Weaver Stick Controversy

[Tom Ryan]

Weaver Stick Controversy

[Al Myers]

Tom, Sorry for the slow response on this but I have been tied up with the grip champs & record day at the gym this weekend. I see from the lack of other comments that you and I may be the only ones who really have a care about this “Weaver Stick controversy”! haha

I will add this. I corresponded with Joe Roark on this as I was writing the story to see what his imput was as I consider him one of the top strength historians around. Joe knew Weaver and commented that Weaver once told him that “Grimek didn’t perform the Weaver Stick in the way it was intended”. Joe also said he didn’t really understand what Weaver meant by this comment. I bet it was the underhanded cup method used, or possibly the bending of the arm. But who knows for sure?

I KNOW at one time I have seen a picture of Grimek performing the Weaver Stick with a BENT ARM, and wanted to include it with this story, but I couldn’t find it anywhere now. Also, this entire controversy may have been started with the drawing of Grimek in Willoughbys book. That might have been just the ARTISTS interpretation of the lift and not anyone elses at the time. Dinoman

[Tom Ryan]

Al,

I have been trying to find the article that Terry Todd wrote, in which he explained how Grimek performed the lift, which certainly did not conform to USAWA rules and may have even violated some IAWA rules for the lift. I don’t know which issue the article was in, however, and I am not even certain what magazine it was in, so it has been like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Consequently, I gave up and sent Joe Roark a message. He replied and informed me that he is on vacation and won’t be back to his files until Sunday or Monday.

Tom

[Thom Van Vleck]

I will say this: When I was a kid, my granddad did “lever” exercises with broom sticks and other things like that. He exercised all the time and if he were raking leaves he would take the rake by the end and lever it up in front and the in back, then maybe move it in a circle. So, when I was a teen and started lifting I did the same thing and every once in awhile I throw these into my grip training.

I think levering is a great way, and underutilized way, to work the grip and forearms. However, I think the weaver stick lift is….well….kind of a stupid lift for the purposes of keeping records. You just don’t have much of a way to differentiate between lifts and consistency in how the lifts are done.

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

[Tom Ryan]

[b]Quote from JWCIII on February 14, 2012, 09:01[/b]
I will say this: When I was a kid, my granddad did “lever” exercises with broom sticks and other things like that. He exercised all the time and if he were raking leaves he would take the rake by the end and lever it up in front and the in back, then maybe move it in a circle. So, when I was a teen and started lifting I did the same thing and every once in awhile I throw these into my grip training.

I think levering is a great way, and underutilized way, to work the grip and forearms. However, I think the weaver stick lift is….well….kind of a stupid lift for the purposes of keeping records. You just don’t have much of a way to differentiate between lifts and consistency in how the lifts are done.

Thom,

Words can not express my true feelings about you trashing my best lift … and one of the very few lifts that I could still do in my 50s and 60s! LOL

Tom

[Thom Van Vleck]

Tom, it’s like me and Al debating the “spin” technique on the WOB. We each like the one we are best at!

I do think levering is a great exercise, I have a loadable sledge hammer for levering. I made Al one, too.

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

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