” He then went on to talk about how he knew he had limited time and he had things to do…well, Dale had things to do. Most guys would have rotted away in some retirement village…Dale had things to do and I respect that. The next time I am too tired, too sore, too something to workout I will think of the great length Dale went to lift and I’ll shut up and train a little harder. I remember reading a saying that went like this, “Life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to slide in sideways, totally worn out, shouting “Holy &hit, what a ride!” That was Dale and some day (hopefully in about another 30 or so years) it will be me! I am a Christian, I believe in heaven, and I see Dale young, strong, and working on his Clean and Jerk. One of my favorite lines for “Gladiator” is, “I will see you again…but not yet, not yet”. – Thom Van Vleck

My condolences go out to friends and family of Dale. – Troy Goetsch

Dale will be missed. I remember the first few years I lifted in the USAWA, Dale and I were in the same age group and weight class and we had some great battles. He was always there to give you advice and encourgement. He was a great competitor and a realy great and couragous man. – Denny Habecker

Dale was a great competitor. I was fortunate to lift with Dale at Art’s Birthday Bash 2011 and recent Presidential Cup 2012. Dale was a fine example of never quit or give up. – Barry Bryan

I was very sad to learn of the passing of Dale Friesz. Dale was known to several UK lifters who had met him at competitions in the US. Dale was a very nice man, and he performed some very good lifts over the years. He was one of the stalwart members of the USAWA and he will be sadly missed. Dale had suffered terrible ill health over recent years, but it did not stop his enthusiasm to lift. Even after losing a leg, he still battled his way on to the platform to strut his stuff. – Steve Gardner

Never really got to know Dale that well on my travels to America, but a sad loss none the less. We have sadly lost a few of the old school lifters now. RIP Dale. – Steve Angell

Oh how sad! Dale he was a nice guy! RIP Dale. – Cara Collins

Sorry to hear, another great lifter passes on. Big John Vernachio will have a bit of competition up there now. – Billy Bourne

Dale was one of the most dedicated lifters I’ve ever known.  I mean, I have seen the guy compete when he would have to hook up an IV between events to his pic line!  Dale dealt with many health issues the past few years, but he never let it get in the way of his lifting and competing.  I’m sure he gave his Dr’s fits! Dale was great to have at meets, especially during the meetings as he was not afraid to speak his mind and made sure to keep us on track and remind us the purpose of the USAWA!  Dale will be missed – Chad Ullom

Sad news of Dale. No doubt he touched and inspired many. From all here at All-Round Weightlifting Western Australia please accept our condolences on the passing of Dale. Although most of us have never met Dale, we have read and heard of his lifting career and battles.
“Passed friends and memories are but a thought away, Remember them often”. – Robin Lukosius and Members of All-Round Weightlifting Western Australia

I’ll always remember the many meets that Dale and I competed in together. He was always there to do his best and to help and encourage the other lifters. He was the most determined lifter I can think of. He never complained about his problems. He will be greatly missed. – Dennis Mitchell

Dale’s Funeral Arrangements

by Al Myers

This information was sent to me today  by Dale’s daughter Pam.  It includes the details of Dale’s visitation and Funeral.

Dear family and friends,
Thank you for your many kind words and thoughts for all of us. Here are the details for Dad’s visitation and funeral. The obituary will appear in the Washington Post and also in the memory book on www.moneyandking.com.  Thank you,
Penny, Pam, Mark, and Karen

 
Thursday, March 21
Money and King Funeral Home
171 W. Maple Avenue
Vienna, VA 22180
Visitation: 2:00 – 4:00 PM and 7:00 – 9:00 PM
 
Friday, March 22
St. Mary’s Historic Catholic Church
Ox Road and Fairfax Station Road
Fairfax Station, VA 22039
Funeral Mass: 11:00 AM
Burial immediately following – St. Mary’s Church cemetary
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Wounded Warriors or
St. Katharine Drexel Mission Building Fund
14535 John Marshall Hwy, #210
Gainesville, VA 20155

Dale Friesz Passes

by Al Myers

Dale Friesz, July 30th, 1940 - March 18th, 2013. This picture was taken at the 2010 USAWA National Championships in Lebanon, PA.

Today I have some sad news to report.  Yesterday I received word that long time USAWA member Dale Friesz has died.  This is tragic news for the USAWA, as Dale has been a “foundation member” of the USAWA and has been such a tremendous supporter of the USAWA thru the years.  I am saddened by this news, as hardly a week goes by that Dale and I don’t correspond at least once via email.  Everyone knows about the health issues that Dale has been dealing with for years, yet he always rebounded and made it back to the lifting platform.  He has been an inspiration to everyone who has met him.

