Medley Training

by Al Myers

John Conner, of the Dino Gym, performing a Medley which consisted of a sled drag using live weight!

I REALLY like the big training days at the Dino Gym!  The enthusiasm is high, motivation is at its peak, and the gym is filled with energy!  You HAVE TO have a good workout on these days or you feel like you let down your training partners.  Everyone at the Dino Gym is training partners – we all train with and help each other out at different times.  Sure, some of us have different training objectives and might be on different training programs, but when it comes time for a lifter to put out a max effort in attempting a big lift or a personal record, we all come together to support each other.  This is what I like the most about our gym – we are a family.  Everyone supports the other in helping achieve progress or a just a good workout.

The big problem for me is trying to be part of all the action, and at the same time still get a good workout in for myself.   The older I get the more satisfaction I get from seeing other gym members improve.  This brings me to the story of the day.   Medley training has always been a big part of our strongman training.  It is a perfect way to end a workout because medleys will take you to the limit of exhaustion.  For those of you not familiar with Medley Training –  let me explain.  It is called a medley because multiple events are done in sequence, one immediately following the other.  It may just be a couple of events, or as many as you want!  Any combination may be used, with different weights or different implements.  Examples of events are drags, carries, or walks.  The combination of events is endless, and a different “challenge” may be brought to the training table every training session.  Medleys are a great way to get in a little extra cardio training at the same time as building functional strength.  We try to set up our medleys to last between 30 seconds and a couple of minutes.  It is a guarantee that you will be in a “pile” after finishing a difficult medley, and if you aren’t you didn’t put out enough effort and the boys will make you do it again.  That’s just how it is at the Dino Gym!  Peer pressure CAN be a good thing!

Last Saturday I witnessed Big John Conner perform one of the most entertaining medleys that I have seen yet.   It was a carry-drag medley, with Big John first carrying a 300 pound keg 75 feet, followed by a sled drag of 75 feet with Colby being the added weight.  Colby tops the scale at 325 pounds, so John didn’t pick a “light weight” for his drag.  The sled weighs 135 pounds, so it was a total weight of 460 pounds.  On top of this, he used my tire sled that is by far the most difficult sled around.  It consists of a metal sled with a car tire bolted on the bottom of it.   Talk about friction on concrete!!!!   I swear I could smell burning rubber as John dragged Colby across the finish line!    There was a point when I thought John wasn’t going to make the entire drag, but he gutted it out and finally got across the line.   On top of John performing one of the most intense workouts I had seen in a while, Colby seemed to enjoy himself with the free ride.  Since this  seems hard to believe,  I have included a YouTube Video of it just for your entertainment!

The Dumbbell Walk

by Al Myers

Darren Barnhart, of the Dino Gym, performing the Dumbbell Walk last Saturday at the Dino Gym.

Often in the Dino Gym when the workouts are over, different odd training toys get pulled out for impromptu challenges.  This happened the other day in the gym with an official USAWA lift, the Dumbbell Walk.  The Dumbbell Walk is one of the most unique and strange lifts in the USAWA Rulebook.  Years ago when I first read the rules on it, I thought “now there’s an odd one”.  This lift is surrounded with mystery.  How did it come about?  I took a little time and looked through all my collection of back Strength Journals, books, and other mostly irrelevant strength information.  I could not find one single bit of research on it!  Who came up with it?   It was one of the original lifts in the USAWA, meaning it was part of the group of lifts that got “adopted” with the first rules were adopted.  It is an official IAWA lift as well as is included in the IAWA(UK) Rulebook.

The rules for the Dumbbell Walk are as follows from the USAWA Rulebook:

A distance of 10 feet will be marked out on a surface before the walk. The dumbbell and lifter must be behind the line at the start. The handle of the dumbbell must be 3 ½ inches in diameter. The lifter must hold the dumbbell with one hand only. The lift begins at the lifter’s discretion. It is recommended to straddle the dumbbell during the walk, however, the lifter may carry it to the side. Once the lifter lifts the dumbbell and begins the walk, the dumbbell must not touch the walking surface before the finish line or it will be a disqualification. The dumbbell may be lifted to any height during the walk, but it must always be hanging at arm’s length downwards. The lifter must put the dumbbell down under control completely past the finish line for the walk to be complete. The non-lifting hand must not touch the dumbbell or lifting hand and arm during the walk. The non-lifting hand may be placed on other parts of the body. It is acceptable for the dumbbell to accidentally touch the legs or body during the walk, provided it does not aid in the walk.

This is the 3.5" dumbbell handle that must be used for the Dumbbell Walk.

