Facing off with 100 IronMind Red Nails last night, Greg Amidon and Dave Morton jumped in and never looked back.


Dave Morton, the first man in the world to be certified on both the No. 4 Captains of Crush gripper and the IronMind Red Nail, bends a cut Red Nail at the 2004 Global Grip Challenge, put on by the Diesel Crew ( http://www.dieselcrew.com/ ). Photo courtesy of James Smith.

Dave reported, "We got to 100, and I'll say I'll never do that again!!!"

"It took almost 3 hours; we set them out in ten groups of ten, and took a 5 minute or so breather after each group."

"Both our hands got mangled naturally, but Greg caught the bad end of that early and fought his way through. That was more impressive than anything I've seen. Goes to show pain is a lot in the mind."

"Had a lot of fun doing this and I'm sure this will show there is no limit to things if you put your mind to it."

As an added bonus, the top four finishers at the FitExpo strongman competition will qualify for the World's Strongest Man Super Series.


Grant Higa, who will be competing at the FitExpo, attacks the log at the 2004 Battle of Muscle Beach (Venice, California). Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Odd Haugen just announced that the top four finishers at next month's FitExpo strongman contest will be invited, all expenses paid, to compete in the inaugural 2005 Worlds Strongest Man Super Series contest.

Set for April 30th at Muscle Beach (Venice, California), this contest will have a minimum cash prize list of US$30,000 and it is the first step toward qualifying for the 2005 World's Strongest Man contest.

For details on the FitExpo, please check their official website www.thefitexpo.com and if you have questions specifically about the strongman contest, please email Odd Haugen: odd@oddhaugen.com.

They're calling it "the NYC Arm Wrestling Event of the Century," and even though this is an open event, so anyone can enter, Gene Camp, NY Arm Wrestling Association founder, says, "If you are a lucky beginner who beat everyone in your favorite local bar, my advice is to just sit down, buy some popcorn, and watch."

In addition to the US, competitors are expected from Turkey, the Republic of Georgia, Russia, Germany and Brazil.

Set for March 19th at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, weigh-ins are at 10:00 a.m. and the pulling starts at 12:30.

Email nyawa@aol.com for details.

Responding directly to IronMind's question about event design and contest structure, IFSA Strongman CEO Jussi Laurimaa said this "is one of the core competencies of IFSA Strongman."

While quick to applaud the introduction of professional management and substantial capital into the sport of strongman, concerns have arisen within the sport about whether such fundamental aspects of the sport as event design and contest structure would suffer as a result.

In response, Mr. Laurimaa said that the goal of IFSA Strongman is to maintain its competitions as "spectacular and extreme tests of strength," and he added that these are contests in which technique alone will not lead to victory.

In addition, Mr. Laurimaa explained, IFSA Strongman will be developing "standardized 'Classical Disciplines,'" which will 1) improve event records 2) help keep contests from favoring certain competitors and 3) provide a sharper focus for new athletes.

Guys who have been around IronMind for the last fifteen years or so know that John Brookfield has always led the charge in terms of grip training innovations.

John's book The Mastery of Hand Strength has been read, reread, and read yet again by grip enthusiasts around the world, and one of his big contributions in that book was the introduction of training with the ends sawn off cast dumbbells, which John dubbed "block weights." Here's another use for these - so have some fun and gain some more hand strength at the same time.

Click on the John Brookfield's Grip Tip button on the IronMind home page, or just follow this link for the latest workout from John's fertile mind: /GripTips/griptip.html.

When Steve Jeck quietly wrote to MILO about his firsthand introduction to Scotland's famed Inver Stone, nobody in the world would have guessed the full impact of that letter to the editor.

That was in January 1994 (MILO, Volume 1 - Number 4), and now we call him Steve "Inver Stone" Jeck, he's the co-author of the traditional stone lifter's handbook (Of Stones and Strength) and is the star of a DVD ("Kviahellan: The Pen Slab") which documents Steve's matchup with Iceland's famed Husafell stone.

In recognition of his excellence, Steve earned a chair as MILO's resident strength philosopher - delivering thoughts and commentary that will inspire and guide greater performance, and in 2004 IronMind began presenting another dimension of Steve's work.

Steve's latest gem is ready for you: Click on the From the Quarry button on the IronMind homepage, or just follow this link: /Main/fromthequarry.html.

World's Strongest Man Super Series president Ulf Bengtsson said today that the 2005 World's Strongest Man Super Series will be launched at Muscle Beach (Venice, California) on April 30th.

