Presidential Cup

By Denny Habecker

2019 USAWA PRESIDENTIAL CUP

Barry Pensyl (left) won the Presidential Cup Award.

Barry Pensyl (left) won the Presidential Cup Award.

We had a small, but talented group of lifters for the Presidential Cup this year. , Lou Tortorelli came up  from New Jersey to do an outstanding Trap Bar  Deadlift,  Dean Ross drove all the from Oklahoma to do some very difficult lifts , Barry Pensyl, from Easton, did some great lifting, and last but not least, my grandson Aidan Habecker did 5 very good lifts. Barry Pensyl won the Presidential Cup this year for his outstanding Allen Lift. The lifts were judged under the one official format. I was the only certified official.

MEET RESULTS

2019 Presidential Cup
August 3rd, 2019
Habeckers Gym
Lebanon, PA

Meet Director: Denny Habecker

Officials (1 official system used): Denny Habecker

Dean Ross  76- 238.5 Lbs [75-79] 110 Kg. class
Piper Squat- 121 Lbs.
Side Press – Dumbbell – Left Hand  – 10 Lbs.
Side Press – Dumbbell – Right Hand – 10 Lbs.

Barry Pensyl – 71 – 149 Lbs. [70-74] 70 Kg. Class
Cheat Curl  – 105 Lbs.
Deadlft – Index Fingers – 95 Lbs.
Habecker Lift – 198 Lbs.
Allen Lift – 29 Lbs.

Lou Tortorelli –  53 – 239 Lbs. [50-54] 110Kg. Class
Trap Bar Deadlift – 425Lbs.

Aidan Habecker – 16 – 204 Lbs [16-17] 95 Kg. Class
Jerk from Racks – Behind Neck – 132 Lbs.
Clean & Push Press – Dumbells  – 80 Lbs.
James Lift           45Lbs.
Habecker Lift   – 204Lbs.
Dumbbell Walk  – 55 Lbs.

Sledge Hammer Levering: Part 2

by Thom Van Vleck

Loadable Sledge Hammer

Loadable Sledge Hammer

So I wanted to be able to train to lever a 16lb sledge maul like Slim “The Hammer Man” Farman.  A potentially dangerous thing lowering an axe blade with 16lbs of steel behind it to your face!  I needed a way to train!

The loadable sledge opened up and the one pound weights that can be loaded inside. This can loaded from 4lbs to 20lbs.

The loadable sledge opened up and the one pound weights that can be loaded inside. This can loaded from 4lbs to 20lbs.

Regular readers will notice that I’ve featured this loadable sledge before in my three part article on the Gada (or Mace) training.

I knew from looking at Slim’s hammers he had done two things.  He had added weight to them.  That part was obvious.  The part that wasn’t so obvious is that he had marked the inches on the handles.  I assumed that was for training purposes.

So the difference was my hammer had added weight on the INSIDE.  And then inches marked off on the handle like Slim’s.  That way I could add or subtract weight and move my grip progressively further down the handle.  I could quantify the sets, reps, weight, and leverage distance.

I used this training device to eventually do the 16lb sledge maul.  It always amazed me how impressed people were watching this event.  Or maybe it was like watching Evel Knievel waiting for him to wreck!  But out of the hundreds of times I performed that feat I never once dropped it on my face.

Slim giving me the "Ice Clamp". He was in his 70's and still had a steel grip.

Slim giving me the “Ice Clamp”. He was in his 70’s and still had a steel grip.

I can imagine how sledge hammer levering started.  A group of guys swinging them for a living having an impromptu contest.  Of course, that probably applies to everything involving lifting!

Eastern Mass RB

By Mark Raymond

2019 USAWA 1st Annual Eastern Mass Record Breakers Day

Jacob McLaughlin and Michael McLaughlin competed in their first USAWA competition. Welcome to the USAWA!

Jacob McLaughlin and Michael McLaughlin competed in their first USAWA competition. Welcome to the USAWA!

The meet was a great success. We had 8 lifters all from Massachusetts.  It was held at Paulie’s Weightlifting Club in Braintree, Massachusetts.

Congratulations to Jeff Ciavattone who was overall champion of the meet.  Looks like he might be the next member of the USAWA Century Club!

Thanks to Frank and Jeff who officiated the meet.

A special thank you to Peter Vuono for loading the bar and cheering us on throughout the event.

And a special thank you Paul and Judy for hosting the event and treating us to a cookout afterwards.

