Texbooks Can’t Teach Everything

By Christopher Lestan

When we grow up and attend school we often are told to use the books that are distributed to us have all the answers. From elementary all the way to college this is true, for some classes only have information from the book.

This couldn’t be further from the truth when it comes to any form of Strength and Conditioning.

I currently study at Umass Amherst as a Kinesiology major with a path of Strength and Conditioning. Most of my days are spent at the library trying to memorize every muscle, tendon, and bone in the body. Nights are long, and all-nighters tend to be very common. This is due to the fact that UMass puts kinesiology in the same category as Nursing, Medicine, Physical, and Occupational Therapy. Thus, the classes I take are close to the medical level to some degree. The major is difficult, but there is one thing I have noticed working in the Strength and Conditioning Field for three years. Textbooks don’t answer everything.

I took my first internship at Athletic Republic, a gym centered around sports performance with athletes ranging from high school to pro. When we had meetings on what to do with the athletes, our schedules, and hours they recommended that we learn the basic compound movements. This sounded strange since I thought to be in this field you had to have some sort of passion, and the capability to perform the basic compound movements. I soon realized I was the only intern who knew how to clean, snatch, bench, squat, and deadlift properly. As well as be able to teach movements to other athletes. I WAS SHOCKED. However, due to my ability to teach and perform the movements, I was hired after the internship.

Fast forward then to last semester at Umass I took a course in Strength and Conditioning which specialized in being certified a CSCS (the highest strength certification anyone can get). The only way to be picked to take this course was if you showed the desire to work with athletes in the future, and had a passion for strength. So naturally, I thought I would be with people very similar to me. I soon learned I was very very wrong. Other people who were in the same major as me couldn’t clean, snatch, deadlift, bench, or do basic push-ups correctly. I continued with the course and got an A- and moved on.

Fast forward to this summer, for I am working as a trainer at Athletic Republic. Part of my job is to help the new interns understand the system we run. Unfortunately, like my internship, and class before…. none of them knew how to do the basic movements properly except for one. This leads to my conclusion that textbooks don’t teach everything.

In today’s world, someone can flash their certifications, bachelor’s degree, a massive amount of Instagram followers, and their crazy physique and people will automatically assume that they are experts in the field. Now there are people like this that know how to program properly and use a ton of percentages to get out a quick strength cycle. However, I find the ones that have experience in competing, gaining strength, and technique that are the best coaches.

Take me for instance. I am no means a brain genius and a medical expert, yet I am 99% sure that I would beat most other kids in my major in teaching, coaching, and reputation due to my experience. The same can be said for other strength athletes out there. My neighbor Frank Ciavattone is my current coach/mentor and has increased my lifting abilities so much. I have a much more refined technique in Olympic lifting, all-around lifting, and powerlifting due to his advice and coaching. Frank doesn’t’ have all these certifications that will let other people know he’s a trainer. What he does have is trophies, experience, and knowledge that can’t be beaten.

The best coaches know how to demonstrate the lifts, and use their own experience to help others. They understand the stress strength athletes put on their bodies and the amount of energy it takes to put hundreds of pounds on their backs. They understand how much we need to recover from workouts and the amount of sleep we need. Those coaches, know exactly what an athlete is going through because they have been there.

The same can be said to anyone in the Strength World. If you are improving on your lifts, seeing results, and breaking Personal Bests than you probably will do well in the strength and conditioning world even though you haven’t used a textbook to get you to the place you are in now.

This can be said to everyone in the USAWA. We all learned how to lift from someone who was kind enough to give us some wisdom on how to perform these lifts. We didn’t just read a book and assume that it is the best way to perform the lift. We practiced, practiced, and practiced until we found our form. After a certain point, we don’t use books to help us execute lifts.

As I said before ….. Textbooks can’t teach everything….

Team Championships

By Al Myers

MEET RESULTS –

2019 USAWA TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS

Dean Ross and LaVerne Myers pulling a BIG 2 man Fulton Bar Deadlift at the 2019 Team Championships.  Both of these guys are over 75 years of age!!!

Dean Ross and LaVerne Myers pulling a BIG 2 man Fulton Bar Jefferson Lift at the 2019 Team Championships. Both of these guys are over 75 years of age and are a formidable team lifting duo !!!

The USAWA Team Champs may not have been a large meet this year, but it made up for that in the heated battle between the two teams that were there!

