Monthly Archives: August 2012

OTSM Championships is now a FUNDRAISER!

by Thom Van Vleck

The OTSM Championships will be used to raise funds to buy more equipment for the Osteoblasters Weightlifting Club

The Old Time Strong Man Championships are just around the corner!  October 14, 2012 is the date for the 2nd  OTSM Championships and I have some exciting news.  This year we will be raising money for the Osteroblasters Weightlifting Club.  The OWC was formed just this past spring and has already been made an official University Organization with a membership of over 50 students making it one of the largest organizations on campus.  To give you some perspective, we have around 350 students on campus at any give time (with many students out on clinical rotations as our primary mission is creating physicians).  So, our membership represents a significant portion of the student population.   We have members of our club that are involved in Olympic lifting, Power lifting, Strongman, boxing, martial arts, cross fit, highland games, and many other sports where they use weightlifting to get better.  However, many of our members just realize that lifting weights is an integral part of an all around fitness program.  We promote a healthy, drug free lifestyle and for that reason, a USAWA meet seemed a great fit for a fundraiser.

Mike McIntyre is our club President and a student in our Biomed program (working on his master's degree) and a driving force in getting the OWC organized. Here Mike is doing Deadlifts with over 500lbs on the thick bar.

As the staff adviser for the club I help them with whatever their needs may be.  Right now, we need more equipment!   And you can help!  Come and compete at the OTSM Championships and I will be donating 100% (that’s right, 100%) of the entry fee money to the club!  You still have to buy your USAWA memberships (but really….shouldn’t you already have it!), but you can know that your entry fee will go to a good cause.

I have been amazed at the interest our club has generated and while the director of our campus Rec Center has been very generous in buying us equipment, we had no idea how many students would turn out for the club workouts!   We have over 30 showing up at 4 organized lifting sessions each week!  We need your help!  Sign up to compete today….and if you are feeling generous, anything extra you give will go to buying equipment and I would even consider donations of equipment for a trade for your entry!.  So bring what you have and we’ll let you donate it as your entry fee!   We will also have club shirts on sale for a fundraising (don’t worry, you will get a meet shirt, this is something just for the club).

Jared Nichols

I will repeat a previous story on the OTSM, we have moved it to the old Williard School Gym where I held Nationals last year!  Great location for a meet!   So come out and lift, and if you can’t lift, please come and help.  Don’t worry, you won’t get roped into loading (I have student club members for that!!!!)   I DOl need USAWA certified judges and experienced lifters to help coach my newbies in the warm up area on the rules and lifts…..there will be a lot of NEW lifters at this meet and they need coaching and mentoring!  While I will accept entries on the day of the meet, a heads up is always appreciated.  See you soon!

Tractor Pull Meet

by Roger LaPointe

The 2nd Annual Atomic Athletic Tractor Pull Weekend Meet went very well. Everyone had a blast.   While it is not yet official, it looks like we may have collectively broken 10 US records and 5 World Records. Each of our lifters broke some sort of record.

We had an unexpected surprise, thanks to the efforts of Scott Schmidt. We have two Ohio based officials that are getting back into the All Round Weightlifting game: John Kurtz and Jim Malloy. As John McKean pointed out, both were very active lifters, with John being both a founding member and an official at many of Howard Prechtel’s events, including the Nationals. I had never previously met them, but hope to make them a fixture at Atomic Athletic events. They each seemed to enjoy themselves and fit right in with our group. By the end of the meet, they each seemed to be itching to pick up some weights. Who knows, maybe we can convince them to do a little coaching or even get them on the platform. I know that I have learned a good deal from lifting with Dave Polzin, who has continued his annihilation of almost every record he sets his sights on. Maybe I will get a chance to learn a bit from Jim and John as well.

I would like to thank everyone who lifted, officiated and helped to clean up. I hope to see everyone at the next Atomic Athletic meet. If anyone would like to make some lift suggestions, please send the requests to me.  We also have meet shirts left over. If you would like to buy one,  the photo will be up on the site tomorrow, but it reflects the general design of the site graphic with black ink on a green shirt. I will make sure to note which sizes are left tonight.

