USAWA

Results:

Lift	Yesterday	Today	Winner
Deadlift – One Arm	319# – Randy Joe Holden (1985)	369# – John McKean (1993)	Today
Deadlift – Heels Together	500# – Glen Terry (1985)	452# – Bob Hirsh (2004)	Yesterday
Deadlift – Middle Fingers	255# – Art Tarwater (1961)	245# – Colby Howard (1999)	Yesterday
Deadlift – One Leg	215# – Robbie Porter (1983)	235# – Bob Hirsh (2004)	Today
Hack Lift	550# – Glenn Terry (1986)	550# – Bob Hirsh (1991)	TIE
Jefferson Lift	540# – Edwin Stitt (1986)	634# – Bob Hirsh (1994)	Today
Hand and Thigh Lift	850# – Glenn Terry (1986)	1108# – Roger Lynch (1991)	Today
Neck Lift	405# – Jim Borwick (1987)	600# – John Monk (2000)	Today
Harness Lift	1800# – Glenn Terry (1986)	1805# – John Monk (2000)	Today
Hip Lift	1200# – Edwin Stitt (1986)	1640# – Bob Hirsh (1993)	Today
Back Lift	800# – Larry Blatt (1986)	1305# – John Monk (2000)	Today
Deadlift – 2 Dumbbells	440# – Robbie Porter (1984)	377# – John Monk (2005)	Yesterday
Clean and Press	220# – Guy Gronniger (1967)	176# – Chris Waterman (1997)	Yesterday
Clean and Seated Press	165# – Fred Yeargood (1977)	165# – John Monk (2000)	TIE
French Press	125# – Fred Yeargood (1974)	77# – Chris Waterman (2001)	Yesterday
Bent Press	80# – Fred Yeargood (1985)	72# – Dennis Mitchell (1998)	Yesterday
Bench Press – Feet in Air	290# – Glenn Terry (1985)	270# – James Longo (1990)	Yesterday
Bench Press – Hands Together	155# – Robert Johnson (1984)	240# – John Monk (1999)	Today
Front Squat	308# – Brent Pierce (1984)	315# – George James (2006)	Today
Snatch – One Arm	150# – Gordon Strain (1931)	127# – Chris Waterman (1991)	Yesterday
Continental to Chest	308# – Brent Pierce (1987)	325# – Chris Waterman (1996)	Today
Jerk – From Rack	260# – Willie Wells (1958)	281# – Chris Waterman (1997)	Today
Clean and Jerk – One Arm	170# – Gordon Strain (1931)	132# – Pete Zaremba (1997)	Yesterday
Swing – One Dumbbell	135# – Gordon Strain (1927)	90# – Pete Zaremba (1996)	Yesterday
Zercher Lift	430# – Edwin Stitt (1986)	408# – Bob Hirsh (1993)	Yesterday
Steinborn Lift	250# – Glenn Terry (1985)	325# – John Monk (2002)	Today
Cheat Curl	160# – Fred Yeargood (1974)	180# – Jason Groves (2002)	Today
Pinch Grip	115# – Wayne Smith (1980)	100# – Colby Howard (1999)	Yesterday
Crucifix	70# – William Nicholson (1982)	90# – John Monk (2001)	Today
Pullover – Straight Arm	90# – Dick Hamilton (1963)	100# – John Monk (2004)	Today
Pullover and Push	264# – Randy Joe Holden (1987)	297# – John Monk (2006)	Today
Clean and Press – Behind Neck	165# – Fred Yeargood (1977)	183# – Bob Hirsh (1992)	Today
Clean and Press – Heels Together	176# – Robbie Porter (1984)	182# – Chris Waterman (1991)	Today
Clean and Press – Dumbbells	160# – Robbie Porter (1984)	155# – John Monk (2006)	Yesterday
Pullover and Press	135# – Art Tarwater (1962)	265# – John Monk (2005)	Today
Bench Press – Roman Chair	150# – Glenn Terry (1995)	135# – Kyle Achenbach (2006)	Yesterday

The final score is:  Today 20 wins, Yesterday 14 wins, 2 ties

At times it seemed close, but due to John Monk (9 wins), Bob Hirsh (4 wins) and Chris Waterman (3 wins), this trio beat the Yesterday lifters by themselves.  Today’s dominance in the Heavy Lifts appeared to be a big factor in the win.  I’m not sure why Gordon Strain’s records were in the record list (before the Mo Valley listed started), but they were so I used them in this comparison.  Gordon Strain’s lifts would be great compared to Heavyweight lifters!!

Tomorrow will be round 2 of this epic battle.  It will be Yesterdays 165# Class and 181# Class versus Today’s 75 K, 80 K, and 85 K Classes. Yesterday lifters include a lineup of big names such as  Ray Webb, Sid Littleton, and Joe Southard versus Today’s lifters of Bob Hirsh, Abe Smith, and Barry Bryan.

Will Yesterday’s lifters tie up the score?  Or will Today’s lifters win another one?  Tune in tomorrow to the USAWA Daily News to find out…..

by Al Myers

That is a question worth finding an answer to!!  But how do you “really know”?  Rule changes, drug use and today’s equipment allowances make it near impossible to answer this question using Powerlifting Records.  In today’s “geared” Powerlifting it is as important to learn how to maximize your equipment to it’s potential as to get stronger.  That is an art in itself that has nothing to do with actually getting stronger.  New advanced bars and rule changes have definitely helped Olympic Lifters today – so it is hard to use Olympic Lifting as your model.

I am going to undertake this challenge of answering this question using All-Round Weightlifting as my data source.  After all, not much has changed in All-Round Weightlifting over the last 50 years.  We have never allowed any gear besides a lifting belt, no one can say we are drug users as we test regularly and more than any other organization at meets, and our rules have not really changed any.  Sure – some may say the “judging was more strict in the old days”, but I have watched old videos and I feel not much has really changed with officiating. After all,  Bill Clark was judging THEN and is judging NOW!!

Thanks to Frank Ciavattone for providing me with the old Region IV Missouri Valley Odd Lift record List so I have something to compare today’s lifts with.  This Record List covered the States of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri.  This was also the Region that Odd Lifting was most contested in – under the direction of Bill Clark.  This Record List was established in 1961 and went to 1987, at which time the USAWA was formed and the USAWA Record List started.  So we got 26 years on the Old Record List and 22 years on the New Record List.  Sounds like a good matchup to me!   There are some difficulties in setting up this comparison however – as in the “Old Days” weight classes were in pounds and today they are in Kilograms.   But I have devised a plan for comparison and it goes like this:

Group 1.  Compare best record mark in the “Old” 148# Class and below to today’s 70 K Class and  below.
Group 2.  Compare best mark in the “Old” 165# and 181# Class to today’s best record in the 75 K and 80 K Classes.
Group 3.  Compare the best record in the “Old” 198# and 220# Classes to today’s best record in the 85 K, 90 K, and 100 K classes.
Group 4.  Compare the “Old” 242# Class and HVY Class records to the best record in today’s 105 K, 110 K, 115 K, 120 K, 125 K, and 125+ K classes.

This give 4 body weight groups to compare in rounds.  I will pick lifts that were done in the “Old Days” as some of the newer lifts we have today were not done then.  All together – I have come up with 36 lifts to compare so this will be an extensive study. So come back tomorrow to the USAWA Daily News for the First Round of this Comparison!!  I’ll see if I can answer that age-old question, “Are today’s lifters stronger than yesterday’s lifters?”