How many All-round meets can say that they have had their own photographer. But this Saturday past, the Heavy lift unexpectedly had just that! Dave Hahn brought his entourage, including his son in law David DiBella who served in that capacity for us all day, then promptly sent the file for me to use. For all his efforts, I felt I would be remiss in not sharing it with the USAWA membership. Below are a selection of photos taken throughout the day:
Dean Ross Perfoming the neck lift
Dave Hahn performs the neck lift
His majesty, the honorable president, Denny Habecker executes a neck lift
I believe this is the best neck lift I was actually successful with
Greg Cook performs the neck lift in his first Heavy Lift Championship
Lance Foster also completing a neck lift.
“Scottish Johnny” Strangeway executes perfect form in his neck lift attempt.
Dave Hahn with a 550 Hand and Thigh
President Denny with a 650 Hand and Thigh
Dean Ross pulling a Hand and Thigh
Greg Cook hit some record numbers in the Hand and Thigh
My best Hand and Thigh
John Douglas gets some great clearance on the Hand and Thigh
John Strangeway again showing the form of a veteran in his first Heavy Lift Championship
Lance Foster preparing to strain against a big Hand and Thigh
Dean Ross showing perfect form in the hip lift
Denny Habecker Hip Lifting
Dave Hahn preparing to move big weight
Me preparing for the top lift of the meet
Greg Cook hip lifting
John Douglas Hip Lifting
Lance Foster Hip Lifting
John Strangeway with a big hip lift
Group Photo from the Heavy Lift
Lance Foster receiving his 8th place Championship medal from Chris Todd (AKA Leroy)
Dean Ross in seventh
John Douglas in sixth
Denny in 5th
Greg in 4th
The top 3 received a championship medal and award platter. Here is Scottish Johnny in third.
Dave Hahn with runner-up honors at 81 years old.
Me winning my 4th heavy lift championship.
Again, a huge thank you to David Dibella for spending his day with us and sharing his gift.
Well, another Heavy Lift is in the books, and a fine championship it was. The weather could not have been nicer, nor the lifting more impressive. We had eight lifters, which is a pretty good turnout for this meet, a loader/scorekeeper, and even some dedicated spectators. We had a diverse array of competitors. We had greenhorn heavylifters as well as veterans (Dave Hahn said he had been doing all-round lifting since the 60s). Bodyweights ranged from 150 to over double that. Ages from 39 to 81. And every single lifter left their soul on that platform.
We started with the neck lift. You can imagine my surprise when my neck harness, which is made for my gargantuan gulliver, was a tad tight for a couple of the lifters (I shall not name names). At any rate, the lifting wents on, and at the end of, half the field had set records. Dean Ross, Denny Habecker, Dave Hahn, and Greg Cook all had set records in their respective age/weight category in this discipline.
Next, the lifters competed in the hand and thigh. In this discipline, six out of the eight lifters bested the previous record in their age/weight category. Each of the lifters who broke a neck lift record also did the same in the hand and thigh. They were joined this time around by John Douglas and myself.
The third and final event of the day was the hip lift. This is the event in which the most weight would be lifted. In this one, five out of the eight broke records. Dean, Dave, and Denny (Commonly referred to as Triple D) went three for three on the day. John Douglas and myself again were tagging along.
Heavy Lift Championship Results:
Date: May 5, 208
Where: ET’s House of Iron and Stone, Turney, MO
Meet Director: Eric Todd
Officials, Lance Foster, Denny Habecker, Eric Todd (The one official system was used for the lifts)
The entry deadline for the Heavy Lift Championship has come and gone. The work has been put in. Time to reap what we have sown and enjoy a great day of lifting. I expect to see some big numbers. Here are the confirmed lifters:
Dean Ross
Lance Foster
Dave Hahn
Eric Todd
Greg Cook
John Douglas
John Strangeway
Denny Habecker
Nice turnout for this championship. I know we are over a week out, but at this point it looks like the weather should be nice. Couple reminders:
This is a drug tested event. Any lifter who competes has the possibility of being tested for elevated testosterone.
USAWA dress code will be enforced. It should be nice, but could start off a little cool. Please be prepared to lift in shirt and shorts or a singlet. Official dress code can be found in the USAWA rule book here: RULEBOOK
The restroom is either an outhouse or tall weeds. If that does not suit you, you might hit up the pot at the local filling station before coming out here
DIRECTIONS
From the North: Take I-35 going south. After you pass by Cameron, take exit 48 which is the Lawson/Cameron exit to HWY 69. Take a left onto 69. Take it 3 or 4 miles take a left onto 292, which is a gravel road. Take it a mile or maybe less to the first right, Deer Creek. Deer Creek winds around a bit, but take it about a mile to the first left, 286th. Take it about a mile to the third house on the right. We will be lifting in the big tin can.
