“If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance a lot less”
– Sonny Beck, Owner of Beck’s Hybrids
As time marches on, its fellow irrefutable constant companion is CHANGE!
As much as humans like consistency, life is constantly changing. I was witness to tremendous personal change in 2023, dying on the operating table, overcoming multiple surgeries & starting a new business, but with constant change comes the opportunity to overcome and better ourselves. Change can be good, but it’s often a challenge to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We are part of an amazing organization, the USAWA, that has unlimited potential, but to continue to grow, we must adapt to the current strength world and embrace the future.
John Maxwell said, “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.”
Tomorrow is coming and let’s embrace a glorious future!
Group picture from the 2024 USAWA Grip Championships
Ten USAWA masters athletes took the platform to contest the 2024 USAWA Grip Championships held at Dino Gym in Abilene KS. Weigh-ins and rules briefings were conducted, and the meet was contested using three officials, Chad Ullom, Randy Smith and in training was Sanjiv Gupta. We started with the Pinch Grip, Strict and conservative openers were taking as lifting got underway. Being a grip event, the texture of the plates makes a big difference. The best competition lifts were between 80 and 120 pounds with Jason taking the top spot. We started with 25 pound plates, then 35 pound plates and finally 45 pound plates as the center plates and evenly loaded change plates on either side.
Next was the Vertical Bar, 1 Bar, 1” and hand declarations were made as this can be contested with the left or right hand. The range on this was more extreme with best competition lifts between 115 and 225 pounds. Ben had the top spot and did not even open until everyone else was done. Then came the Deadlift, Fingers, Index. This lift is as much about finger strength as it is about pain tolerance. The range on this was pretty extreme (95-225 pounds) with some lifters just taking a single attempt. Chad had the top spot. Chad opened along with Ben at 205 pounds after the rest of us were done.
Then came the Deadlift, Fulton, Ciavattone Grip. This lift is tough as hand size is as much a factor as raw grip strength. The range of lifts were from 173 to 318 pounds. Chad had the best lift at 318 pounds and took a successful extra attempt for a record at 323 pounds. Finally, we contested the Rim Lift. This is a relatively new lift that we contested on a bar with 20-inch collar to collar spacing. While straddle, hack or conventional deadlift is acceptable, we had one straddle lifter and everybody else pulled conventional. We used plates with a shallow rim depth for my liking. The range of lifts was tight with lifts between 180 and 290 pounds. Chad again had the top spot at 290 pounds.
A fun time was had by all.
MEET RESULTS:
2024 USAWA Grip Championships
February 17th, 2024
Dino Gym
Holland, KS
Meet Director: LaVerne Myers
Meet Scorekeeper: Sanjiv Gupta
Officials (3 official system used): LaVerne Myers, Chad Ullom, Dave Glasgow, Sanjiv Gupta, Lance Foster
Lifts: Pinch Grip – Strict, Vertical Bar Lift 1 Bar 1″ One Hand, Deadlift Index Fingers, Deadlift Fulton Bar Ciavattone Grip, Rim Lift
WOMENS DIVISION
LIFTER
AGE
BWT
PIN
VB1
DLIF
DLFB
RIM
TOT
PTS
Stacy Todd
41
195
80
180L
150
173
180
763
705.1
MEN DIVISION
LIFTER
AGE
BWT
PIN
VB1
DLIF
DLFB
RIM
TOT
PTS
LaVerne Myers
79
216
100
160R
160
263
270
953
1142.6
Randy Smith
69
196
110
180R
120
263
235
908
1065.5
Chad Ullom
52
230
105
185R
225
318
290
1123
1051.3
Ben Edwards
48
230
100
225L
205
283
250
1063
959.9
Sanjiv Gupta
52
200
100
160L
125
243
250
878
886.6
Dave Glasgow
70
260
90
115R
120
233
235
793
807.3
Jason Payne
58
286
120
160R
95
253
260
888
784.8
Lance Foster
58
236
90
170R
160
173
210
803
781.1
Chris Todd
44
278
110
170R
160
223
250
913
721.7
NOTES: BWT recorded in pounds. All weights listed in pounds. R and L designate right and left. TOT is total pounds lifted. PTS are overall adjusted points corrected for bodyweight and age.
I have been trying to research the history of all the lifts contested by the USAWA. It has been a daunting task. There are 187 lifts in the 11th Edition of the USAWA Rulebook. For many of these records are kept by left/right hand and in some cases index, little, middle, and ring fingers.
The website does mention that the USAWA started with 110 lifts, but I am not sure which lifts those were.
In researching the National Meeting Minutes I have found the following additions:
Chin Up (2010)
Pull Up (2010)
Foot Press (2010)
Turkish Get-Up (2010)
Bent-Over Row (2010)
Apollon’s Lift (2011)
Cyr Press (2011)
Saxon Snatch (2011)
Dinnie Lift (2011)
Goerner Stroll (2011)
Jackson Press (2011)
People’s Deadlift (2012)
Anderson Press (2012)
Anderson Squat (2012)
Dumbbell to Shoulder (2012)
Bench Press – Fulton Bar (2012)
Curl – Reverse Grip (2012)
Deadlift – No Thumbs, Overhand Grip (2012)
Total Poundage (2012)
Thor’s Hammer (2014)
Kennedy Lift (2014)
Reg Park Bench Press (2016)
Lurich Lift (2018)
Habecker Lift (2018)
Rim Lift (2021)
Jefferson Lift – Fingers, Index (2022)
Jefferson Lift – Fingers, Little (2022)
Jefferson Lift – Fingers, Middle (2022)
Jefferson Lift – Fingers, Ring (2022)
Prior to 2010 there do not appear to be any conveniently accessible archives to understand how the USAWA went from 110 to 162 lifts. If anybody has any recollections, please get in touch.
If you have a new lift, consider sending it in as an agenda item for the national meeting. There are no official criteria for a new lift, however some suggestions include:
Is it a new, novel lift?
Does it represent an old time All-Round Weightlifting movement?
Can it be performed by the majority of our members?
The lifts in the rulebook are variations of the classic movements including Presses, Snatches, Clean & Jerks, Deadlifts and Squats. There are variations that perform these lifts with dumbbells and Fulton barbells.
Interestingly, aside from the Hackenschmidt Floor Press, all of the Old-Time Strongman Lifts have been introduced since 2010 (Editors Note-The Old Time Strongman category was introduced in 2011 at the Dino Gym Challenge. The Hackenschmidt Floor Press was first introduced in January of 2013 at the Dino Gym Challenge).
The heavy lifts will always have a place near and dear to the hearts of All-Round Weightlifters. In reviewing the records, the heavy lifts have some of the longest standing records in the books.
