Tag Archives: Dino Gym

Dino Gym Record Day

Records Fall at Dino Record Day

by Al Myers

Dino Gym Record Day Participants Front left to right: Chad Ullom, Molly Myers, Al Myers Back left to right: Dave Glasgow, Darren Barnhart

This past weekend was the weekend for the Dino Gym’s double header – the Grip Challenge on Saturday and the Record Day on Sunday. Five lifters made it to the Record Day yesterday – two of which competed the day before, Dave Glasgow and Chad Ullom. The youngest lifter to compete was my youngest daughter Molly. She picked a diverse group of lifts to set records in – from dumbbell lifts to squats and deadlifts. Her highlight was pulling a 185# Trap Bar Deadlift. Chad Ullom came with his eyes set on upping his One Arm Deadlift Records. He accomplished his goals – 413 pounds with the left and 419 pounds with the right. Darren Barnhart did some great One Arm Dumbbell Deadlifts and also put up the highest mark of ALL-TIME in the Rectangular Fix at 132 pounds. He had more in him! Darren and I went head to head in the Dumbbell Walk – with him edging me out 100 pounds to 95 pounds. Both of our marks exceeded the previous Dino Gym Record. My highlight was finally getting an official Roman Chair Benchpress of 200 pounds. Dave Glasgow made it to his first record day – and did he go to work! He first demonstrated his great flexibility by doing a DEEP Overhead Squat of 160 pounds. He mixed in some overhead lifting with One Arm Clean and Jerks and One Arm Snatches. Dave is willing to try any lift in the USAWA. He picks up on the lifts very quickly. His years of throwing in the Highland Games obviously help him tremendously – as Dave is very athletic for a 50 year old. As Dave often says, “I lift to throw, not throw to lift.”

Overall, this has been a great weekend of competitions. I want to thank everyone who took the time out of their busy schedules to lift this weekend at the Dino Gym.

FULL MEET RESULTS:

Dino Gym Record Day

Dino Gym, Abilene, Kansas

February 14th, 2010

Meet Director: Al Myers

Officials (3 officials used): Al Myers, Chad Ullom, and Darren Barnhart

Results:

Molly Myers (Female, 11 years old, 130 pounds bodyweight)

Snatch – Dumbbell, Right Arm 30#

Snatch – Dumbbell, Left Arm 30#

Swing – Dumbbell, Right Arm 30#

Swing – Dumbbell, Left Arm 30#

Squat – 12″ Base 100#

Deadlift – Trap Bar 185#

Chad Ullom (38 years old, 240 pounds bodyweight)

Deadlift – Left Arm 413#

Deadlift – Right Arm 419#

Miller Clean and Jerk 121#

Scott Lift 254#

Rectangular Fix 100#

Good Morning 230#

Gardner – Full 100#

Darren Barnhart (42 years old, 295 pounds bodyweight)

Deadlift – Dumbbell, Right Arm 305#

Deadlift – Dumbbell, Left Arm 305#

Dumbbell Walk 100#

Rectangular Fix 132#

Al Myers (43 years old, 253 pounds bodyweight)

Deadlift – Fulton Bar, Right Arm 175#

Deadlift – Fulton Bar, Left Arm 165#

Dumbbell Walk 95#

Scott Lift 254#

Rectangular Fix 100#

Bench Press – Roman Chair 200#

Dave Glasgow (56 years old, 251 pounds bodyweight

Deadlift – No Thumb, Left Arm 198#

Squat – Overhead 160#

Squat – Front 265#

Steinborn Squat 242#

Clean and Push Press 176#

Clean and Push Press – Fulton Bar 198#

Scott Lift 154#

Maxey Press 170#

Push Press – From Rack 210#

Good Morning 135#

Clean and Jerk – Left Arm 100#

Snatch – Left Arm 100#

Dave Brown

by Al Myers

Dave Brown becomes ONLY the fourth person to ever pick up the Dino Gym's Inch Dumbbell Replica.

This past week the Dino Gym had a surprise visitor for our Tuesday night workout. It was my old friend Dave Brown, who was on vacation and decided to “stop by” and pay me a visit. He picked a good day – because Tuesday is our BIG NIGHT in the gym. This a big DEAL for the Dino Gym – having a STRENGTH CELEBRITY join us for a workout. It has been a few years since I have seen Dave – but he is still as big and strong as he used to be. Dave stands 6’3″ and weighs a little over 350 pounds – but carries his weight very well. His build reminds me of Paul Anderson when Paul was in his younger days. Dave has been a top level professional Highland Game athlete for 15 years. Before this, he was a record setting amateur athlete with the 28# and 56# weights for distance. Dave now resides in Redding, California and works as an engineer for a timber company. He is married to Shauna, and they have two children, a son Taylor (10 years old) and a daughter Arabella (2 years old).