I was a little concerned that my teammate Chad might be worn out from his heavy lifting the day before at the OTSM Champs in Missouri, and not be at full strength.  I also was very aware of the venerable veteran due of LaVerne and Dean, and how they had been training secretly together to knock us off our throne this year. Chad and I have won the overall at 10 previous Team Championships together and have not been beaten yet, but all streaks come to an end eventually. I was concerned that this might be that year.  Both Dean and LaVerne seemed very confident before the meet, and Dean even made a boisterous comment how they were gonna take us down!  Plus I knew since the USAWA adopted the IAWA scoring format this year they were gonna get an additional 10% to their total points.

Dean and LaVerne had the lead through the first 3 lifts.   I was hopeful that we would catch them on the no thumbs deadlift, but that didn’t happen. It got tense at one point when pops told me to quit checking the point status with the calculator, as he knew we would have the last attempt with the fulton bar Jefferson and I would know how much we needed! Well, it took all we had to get our final lift for the win! (and of course I knew how much we needed to lift haha).  Dean even tried to stop us just as we got ready to lift by saying he wanted to get his camera out to take a picture as he was hoping to throw us off our pre-lift psyche.  That’s a master sly trick only done by a wily seasoned lifter who knows how to play “head games” with his competition.

This was the closest finish in Team Championship history.  Dean and LaVerne will pick up an additional percent next year so Chad and I may have to do a little secret training ourselves if we are to stay ahead of them.  It was a great day at the Dino Gym, and after the meet we did several finger lift records for the fun of it. I really want to encourage others to join us next year for this Championships.  It’s truly one of the most enjoyable meets I do every year in the USAWA.

Meet Results:

2019 USAWA Team Championships
Dino Gym
Holland, KS
September 8th, 2019

Meet Director: Al Myers

Scorekeeper: Al Myers

Officials (1-Official System Used): Al Myers & LaVerne Myers

Lifts: Curl- Strict Reverse Grip, Snatch – From Hang, Deadlift – No Thumbs Overhand Grip, Jefferson Lift – Fulton Bar

MENS DIVISION

Al Myers & Chad Ullom – 45+ Age Group 105KG BWT Class
Al Myers (53 Years Old, 228# BWT) & Chad Ullom (47 Years Old, 228# BWT)

LaVerne Myers & Dean Ross – 75+ Age Group 110KG BWT Class
LaVerne Myers (75 Years Old, 230# BWT) & Dean Ross (76 Years Old, 235# BWT)

Lifters Curl Snatch DLNT Jeff TOT PTS
Al & Chad 175 175 700 800 1850 1662.7
LaVerne & Dean 150 150 550 520 1370 1638.4

Notes: All lifts recorded in pounds. TOT is total pounds lifted.  PTS are overall amended points corrected for age and bodyweight.

RECORD DAY LIFTS AFTER THE MEET

Dean Ross – 76 years old, 235# BWT
Finger Lift – Middle, Left 131#
Finger Lift – Middle, Right 131#

Chad Ullom – 47 years old, 228# BWT
Finger Lift – Middle, Right 95#
Finger Lift – Middle, Left 95#

LaVerne Myers – 75 years old, 230# BWT
Finger Lift – Middle, Left 95#
Finger Lift – Middle, Right 95#
Finger Lift – Index, Left 95#
Finger Lift – Index, Right 95#
Finger Lift – Ring, Left 85#

OTSM CHAMPIONSHIPS

By Eric Todd

2019 USAWA OLD TIME STRONGMAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

Competitors at the 2019 OTSM Championship

Competitors at the 2019 OTSM Championship

2 Junior Lifters, Leroy and Phoebe with their Dads

2 Junior Lifters, Leroy and Phoebe with their Dads

This Saturday past, club KCSTRONGMAN played host to the 2019 edition of the Old Time Strongman Championship.This meet is usually well attended and hotly contested.  When a few of our regulars were unable to attend, though, I was a bit concerned we may not have a good turnout.  I should not have been alarmed.  We had a great turnout and perhaps as many spectators as we have ever had.  It was the largest field of female competitors ever for this championship.  We had many veterans competing, but this meet had some relative newbies as well.  Lynda burns came all the way from Las Vegas to compete.  While she has lifted in a number of postals in the last few years, I do believe this is the first all-round meet she has traveled to.  This was 9 year old Phoebe Todd’s first meet outside the postals, and 8 year old Leroy Todd’s first competition period.

