[Steve Angell]

Al, I had a great day training and learning from Paul. I was literally his first stop from Iran & India, so with it all fresh in his mind, I picked up loads of great information. I only started training with the Gada / Mace this summer, but along with Bulgarian bag Hammer thrower type swings have tightened up and transformed my beat up old body. Here is the clip from some of mine and Pauls training. Another interesting point having just read Thoms 3rd gada post about his Grandfather always training one side heavier than the other. Both the Indians and Iranians Jori (Indians) and Mil (Iranians) both make their clubs one heavier than the other to train out weaknesses and imbalances. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QexaF2XhCZ8&list=UU6b1QkFlCWxkNxqs1CLMTKQ

[Steve Angell]

I don’t stop by much anymore, but just read the articles on the Mace / Gada. Really enjoyed them as nearly all my training is now based on Indian and Iranian Physical Culture and I am using a mace in my training almost daily. Here is a great clip posted my an Australian friend of mine who is on a club swinging world tour at the moment. This clip was filmed just a couple of weeks ago in a traditional Indian Akhara. Paul has just landed in London from a two week stay in Iran learning about traditional Meel swinging and is coming to visit me tomorrow. I am really looking forward to picking his brains on what he has picked up on his travels.

[Steve Angell]

[b]Quote from dwagman on December 30, 2013, 09:27[/b]

Moreover, who in their right mind would publish proof of an illegal lift on the internet for the world to see while claiming it to be a record?

-d

This was voted a no lift by every IAWA ref asked of their opinion.

[Steve Angell]

What a great guy Dennis is! I have great memories of him from my lifting days. Two stories he told me on our meetings I always remember.

He told me once to never envy anyone and be grateful for what you have and do. Then cemented this comment with a tail of the School quarter back from his school days. This guy was the good looking super athlete who was the envy of the whole school with people wishing they were him. Only thing was this guy dropped down dead at a young age.

The second story may have been told to me with he’s concern for my injuries. He told me the secret to he’s longevity in lifting was that he had never lifted anything heavy enough to hurt himself with. 🙂

God bless you Dennis! I will be lucky to still be hear at your age mate.

[Steve Angell]

Everyone knows your a legend Denny, but not so many may know your also the weightlifting Ambassador!!! 🙂 Your a great man Denny, all my lifting memories have you as part of them. much love and respect to you. Your English Son.

[Steve Angell]

Don’t really check in too much these days, and have not got the attention span to read through all these posts ;). But thought I would just mention my own experience with SLDL. In 1997 I spent the year chasing a 500lb left hand one hand deadlift. 1997 was also my best ever year as a strength athlete winning Britain’s drug free strongest man competition, and performing the best Zercher lift in history. In my first competition of 1998 I blew my back out completely, three prolapses in the lumber area. To cut a long story short, it took 2 years to recover fully. On New Years day 2000 I started performing SLDL with an empty bar. In the good old fashioned style of adding a bit more weight per workout, by the summer of 2000, I had performed 5 reps with 260kgs (572lbs) SLDL, and went to Boston and won my weight class and best over all lifter. I even wrote an article on the SLDL for Milo.

[Steve Angell]

Another great article about John Al! If i remember right John also ran the 1996 Gold Cup. I remember lifting in it and then we had a two match competition America v England v Scotland with America winning 1 and England winning 1.

[Steve Angell]

Been thinking about John a lot today (Feels the same as when my father passed away) I am full of sadness AND guilt as i lost contact with John in resent years. Just wanted to re-share the post i put up a couple of months ago regarding John. Looking back John was there to shout for me during all of my best ever lifts and i will always be grateful for the help & support he gave me.

I have looked at the results of resent IAWA world championships with a little envy, as i would love for my body to have given me one chance to put it on the line against Al, Chad & Mark Haydock. That would have been a battle royal! But do you know what? Being around in the 90’s and sharing a platform with and being inspired by John, Howard & co were amongst the best days of my life. I would not change that for anything.

Al asked for stories about John. I have an encyclopaedia full of them, but this will make you all smile. John was telling me about when he was a school teacher and one of his pupils who was a good football player was getting a hard time from the school bully. John kept him back after class. Had a John V type chat with him (I loved those no BS chats we had). Then looked him in the eye and said “Now go kick his fucking ass” which the kid duly obliged. The world should have more teachers like JV!!!!

Quote from home page.
Tireless John Vernacchio directed and lifted and led his Valley Forge team to first place in a one-man demonstration of dynamic energy July 9-10 in Plymouth Meeting, PA. as the new United States All-Round Weightlifting Association staged its first-ever National All-Round Championships.

Vernacchio thus completed his second in a three-sport round of national lifting championships. In 1987, he was the meet director (and organizer and lifter) for the National Masters Weightlifting Championships. In 1989, he’ll do the same for the National Masters Powerlifting meet for the USPF.

I just wanted to elaborate a little on John as some of you guy’s may never have had the pleasure of meeting him.

John Vernaccio is a LEGEND pure and simple. Not only was he a National Masters Champion in Olympic lifting, All-Round lifting and Powerlifting; He was also World Champion in all three sports Winning the Masters World Olympic lifting Championships on Oxford (England) in 1992?.

I had the absolute pleasure of staying with, training with and competing with John on many occasions, and i will openly say, i love John Like another Father, and i owe him so much for all the help and support he gave me during the 90’s.

