Announcement of Postal Meets

by Al Myers

The USAWA Postal Meet schedule has been released for 2012!  John Wilmot has been the USAWA Postal Meet Director for several years now, and once again, has planned a challenging set of postal meets for the USAWA for the coming year.  The USAWA quarterly postal series has been gaining in popularity, with this past year being the most participated series to date.  John deserves a “BIG THANKS” for the work he puts into setting up these postal meets and doing the scoring.  He always sends out nice certificates to recognize  a lifters performance.  And I want to mention this again – entering these postal meets is at NO CHARGE! 

This year’s schedule is as follows:

Eastern Open Postal Meet
March 1st to March 31st

Middle Atlantic Postal Meet
June 1st to June 30th

Delaware Valley Postal Meet
September 1st to September 30th

National Postal Championships
December 1st to December 31st

The rules of entering postal meets are pretty simple: 1. Do all the lifts in ONE DAY only, 2. Follow the rules of the USAWA, 3. Fill out the entry form correctly and send it to John Wilmot, 4. Submit the entry form by the deadline date, and 5. Be a current PAID UP member of the USAWA.  That’s it – pretty simple.  Anyone should be able to follow those simple rules, and if not, find a training partner who is smarter than yourself to do it for you.  You may have anyone judge your lifts to score for the competition, but if you want your lifts to count for an USAWA record, this judge MUST be a USAWA Certified Official.  Also, if you are not a USAWA member your results will be omitted from the websites results when I receive them, so it’s a good idea to join the USAWA before you send your postal meet results to John.

The entry forms for these Postal Meets are available under the heading  “USAWA Future Events”, which is located on the right side of the home page.

Multiple Sized Plates

by Thom Van Vleck

The JWC logo, based on a previous drawing by my Uncle Phil over 50 years ago, incorporates a "York" 400lb "hub style" Olympic set.

I have a lot of weights.  I don’t think of myself as a collector, I use everything I have in my gym.  Nothing gets put in a “glass case”.  I have to say that some things I have for practical reasons.  Certain bars work better for Deadlifts, some for Push Presses, some weights just have a “better feel”.   But sometimes I just like the “looks” of something.  I think it goes back to when I was a kid reading all those old Weightlifting mags.  Most of them were basically advertisements for barbells, supplements, and other related stuff being sold by the publisher.  I remember looking at the advertisements and generally you would get these weight sets that had various sized plates and they load them all on the bar for a photo.  Basically, you ended up with what’s in the logo above.  A bar loaded with plates that not only decrease in weight, but in size.  Keen eyes may have noted I actually drew one extra plate on the drawing for the JWC logo….that’s been a long held secret of mine and to date if anyone has noticed, they didn’t say anything.  As far as being an artist….all I know is I know what I like.  When I was drawing that barbell, it just “looked” right to add one last little set on the ends.  Purely aesthetic! 

A York "iron shoe", a Milo DB, and a standard 1" DB, loaded with the "taper" of smaller and smaller plates

Sometimes, when I lift, I want to load up the bar and have that “assortment” on there.  No reason other than it just pleases me!  It is aesthetic which to me always meant that it was cool to look at but doesn’t have any real reason other than that!  I recently bought some 7.5lb, 12.5lb and 20lb solid 1″ barbell plates to go with my 1.25lb, 2.5lb, 5lb, 10lb, and 25lb plates.  Why,  just so I can load them all up and get that “look”.  To me, its a classic look, and it looks cool…….but I do think there is a reason for wanting all those odd little plates on there.

When I first started lifting I was spoiled having all kinds of weights at my disposal since my Uncle’s had quite a collection from the early days of the Jackson Weightlifting Club.  But I recall my Uncle Wayne telling me how they initially had cement weights they had made using buckets and scrap metal for bars.  They had saved up for the York set….a pretty penny in those days!  When they got that first 300lb set it became their goal to put that overhead.  My Uncle Phil told me that Gene Thudium joined the club and at 145lbs of bodyweight, he clean and pressed 165lbs and declared he was going to “lift that whole 300lb” set.  To Gene’s credit, he did do 280lbs at 181lbs in competition….a great lift and had he not been disillusioned when they dropped the clean & press from competition in 1972 I think he would have done it!   My Uncle Wayne recalls the day Thudium walked in the gym and Wayne told him they had dropped that lift.  Thudium, who had been on that mission for a dozen years, threw his hands up, quit, and NEVER came back to the gym!  At any rate, they wanted to lift that whole set which meant all the smaller plates loaded on there.  So, I think there was that challenge of “lifting the whole set” that came along!   As a side note, they ordered a 400lb set and my Uncle Wayne ended up Jerking that out of the rack. 