This is one of only two USAWA lifts where a distance must be covered in the execution of the lift (can you name the other?).   It has been contested only once in USAWA competition – at the 2010 Dino Gym Record Day.  Only myself and training partner Darren Barnhart have a USAWA Record in the Dumbbell Walk.  At this record day a Challenge ensued between us and Darren edged me out, 100 pounds to 95 pounds.  I’m pretty sure the reason the Dumbbell Walk has not been contested more often in competition is due to the special dumbbell required, with the 3.5″ diameter.

This is an outstanding grip exercise.  I think I might even put it in next year’s Grip Challenge at the Dino Gym.  It is also one of those grip exercises where when you add just a little bit more, say only 5 pounds, and the exercise goes from easy to impossible!

This is a YouTube Video of Darren performing the Dumbbell Walk with 100 pounds at the 2010 Dino Gym Record Day.

Big MISTAKE!

by Thom Van Vleck

Thom Van Vleck overhead pressing with one hand a 110 pound anvil. By looking at this picture it is easy to imagine the consequences if something "goes wrong" and the anvil slips out of Thom's open grip and falls on Thom's head. My advice is to always train a new lift before attempting max poundages and leave crazy strongman stunts like this to the professionals. (photo and caption courtesy of the webmaster Al Myers)

In this article I will detail what I see as the biggest mistakes I see new guys make as they enter into the world of the USAWA.  Others might have an opinion and I”m not saying that I am right about this being “the” biggest mistake….but I think everyone would agree this can be a problem.

I entered my first “odd lift” meet 30 years ago, and since then I have been to many USAWA meets as well as all kinds of strongman, highland games, powerlifting and Olympic lifting meets.  I have also done over 200 strongman performances.  During that time I have seen guys witness a lift or feat of strength for the first time and say, “Can I try that”.  They then try something they have never done before and go 100% in the effort.  That, in my opinion, is a BIG MISTAKE!  Sure, most of the time you’ll be OK, but it’s that one time that will end a season, or worse, a lifting career.

Recently, a friend of mine was in a strongman contest that included a steel bar bend.  He sent me a video of his effort….that resulted in a  muscle tear that he is now getting surgery for.  He was trying to bend it behind his neck and dropped his elbows and ended up in a a position like someone trying to close a “pec deck” machine.  Having bent literally hundreds of steel bars in various shapes, I cringed as soon as I saw it and soon enough he dropped the bar and winced in pain!  He had never bent a steel bar before and had no plan on how he was going to bend it.  I bend them all the time in our strongman shows and practiced this many times before ever doing it in front of a crowd or a contest where the pressure is on to go all out.

The nature of the USAWA makes it the “worst” for this kind of mistake.  Other sports have a much more limited “range” of lifts which means they get practiced much more often.  You can’t train hundreds of lifts, you can only have a strategy to train all around strength.  I know Al Myers often trains one pressing movement, one pulling type movement, and one squat type, constantly mixing the specific lifts up.  I also know Al will train a particular lift until he knows exactly how to do it and exactly how much he can expect to do on it before he enters a meet.   I’m not sure if he was always a smart lifter, or if he became one as a result of many injuries (that’s how I got smart), or both.  But I do know Al is a smart lifter who knows exactly what his ranges are come contest day.  He not only knows this for safety reasons, but for strategy as well!

How often have you seen someone make a lift they have never tried before, say, “that was easy”, then say, “Throw on a couple 45’s” and then be buried by it!  It’s the nature of many of these lifts.  At best, it’s embarrassing, at worst, you get seriously hurt.  My point is that you NEVER want to go right to a maximal effort the first time.  The USAWA is full of fun, new, exciting….and dangerous….lifts.  But they are only dangerous when you don’t know what you are doing!   Take the time to learn the lift, warm up plenty, practice the lift before the meet, and pick your poundages wisely!  Live to lift another day!  Listen to the old timers….they are still lifting for a reason!

STAN PIKE – “I WAS BORN TO WORK”

BY DAVE GLASGOW

STAN PIKE LIFTING THE INVER STONE.

IN 2006, I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO FINALLY VISIT SCOTLAND, THE ANCESTRAL HOME OF MY PATERNAL GREAT-GRANDFATHER, JOHN GLASGOW. THIS HAD BEEN ON MY ‘TO DO’ LIST FOR SOME TIME AND WHEN IT DID COME TO FRUITION, I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED IN ANYWAY OTHER THAN THE FACT THAT I RAN OUT OF TIME MUCH TOO QUICKLY.