Mike Lucht in the Apollon's Lift

Mike Lucht in the Apollon’s Lift

The day started off with the Apollon’s lift.  Of course each lift saw Leroy and Phoebe leading us off.  It was certainly refreshing to get young blood into the organization, and to see the effort which they exhibited in each of the lifts.  In this discipline I was most impressed with the grueling, long effort of Lance Foster in his 130 pound effort.  There was no quit in this one.  The other thing that struck me was the ease by which Mike Lucht hit 280.  I was thinking he could have hit 300 on this day.  The 280, however, was the biggest lift on the apollon’s lift this day.

We then switched platforms to contest the People’s Deadlift.  Lynda hit an impressive 245 for the top mark in the women’s class.  Young Leroy hit the century mark at 100 pounds.  Greg Cook and Mike Lucht both pulled 625, but they were all overshadowed by Scottish Johnny Strangeway hitting 800 pounds and tying the all-time mark set by a powerful Chuck Cookson back in 2013.

John Strangeway in the People's Deadlift

John Strangeway in the People’s Deadlift

The third discipline contested in the OTSM championship was the Hackenschmidt Floor Press.  The most impressive to me was my brother Chris Todd missing 300 on his second attempt, but coming back to smoke it on his third.  I had the highest mark of the meet with a 350, but Mike Lucht came back for a 4th attempt for a record and hit 370.

Little Leroy in the Hackenschmidt Floor Press

Little Leroy in the Hackenschmidt Floor Press

The meet concluded with the Dinnie Lift.  Phoebe smashed her personal best by 45 pounds by nailing a 120 pound effort.  There were lots of great lift on this event with myself and Scottish Johnny being in the 700 and above range, but this time we were overshadoed by Chad Ullum hitting 800 pound and flirting with an all-time record of 830.

Lance Foster with a Dinnie Lift

Lance Foster with a Dinnie Lift

Chad Ullum dominates the Dinnie Lift

Chad Ullum dominates the Dinnie Lift

 

Unbeknownst to me, the women’s division was hotly contested all day.  While Lynda more than doubled Phoebe’s total, Phoebe eked out the overall win due to the benefit of the formula.  The men’s division saw 3 former champions, including the defending champion, Chad Ullom, do battle along with a number of other seasoned, strong competitors.  When the dust settled, a new victor emerged.  John Strangeway was consistently strong all day, which resulted in his eclipsing the field by more than 200 points.  Full meet results are as follows:

Women's  division for the 2019 OTSM Championshiop: Lynda Burns and Phoebe Todd

Women’s division for the 2019 OTSM Championshiop: Lynda Burns and Phoebe Todd

MEET RESULTS:

Old Time Strongman Championship
ET’s House of Iron and Stone
Turney, MO
September 7, 2019

Meet Director: Eric Todd

Meet Announcer: Eric Todd

Score Keeper: Chris Todd

The hostess with the mostest and sandwich maker/deliverer: Jenny “From the Block” Todd

Photographer: Stacy Todd

The One Official system was used for all lifts

Officials: Eric Todd, Chad Ullum, Lance Foster, John Strangeway

Loaders: All lifters

All lifts are recorded in pounds, as is the total.

Lifts: Apollon’s Lift, People’s Deadlift, Hackenschmidt Floor Press, Dinnie Lift

Name Age weight division Apollon’s People’s Hackenschmidt Dinnie Total Points place
Women’s      
Lynda Burns 44 174 80 95 245 95 225 660 670.56 2
Phoebe Todd 9 84 40 30 95 55 120 300 695.1 1
Men’s      
John Strangeway 41 207 95 250 800 300 710 2060 1839.58 1
Lance Foster 53 350 125+ 130 405 135 485 1155 889.35 8
Greg Cook 62 259 120 180 625 250 500 1555 1489.69 3
Chad Ullum 47 230 105 120 515 275 800 1710 1528.74 2
Eric Todd 44 253 115 260 375 350 700 1675 1393.5 5
Chris Todd 40 270 125 190 425 300 550 1465 1129.52 6
Leroy Todd 8 67 35 25 100 65 110 300 914.4 7
Mike Lucht 37 110 240 280 625 340 570 1815 1468.34 4
Lifts for Record
People’s DL
Lynda Burns 250
Leroy Todd 110
Hackenschmidt Floor Press
Mike Lucht 370
Dinnie Lift
John Strangeway 740

 

NE Powerlift Meet

By Christopher Lestan

MEET RESULTS –

NEW ENGLAND POWERLIFT MEET

Two new lifters in the USAWA! Zach on the left and Ryan on the right .