So, for whatever reason, I like the look and honestly, anything that will motivate me to lift is a good thing in my book.  Even if my wife wonders why I had to order those “odd” sized plates when I have about a 1000lbs of 1″ plates already!

Monster Garage Meet

by Larry Traub

MEET ANNOUNCEMENT

2ND ANNUAL TRAUB MONSTER GARAGE POWERLIFTING AND USAWA RECORD BREAKER

Sunday, April 29th

Oakes Road, Georgetown, Indiana

11:00 am – 12:30 pm weigh in – 1:00 pm start

No advance registration – entry forms completed at weigh in

All lifters must buy a USAWA card at a cost of $25

ENTRY FEE – contestants must bring food for pitch in meal that will follow the competition. Bring meat for you and your family, date, etc. Lifters weighing 160 and below should bring a salad dish to be shared, lifters 160 – 230 should bring a side dish and of course those above 230 should bring desserts.

Meet t-shirts will be available.

USAWA rules will be followed. This is a raw contest. (No supportive shirts, suits, or knee wraps)

Drug testing under USAWA guidelines

Advance notice that you are planning on attending would be appreciated.

Contact Larry Traub at traubl@saintxfac.com or call 502 299 3138

Pullover Tips

by Al Myers

Mark Mitchell performing a Pullover and Push at the 2004 Dino Gym Challenge. Mark doing a pullover onto his 60 inch plus chest is the All-Round Weightlifting version of climbing Mt. Everest!

Recently I was asked about if there were any “secrets” to performing the pullover in the Pullover and Press. This lift (the Pullover and Press) will be a big part of this next years competitions, since it will be contested in both Nationals and Worlds.  And don’t forget the Pullover and Push either, as it will be contested in the World Postal Meet coming up.  So you can see the importance of understanding how to do a pullover, since it IS the first part of BOTH  of these lifts.  First let me say this about the pullover – IT IS NOT A PULLOVER!  Too many lifters think it is, and try to lift the bar with their arms and shoulders onto their chest.  They soon find out that this motion severely hinders their ability to get much weight to their chest, plus puts terrible unnatural stresses on the shoulder joints.  You have to remember the OBJECT of the Pullover and Press is to lift as much as possible, and since it is a two part lift, one of the parts WILL be the limiting movement.  Your goal should be to have the press or push be your limit, not what you can do in the pullover.   However, I have seen the pullover be the limiting factor to many lifters in competition. 

Now on to some advice from the Dino Man.  I am going to make a disclaimer first: “If you weigh under 200 pounds- NONE of this advice applies to you!”.  Light lifters with puny chests have no problem getting the bar in position on the chest for a press or push. They just roll it into place without encountering any difficulties.    It’s the BIG GUYS I’m trying to help here.  Guys over 250# BWT who have spent entirely too much training time on the bench press and have pecs that “mound up” like implants on the chest of a Vegas showgirl  (haha, I can’t believe I SAID THAT because I don’t attend those sort of deviant activities  But just LOOK at the chest of  a bench press specialist,  someone like Dave Beversdorf of Clarks Gym. Its freaky, but spectacular at the same time.  Not that I’m saying Dave looks like a Vegas showgirl….Ok, I’m getting off course here. ).   For these guys the pullover can be quite an embarrassment the first time they try it.  As the bar approaches the chest as its rolled forward  it “runs into a brick wall” as it encounters the pecs.  I had one lifter ask me how its possible to get it onto his chest – because his chest is 6 inches higher than the bar!  Well, that’s what I’m going to try to answer here.

Tip #1  Think FAST ROLL – not pullover

The main secret to getting the bar to the chest is a fast roll.  More speed equals more momentum.  And let me remind you of another thing – it’s going to hurt a little before it makes the climb to the chest.  I like to have the bar at arms’ length on the platform and make a couple of slow “warmup” rolls to the top of the head before my final ALL OUT pull. This builds my confidence and prepares me mentally for the inevitable SLAM. I try to pull the bar as fast as I can with no regard to how much it might hurt when it impacts the chest.  I think of it as just “taking a punch” before the lift starts. Also, be sure you turn your head slightly before it crosses over the head or the bar might impact the nose which could cause a broken nose.