THE THING THAT STRUCK ME THE MOST DURING THIS TRIP WAS THE RUGGEDNESS OF THE LAND, THE TOUGHNESS AND ENDURANCE OF THE FOLKS THAT INHABITED IT AND THE ADMIRATION OF THESE PEOPLE FOR STRONG INDIVIDUALS. IT WAS AT THE WORLD MASTERS HIGHLAND GAMES, IN INVERNESS, THAT I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO RUN ACROSS AND VISIT WITH ONE OF SCOTLAND’S STRONGMEN. STAN PIKE.

WHAT IMMEDIATELY GETS YOUR ATTENTION ABOUT STAN, WHEN YOU FIRST MEET AND SHAKE HANDS WITH HIM, IS THAT TO DO SO IS AS IF YOU ARE SHAKING HANDS WITH A GRIZZLY BEAR!! I HAVE MET ONLY ONE OTHER PERSON IN MY LIFE THAT HAD SUCH HANDS AS HIS!! THESE HANDS, I FOUND OUT MORE RECENTLY, COME FROM A LIFE OF HARD WORK AND HARDER PLAY.

STAN WAS BORN IN NORTHEAST ENGLAND. HIS LINEAGE IS IRISH, NORSE AND AUSTRIAN. FROM A VERY YOUNG AGE, HE BECAME ACQUAINTED WITH BACKBREAKING, TEDIOUS WORK. THE SON OF A COAL MINER, HE WAS REQUIRED, EVERY DAY, TO PROVE HIMSELF.

“You wanted to be a man, especially in a mining community. You proved yourself being a man by being strong and tough. That was the way I was brought up. The lads that I used to work with were also strong, and part of the joy of the day was getting hold of each other and beating each other up”. – Stan Pike

THE LIST OF JOBS HE HAS DONE IN HIS LIFE WOULD TAKE FAR TO LONG TO PUT TO PAPER, HOWEVER, JUST SUFFICE IT TO SAY THAT STAN HAS HAD TO WORK FOR A LIVING HIS WHOLE EXISTENCE. THE OCCUPATION HE HAS REMAINED AT FOR THE LAST 30+ YEARS IS BLACKSMITHING!! JUDGING BY THE QUALITY OF HIS WORK, ONE WOULD BE TEMPTED TO SAY THAT BLACKSMITHING IS NOT WORK TO HIM, BUT RATHER A CALLING. HIS WORKS ARE, TRULY, REMARKABLE! HE ALSO HAS THE PRIVILEGE OF HAVING A SEVENTEENTH CENTURY FORGE FROM WHICH TO CRAFT HIS WORKS!

HOWEVER, THIS ARTICLE IS NOT ABOUT STAN’S WORK, BUT HIS PLAY!! STAN HAS HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN BOTH STRENGTH AND AEROBIC ENDURANCE INVOLVING KETTLEBELLS, BICYCLING, WEIGHTLIFTING, MARTIAL ARTS AND THE SO-CALLED ‘MANHOOD’ STONES OF SCOTLAND; NAMELY THE DINNIE STONES AND THE INVER STONE.

STAN PIKE LIFTING THE DINNIE STONES.

ACCORDING TO WRITTEN RECORDS, STAN IS THE OLDEST PERSON TO LIFT THE ‘DINNIE STONES’ UNASSISTED (WITHOUT STRAPS). AT THE AGE OF 58!! THIS IS A COMBINED WEIGHT OF 785lbs.!!

FOR THOSE OF YOU NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE DINNIE STONES, THEY ARE TWO LARGE, IRREGULAR SHAPED STONES THAT, IN ORDER TO LIFT THEM, ONE MUST STRADDLE THEM AND LIFT THEM BY WAY OF RINGS PERMANENTLY AFFIXED TO THE STONES. THE COMBINATION OF STRADDLE, RINGS, WEIGHT AND THE AWKWARDNESS OF THE POSITION ONE HAS TO GET IN, MAKES THIS A VERY IMPRESSIVE FEAT OF HAND AND LIFTING STRENGTH, INDEED!

BY STAN’S OWN ADMISSION, HE STATES THAT SOME MAY QUESTION HIS RIGHT TO CLAIM HE “TRULY” LIFTED THE STONES, AS HE DID NOT COME TO A COMPLETE LOCK OUT AT THE TOP OF THE LIFT. I WILL LEAVE THIS ARGUMENT FOR OTHERS. AS ONE CAN SEE BY THE PICTURE, THERE IS PLENTY OF AIR BETWEEN THE STONES AND THE GROUND. I, FOR ONE, HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THE VALIDITY OF THE LIFT.

AS A SIDE BAR, STAN HAS LIFTED THE FAMED “INVER STONE” (AN EGG SHAPED, RATHER SMOOTH STONE OF 265#) SO MANY TIMES THAT HE IS ON A FIRST NAME BASIS WITH THE STONE!!

