Category Archives: USAWA Daily News

First All-Round Meet Memories

by Thom Van Vleck

My first All-Round meet was when I traveled with my Uncle Wayne Jackson to the old Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City. It was called “The Wall” because a very imposing stone wall surrounded the facility almost looking like that was all that was there. It was, I thought 1979, but my Uncle said he thought it was ’80.

I was 15 or 16 at the time and we arrived in time to meet up with Bill Clark. After some greetings we headed inside. I considered myself a pretty tough kid, but I’ll be honest, being inside that place was like being “scared straight”. We went through a double cell door system and we had the backs for our hands marked with ultraviolent ink. The mark had to be there or you didn’t get back out later! A funny note, after the meet, some of the guys that were showering held their hand out of the shower for fear they would wash it off even though it was “permenant ink”. I was afraid to shower at all!

As we filtered into the yard we were escorted by a guard. I noted that he didn’t have a gun or weapon of any kind and when I asked why he said, “The prisoners would just jump me and take it away”. It was then I realized this was the real deal! This was the days before signing waivers….you were just warned and there you go!

A group of the lifting prisoners greeted us. I recall Lou Greenlaw being one of them. He noticed me being a little nervous and he said to stick close to him, anyone that went after me would have to go through him first. Lou was a big guy and I recall him doing a very strict 315lb Good Morning that meet for a record. He was pretty nice to me all day and encouraged me. I wondered later what he was in there for!

After awhile, I came to realize that all the prisoners were pretty nice. Most of them were men that had made bad choices, but weren’t necessarily evil men. At one point I recall the prison cross dressers coming in to watch the lifting. They got kinda rowdy at one point making cat calls at the guys lifting….and they were kicked out as I recall. I thought it was pretty funny, and being a farm kid….I’d never seen anything like those guys before!

We ate lunch in the cafeteria. It was a loud and busy place. The food was like school food, not bad, but not that great. There were a lot of the general population in there and they were pretty rough looking. I sat with Lou!

My Uncle Wayne had a great day. I recall him breaking about a dozen records. The one that stuck out in my mind the most was a 300lb Reverse Grip Clean and press. He did 250 with ease and went to 300. He got it but Bill turned it down. I can’t recall why, but it looked good to me! Wayne had been recovering from a devastating back injury so his lifts were all the more impressive to me. He did an easy 280lbs seated press. Wayne had done 300lbs for 8 sets of 2 at one point in training, but he braced his feet behind him while the rules of the lift required him to have his feet flat which really threw him off. I also recall him power cleaning and pressing 300lbs with power to spare. Wayne was always an explosive presser and it always made him look like he had plenty more in the tank.

I recall doing a 120lb seated press weighing about 165lbs and then deadlifting something like 365lbs. I don’t think they counted it with the other lifts, but at least I got on the platform for the first time in my life.

That prison was legendary, some pretty bad people (like Lee Harvey Oswald) were sentenced there and many of them died there, either by natural causes or otherwise! But all in all, the men I met that day were pretty good guys. Bill used to do a lot for the prisoners with his lifting events and I’m sure it helped put more than one of the straight and narrow. Prison lifting is a thing of the past as many of states have limited this for lots of reasons which are debateable. But that day stands out to me. A kid learned more than just how to lift in a meet that day. He learned a lot about life.

Just Who Was Karo Whitfield?

by Thom Van Vleck

I am currently working on a story on Karo Whitfield that I hope will be in MILO at some point.  My Uncle Phil Jackson, one of the original Jackson Weightlifting Club members, was stationed in Alabama in the mid 60’s on both ends of a year long tour in Vietnam as a member of the US Air Force.
During that time, Phil got to meet a lot of the greats of that era that lived in the south.  Most notabley Paul Anderson and Bob Peoples, but also Frank Zane (who my Uncle called “Chicken Legs Zane”), Joe Dube’, and others.  He also traveled every chance he got to train at Karo Whitfield’s Health Club in Atlanta.  He has copies of routines that Karo gave him.
Karo may have been one of the most influencial people ever in the iron game and if we talk only about the South in the US, he may be the single most influencial person ever.  He is often credited with helping Paul Anderson early in his career as well as coaching and sponsoring many great lifters, but his training and coaching went far beyond weightlifting as he trained and coached athletes from many different sports.
I am currently interviewing my Uncle Phil on Karo and his personality.  He was the classic old school coach using sarcasm and whit to motivate his students and deal with situations.  An example of this was a time when an AAU official was addressing some lifters and one had his wife and baby there, the baby was crying and finally the official commented on it.  Karo immediate said, “You’d cry too if you had to look at such an ugly face for so long”.  My Uncle said that you either loved him or hated him….and he pretty much didn’t care which as long as he got you to your goal.
Karo passed away in 1977 after a long and storied career that reached as far back as the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. If anyone knew Karo, or has info on him, please contact me via the message board of at tvanvleck@yahoo.com.  This guy deserves to be given credit for what he did for the iron game!