From the South: Take I-35 going north. Take exit 40 to HWY 116. This is the Lathrop/Polo exit. Take a right on 116. Take it about 2 miles until you get to 69 HWY. Take a left. Go about 4 miles north on 69 and take a right on 280th. After about a mile take the first left onto Deer Creek. Take it about a mile going north and take the first right onto 286th. Take it about a mile to the third house on the right. We will be lifting in the big tin can.
If you follow these directions and get lost, by all means, call me. If you try plugging my address into GPS and get lost, you are on your own.
Weigh ins officially start at 9:30, but I will be out there before that if you want to weigh in a few minutes early. I will probably be out there between 8:30 and 9:00. If I am not there yet come on into the tin can and make yourself at home. You will have to wait on me. We will start the rules meeting directly at 10:00, and lifting at 10:30. During the rules, I will be happy to outline some suggestions on heavy lifting for some of you that are new to this. We have very cool award platters for the top 3 by formula, and championship medals for all lifters. Looking forward to another great championship event at the House of Iron and Stone!
This is the third and final installment of articles regarding the lifts that will be contested at the Heavy Lift Championship. This particular article is about the hip lift, which will be the last lift contested and the one in which the highest poundages should be attained. Not unlike the other heavy lifts (including those that are not being contested-the harness lift and the back lift), the hip lift was a favorite of many of the old timers as it allows you to lift mostrous poundages. It is the leverages and the short range of motion that allows that. There are very few lifts out there where lifters can legitimately make the claim of having lifted a ton, but for some lifters, it is true in the hip lift.
The most ever lifted in the Hip lift was 2525 by John Carter who lifted it at the 1994 Heavy Lift Championship meet in Columbia, MO. Big Frank Ciavattone was nipping on his heels with a 2515 pound effort at a record day in ‘07. All the overall records in the 85 kilo to 125+ are at or above a ton. Big numbers can be lifted in this discipline, and I do not imagine this year’s Heavy Lift Championship will be any different.
Steve Schmidt- one of the top 3 hip lifters in the history of the USAWA
The first time I did any of the heavy lifts, I did the hand and thigh and the hip lift at the Deanna Springs memorial in 2002. The difference between my results in the two lifts was negligible, and I just figured I was good at the hand and thigh, but not the hip. My results for years were about the same. It was until I got a heavy bar and hip belt of my own that I was able to tweak my technique and make noticeable results in the hip lift. Now the difference in my PRs between the lifts is 760 pounds.
I will tell you the thing I learned that made the biggest difference in a moment. First I want to get into the generalities of the lift. The rules as stated in the USAWA Official Rulebook , 10th edition are as follows:
A Heavy Lift Bar is used in this lift. A hip belt is also used, which fits over the hips and around the waist. An adjustable chain and hook is attached to the hip belt so it may be attached to the Heavy Lift Bar. The width of the hip belt must not exceed 4 inches. Hands may be used as support on the legs during the lift, but must be free of contact at the completion of the lift. The lifter assumes a position in which the lifter is straddling the Heavy Lift Bar. Width of feet placement is optional, but the feet must be parallel and in line with the torso. The feet must not move during the lift, but the heels and toes may rise. The lifter may adjust the chain length to his/her preference prior to the lift. The lift begins at the lifter’s discretion. The lifter is allowed one test lift to check the balance of the weight and to make adjustments to the chain length. The lifter will stand and lift the weights from the platform. The shoulders and torso do not have to be upright upon the finish of the lift. The legs must straighten, but the knees do not need to be locked. Once the weight is motionless, the hands free from the body, and the plates on both ends of the bar are off the platform at the same time, an official will give a command to end the lift.
The execution of this lift is rather simple. Place the hip belt around your waist. Straddle the big bar. I always sit on the weights to attach my chain. Run the chain through the designated space in the bar, then back up to clasp to the other end of the hip belt. Connect it at a length where you have some flex in your legs, but not a boat load. You will want to start with your feet placed such that your chain is perpendicular to the floor. Start with your hands on your thighs, and drive up through your feet. When both ends of the weight leave the floor simultaneously, remove your hands from your thighs. At that point, you will get a “down” command from your official.
