Al Goes Psycho!

[Thom Van Vleck]

Al Goes Psycho!

Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-Rounder

[Al Myers]

Thom, Haha – I KNEW you would like this one from me. At least you didn’t fall asleep reading it!! Al PS AND I intended it all in good humor – you know me, I’ll try ANY lift no matter how different it is and have fun doing it.

[KCSTRONGMAN]

I laughed my ass off at that article, but was nodding my head throughout. And the picture of Chad with that plate on his head was classic!

I'm the lyrical Jesse James

[Denny Habecker]

I agree with most of your list,but I think the Stiff-legged Deadlift is a good lift. The judges just have to call it like they see it. If the judges turn down lifts when they see the legs are not locked the lifters will get the message.
I think a lot of those lifts got approved in the past when they were approving almost every lift that was proposed. I think maybe we should make a rule that if a lift is not done after a certain amount of time after it is approved, it should be removed from our rulebook.

[Al Myers]

Denny, You brought up a good point. In the past, there was not really any system for new lift approval. Some got added without any sort of approval, some just got “added” to the record list and overtime became “accepted”, while others were voted on and approved at the AGM without any thought put in ahead of time if they were really the type of lifts that we want to represent our organization. I am glad things have changed now – and we have developed a system to add new lifts that are more reasonable. Now our rules and bylaws lay this process out very clearly. Here it is as copied from our Rulebook:

I. Rules of Lift Approval
1. The USAWA recognizes the various lifts not currently governed by other international weightlifting or powerlifting organizations, such as the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) or the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF).
2. New USAWA lifts may be added to the current list of approved lifts by submitting a description of the lift and rules of the lift to the executive board for review 30 days prior to the Annual National Meeting. Upon the board’s approval by majority vote, the submitted lift will be presented to the membership at the annual meeting and voted on by the membership. The lift must receive majority vote by the membership present to be approved.
3. New approved USAWA lifts may be presented to the IAWA for IAWA approval if membership deems so by majority vote. The USAWA representative of the IAWA Technical Committee will be the person responsible for presenting new lifts to the IAWA.

This process allows for lifts to be “scrutinized” by the executive board before they can be presented to the membership for vote. The days of just making up lifts and presenting them at the AGM for official approval are GONE. Good peer-reviewed rules should be written BEFORE a lift is presented!!

Now I’m all for new lifts. It’s just that I think they need to be “original” – and not approve some quarky lift, a lift that is a “knockoff” of another, or some lift that is impossible to do for the majority of people. I thought the lifts that were approved by us this past year were fantastic choices – all very original and represented movements very different than any other official lift in our list. New proposed lifts should be tried out first as “exhibition lifts” in record days or competition before they are presented, just to make sure that they are legit. Our new system for “new lift approval” allows THOUGHT to be put into a lift before it is approved. Hopefully, some of these new lifts can eventually become IAWA approved, and would have had my support this year if article#3 was attended to, which it wasn’t. Al

[Al Myers]

Oh, and by the way Denny the Stifflegged DL is not really that bad of lift. It is just difficult to officiate. I should have included the Mansfield Lift instead!!! haha Al

[Tom Ryan]

Well, Al, I am relieved to read that your article was written “in good humor”.
I had a long talk with Bill Clark yesterday, as he is one of several “old people” I call every four months or so. Bill believes that Otto Ziegler is still alive — at the age of 90 or so! If someone tells Otto about your comments on his lift, hopefully he will mention the “good humor” part. I mean you don’t want a 90-year old man to come looking for you. At his age he probably wouldn’t fight you, but he might bring some 300-pound brutes with him … and perhaps a weapon or two as well. LOL

And I will have to remind myself about the “good humor” part after reading your comments about the Weaver Stick lift since you stated in your article on it a few months ago that Mark Mitchell and I hold the all-time USAWA record in that lift.

[Al Myers]

Well Tom, I wouldn’t quite rate your response as hate mail, but it’s a start!! Surely someone can do better than that! haha

[0722143772]

**** The above controversial comments are mine alone, and may not reflect the opinions of the USAWA membership. Please direct your hate mail to me and not to Thom Van Vleck****

HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

OH, JESUS, YOU’RE KILLIN’ ME!!!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[0722143772]

al. you forgot the STUPIDIST and MOST APT TO CAUSE INJURY exercise of them all!!!

THE SHOULDER DROP. WHAT WERE THEY SMOKIN’ WHEN THAT ONE CAME AROUND!!

[Joe Garcia]

I’m really pissed off at Thom to cause this type of reaction from you. We ought to ban him from any future articles. 🙂

It was interesting, we were talking about dumb lifts, and I had put the Carter lift at the top. Personally, I don’t care about most of the ones you listed, because I probably will never do them.

[Ben Edwards]

I really enjoyed reading that article about the esoteric lifts! Coming from a guy who’s used to doing some pretty “out-there” events in grip contests, some of those are really bizarre – even to me. That being said, I’d like to petition to add one called the Edwards Lift. It’s a 300lb 1″ vertical bar lift and while holding the weight at full lockout with one hand – no set close a #3 in the other. Haha! I did that twice by the way, but with a #3 that’s on the easier side. Also did it once with one of Bob Lipinski’s average #3s but never managed to do it on video. I’ll settle for the “Edwards Lift” being any weight on a 1″ vertical bar lifted to lockout and then a simultaneous no set close of whatever gripper. Not sure how we’d score it if someone can only lift about 200lbs on the vbar but can no set a #3. And another guy can pull 300lbs on the vbar but only no set a #2. Decisions, decisions.

For the record, I’m totally joking! I most assuredly will get hate mail if anyone thinks this recommendation is real.

https://goalorientedtraining.wordpress.com/

[Thom Van Vleck]

I’m just picturing some big guys showing up at the next nationals with a really old guy and wanting to demonstrate a new lift. The old guy says, “I’m Otto Zeigler and we’re gonna demonstrate the Al Myer’s 6 man Pretzel lift….get’em boys!!!!”

Anybody notice that Chad usually gets wrapped up in doing these lifts somehow when Al’s around and Al’s always got a camera!

Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-Rounder

[Al Myers]

Well I better round up some “goons” for protection if Otto comes after me! Thom, can I count on you? haha Al

[Tom Ryan]

Well, Al, I did some checking and it appears as though Ottomar Hans Ziegler of Baytown, Texas is probably still alive at the age of 91. I found an address for him. Do you want me to send him your comments about his lift? LOL Of course I’m just joking …. or am I? LOL

[Thom Van Vleck]

HAHA, Tom, that was great!

Al, I would watch your back!!! Any man that makes it to 91 must be doing something right!!!!

Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-Rounder

[Chad Ullom]

What a coincidence! Those were the very 10 lifts I was planning on doing at Thoms tomorrow!

[Al Myers]

Tom – Have you ever talked to Otto Ziegler? I know he was a very accomplished Olympic Lifter. Didn’t he have a brother who also was a good lifter?

I sure hope the comments I made about his goofy lift doesn’t obscure the fact I have great respect for Otto Ziegler. (and TRUTHFULLY – how many times did he do this lift in his life?) However, he did set the FIRST record with it, by doing 154# in 1977. Al

[Tom Ryan]

No, Al, I’ve never met Otto. Don’t know anything about a brother.

[Author]

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