I will let everyone know when I get more details of the funeral arrangements.  In the meantime I would like to  ask everyone to share tributes about Dale that I can share in the USAWA Daily News.  These tributes can be emailed to me (amyers@usawa.com) or placed on the USAWA or IAWA Facebook pages.

Take a moment today and read Dale’s USAWA Hall of Fame Biography – https://www.usawa.com/hall-of-fame-biography-dale-friesz-class-of-2002/ .

Stiff Legged DL’s vs. Romanian DL’s

by Al Myers

Ed Schock performing a 210 KG Stiff Legged Deadlift at the 2007 USAWA National Championships in Lebanon, PA. Ed is one "of the few" lifters that have done a stiff legged deadlift of over 500 pounds in USAWA competition.

This is the question that often gets asked in the gym – which is better – stifflegged deadlifts or Romanian deadlifts?  That’s a question that is quite debateable as some don’t like either,  while some prefer one over the other, and gives passionate reasons.  Much like asking a guy if he prefers blonds or brunettes.  You’ll end up with someone saying they prefer redheads. 

However, I do believe that MOST lifters really don’t know the difference between Stifflegged Deadlifts and Romanian Deadlifts. I often hear lifters saying they are doing one of these lifts, when in fact, they are doing the other.  So I’m going to take a “step back” here and explain both of these common accessory deadlift exercises.  If all this is stuff you already know, just look at the picture of Ed Schock, skip the rest of the story, and hope I  write something more interesting tomorrow.  But I CONSTANTLY hear stuff from lifters that tell me that there’s more confusion between these two lifts than admitted.   Some even think they are the same lift!  But they aren’t! 

STIFF LEGGED DEADLIFT

This lift is actually an official USAWA lift.  The USAWA rules are pretty simple for it: ” The rules of the Deadlift apply except that the legs must be straight and locked before the beginning of the lift and must remain so throughout the lift.  Any width of stance is allowed.  The arms are allowed to be inside the legs.”  Now this official rule is a pretty good explanation of a proper stifflegged deadlift, with one exception.  That is allowing sumo stance!  That completely neutralizes the strength-gaining purpose of a stiff-legged deadlift in training.  The SL deadlift should be done with a narrow stance.  I feel these principles define a stiff legged deadlift:

  • Narrow stance.
  • Legs straight throughout the lift, or maybe “just slightly” bent and remain in same degree of flexion throughout.
  • Toes should be pointed out slightly, just like your regular deadlift stance.
  • Hands should be positioned on the bar in an overgrip fashion. If you have a weak grip – hook grip the bar or use straps.
  • Shoulders “rolled over”, and the back rounded at the beginning of the pull.
  • Bar starts over toes.
  • Hips positioned over the feet throughout the lift.
  • Back goes from a point of flexion to extension during the lift.
  • Bar comes into contact with thighs during lift and remains close to the body from that point on.
  • Each rep done slow and under control.

The SL Deadlift  puts extreme pressure on the lower back, especially at the beginning of the lift.  The starting position, with the shoulders rolled over, is what Doctors for years have said is “the WRONG WAY to pick something up”!  But that is what makes it such a great exercise for developing that strong lower lumbar strength.  It takes the back from flexion to extension throughout the execution.  The SL deadlift develops sudden strength from the floor, and if you have problems getting your deadlifts started, this lift will enhance your starting strength in the deadlift. 

ROMANIAN DEADLIFT

The Romanian Deadlift, or RDL’s as they are often called, is a favorite accessory exercise for Olympic lifters. The story goes that a World Class Romanian Olympic lifter popularized this lift, thus it became named that way. It is a much more difficult exercise to learn than the stifflegged deadlift.   The following principles define a Romanian Deadlift:

  • A normal shoulder width stance is taken, with toes facing straight ahead.
  • The bar is gripped with an overhand grip.
  • Knees are in a state of flexion of around 20 degrees during the duration except at the finish, and in the beginning are even slightly more flexed.
  • Shoulders stay up and the back remains in a neutral flat state.  This is the biggest difference between a SLDL and a RDL.  The back must never flex forward or straighten.  IT MUST STAY IN THE SAME STAIGHT FLAT POSITION THOUGHOUT.
  • Hips are “pushed back” behind the heels during the lift.
  • The bar stays close to the body throughout.
  • Plates may not touch the platform, depending on the lifters flexibility.