MEET RESULTS:

2012 Atomic Athletic Tractor Pull Weekend Meet
August 18th, 2012
Atomic Athletic, Bowling Green, Ohio

Meet Director: Roger LaPoint
Officials: Scott Schmidt, Jim Malloy, John Kurtz, John McKean

Lifts: Deadlift – One Arm, Jefferson Lift – Fulton Bar, Crucifix
USR = New “possible” U. S. Record
WR= New “possible” World Record

LIFTER DL-1 Arm Jefferson FB Crucifix
David Polzin,216# BW,Age 62 311#R USR/WR 402#USR/WR 60#USR/WR
John McKean,165#BW, Age 66 267#R 303#USR/WR 35#USR
Scott Schmidt,242# BW, Age 59 282#R 281#USR/WR 90#USR
Roger LaPointe,167# BW, Age 41 267#R USR 303#USR 75#USR

If anyone is wondering about the odd weight increments for the 1 Arm Deadlift, we were using a 45 pound bar,but lifting with kilo plates. The Crucifix Hold was done with antique York Kettlebell Handles, which are about half a pound lighter than the current kettlebell handles we sell at Atomic Athletic, making the handles, bar and collars a combined weight of 10 pounds. It was a convenient set up for use with pound increment standard size plates.

New Rulebook Available

by Al Myers

USAWA Rulebook 6th Edition

The new, updated Rulebook is now available on the website.  I’m a little behind on my August 1st deadline, but I have lots of excuses.  I have included the bylaws in this years book, so everything is “nice and tidy” concerning the rules and regulations of the USAWA.  All of the passed agenda items from this year’s National Meeting have been included.  As always, it is free to download it but a printed bound Rulebook comes with a pricetag.  It will continue to be available in the online store.

Jefferson Lift Origin & Techniques

by Roger LaPointe

Jefferson Lift

So you want to build some crazy back and leg strength?

Try out the Jefferson Lift, also called the Straddle Deadlift in Great Britain.

I have loved the Jefferson Lift since the day I first started lifting. My Dad taught it to me as, “the best and safest way to squat.” Well, it’s not technically a squat, but a deadlift and it is also not necessarily the safest.  However, it is a great alternative to traditional deadlifting, which can replicate the feel of a front squat, at least in the legs.

The Jefferson Lift gets its name from the old circus strongman Charles Jefferson (1863?-July 12, 1911). Originally from Canaan, New Hampshire, he traveled and performed with Barnum and later with Barnum & Bailey. He was known for chain breaking and lifting “enormous” weights. I have never been able to find out what was considered “enormous”.

Alan Calvert, of Milo Barbell, seemed quite fond of the Jefferson Lift, as he wrote about two different variations, including photos, in his book “Super Strength”. Interestingly, when I worked at York Barbell, Jan Dellinger told me that John Grimek was also extremely fond of the Jefferson Lift, and considered “Super Strength” to be his single reference work for lifting. Of course, Grimek did modeling for the Milo Barbell Company before working for Hoffman. At the time, Jan had told me that Grimek believed in only doing the Jefferson Lift as a partial lift off of blocks. Both of the methods shown in Calvert’s book reflect Grimek’s opinion. Calvert also writes, “In performing this exercise, the legs are bent no further than shown in the picture,”

As for technique, beyond Calvert’s book, I have seen a number of other methods. In some photos, I see the the bar is perpendicular to the shoulders with a high degree of twist to the spine. In other shots, which I call the Hirsh technique, the bar is lifted with an alternate grip, like a standard deadlift, but the legs straddle the bar in a fashion very similar to a split jerk, with the heels being allowed to rise. Al Myers, of the USAWA, did an excellent article about the Jefferson Lift, featuring this photo of Bob Hirsh, who easily had the best modern Jefferson Lift.  Check it out on this website.

If you would like to compete in a variation of the Jefferson Lift, you can do so at our Atomic Athletic Tractor Pull Championship Weekend Meet, this Saturday, August 18th. The variation we will be contesting is with a 2 Inch Thick Bar, called a Fulton Bar in the USAWA.

Update on Knee Sleeve Poll

by Al Myers

This is a reminder to everyone that the worldwide poll on knee sleeves is underway.  This issue was brought up at the USAWA National Meeting, ending with a motion to refer it to the IAWA Technical Committee for evaluation before being placed on the IAWA agenda at the IAWA Meeting in October at the IAWA World Meet.  Steve Gardner and myself decided that a world-wide poll should be taken on this issue as well, as both of us feel that this issue is one that should be decided by ALL members, not just the membership that is attendance at the meeting.  A couple of weeks ago a blog was ran on this website which included the details of the poll, so if you missed it, look back in the archives of the USAWA Daily News. I’m not going to “rehash” all that again in this story.  