Bengtsson learned this morning that the Arnold Strongman contest, which had been scheduled to be the inaugural competition for the 2005 World's Strongest Man Super Series, had been reassigned yesterday to IFSA Strongman, in a move that at once sent shock waves throughout the international strongman community and relieved enormous pressure from top competitors who were caught in between the two organizations: IFSA Strongman and World's Strongest Man Super Series.

The shock was the result of the 180-degree change in affiliation with the Arnold strongman event, and the relief stemmed from the fact that now the IFSA athletes who dearly wanted to compete at the Arnold would be able to without jeopardizing their relationship with IFSA Strongman.

"I learn as long as I live," Bengtsson said, about the cataclysmic announcement, news which was first reported by IronMind mid-afternoon yesterday, California time. Because Bengtsson is based in Europe, there was a concern that he might not have been apprised of this dramatic shift and he confirmed this morning that he "had not even received a phone call."

At once philosophical and unbowed by the news, Bengtsson said that he prefers to have received this signal as early as it came, rather than later, when the results might have been disastrous, and despite the impact of this announcement, Bengtsson retained his sense of humor.

"I expect to see my statue in strongman heaven and to be receiving my commission soon," Bengtsson said, alluding to his conviction that the formation of World's Strongest Man Super Series led to IFSA Strongman paying its athletes more, faster.

Citing their firm conviction that IFSA Strongman's Blueprint for the sport represents a substantial step forward, many of the world's top professional strongmen say that they see the new organization as a vehicle for professionalizing what began as a grassroots activity, and the just announced IFSA-Arnold partnership is being greeted with open arms in the upper echelons of the international strongman community.

A recent split had carved the strongman world into two groups: IFSA Strongman on one side and the WSM Super Series on the other. Four-time World's Strongest Man winner and a leading name in the sport, Magnus Ver Magnusson had told IronMind earlier this week that he felt the split was detrimental to the advancement of strongman, since such division would only weaken the sport.

Strength sports enthusiasts frequently cite the fragmentation within powerlifting as a key factor limiting both the growth and the credibility of the sport, and then draw parallels to the strongman world.

The newly minted partnership brings together IFSA Strongman, which is described as "the world governing body, sports marketer and pro-athlete manager of the Strongman sport," and the Arnold Fitness Weekend - the world's largest fitness expo and an event that has been called, "the greatest show on earth" and "the Woodstock of weightlifting," drawing six-figure crowds over its three days of world-class events.

IFSA Strongman CEO Jussi Laurimaa explained the benefits of the two-year agreement between his group and Classic Productions, which puts on the The Arnold Fitness Weekend, in no uncertain terms.

"The contract now signed maintains the status of Arnolds as the U.S. Open of Strongman contests: independent, irreplaceable, and excitingly different. At the same time, the contract elevates The Arnold Classic into the official IFSA Strongman pro-competition calendar, thus further increasing its attractiveness to the athletes and sponsors," Laurimaa said.

The Arnold Fitness Weekend is March 4 - 6 in Columbus, Ohio. For full contest and ticket information please see: http://www.arnoldfitnessweekend.com/.

In a move that will reverberate throughout the strongman world, IFSA has just signed with the Arnold, and the following statement was released minutes ago: "Classic Productions, producer of the Arnold Fitness Classic Weekend, and IFSA Strongman, the world governing body, sports marketer and pro-athlete manager of the Strongman sport, today announced that they have signed a two-year partnership to produce the Strongman event called The Arnold Classic."

Jim Lorimer said, "Following recent unexpected developments in the Strongman world, it has been necessary to re-evaluate our existing affiliations in order to preserve the Arnold Class in the global Strongman calendar as an independent and multi-sport competition. We felt that IFSA Strongman's partnership proposal demonstrated the best understanding of what Arnold is about, and hence offered the highest long-term value for the Strongman sport."

IFSA CEO Jussi Laurimaa complimented all parties involved in the agreement, saying, "Jim Lorimer, Terry Todd and team have shown true integrity in how they navigated the potential partnership landscape during these times of change in the strongman sport."

"Under this agreement, IFSA Strongman will bring the world's best strongmen each year to Columbus," and this means that the Arnold will, in fact, have the top strongman "alrady announced prior to signing this new agreement."

Swedish strongman star Magnus Samuelsson has been dubbed "King of the Stones," and he's won the coveted World's Strongest Man contest, but if that's not enough, many experts also say that has the world's strongest arms and hands.