Now for my editorial.  Both of these exercises work the hamstrings and lower back extensively. Both are intended to be done for repetitions (with the exception of the Stifflegged DL if it is done in an official USAWA competition).  I will say this – do the RDL’s if you are an Olympic lifter and the SL DL if you are a powerlifter.  The reason for this is that I do believe that “form carryover” exists, and that RDL’s will cause breakdown in your deadlift form (pushing hips too far back) and SL DL’s will cause breakdown in your clean technique (by not keeping the shoulders up).  This is my opinion of course.  Another argument you will hear on SL DL’s is that they are a very dangerous exercise to do.  The reasons given are the rounding and unrounding of the back puts excessive pressure on the spinal erectors and and vertebral discs.  But this excessive pressure is  “the secret” as to why SL DL’s will build extreme lower back strength.  If you perform them slow and steady for repetitions, they can be done safely.  RDL’s have received complaints that they put extreme pressure on the hamstrings, and can lead to hamstring pulls/tears.  But that is the reason they are being done – to strengthen the hamstrings!  Again, if a lifter has poor hamstring flexibility start the RDL’s from the hang.  With time, you will notice your flexibility improves and the hamstrings get stronger. Starting from the hang also helps maintaining the straight back alignment with the shoulders erect.  Some lifters will do stifflegged deadlifts standing on blocks as to increase the range of motion.  I have done them that way before as well, but prefer to do them from the floor now.  I do NOT feel this added range of motion is adding anything to the benefits, as you will have to use less weight and thus not stimulate the muscles to the same degree as from the floor.   The purpose of even doing this exercise is to enhance your pulling strength, and have carry over to your max deadlift.  Having flexibility beyond what is needed to do a normal deadlift serves no purpose in increasing your maximum deadlift.

I have always been a bigger fan of the Stiff legged deadlift.  I have done them weekly for over 20 years and I have never sustained an injury doing them. I have at times worked up to 450-500 lbs. for reps of 3-8, with each rep paused on the floor. I’ll push them hard – but not to failure.   My max deadlift has ALWAYS directly corresponded to the weight I was training my SL’s with.  The higher the SL’s – the higher the DL.  But I have never been a trained Oly lifter, thus that is the reason I prefer SL’s.  My training partner Scott Tully has always liked RDL’s, mainly because his start in lifting was with Olympic  weightlifting.  We argue constantly over this, as I’m trying to convert him to SL’s, but for some reason he can’t keep his legs straight (LOL) from too many years of doing RDL’s.  Bottom line is this – both of these exercises are OUTSTANDING exercises and at least you should consider implementing one of them into your training program.

Al Spings and his Tractor Lift

by Al Myers and Lance Foster

Al Springs performing his Tractor Lift, which weighs over 3000 pounds!

Most everyone in the USAWA knows or has heard of Al Springs from Dearborn, Missouri.  Al is an eccentric ole’ all rounder, who has been involved with the USAWA for many, many years and has a great passion for weightlifting and anything “all round” in nature.  He is reminiscent of the OLD TIME STRONGMEN of the turn of the previous century in his mindset, and takes on strength challenges that others might pass on.  He is still a very active USAWA member at over 70 years of age.  He competes a few times every year in our organization and even competed on the WORLD STAGE of IAWA this past October at the IAWA World Championships in Salina, Kansas. He won his age and weight class, earning him the right to call himself a World Champion. 

I always enjoy my conversations with Al.  We talk on the phone every couple of months, and when he calls I answer “this is Al”, and he responds, “this is Al” as well.  I know immediately who I am talking to. Recently Lance Foster shared this very interesting picture of Al Springs performing, what he calls, his Tractor Lift. Lance was able to get Al to share his story on his Tractor Lift and this is what Al said:

“Normal H Farmall tractors weigh about 6000 lbs which was too much for lifting, but long enough for what I wanted to transfer into a strongman project, actually a vision of my art to lift. After the transfer the tractor weighs about 3000 lbs.  I made the harness belt also.  The chains hooked to the tractor’s frame was 200 lbs.  While the tractor was in the barn, I would do reps with it. I moved it outside for my daughter to take pictures. My wife Deanna judged the lift.  As far as I know, this is the first time anyone has lifted a tractor that big.  I’ve heard that Paul Anderson lifted a car.”

All I can say is this – THAT’S AN IMPRESSIVE HARNESS LIFT!  Harness lifting was a common strength feat done by Old Time Strongmen as large amounts of weight can be lifted this way.  It was also common for Old Time Strongmen to perform their Harness Lifting on an elevated platform, with the weights below.  This gives a specacular view of the effort and the success of the lift.  Guys like Al Springs represent the roots of All Round Weightlifting and the Old Time Strongman connection, and he is the perfect example of someone who supports the mission statement of the USAWA.

MISSION STATEMENT OF THE USAWA

The USAWA was formed to continue the long standing tradition of old-time weightlifters like Eugen Sandow, Louis Cyr, Arthur Saxon, Hermann Goerner, Warren Lincoln Travis, and many others. We strive to preserve the history of the original forms of weightlifting, which in the past has been referred to as “odd lifting”. Many of the lifts we perform are based on stage acts or challenge lifts of old-time strongmen.

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