Now, the key in my eyes for this lift is the belt placement. When i started off, I would put the hip belt about where my powerlifting belt sat, around my core. So when I executed the lift, the belt was pressing against by lower back. The more I practiced the lift, the more I realized this placement was wrong. It is called a hip lift for a reason. Push that hip belt down on your hips. Anymore it is not on my low back at all, and that has helped my results tremendously.
So, there you have it. Go find a big bar and a hip belt and give it a whirl. You will lift more weight than you ever thought possible (unless you have done a back lift or a harness lift, then maybe you have lifted more). This will be the last lift contested at the Heavy Lift Championship. It has more than once been the deciding factor in who the overall champion would be. Now you have a primer for all three lifts. So, time to get training and get that entry into the mail. I will be waiting…
Big Frank Ciavattone doing a big hand and thigh. Frank has not only promoted the Heavy Lift Championships in the past, he is a four time Heavy Lift Champion!
With the Heavy lift Championship just a few short months away, I am going to continue on with my series on the Heavy Lifts. The last article on the series focussed on the first lift we will be contesting at the event, the neck lift. This one will focus on the second lift in the order of the meet, the Hand and Thigh Lift. The hand and thigh lift is a quite old lift. It was a favorite of many old timers, and was done by many of them including Louis Cyr and Warren Lincoln Travis.
Quite a bit more should be lifted in the hand and thigh than in the neck lift. The heaviest neck lift is around 1000 pounds, while the heaviest hand and thigh is over 1900, by Joe Garcia. However, that is quite an outlier, as most of the rest of the best hand and thighers in the USAWA are in the 1500-1600s. The rules of the Hand and Thigh in the rulebook are as follows:
A Heavy Lift Bar is used in this lift. A hand bar is also used, which must not exceed 28 inches in length and 1 inch in diameter. The hand bar will have an adjustable chain and hook attached to it in the center so it may be attached to the Heavy Lift Bar. No knurling is allowed on the hand bar. The lifter assumes a position with the Heavy Lift Bar in front of the lifter, or the lifter may straddle it. The feet must be parallel and in line with the torso. Width of feet placement is optional. The feet must not move during the lift, but the heels and toes may rise. The lifter may adjust the chain length to his/her preference prior to the lift. The hand bar must be in the lifter’s grasp and will lie across the thighs. The hands must remain on the hand bar and must not change position during the lift. The lift begins at the lifter’s discretion. The lifter is allowed one test lift to check the balance of the weight and to make adjustments to the chain length. The lifter will stand or lean back to lift the weights from the platform. The shoulders and torso do not have to be upright upon the finish of the lift. The legs must straighten, but the knees do not need to be locked. Once the weight is motionless, and the plates on both ends of the bar are off the platform at the same time, an official will give a command to end the lift.
So, I have seen the hand and thigh done with both feet in front of the bar and also straddling the bar. That being said, from what I have seen, far better poundages are done with both feet in front of the bar. I like a flat sole, such as wrestling shoes for the hand and thigh (as well as all the heavy lifts for that matter) though I am not sure if that offers any advantages or not. Some people, me included, like to stand on a platform of sorts to complete the lift. It seems to give you better leverage to complete the lift. My platform comes by way of a few sawed off 4×4 timbers. Stance is optional, but I prefer a rather narrow one. I like my shins just a few inches behind the bar so my knees can float over the bar when I bend them to dig my knuckles into the top of my thighs. Grip is optional, but I would suggest double overhand with the thumbs in line with the fingers. You do not need your thumb to lock in the bar, as your thighs serve in that capacity, so I have been more successful with keeping them over the top of the bar. Once you have the bar locked into your thighs, lean way back, looking up, and drive back on your heels. The first few times I did this, I had someone spotting me from behind, because I felt I may fall over. I never have, though. As soon as both sides are off the platform simultaneously, you will get the down command. As you can see in the rules, if your chain length is wrong or you are off center and only one side comes up, you do have the opportunity to make one adjustment.
Not unlike the neck lift there is no absolute substitute for actually doing the hand and thigh to train for the hand and thigh. The technique takes some getting used to in order to become proficient at it to maximize your poundages. However, there are some movements that doing help strengthen your connective tissue. Strong connective tissue (such as tendons and ligaments) is crucial to heavy lifting. You could halfway simulate an hand and thigh with heavy partial barbell pulls in a rack. You could also play with heavy squat lockouts or heavy partials on the leg press to help build strength in your connective tissue.
Check out this video of Jim Malloy performing a 1200# Hand and Thigh at the 1991 National Championships, and keep training for the Heavy Lift Championship!