Business Agenda for Meeting

by Al Myers

The following is the business agenda for the 2010 National Meeting, to be held June 26th immediately following the lifting on Saturday at the 2010 National Championships.

1.  Meeting called to order by USAWA President Denny Habecker.

2.  Reading of previous meetings minutes by USAWA Secretary Al Myers.

3.  Report of financial status by USAWA Treasurer Al Myers.

4.  Report from the Official’s Chairman Joe Garcia.

5.  Report from the Record’s Chairman Joe Garcia.

6.  Report from the Website Director Al Myers.

7.  Discussion and vote on proposed bylaws that were developed by the bylaws  ad hoc committee of Al Myers, Joe Garcia and Tim Piper.

8.  Discussion and vote on the new Hall of Fame Program developed by the HOF ad hoc committee of Denny Habecker, Dale Friesz and Dennis Mitchell.

9.  Discussion and vote on 5 new proposed lifts.

10.  Discussion and vote on Rulebook changes.

11.  Election of two executive board members to a one year term.

12.  Appointment of the Drug Enforcement Director and the Awards Director.

13.  Discussion of other business brought forth by the membership.

14.  Award the special USAWA awards.

15.  Accept bids and vote on venue for next year’s National Championship.

16.  Meeting adjourned.

Hall of Fame Biography – John C. Grimek class of 1993

by Dennis Mitchell

John Grimek - This photo is from the cover of the February, 1969 issue of Muscular Development.

John Grimek was born June 17, 1910 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. He got his interest in weightlifting and body building from his older brother George. John stated that his brother was bigger and stronger than he was, but just didn’t have the interest in the Iron Game that he had. John’s first competition in weightlifting was in 1934 where he took a first place as a heavy weight in New Jersey with a total of 710 pounds. Later that same year he entered his first National meet in Brooklyn. His press of 242.5 pounds was the highest of the meet. However he failed to total due to his lack of training in the snatch and clean and jerk. The following year he placed second to Bill Good in a five lift meet with a total of 1,072 pounds. The five lifts were the one hand snatch, the clean and jerk which had to be done with the opposite hand used in the snatch, the two hands press, snatch and the clean and jerk.

John then moved to York PA. to improve his training. In the 1936 National meet in Philadelphia he pressed 285.5 pounds, snatched 220 pounds, and clean and jerked 308 pounds. He placed first in the heavy weight class while weighing just two pounds over the light heavy limit. His press was a National record. Later the same year he competed in the Olympics in Germany. Though he did not place he lifted more than any other American lifter. In 1937 he reduced to the light heavy weight class for the Sr. National meet in Detroit. In this meet he was to light and was not at his best. But in 1938 he won the Jr. National meet with an 810 pound total in the light heavy weight class. At this time, before physique contest were added to the lifting meets, John continued to compete in lifting. In 1938 still lifting as a light heavy weight he made a total of 830 pounds. (261 press, 245 snatch, and a 325 clean and jerk). John’s best meet was in the 1940 Sr. National meet held in Madison Square Garden, where he did a 285 pound press, snatched 250 pounds and a clean and jerk of 325 pounds. He placed third behind Steve Stanko and Louis Abele. However he did win the Mr. America physique contest, and at this point decided to put his efforts into body building.

In 1941 he once again won the Mr. America contest. The AAU then made a rule that once you won the Mr. America contest you could not enter it again. The first Mr. Universe contest was held in 1947. John could not enter because the AAU said that he was a professional because of his work with the York Barbell Co. However the 1948 contest was open to both amateurs and professionals and he became Mr. Universe. In 1949 he won the Mr. USA contest in a highly publicized meet as it had become a battle between the IFBB organization and the York Barbell organization.

John died November 24 1998, having never been defeated in a body building contest.

The Pullover and Push Part 3 – Technique and my Secret Tips

by Al Myers

Al Myers attempting a 475# Pullover and Push at the 2004 Dino Gym Challenge

Since Part 1 already covered the rules of the Pullover and Push, I am going to assume everyone knows what is expected regarding the rules of this lift.  I am going to cover things here that AREN’T in the rules – and hopefully give you suggestions that will help you improve upon this lift. First of all, the Pullover and Push is a violent exercise and not for the “faint of heart”.  It is no wonder the modern day Bench Press has replaced it.  It is very easy to get hurt doing this exercise, and just being off a little in position and  technique can result in injury.  I have incurred several injuries myself from this exercise, and I consider myself knowledgeable of the proper technique. At the 2007 Nationals I fractured a carpal bone in my wrist. I have suffered bruised ribs, lacerations to the elbows, bruises to the chest area, wrist injuries, and even a couple of times been knocked unconscious from failing to get my head turned adequately when pulling the bar over my head. Now with THAT being said, if you don’t want to take any of my advice I would completely understand, and maybe THIS LIFT is one you might not want anything to do with!  But All-Rounders are a hard-headed group of lifters (myself included), and for some reason like pain and punishment.