Just some of the competitions i lifted in with (Against) John that he promoted include

England V America 3 match tour 1994

England v America v Scotland 2 match tour 1996

1996 Gold Cup

1997 World Championships

I also stayed with John and travelled across to Ohio for the 1994 Gold Cup and 1995 World Champs

I also Competed in the WNPF World Powerlifting Championship with John in 1995. He won the Masters title and i won the Deadlift title.

Unfortunately, i have not been in contact with John for a while, and the last i heard he was having some health issues.

I just wanted to take the opportunity on this forum to let the World know how John played an integral part of my success as a strength Athlete, and i put him along side Howard Pretchtel in my list of heroes and strength legends.

[Steve Angell]

RIP John. I owe you so much. One of the saddest days of my life. Loved him like a father!!!

[Steve Angell]

[b]Quote from tpr42345@aol.com on May 15, 2012, 02:39[/b]
In other words, Polzin was a very good Olympic lifter, so his 198 clean and press doesn’t surprise me, Al. It does, however, shoot down John McKean’s argument that lifters past the age of 55 can’t press anything. That is true for you and I, John, but Polzin had a ton of overhead strength in his mid-30s.

I also thought the clean & Press of 98kgs stood out as the top performance in the article.

And If you look at the IAWA records list, John V clean & Pressed 101.3kgs in the 50/55 year 95kg class, and Jim Malloy did 112.5kgs in the 50/55 115kg class. Both also great presses and proof that if your built to press, it does not drop too much as you age.

[Steve Angell]

Powerlifting USA was my coach as well Al. I subscribed in the 80’s and read every issue cover to cover. I still have John Gambles percentage peaking formula table. I used this for just about every lift i competed on. I stopped subscribing once the WPO took prominence in the pwerlifting world as it (PL USA) (To Me) felt like i was reading a WWE magazine.

I made the same decision last year to stop buying Milo. This magazine was the best out there in the 90’s and early 00’s, but again, i feel it’s best years have now gone.

Now the only strength related material i read is on this site.

[Steve Angell]

[b]Quote from dinoman on April 12, 2012, 10:52[/b]
haha Good response Thom.

However I have heard of some evangelist strength shows where “things were fixed”. That is the ultimate in hypocrisy and deception. Spreading the word while lying about your performance is inexcusable!!!

Al , this is my biggest hate in sport (And in life for that matter). Seeing the drug cheat drop to his knees and pray after his win. Or see a cheat thank God for his victory! I have always said, they are cheating their fans, their selves and most of all GOD!!!!!

[Steve Angell]

The USAWA site is just about the only web site i look at on a regular basis because i like to read the daily articles on the home page. I occasionally interact with you guy’s on the forum, but i can’t help but think there is a them and us out look on the relationship between USAWA and IAWA. The amount of lifts either recognised or not recognised by either to be quite honest baffles me some times.

I know when i first joined the all-rounds there was a feeling of them and us from some (or should i say one) guy’s from the USA, but i know for a fact that chaps like Howard Pretchtel, John Vernaccio, Frank Ciavattone And John McKean made it very clear they distanced them selves from the them and us. On my first trip to a World Champs. Frank Put me up without having ever met me. And Howard started coaching me on the day. There was only one guy from the USA who was negative and asked the British if i had been drug tested.

Frank Ciavattone even invited me to guest lift in the 1996 USAWA championships because he wanted me to out lift certain people who seemed to get a lot of limelight in America, but never put it on the line at a World Championships. And win i duly did, with Howard having a Commemorative USAWA Gold Medal engraved for me, And Frank Honouring me with an award in his Fathers memory.

Now Howard, John, John & Frank are either not with us anymore and taking a back seat, it seems that some times the them and us mentality has returned!

[Steve Angell]

When i first saw the picture of Bob Peoples on the home page, i thought it was Howard Prechtel. They look so much alike. Both absolute legends and neither should ever be forgotten!

[Steve Angell]

[b]Quote from dinoman on January 18, 2012, 17:20[/b]
Steve, HUGE JEFFERSON LIFT!! Thanks for sharing that video with us. Your technique is perfect for it, and exactly what I was trying to describe in my blog as the correct way to do this lift. It is also obvious that your body type is perfect for his lift. Gotta wonder – what was your deadlift at the time you did this record Jefferson??

As I’ve got older my training has changed dramatically. I no longer push myself through those progressive training cycles like I did when I was powerlifting, hitting lots of reps, and trying to “peak” for a meet. I only do singles in training with the pull now, and change my max pulling exercise every week, on a 6 week rotation. These four pulls are always in my 6 week program: Deadlift 12″ base, Deadlift heels together, trap bar deadlift, and the Jefferson. Depending on what meet is coming up, I might add in a Hack Lift, 2 bar deadlift, a fulton bar lift, or some other type of pull in one of the other two weeks. I work up to a max (or near max) every workout in one of these lifts. It is always exciting because of the layoff since the last time I did the lift, and use that as “my gauge” as to what I want to get for the night. I do everything I can now to make my workouts fun!! Al

Al, So do you go for a max lift every week, but rotate your exercises?

I think the Straddle deadlift on the clip was around 20kgs over my deadlift at the time.

[Author]

Posts