Dave currently holds the WORLD RECORD in the 56# weight for height with a toss of 20’1″, which he set in 2006. I remember when I started throwing in the Highland Games (over 20 years ago) and athletes would “talk about 20 feet” in the WOB with anticipation that maybe someday someone would top that mark. Much like Olympic Lifters talking about a 600 pound Clean and Jerk. It seemed like an impossibility at the time, but the hope was always there that a SUPERMAN would come along and make the impossible happen. Well, that SUPERMAN is Dave Brown. Yet, Dave is as modest as they come. I have known him for close to 20 years and he is the same guy now as when he first started throwing. I remember many years ago when Dave was a 19 year old kid living in Tulsa, Oklahoma and was just starting in the games. Dan DeWelt commissioned me to “come down to Tulsa” to put on a Highland Games Clinic for new throwers, as I was the only Highland Games Pro around in the Midwest in those days. That was the first time I met Dave, and when we got to the weight over bar and he was matching me throw for throw – I knew he was going to be something special someday in the Highland Games. For a couple of years Dave would drive to my place so we could train together. He started going to more games. It wasn’t long before Dave turned professional and we were seeing and competing with each other several weekends a summer. And then it wasn’t long before Dave was far surpassing ALL of my throwing distances!!

I introduced Dave to an All-Round lift I knew he would excel with - the One Arm Barbell Snatch. In his first workout ever he snatched an unbelievable 170 pounds!!

Dave is a “student of the game”, and when mixed with his amazing genetic ability and work ethic, has accomplished things that others just dream of. I really believe if Dave had decided on focusing on another sport besides the

Dave has tremendous squatting ability. Here he breaks a Dino Gym record in the Zercher Harness Squat to a 15" box with a lift of 515 pounds.

Highland Games he would have been just as successful. In 1998, he tried Strongman Competition and with minimal implement training won the NAS Heavyweight Championships! And this was against seasoned Strongmen. I wonder what his Strongman career could have been if THAT was his focus? Dave also has a WORLD CLASS grip without working on it much. Many years ago at a Pro Highland Games in Arlington, Texas I will never forget him closing the #3 COC grippers with ease. This was in the days when that was a BIG DEAL! Carl Braun brought along a #3 gripper to “Challenge” Dave over our noon lunch break. I don’t even know if Dave had ever seen one before – but while he was sitting there with a sandwich in one hand and the gripper in the other he SMASHED it shut! Then he switched hands with the sandwich and #3 gripper – and did it again with his other hand! I’ll never forget how nonchalantly he did this! It just wasn’t that big of deal to him at the time. World renowned Strength Historian Dale Harder has been measuring athletes grips with a Baseline Dynamometer to get a very accurate reading of gripping strength. He has done this for over ten years now and has tested 1000’s of athletes. To date, Dave has the HIGHEST Dynamometer reading of ALL-TIME with a squeeze of 122 kilograms. Now THAT’S a firm handshake! It’s a shame Dave never gave football a try. With his size and agility I’m sure he would have had a lucrative pro career as an Offensive Guard in the NFL.

I only wish Dave would have planned his vacation so he could have made it to today’s Dino Grip Challenge. He would have been a MAJOR FORCE in the gifted lineup of grip-masters that are entered in this meet. Hopefully, the USAWA will see more of Dave Brown in the future.

Dino Gym Challenge

The Arthur Saxon Pentathlon

by Al Myers

Chad Ullom demonstrates how to do a 258# Arthur Lift. (And YES - That's the bar going UP the back)