Two new lifters in the USAWA! Zach on the left and Ryan on the right .

What a fun and fantastic meet! We had 10 lifters competing, and 15-20 spectators ranging from family to close friends. Kim Lydon was nice enough to use her own gym which provided enough space for the lifting. The first lift was the 12″ Base Squat. Frank Ciavattone’s nieces Olivia and Natalie performed amazingly for their first comp each coming away with 71-pound squats. Zach Marharo executed a perfect 365-pound squat.

Chris Lestan Preparing to Squat 507 Pounds!

Chris Lestan Preparing to Squat 507 Pounds!

The second lift was the Bench Feet in the Air. Everyone did wonderfully with amazing feats of strength including Ryan’s 285 Bench! The highlight of the bench was Sarah Gibbons, for she failed her first attempt, and the second attempt, but got the last attempt with a personal best of 85 pounds! Lastly, the 12″ Base Deadlift was the grande finale! Everyone either made a personal best or National Record. Kim Lydon made her final attempt deadlift with a 257-pound pull which is a national record for her weight class! Newcomer Heather made a personal best of 235-pound deadlift on her last attempt! Sarah as well put up 205 deadlift which was a personal best as well! Mike pushed through and performed a 300-pound deadlift with flawless technique!

Then the big boys came in with Zach deadlifting 455 for a personal best followed by Ryan Bingham pulling 465! After we had a great cookout and award ceremony! During the awards, I gave my Overall Best Mens Lifter Award that I won to Zach. 7 weeks ago Zach had surgery to remove his appendix with three scars on his stomach where the doctors operated. He was told he couldn’t lift for 4 weeks! But he pushed through and within 3 weeks he was able to break some personal best! Also, he came in second in the Mens Division! To me that says a lot about his character and who he is as a person so naturally, I felt he won the award.  It was a great meet that included great lifts, great food, and great friends!

The starting crowd at the Meet. about 5 more people showed up to support the lifters!

The starting crowd at the Meet. about 5 more people showed up to support the lifters!

MEET RESULTS:

NE Powerlift Meet
August 31st, 2019
Canton, Massachusetts

Meet Director: Christopher Lestan

Host: Kim Lydon

Meet Announcer/Scorekeeper: Frank Ciavattone

Officials(1 official system used): Frank Ciavattone

Lifts: Squat 12″ Base, Deadlift 12″ Base, Bench Press Feet in Air

All lifts are recorded in pounds

Female Division:

Name Age Weight Class Division
Kim Lydon 28 143 65 kilo Open
Heather Bartholomew 41 262 120 kilo Masters 40-44
Sarah Gibbons 21 160 75 kilo Open
Natalie Collins 12 107 50 kilo Junior (10-13)
Olivia Collins 10 113 55 kilo Junior (10-13)

Mens Division:

Name Age Weight Class Division
Christopher Lestan 23 279 125+kg Open
Zachariah Marhamo 21 228 105kg Open
Ryan Bingham 18 325 125+kg Junior(18-19)
Mike McLaughlin 51 206 95kg Masters(50-54)
Eric Lestan 14 161 75kg Junior (14-15)

Female Final Standings

Name Squat 12″Base Bench FIA Deadlift 12″Base Lynch Points
Kim Lydon 170 105 257 583.78
Natalie Collins 71 55 140 473.10
Sarah Gibbons 155 85 205 454.21
Olivia Collins 71 45 140 447.05
Heather Bartholomew 185 125 235 430.93

Mens Final Standings

Name Squat 12″Base Bench FIA Deadlift 12″ Base Lynch Points
Christopher Lestan 507 365 600 1068.49
Zach Marhamo 365 275 455 911.25
Ryan Bingham 315 285 465 767.20
Eric Lestan 195 135 275 738.48
Mike McLaughlin 225 195 315 723.75

Overall Best Mens lifter: Christopher Lestan
Overall Best Female Lifter: Kim Lydon
Overall Best Male Junior: Ryan Bingham
Overall Best Female Junior: Natalie Collins
Overall Best Mens Masters: Mike Mclaughlin
Overall Best Females Masters: Heather Bartholomew

National Records:
Sarah Gibbons: Deadlift 205 for the 75kg class
Kim Lydon: Deadlift 257 65kg class
Christopher Lestan: 507 Squat for 125+kg class
Natalie and Olivia Collins: Deadlift 140 for 50kg and 55kg class

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