USAWA Contested Lifts

By Sanjiv Gupta

Sanjiv completing a curl-strict, reverse grip

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:

  1. Chin Up (2010)
  2. Pull Up (2010)
  3. Foot Press (2010)
  4. Turkish Get-Up (2010)
  5. Bent-Over Row (2010)
  6. Apollon’s Lift (2011)
  7. Cyr Press (2011)
  8. Saxon Snatch (2011)
  9. Dinnie Lift (2011)
  10. Goerner Stroll (2011)
  11. Jackson Press (2011)
  12. People’s Deadlift (2012)
  13. Anderson Press (2012)
  14. Anderson Squat (2012)
  15. Dumbbell to Shoulder (2012)
  16. Bench Press – Fulton Bar (2012)
  17. Curl – Reverse Grip (2012)
  18. Deadlift – No Thumbs, Overhand Grip (2012)
  19. Total Poundage (2012)
  20. Thor’s Hammer (2014)
  21. Kennedy Lift (2014)
  22. Reg Park Bench Press (2016)
  23. Lurich Lift (2018)
  24. Habecker Lift (2018)
  25. Rim Lift (2021)
  26. Jefferson Lift – Fingers, Index (2022)
  27. Jefferson Lift – Fingers, Little (2022)
  28. Jefferson Lift – Fingers, Middle (2022)
  29. 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:

  1. Is it a new, novel lift?
  2. Does it represent an old time All-Round Weightlifting movement?
  3. 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.