Chad Ullom captured his third straight overall best lifter title this past weekend at the Dino Gym Challenge, by winning this year’s Arthur Saxon Pentathlon. Chad showed complete dominance in all of Arthur’s lifts, demonstrating flexibility that most lifters lack. He put up big marks in the One Arm Dumbbell Swing (150 pounds) and the Arthur Lift (258 pounds). An exhibition lift, which I called the Plank Lift, was the last lift of the meet and despite Chad’s dominance in the previous four lifts when meets include a lift like this, in which a large amount of weight can be lifted compared to the other lifts, things are never “in the bag” until the meet is over. I had the disadvantage of being before Chad “in the order of call” so he used good strategy in matching my attempts in the Plank Lift. I tried to “put the pressure on him” by calling for 2050# for my last attempt, but it is only good strategy if you get the lift! That was just a little over my strength abilities, but making a small jump wasn’t going to overtake him. Congratulations Chad on the win!! Dave Glasgow made his USAWA debut in this meet, and looked and lifted like a veteran. Dave has been around the iron game a long time, and has been one of the top Highland Games throwers in the country in his age class for several years. Dave is very athletic and had no problems with the lifts in this difficult meet. I was very impressed with his Two Hands Anyhow, when he went “old school” and did the lift with two KETTLEBELLS. My father-in-law Rudy Bletscher came in fourth. Rudy really enjoys competing against guys much younger than him, and constantly surprises me when he puts up a great mark in a lift he never tried before. Most guys his age could not even come close to doing a Bent Press, but he managed to post a successful lift in this extremely difficult lift. We held to the TRUE RULES of the Bent Press and did not allow any side press. That is the reason our Bent Press poundages are not as high as you would expect. When you are not very proficient at the Bent Press it is very easy to CHEAT and try to side press the weight – but we held TRUE and performed the Bent Press the proper way. Arthur Saxon would have been proud of us (but probably amused by all of our obvious lack of ability in this lift compared to him!). Darren Barnhart was a surprise entry for me. Darren is a “regular” at the Dino Gym and just showed up to the gym to help judge and load, but I persuaded him into competing. Darren is a real trooper and gave all the lifts a try despite his lack of training them or even seeing them done before! This is the main ingredient in what it takes to be an All-Rounder – no fear of any lift. I was extremely impressed by Darren and his effort he put forth in this meet – he “almost” had a record in the Arthur Lift at 203#, and after struggling to get the bar to his shoulders which required much exertion he “double pumped” his Jerk, causing him to get red lighted. These are the red lights that are the hardest to give – but as an official you have to “call it like it is”. I hope Darren will come to my record day in February and get that record – he is more than capable of it.

Dave Glasgow and his 150# Two Hands Anyhow using a pair of heavy Kettlebells.

I was very happy that I had five participants in this meet. I knew that the lifts I selected were probably not anyone’s favorites, and was prepared for a low turnout. But part of the excitement of All-Round Weightlifting is trying new things, and learning how to do some of the lifts that the Old-Time Weightlifters performed. I want to thank everyone who showed up to participate. I also want to thank Wilbur Miller for AGAIN coming to my meet to help out and give encouragement. Wilbur is a true inspiration and lifting hero to us at the Dino Gym! Wilbur was entering All-Round Weightlifting Meets as far back as the early 1960’s, when hardly anyone competed in the All-Rounds and there was no USAWA. Lifters like him are the reason we have All-Round Weightlifting today – so we need to give credit where credit is due. Thanks Wilbur for everything you have done for our sport!

Afterwards, my wife Leslie prepared a huge German Feast for everyone. I figured since we were celebrating the lifting of Arthur Saxon – this would only seem appropriate. Lots of Brats, Kraut and German Potato Salad was consumed!!! A few of us even celebrated with some German Dark Beer (Warsteiners) afterwards!! A day like this doesn’t happen every day so we made the most of it. When we finished eating, I “challenged” the group to consuming an Arthur Saxon Health Drink, which Arthur would drink every morning to start the day. It consists of one Dark Beer, 2 shots Gin, one raw egg, and 2 big spoons of sugar. Of course, Chad “jumped” right on this challenge with Dave not far behind! We again “toasted” to Arthur and the great fun that was had by all.

Toasting to Arthur Saxon with a Saxon Health Drink

2010 Dino Challenge Group Picture Front Row (left to right): Chad Ullom, Al Myers Back Row (left to Right): Darren Barnhart, Wilbur Miller, Dave Glasgow, Rudy Bletscher

FULL MEET RESULTS:

Dino Gym Challenge
Arthur Saxon Pentathlon
Dino Gym, Abilene, Kansas
January 16th, 2010

Meet Director: Al Myers

Officials (1 official system used): Al Myers, Chad Ullom, and Darren Barnhart

Lifts:  Swing – Dumbbell, One Arm, Bent Press – With Bar, Two Hands Anyhow, Arthur Lift, and Plank Support (Foot Press)

Results:

Lifter Age
 BWT Swing Bent Anyhow Arthur Foot Total Points
Chad Ullom
 38 236 150 R
 85 R
 220 258 1450 2163 1767.39
Al Myers
 43 257 140 R
 75 R
 180 132 1450 1977 1608.88
Dave Glasgow
 56 257 95 R
 85 L
 150 132 1050 1512 1384.27
Rudy Bletscher
 74 219 60 R
 30 R
 90 45 850 1075 1233.42
Darren Barnhart
 42 296 110 R
 75 R
 160 132 1050 1527 1148.78


All lifts recorded in pounds. BWT is bodyweight in pounds. Total is total pounds lifted.  Points are bodyweight and age adjusted.

