Author Archives: Al Myers

Total Poundage

by Steve Gardner

Some were asking recently about the history of the IAWA Record for Total Poundage in 3 hours and 9 minutes. It was started by the late great Warren Lincoln Travis.

Here is the story:
Warren Lincoln Travis was the first famous strongman in the United States and a world champion back and hip lifter, who performed feats of strength on Coney Island in the first quarter of the 20th century.  Travis was born in Brooklyn and turned professional at age 21. He weighed only around 200 pounds at his prime. In 1906, he was awarded the “World’s Greatest Weightlifter” by a popular strength publication and received a jewel-studded belt.
His favorite lifts were the Heavy Lifts, such as the Harness Lift and the Back Lift, and Finger Lifts.  In front of witnesses, he lifted 3,985 pounds in the Harness Lift and 4,140 pounds in the Back Lift. In 1907, he lifted 667 pounds with one finger.

Travis was a successful as a businessman and became very wealthy. For 55 years, he held the record for total poundage lifted, that is, lifts done for repetitions, where the lifter may choose any lift and rep/set scheme, to lift the most weight within a given time frame. The standard for this record was initially set by Travis in 1927, when he Back Lifted 5.5 million pounds in 3 hours, 9 minutes.  He did this by doing 5500 reps with 1000 pounds. His record was broken in 1982 by Howard Prechtel (who later became first President of IAWA) who Back Lifted 6,066,060 pounds in 3 hours, 9 minutes.

John Davis, Olympic Champion

 by Dennis Mitchell

John H. Davis

John H. Davis was born January 12, 1921 in Smithtown, Long Island.  As a youngster his favorite sports were gymnastics and track.  He lived near a park where he would play on the rings and the high bar.  He was exceptionally good at chinning, and could chin with either hand while holding a 25 pound weight in the free hand.  Weightlifter Steve Walsky saw John at the playground and invited him to work out at his home gym.  John worked out hard and long, often five days a week.   At this time, 1937, he saw a strong man weightlifting strength show where he met Bob Hoffman.  Not long after he entered his first weightlifting contest where he took a second place.  This was a start in a long and successful career.

John said that his original interest was in body building, but felt that a negro would never win the Mr. America title.  At a body weight of 180 pounds and standing 5’8.5″, he had a 17″ neck, 16″ arms,13.75″ fore arms, and  16″ calfs.  He trained very hard, and was ahead of his time as he included both squats and bench presses in his workouts.  It was believed at that time that squats would make you slow, and that bench presses would hinder overhead lifting.  John won his first world championship as a light heavy weight at the age of 17, in Vienna, Austria. He went on to win eight world, twelve national championships and two Olympics. During his long career he set sixteen world records.   He did this even though his career was interrupted for three years serving in the army during the world war.  He was also the first lifter to clean and jerk over 400 pounds (402) using a standard barbell and was the second person to total 1,000 pounds on the three lifts.

John Davis passed away July 13, 1984.

Gardner wins Prechtel Trophy!

by Al Myers

James Gardner wins the Prechtel Trophy as the BEST LIFTER of the 2012 IAWA Gold Cup.

For the first time ever, an award was given at the IAWA Gold Cup to represent the event’s BEST LIFTER.  This award is given in remembrance of the late Howard Prechtel, who served three terms as the IAWA President.   The concept of the Gold Cup was Howard’s idea – and the Gold Cup has indeed blossomed into one of the major IAWA events. This award will from now on become an annual award, and appropriately called the Howard Prechtel Memorial Trophy. 

This year’s winner goes to JAMES GARDNER of England, having performed an outstanding World Record Turkish Get Up of 75 kilograms.  James is more than deserving of this award, and showed unbelievable tenacity to even be there competing.  James showed up late, as he was suffering from the intestinal flu the night before, and looked like he was not going to be able to do anything, let alone a big lift like he did!  Congrats James – you earned it!

The rankings were done by using the Blindt Formula.  This formula multiplies a Blindt Factor against total adjusted points to put all lifts on a “level playing field”.  Each lift is assigned a different factor, depending on the lift.  The top placements using this formula were:

1.  James Gardner – 75 KG Turkish Get Up
2.  Steve Sherwood – 125 KG Lunge Squat
3.  Luke Davis – 50 KG Turkish Get Up
4.  Timo Lauttemaus – 127.5 KG Index Fingers Deadlift
5.  Gary Ell – 185 KG 2″ Bar Hacklift

Dino Gym Challenge

by Al Myers

MEET ANNOUNCEMENT – 2013 DINO GYM CHALLENGE

Chad Ullom performed a 800 pound Anderson Squat enroute to winning BEST LIFTER at the 2012 OTSM Championships.

Every year for the Dino Challenge I like to change the theme.  There are just so many different lifts that can be “tested” in the USAWA that I just like to do something different every year.  I know that there are those meets that keep the same lifts in the same meet “year after year”, and I respect that as well.  I even go to those meets and like to be able to compare my performance in the same lifts from prior years, but for the Dino Gym Challenge I like to SHAKE THINGS UP!  The day of the meet will be third Saturday of January – January 19th at the Dino Gym.

The Dino Gym Challenge was host to the VERY FIRST USAWA  Old Time Strongman competition in 2011.  Since then there have been several hosted in the USAWA, including 2 Championships (2011 & 2012) at Kirksville, Missouri directed  by Thom Van Vleck.   Thom has been given the role of OTSM Chairman within the USAWA (ok…it’s an unofficial title, but it makes him feel important which is the most important thing here).   Thom has “given me his word” that he will be present at the Dino Gym’s OTSM in January, and Thom’s a guy who when he says he’s going to do something – he does it. 

The theme for this years competition will be an “Old Time Strongman Powerlifting Meet” .  These three lifts have been chosen: Anderson Squat, Hackenschmidt Floor Press, and the Peoples Deadlift.   All three of these lifts are similiar to the three powerlifts (squat, bench press, and deadlift), only in slightly different formats.  The Anderson Squat and the Peoples Deadlift are limited range movements comparable to the squat and deadlift, while the Floor Press is essentially a bench press minus the bench.  Anyone should be able to perform these lifts – so I’m expecting a BIG TURNOUT!!

ENTRY FORM AND MEET DETAILS –  2013DinoChallenge

Gold Cup

by Steve Gardner

IAWA 2012 GOLD CUP – Castlemilk Gym, Glasgow, Scotland – Saturday 3rd November

Group picture from the 2012 Gold Cup

A great event with 29 lifters, 28 breaking and setting new IAWA World Records with some terrific performances across the board- Countries represented: USA Scotland England and Finland. Well done to Andy Tomlin and Matt Finkle the event promotors and to everyone who helped make the event possible.

Winners of the 2 Man 1 Hand Deadlift Challenge: Al Myers and Chad Ullom – USA

Winners of the Howard Prechtel Memorial Trophy: First James Gardner, Second Steve Sherwood and Third Luke Davis.

GOLD CUP RESULTS – Gold Cup 2012 Results

1 … 173 174 175 176 177 … 321