TRAINING FOR THE MONUMENTAL TASK OF THE LIFTING OF THE STONES WAS BY WAY OF A BASIC PROGRAM OF CONVENTIONAL WEIGHT LIFTING AND KETTLEBELL WORKOUTS. HIS WORKOUTS ARE TO THE POINT, WITH NOTHING FANCY ABOUT THEM. HE TRAINS AS HE WORKS. HARD AND STRAIGHT FORWARD. BELOW IS A SAMPLE OF HIS SYSTEM:

WEEK ONE

MONDAY

KETTLEBELL WARM UP

CONVENTIONAL DEAD LIFTS 5 X5

HACK LIFT

STIFF LEG DEADLIFT

DINNIE RING DEADLIFTS (BEING A BLACKSMITH, HE MADE HIS OWN RINGS THAT HE USES ON A REGULAR OLY BAR.)

GRIP WORK

WEDNESDAY

KETTLEBELL WARM UP

INCLINE PRESS 5 X 5 TO MAX

SEATED SHOULDER PRESS/OLY BAR 5X 5 TO MAX

SEATED DUMBBELL PRESS 10 X 10 WITH MODERATE WEIGHT

GRIP WORK

FRIDAY

REPEAT MONDAY’S WORKOUT

WEEK TWO

MONDAY

REPEAT THE SHOULDER WORK OUT

WEDNESDAY

REPEAT THE DEADLIFT WORKOUT

FRIDAY

REPEAT SHOULDER WORKOUT

STAN PIKE LIFTING THE DINNIE STONES AGAIN!

WITH THIS SYSEM, HE IS HITTING THE DEADLIFT WORKOUT TWICE A WEEK ONE WEEK AND ONCE THE NEXT, ALTERNATING WITH THE SHOULDER WORKOUT. HIS GRIP WORKOUT IS DONE AT EACH SESSION WITH “HOLDS” AND WRIST ROLLER BEING THE BULK OF THE WORKOUT.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO USE KETTLEBELLS, STAN IS AN AVID ADVOCATE OF THE KETTLEBELLS. HE AND HIS GOOD FRIEND, BOB BEAUCHAMP, WROTE A MOST EXCELLENT BOOK ON THE HISTORY AND PROPER USE OF THE KETTLEBELL. HE IS RECOGNIZED AS THE PERSON WHO “RETURNED” KETTLEBELL USAGE TO THE U.K. AND GIVES CLINICS AND DIRECTS COMPETITIONS ALL OVER BRITAIN.

FINALLY, I ASKED STAN WHAT HE CONSIDERED TO BE HIS FINEST ACHIEVEMENT. I WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED BY HIS REPLY!!

“I don’t consider anything I have personally done to be of any significance at all, I am only pleased to be still here doing what I do.  I have plans for some other stuff as I get older.”  – Stan Pike

WHAT A FANTASTIC, REFRESHING ATTITUDE!! I SEE STAN AS A GUY WHO IS NOT AT ALL SATISFIED WITH HIS ATHLETIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND, IN HIS OWN MIND, HAS ONLY BEGUN TO SEARCH HIS OWN BOUNDARIES AND LIMITATIONS.

“I believe if you lie back and let life take you over, it will and you’re not going to get anywhere. I’ve always pushed myself to the limit but now I’m approaching 60, it’s starting to hurt a little bit.” – Stan Pike

THE SKY’S THE LIMIT, STAN! GO GET IT!

SLAINTE!!

2011 Nationals: Guaranteed FUN!

by Thom Van Vleck

Just a reminder that we are just 3 months out from the USAWA Nationals this year.  I am working hard to make this event memorable in many ways.  It’s my goal to make it the “BEST EVER”!  But that will only happen if YOU come!  It’s the people that make the USAWA special and I NEED you to come to Kirksville this year!

I am getting some donations and I’m working hard to spend every penny of it to make sure this is a good time, but the entry money also goes a long way in making this meet special.  If you have never done this type of thing before, let me tell you, the MORE advance notice you have about who’s coming to the meet the less waste you will have (ordering too many shirts, too much food, etc) and the more efficiently money can be spent on those who come.  So make the commitment today, send me an entry and a check, and trust me when I issue this challenge:

If you can look me in the eye when this contest is over and tell me that it was the WORST you have ever been to, I’ll give you your entry money back (and of course, you have to give back any awards, shirts, or other goodies you got….that’s only fair).  So, have you ever been to a contest with that kind of guarantee?  And you can’t say worst if it’s the ONLY one you’ve been to!

Send in your entry today!!!!!  Thanks!

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