Tip  #2 Lift head at impact

This helps tremendously in getting the bar on the chest.  Just as the bar is about ready to impact the chest, raise your head.  This action causes the chest to drop slightly and the throwing of  the head up helps with bar momentum at the last second.

Tip #3 Minimize resistance

Do everything possible to decrease resistance.  This includes wearing a slick-fronted tshirt.  DO NOT wear a tshirt with a sticky vinyl logo on the front as the bar will “stick” to this.  I like wearing a tight fitting white tshirt. This is one lift where I don’t like to wear my singlet, as the straps will “catch” on the bar and add sliding resistance. Also, use a bar that does not have center knurling.  I have found my deadlift bar to be the best bar to use for the pullover.  Try to not use big thick rubber bumpers on the bar as this causes more friction resistance on the roll as well.  Having the plates roll on wood is faster than on rubber mats. All of these things add up.

Tip #4 Use padding under the body

This is very important for a couple of reasons.  The obvious first reason is to give some protection to the elbows when the forearms “turn over” as the bar goes onto the chest.  It is critical that you use padding that is not to thick as this will raise the body up and make the pullover harder.  I like using a towel or a thin rubber backed floor mat.  However, the most important aspect of padding is to “stick” your body to the platform.  I pull on the pullover so hard that my body will slide on a wooden platform without padding (towards the bar which slows things down). 

Tip #5  Wide Grip

You can get a stronger pull with a wide grip than a narrow grip. When I do the pullover and push, I like a wide grip for my push so that is the grip I take for the pullover on that lift.  However you can press more with a bench press grip, but you can still use a wide grip for the pullover part.  Changing your hand spacing on the bar when it is on the chest is NOT a rule violation (as was clarified at this past years annual meeting when the rules changes where discussed).  So if you NEED to do this for the pullover and press to help your pullover – do it.   

These are my top five tips for the pullover.  Incorporate these ideas and your pullover WILL NOT be the limiting factor in these two lifts (pullover and press and the pullover and push).   Other little things help as well – wear wrist wraps to protect and support the wrists, wear elbow sleeves in training to protect the elbows from abrasions and hematomas (but elbow sleeves are not allowed in competition), and  shaving your chest to minimize hair resistance (haha, maybe this is a stretch for most, but for guys like Scott Campbell it would take an inch off his chest height).

Make sure you practice the pullover for several training sessions before a competiton with the Pullover and Press/Push.  Don’t be discouraged the first time you do it (or the first time back after a layoff of these lifts).   Each subsequent training session you will find improvement if you follow these training tips.

Polar plunge 2012

by Chad Ullom

Brianna, Tasha, and Chad at the Polar Plunge in Topeka, Kansas.

My daughter Brianna, girlfriend Tasha and I participated in the Polar plunge this year to benefit Special Olympics.  Tasha was a real trooper.  She pinky swore Bree last year that she would do it with us this, but the closer it got she was really having second thoughts!  Bree and I did it last year and I was expecting this year to be a bit easier to be honest. Last year, they had to chain saw a 30X30 foot section of ice out of the lake so we could jump in!  It was thick enough that the rescue crew sat on the edge of the ice.  With the milder winter we’ve had this year, there really wasn’t much ice except in shallow areas. It was colder on the day of the plunge than it was last year and it was a bit windier.  We ran in and I went under like I did last year and it really took my breath away!  As we ran around high fiving the rescue crew, my legs were burning!  I could hear Bree behind me and it sounded like she was having the same issues! We made it through the water and headed right for the tent to put on some warm clothes!

This really is a fun event.  People go in teams and there is a costume contest.  We went as the wolf pack this year, but honestly didn’t put a lot into it. Bree had a baby in a backpack we turned into a baby bjorn, Tasha had a tiger and I carried a “satchel”.  The best team by far in my opinion was the toy story group. They put a lot of thought and time into their costumes and looked great!  Before the plunge they do a 5k “strut”.  Bree and I ran it last year and she beat me. She’s been talking trash, so I was really going to try this year. I can’t say I really trained for it, but I thought I could just out run her. I pushed the pace this year, but she was able to keep up . I really kicked in on the last downhill thinking I would put some distance between us. It didn’t work, and she outlasted me to the finish.  The polar plunge is a great event and we’ve had a great time the past 2 years. We look forward to doing it again next year and Tasha said she would do it again with us! I’m proud to say that we raised over $400 for the cause!  I highly recommend the plunge, it is invigorating!

1 … 318 319 320 321 322 … 473