[Al Myers]

Great job guys!!!!

[Al Myers]

I’ll definitely make a couple of them. Someday I hope to make the Zercher, but with it being the end of January is a TERRIBLE time for me to get away. We have only one conflict with the Clark’s Gym Schedule and the rest of the USAWA’s schedule – and that is the Heavy Lift Championships are on the same day as the Gold Cup. I tried to call Bill last night, but couldn’t get ahold of him. I doubt he knows of these two being on the same day, and I wanted him to know. Truthfully, I can only think of a couple of lifers who this would cause problems for (myself and Chad). The Heavy Lift Championships draws a slightly different crowd than the Gold Cup. I do know Bill didn’t allow big meets to be sanctioned on the same days in the past, and by me allowing this goes against a USAWA tradition, thus why I want Bill to know about it. Anyone else has an opinion on this being a problem? Al

[Al Myers]

Thom – How many years now have you put on the HASA Championship? Al

[Al Myers]

Thom, Very funny – you ought to get a night gig as a comedian. What I think our USAWA Daily News readers would REALLY like to hear about is the time you trained using Arthur Saxon’s lifting program, and how you took it to extreme and did all your training in the nude just like Arthur and his brothers did. Wops – I just let “your” secret out!! Al

[Al Myers]

How many times have you watched a professional sporting event on TV and the officials seem not to agree on a call? Lots – and these guys are THE BEST and still see things different all the time, and now with instant replay it seems even worse. It is unreasonable to expect officials in All-Round Weightlifting to be of the caliber of professional officials who are “selected” for being the best. Most of us just do the best we can.

You always hear things like the officiating in our sport is more lenient now than it used to be. I don’t believe this at all anymore after watching hours upon hours of old videotapes from all-round meets from the 80’s and 90’s. Some meets the judging was “looser”, while it others it was “tighter”. Overall, seemed about the same as today. So, just like those stories you hear from your parents about how hard they had it growing up compared to you (I had to walk 10 miles in the snow to school, and all uphill) , and the stories you tell you kids about how easy they got it nowadays compared to you (What? No Cell phones? Did you have any friends? – typical teenage responses to these kind of comments), truthfully, things change but really are not that much different.

Al And Thom, the last word means you have won the argument.

[Al Myers]

Thom – I don’t question your ability as an official AT ALL! You are a great official (thats why I have asked you so many times to officiate)! You are like me, a lifter’s official, who want things judged according to the rules, but giving the benefit to the lifter if the infraction is questionable. We have both red-lighted each other before, but because it was the right thing to do and not because we WANTED to see the other one fail. Al the Dinoman – who’s always taking it easy.

[Al Myers]

Good points Thom. Some things are for certain in officiating: no two meets are officiated exactly the same, questionable lifts get passed and good lifts get turned down, some lifters may get preferential treatment for a variety of reasons, and even the same official will “change” in regards to his ability as an official over time. Whether this involves only one official judging a meet or a team of three – it really makes no difference.

As for changing USAWA records to requiring three, it would be impractical to do now since we have been setting records with one for four years now. Al

[Al Myers]

Everyone wants to know “the secret” to being a champion. And every muscle mag wants to give away this secret with every issue. And thus the fallacy begins! I have been around many champions and I’ll tell you what the secret is, and it has nothing to do with what exercise you are doing or how many reps per set you are doing, or what magic protein supplement you are taking.

This is it: Champions have the genetics to be great, the will power to train hard, and the belief that they will be successful. That is it. Nothing more to it. Pretty simple, huh?? Just like how to lose weight: Eat less food and do exercises that burn more calories. That is just too simple of concept to accept in the mind of people wanting to lose weight, plus with everyone these days looking for the “easy road” to success, millions of dollars are spent by consumers every year on finding the “weight loss secret”. Al

[Al Myers]

John’s series of articles on the principles of Longstrength applies to how he used them to “warm up”. Dr. Schwartz developed his entire training system behind these principles, with warmups just being a small part of it.

The older I get the more warming up I need. I think most lifters do some type of warmups that involve non-barbell movements. Before my heavy days, I like to get to the gym 30 minutes prior to my scheduled workout time just to get loosened up and prepared for my training. I don’t consider doing this as part of my training. Many of the things I do is what John is going to be talking about in his article on Longstrength. So, I don’t consider this as “new information”, but rather a more indepth evaluation and discussion of the importance of it. A big part of Longstrength is the use of heavyhands, which Ben mentioned, and is a topic in itself.

This article by John was published in Hardgainer close to 20 years ago, which would put John at the time about the same age as I am now. In discussing training with John, it is unbelievable how much our training ideas are the same and how we reached the same belief independently. Also, your ideas on training evolve as you age just the same as how your body changes in regard to lifting as you age. A forty year old needs to train different than a 20 year old, and a 60 year old needs to train different than a 40 year old. A constant challenge in our unending battle with the weights!! Al

[Al Myers]

I agree with you on that one Dave! When I was a young lifter, I used to think that the only “good” training information was in the most current issue of Muscle and Fitness. Now as I’ve got older, I’ve realize that this is the FARTHEST THING from the truth. Todays muscle mags feature only the most genetically gifted, faked tanned, chemically enhanced lifters around. There mag pictures are probably even digitally enhanced! Most of the training programs they propose in mags are probably not even true, only made up to sell subscriptions. What they say DEFINITELY does not apply to old hardcore lifters like myself, who is not really concerned about my arm size or muscle definition in my thighs! The old mags (like MD, Ironman, and before that Bob Hoffman’s Strength and Health) contain TRUE advice about how to get strong and STAY strong. We as lifters have forgot MOST INFORMATION about how to train properly, and are quick to dismiss the oldtimers advice as archaic, out of date information.

One of the things about the USAWA, or All-Round Weightlifting in general, that really appeals to me is that we EMBRACE the oldtime weightlifters and strongmen, and use THEM as our role models and inspiration instead of the latest SUPER STEROID FREAK that is the top bodybuilder of the moment. Just my opinion here guys…. Al – Always the Dinoman

P.S. I also read Men’s Health, but only for comic relief!

[Al Myers]

Thanks Dave!! I usually “borrow” pictures from other sources. I’m sure this will eventually get me in some sort of trouble. But until then – I’ll keep them coming for your benefit! Al

[Al Myers]

Thom – “underdog?”, more like an “old dog.” Don’t worry – the Dino Gym will throw you a bone every now and then to give you something to “chew on”! Al

[Al Myers]

I have been chasing 200# every since I got a Rolling Thunder. The problem is that I do the same on it now as the day I got it!! Dinoman

[Al Myers]

Thom, There is always the chance of redemption for the brow-beaten JWC – the World Team postal meet is going on right now, with results due by the end of the month. Again, 3 man teams from each club and THIS TIME formulas will be used since that is apparently what you want this time round. Steve picked a good set of lifts for it that even someone as inflexible as yourself will be able to perform. haha Al

[Al Myers]

And another thing Thom – I’m leading you in website posts 130 to 95 just in case you haven’t noticed that yet!! haha Al

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