The Arthur Saxon Pentathlon

by Al Myers

The most famous picture of Arthur Saxon - performing a Two Hands Anyhow.

Don’t forget this coming weekend the Dino Gym is presenting the Arthur Saxon Pentathlon.  This meet was designed to honor the great German weightlifter, Arthur Saxon.  I have always respected the great lifts of Saxon – he was well-rounded with his lifting ability and showed the world that you could be athletic and still a great weightlifter.  He performed with his brothers, Kurt and Hermann, making up the Saxon Trio.  Their strongman act was based on weightlifting, and not gimmicky stunts which a lot of their contemporaries performed in their shows at the time.  For this meet I selected Five of Arthur Saxon’s best lifts in setting up this challenge.  A couple of them are difficult to perform, and aren’t contested very often in the USAWA, so this will give everyone a chance to do something different.  These are the five lifts and Saxon’s best mark in them:

Swing – Dumbbell, One Arm     187 pounds
Bent Press – with bar                371 pounds
Two Hands Anyhow                  448 pounds
Arthur Lift                                386 pounds
Plank Support                          3200 pounds

Arthur Saxon was 5’10” and weighed around 210 pounds at his prime.

I haven’t had a Quiz of the Week for a while now – so here is a question.

What was Arthur Saxon’s real name?

The winner will receive a USAWA patch. Rules: First correct answer emailed to me wins, and only one answer per day.

Dave Glasgow of Winfield, Kansas has already provided the correct answer to the Quiz, with Saxon’s given name being Arthur Hennig. Dave is a seasoned Highland Game athlete and is entering his first All-Round Weightlifting Meet this weekend, at the Arthur Saxon Pentathlon. Welcome Dave to the All-Rounds!!

The Dino Gym’s Replica of the Apollon Wheels

by Al Myers

The Dino Gym's Apollon Wheels Replica

The Apollon Wheels have a mythical attraction to them.  What makes a better Challenge Barbell than TRAIN WHEELS!   I have  heard  the stories of Louis Uni (Apollon) lifting these giant  Train Wheels is his performances, and can only imagine how impressive he must have looked doing it. I only wish there were some pictures of him lifting them!!

Several people have made replicas of the Apollon Wheels (AW).  I have seen lots of pictures of them. What I don’t understand is why most replicas don’t resemble the original Apollon Wheels in the slightest.  Just look at the pictures of them and you will see what I am saying.  Most have rims that are way wider than the original Apollon Wheels. The hub design is not even remotely the same with some. Some replicas are plated with shiny chrome. The spokes are even turned wrong in some!  Sometimes I question whether they even used the original’s AW measurements! Most replicas that have been made look much bigger than the original AW.

I have wanted to undertake this project for quite some time – ever since I read in MILO several years ago (September 2004) an article  about the Hollie Brothers  and their quest in making an Apollon Wheel replica. They did it right, and tried to make a replica as close to the original as possible.  I had decided then, that when I took on this project, that would be my goal also.  Several design issues immediately became a problem.  First, only a “handful” of measurements have been recorded for the original AW and published. I read all the resources and tried to use what I considered the most accurate information.   I have several pictures of the original AW – and had to extrapolate from these pictures  and estimate some measurements – like the length of the gussets and width and diameter of the hub.  The one thing I did NOT want to be the same with my replica as the original AW was the weight.  The original AW weighed 366# (or 365# as some sources report).  I did not want to make it that heavy.  I don’t need any more heavy doorstops!  I wanted to make a replica that I could lift and train with!  So I decided my design weight goal would be around 250 pounds. The final weight of my AW replica turned out to be 240 pounds – which is ideal.

This project turned out to be a big success.  I was very pleased how my Apollon Wheels Replica turned out.  It’s nice to have something like this in the gym – when new lifters join their eyes are immediately drawn to this huge 2″ bar containing railroad car wheels as the plates.  It’s at that time I ask, “Have you heard the story about Apollon and his Challenge Barbell?”

1 … 7 8 9 10 11