A lot of lifters have benched pressed over 500 pounds, with some even doing it without bench shirts and with long pause counts on the chest.  But NO ONE has done over 500 pounds in the Pullover and Push!  I do think this is possible some day, but it will take a unique lifter who wants to specialize in this lift.  One big problem with the Pullover and Push is that it is not a good lift for large lifters.  Large lifters with big chests have an obstacle that smaller lifters don’t have – that is first you have to get the bar pulled over your head and chest to even START the push.  I have seen many strong bench pressers fail in even getting 200 pounds in position on the chest.  It is humbling to be a 400 pound plus bencher and fail with 200 pounds in the Pullover and Push! However, it will take someone with good size to be able to “break” the 500 pound barrier.  I think the “ideal body size” for putting up big weight in the Pullover and Push is a lifter around 6 feet tall that weighs between 220 pounds and 240 pounds. The height is needed to enhance an arch (or bridge) and 240 pounds is about the top bodyweight a lifter can weigh before excessive resistance is reached in the Pullover.

I was fortunate to learn many of “my secret techniques” from the best Pullover and Push lifter of All-Time – Bob Burtzloff. Bob has  the best lift of All-Time (and the All-Time USAWA Record) at 473 pounds, done in 1987.  Bob did over 200 kgs several times in competition.  You have to have “NO FEAR” when doing the Pullover and Push.  The Pullover and Push has a 1-2 punch, which you must be prepared for and overcome, before you will get to the Push portion of the lift.  The first “Punch” is the bar slamming into your chest during the Pullover, and the second “Punch” is the bar impacting your abdomen. You must have your abs “tighten up” when this happens or it will knock the breath out of you. Much like a hard punch to the gut.  I like to roll the bar three times on the platform, with the last roll pulling with EVERYTHING I got. I do the first two rolls to get me mentally prepared, much like a basketball player who will bounce the ball a set number of times before a free throw.  It is called a Pullover, but THAT is far from how it should be executed, as a pullover implies that you are lifting the bar onto the chest.  Instead, the bar should be PROPELLED onto the chest by the momentum of the rolling bar. Some of these tips on the pullover don’t really apply to smaller lifters – as I have seen lightweight lifters literally roll the bar into position onto the chest/abdomen without the plates ever leaving the platform.  It is very important to turn your head to the side when the bar is coming over the face as to prevent that knockout blow to the jaw. Once the bar has passed over the face I like to quickly turn my head face up and RAISE my head up as I think it helps drop the chest slightly to help the bar reach its desired location on my upper abdomen. Make sure you wear a shirt that doesn’t have a sticky vinyl logo on the front of it. Do everything you can do to reduce friction on the chest.  I like to wear a tight white T-Shirt.   Another “trick” is to take a wide grip on the bar (snatch grip).  This will shorten the length of “stroke” needed in finishing the push. Even if you are against wrist wraps, this is one lift where you should wear them.  The wrists have to “turn over” hard and fast in the transition between the pullover and the push, and lots of stress is placed on them.  I also recommend wearing a weight belt.  The bridge places lots of pressure on the lower back and a belt helps support the back.  I will wear my belt slightly higher on my abdomen than when doing a deadlift, and after I buckle it I leave a loop of belt sticking up. I have on occasion over pulled the bar to the abdomen and if not for this loop of belt “blocking” the bar and causing it to stop, I would have not have been in position to do the push.  Two styles of Pushing are used. Smaller lifters tend to pull the bar to the abdomen, let it pause while pulling the feet under, and lift it as high as possible with the bridge before finishing it out with a slight press. Larger lifters (like myself at 6 foot and 250 pounds) like to rebound it quickly from the abdomen to arms’ length.  To do this the feet must already be in position by the hips because you will need to bridge quickly. My biggest weights lifted have happened with this technique as I feel I get a “rebound” effect from the abdomen going directly into the bridge. Much like the rebound effect in the Clean and Jerk. However, everything has to be timed perfectly, because if you are slightly out of position you will lose the  direct line of push and miss the lift.  I find it important to have a mat under my body during the lift. Most lifters do this to cushion the impact of the elbows, but I find I need it to help “stick” myself to the platform.  On a slick wood platform during the  pullover without a mat, I will pull myself towards the bar and slide on the platform. It is best to use a mat that is thin with a rubber backing.  Usually these are not available in competition, so I resort to using a towel which works adequately.

I consider someone who is very proficient in the Pullover and Push to be able to do 150% of bodyweight. A goal everyone should have is to be able to do bodyweight. You are also considered good at the Pullover and Push if you can outlift your best raw Bench Press. You should DEFINITELY be able to do more in the Pullover and Push than the Pullover and Press!  I hope I have given a few tips that will help you improve your training in the Pullover and Push.

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