USAWA

By Sanjiv Gupta

I have been trying to research the history of all the lifts contested by the USAWA.  It has been a daunting task.  There are 187 lifts in the 11^th Edition of the USAWA Rulebook.  For many of these records are kept by left/right hand and in some cases index, little, middle, and ring fingers.

The website does mention that the USAWA started with 110 lifts, but I am not sure which lifts those were.

In researching the National Meeting Minutes I have found the following additions:

1. Chin Up (2010)
2. Pull Up (2010)
3. Foot Press (2010)
4. Turkish Get-Up (2010)
5. Bent-Over Row (2010)
6. Apollon’s Lift (2011)
7. Cyr Press (2011)
8. Saxon Snatch (2011)
9. Dinnie Lift (2011)
10. Goerner Stroll (2011)
11. Jackson Press (2011)
12. People’s Deadlift (2012)
13. Anderson Press (2012)
14. Anderson Squat (2012)
15. Dumbbell to Shoulder (2012)
16. Bench Press – Fulton Bar (2012)
17. Curl – Reverse Grip (2012)
18. Deadlift – No Thumbs, Overhand Grip (2012)
19. Total Poundage (2012)
20. Thor’s Hammer (2014)
21. Kennedy Lift (2014)
22. Reg Park Bench Press (2016)
23. Lurich Lift (2018)
24. Habecker Lift (2018)
25. Rim Lift (2021)
26. Jefferson Lift – Fingers, Index (2022)
27. Jefferson Lift – Fingers, Little (2022)
28. Jefferson Lift – Fingers, Middle (2022)
29. Jefferson Lift – Fingers, Ring (2022)

Prior to 2010 there do not appear to be any conveniently accessible archives to understand how the USAWA went from 110 to 162 lifts.  If anybody has any recollections, please get in touch.

If you have a new lift, consider sending it in as an agenda item for the national meeting.  There are no official criteria for a new lift, however some suggestions include:

1. Is it a new, novel lift?
2. Does it represent an old time All-Round Weightlifting movement?
3. Can it be performed by the majority of our members?

The lifts in the rulebook are variations of the classic movements including Presses, Snatches, Clean & Jerks, Deadlifts and Squats.  There are variations that perform these lifts with dumbbells and Fulton barbells.

Interestingly, aside from the Hackenschmidt Floor Press, all of the Old-Time Strongman Lifts have been introduced since 2010 (Editors Note-The Old Time Strongman category was introduced in 2011 at the Dino Gym Challenge. The Hackenschmidt Floor Press was first introduced in January of 2013 at the Dino Gym Challenge).

The heavy lifts will always have a place near and dear to the hearts of All-Round Weightlifters.  In reviewing the records, the heavy lifts have some of the longest standing records in the books.

By Sanjiv Gupta

In going back through some of the athlete’s biographies on the website and the majority of USAWA athletes were introduced to All-Round Weightlifting by existing members who also competed in Olympic Weightlifting, Powerlifting, Strongman and/or Scottish Highland Games.  No small number of athletes were related to an existing member by blood or marriage.

There are rare occasions when folks like me come across the USAWA via an article in a mainstream publication like The CrossFit Journal or looking up “Bent Press” in an internet search engine.

However, we should keep in mind that these rare occasions are what led to the founding of IAWA and USAWA.  Folks wanted to continue the long-standing tradition of old-time weightlifters and preserve the history of the original forms of weightlifting.

I feel like anybody can compete in All-Round Weightlifting.  In fact, of the (219) lifts in the records list, (161) do not require any special equipment, another (14) require an easily sourced Fulton Bar and another (10) require an easily sourced ring for finger lifts.  The only difficult lifts to train are the (10) requiring a heavy bar and harnesses, Foot Press, and Back Lift.

I started out just doing the Postal Meets and having a lot of fun with it.  $25/year membership was reasonable, and I started experimenting with lifts I had never dreamed of.  My turning point came when I went to the 2023 National Championships and got to meet all the lifters, hear the stories, and find out what has gone on behind the scenes to keep the USAWA alive and relevant.

Now, I want to help grow the USAWA.  The first but not necessarily easiest step is to trick my spouse and children into competing.  A part of that will be securing my status as a Level 1 Official.  This is a somewhat easier task of taking a written exam and completing (3) practical training sessions.  Some of the sessions can be virtual, but at least one should be under the supervision of an existing Level 2 Official.  Finally, I need to rope some of my friends into participating through the Postals, a formal sanctioned meet or an informal throwdown.  You never know when a picture on social media will spark the fire of the next generation of All-Round Weightlifters.