There has been some  discussion in the USAWA Discussion Forum on this.  Discussion has included the pros and cons by several members. If you haven’t been “keeping up” with this issue, that is a good place to look to “get up to speed”.  So far only 26 USAWA members have voted, and the vote is tied at 13-13.  It is important to remember that the deadline in this poll is September 1st. I’m going to include some of the forum posts in this blog to stimulate thought:

By Big T –

I guess I want to discuss this a little as I’m surprised at the results.

My feeling is that it’s a pandora’s box. In Highland Games we have the Weight Over Bar event where the thrower has to throw a 56lb weight over a bar, kinda like a high jump bar that goes higher and higher with the highest being the winner. Well, the rules don’t say you can’t spin but traditionally, it was done from a standing position. One day, someone did spin, and while it was debated, nobody stopped it. Soon, guys were spinning all over the place. Hell, I did it when I realized it was a superior way to do it. Now, some games allow it, some don’t and it is a point of contention. Why? Because you can throw higher spinning….but then others argue you don’t! In my mind, it’s a separate event. Guys argue about it and in the mean time records are broken until only the spinners have all the records and nobody can remember who did what standing, spinning, or whatever. Now, there are guys double spinning!

My point, I like spinning, but I don’t consider it the same. I like knee sleeves, I own two pair! But this is an pandora’s box and we either need to create a “geared” record list and ungeared (good lord…how many records would that be!……500 pages!) or just keep it raw and a guy can were his knee sleeve to keep warm, take it off to lift, then go on with life. For the record, I voted no, but in reality, I would rather see all gear allowed with limitations. But to me, it’s all or nothing and its disrespectful to past champs to beat records with advantages they didn’t have.

By Dinoman –

Thank you for your input on this, you made some very good points. I’ll be honest here – I’m REALLY disappointed in the number of votes cast so far for an issue this big and the the lack of opinions from lifters defending their viewpoints. Only 25% of the membership so far have even voted! That tells me that this issue doesn’t mean much to the remaining 75%. Or maybe it is just the apathy of voting now-a-days, with the attitude that an individuals opinion doesn’t count for anything so why show up to vote.

I’m really glad we are doing this poll as it gives EVERYONE an opportunity to be part of this decision. I will say this – if you don’t vote NOW I don’t want to hear you B***** later!!

By KCSTRONGMAN –

I voted yes, but did so with reservation-that I completely see your point. However, I disagree whole heartedly with the separate record list bit. So, you have used knee sleeves? Have you ever lifted anything with them that you would not have lifted without? Maybe there are types where that would be the case. I have used york and Dino sleeves, and have never gotten a single pound over what I would have done without them. Just like Benching with wrist wraps. Never a single pound over, but it allows me to protect a joint in order to not have to spend the next month rehabbing it. Now, like I said, maybe there are some that would give you weight, and maybe that is something that needs to be researched out before a decision is made, I dont know. And if the knee sleeves thing fails I will not lose a moments sleep over it, I will just train with them, when I feel I need them, and compete without. It wont make any difference, as I will lift the same amount one way or the other, as long as I am healthy.

By casinoman –

Neoprene knee sleeves are not geared. To say they aid in a lift is a miseducated statement, meaning no offense. But I am with ET I get nothing out of a NEOPRENE knee sleeve, but I do own knee sleeves that are like a knee wrap and do get some poundages out of them. But they help immensly in being in less pain. I am amazed especially by the amount of older lifters by how many no votes there are. I can guarantee when I am in my 40 and 50s I will be wearing neoprene damn near head to toe, hell I am almost that way now on workout days. I think people need to understand that neoprene sleeves are not geared lifting, they don’t give you any extra poundages, but they help keep the joint warm. I have had both meniscus removed and on squat days, if I go without my sleeves I pay for it dearly, can I squat without and squat the same amount of weight, yes, but the next day the pain is worse.

PLEASE VOTE AND LET YOUR OPINION BE KNOWN

1 2 3 4 5