Results are as follows:

USAWA 1st Annual Eastern Mass Record Breakers Day

Paulie’s Weightlifting Club, Braintree, Massachusetts

July 27th2019

Meet Director and Host: Paul Dallalis

Meet Announcer/Scorekeeper: Frank Ciavattone

Officials – Frank Ciavattone, Jeff Ciavattone

All lifts recorded in pounds

MEET RESULTS:

Lifters using the one official system:
LIFTER AGE WEIGHT M/F CLASS
Frank Ciavattone 64 301 M 125+ Kg/60+ Masters
Jeff Ciavattone 39 230 M 105 Kg/Open
Lifters using the three official system:
LIFTER AGE WEIGHT M/F CLASS
Chris Lestan 23 275 M 125 Kg/Open
Jacob McLaughlin 19 160 M 75 Kg/Open
Michael McLaughlin 51 206 M 95 Kg/50+ Masters
Mark Raymond 56 247 M 115 Kg/55+ Masters
Kimberlyn Lydon 28 160 F 70 Kg/Open
Paul Dallalis 62 300 M 125+ Kg/55+ Masters

 

 

Womens Division
Lifter Lift #
Kimberlyn Lydon Deadlift – Reeves 96
Deadlift – Ciavattone Grip, One Arm, Right 120
Curl – Reverse Grip 51
Deadlift – No Thumbs 200
Bench Press – Hands Together 96
Mens Division
Lifter Lift #
Jeff Ciavattone Deadlift – 12″ Base 600
Deadlift – Ciavattone Grip, One Arm, Right 250
Shoulder Drop 145
Snatch – On Knees 125
Gardner – Half 130
Mark Raymond Deadlift – Reeves 230
Finger Lift – Left Middle 102
Finger Lift – Left Ring 62
Deadlift – No Thumbs 275
Curl – Dumbbell, Cheat, One Arm, Right 62
Paul Dallalis Finger Lift – Left Ring 72
Finger Lift – Left Index 72
Finger Lift – Left Middle 72
Chris Leston Clean and Press 210
Steinborn Lift 245
Frank Ciavattone Crucifix 30
Deadlift – Reeves 185
Zercher Lift – One Arm, Left 135
Curl – Dumbbell, Cheat, One Arm, Left 60
Curl – Dumbbell, Cheat, One Arm, Right 60
Michael McLaughlin Deadlift – Ciavattone Grip 300
Jacob McLaughlin Deadlift – Ciavattone Grip 275

 

Sledge Hammer Levering: Part 1

by Thom Van Vleck

Slim "The Hammer man" Farman doing a sledge hammer leverage exercise with added weight.

Slim “The Hammer man” Farman doing a sledge hammer leverage exercise with added weight.  Slim did a total of 56lbs on 31″ handles

Some of the old timers may have heard of Slim “The Hammerman Farman”.  He was famous for being able to lever very heavy sledge hammers.  He had incredible forearm development.

I always wanted big muscles and big arms were at the top of my list.  My Uncle Wayne had 20 inch arms and did a standing press of 370 pounds back when it was still one of the Olympic lifts.  My Uncle Phil was a bodybuilder and a great arm wrestler. He had huge forearms.  I wanted to be like them.

But my arms are long and spindly.  I started out with 12″ arms when I first started lifting.  My forearms were even smaller.  I started my quest then to find exercises to develop the forearms and I came across Sledge Hammer Levering in an article in the old Peary Radar IronMan magazine.

The photo above of Slim illustrates the first exercise.   The arms are held straight.  You can do one arm with one sledge or two arms with two sledges.  The arms are kept straight and the sledges are lowered only bending the wrists until you touch the face.  Then the wrists are straightened lifting the sledges back up. I used this exercise regularly.

hammer man

The second exercise I call the “Crucifix.  It is similar to the basic lever but with the arms out to the side.  Like the first exercise it could be performed with one or two hammers. Slim had several other feats he performed with sledge hammers.  Over the years I did leverage wrist work off and on.  Including Weaver Stick type exercises.

Then about 20 years ago, me and some friends started a “Strongman Evangelism” show along the lines of what Paul Anderson used to do.  Performing feats of strength while delivering a Christian message.  Paul learned early on that the average person wasn’t impressed with just lifting weights.  They had no context.  So he started performing strongman stunts.  We did the same and one of the first “feats of strength” I thought about was the sledge hammer lever.

Another feat of strength done with a sledge hammer.

Another feat of strength done with a sledge hammer.

I had a splitting maul that weighed 16lbs.  A splitting maul is a sledge hammer on one side and an ax handle on the other.  At the time I could lever a 12lb sledge hammer.  But I wanted to be able to do the 16lber with the ax blade pointed down!  How do you train for that!

Part 2:  How I trained for the Sledge Hammer Lever.

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