The king in his courtyard: Magnus Samuelsson loads all five stones at the 2004 World's Strongest Man contest (Paradise Island, Bahamas). Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Chances are good that when you see the new Magnus Samuelsson DVD - which focuses on how to build huge, strong arms and a mighty grip - you just might feel that he deserves that title along with all the others he has earned. And at worst, you will be shaking your head in amazement, listening carefully, eager to absorb his comments about training so that you can tap into his advice for your own progress.

We're not going to spill the beans, but you don't have to worry about this DVD featuring shadowy performances on suspect equipment: For example, Magnus marches right up to a brand new No. 4 Captains of Crush® gripper, which is opened on camera, and then he . . . Well, we wouldn't want to ruin the surprise for you.

Closing grippers is great and even a merely "very good" attempt on IronMind's No. 4 Captains of Crush gripper is an outstanding accomplishment in the world of hand strength, but to really set yourself apart, your excellence has to include even more, and what more could you ask than to see Magnus Samuelsson attack piles of plates, lifting them with a Rolling Thunder®. And when he finally calls it quits and puts the whole works on a scale, let's just say that the number is big.

No hot air here: This is the domain where world class means just that, and it's also the case that near misses, unverifiable successes, and lifts performed under unofficial conditions all get reported as just that.

And as an added note of interest for you "what's-his-arm-really-measure" guys, here's what we'll say: World's Strongest Man Svend Karlsen measures Magnus's pumped up arm in centimeters, on camera, and then producer Colin Bryce measures it in inches. Give us your best guess, and we'll give the person who comes closest to the actual measurement (or the first person to hit it dead on) a free copy of this new Magnus Samuelsson DVD - one for the closest guess to Svend's measurement and one for the closest guess to Colin's measurement. One entry per person, please, and you can only guess in centimeters (Svend) or inches (Colin) - not both. Email your best guess to sales@ironmind.com along with your name, street address, email address and phone number. Entries must be received by midnight, Pacific time, January 23rd, and the winners will be announced as soon as the new DVD is released, which is expected to be in early March.

Over a year in its planning and development, this DVD is all about building arms with mass and power beyond most legs, and a grip that defines the very edge of human performance.

Mike "The Destroyer" Roy took grip contests to a new level last year, and for 2005 he is planning something even bigger.

The Destroyer just called IronMind to outline his proposed "Destroyer's Grip Challenge," a high-visibility grip contest that is being designed to appeal to TV as well as live audiences, and characteristic of what Mike has done in the past, look for some pretty unique events in this contest.

Kicking things off, Mike said that the first event comprises four elements, and when you hear them, you might think this sounds like an entire contest in itself: bending three six-inch long spikes, breaking three 12 inch by � inch grade 2 bolts, tearing two decks of cards three times, tearing three tennis balls, and rolling up a frying pan so that tightly that it will fit through a hole that is three inches in diameter.

Mike said his second event is the King Kong Balls challenge he introduced last year, but now he has six balls and the heaviest weighs 100 pounds. Third up is a table curl with another unique apparatus: like a swingbell, the weights are in the middle and on each end is a bar that is one-inch in diameter and two inches long, so that it only allows space for two fingers. The 225-pound bell is curled for reps.

Remember last year's banana dumbbell press and the vertical hold for time? The Destroyer said that his fourth event will combine the two: With one hand holding onto a vertical bar, while a four-cylinder engine hangs from the wrist, the other hand is used to press a 90-pound banana dumbbell for reps.

If you're still standing at this point, the final event is arm wrestling, and you have to pull both right handed and left handed.

Mike said that he talking to sponsors and working out the details at the moment, but his goal is US$5,000 for first place.

They're at it again and the results are pretty staggering: From the sound of things, Greg Amidon and Dave Morton are bending Red Nails like they are coat hangers.

Grip guy Clay Edgin just reported, "Last night's webcam bending session featured Greg Amidon against Dave Morton in a bending marathon to see who could bend more Red nails. After an hour and 12 minutes, Greg had completely U'ed 50 and Dave Morton stopped at 38 only because he ran out! Both men are going to be ordering many more Reds from you soon, so if you see an order for something ridiculous like 200 reds from Dave Morton, you know that he's going to get his revenge on Greg in the next bending marathon."

There must be something in the air, because Bob Bollenbach called yesterday to say that Pat Povilaitis had bent 35 IronMind Red Nails during a visit to Bollenbach's Gym over the weekend.

We're pretty impressed with these performances, but from the sound of things, each of these guys has some more gas in the tank, so this is what we're wondering: Who is going to be the first guy to bend 100 IronMind Red Nails in under two hours? Anyone who did this, following the same rules that IronMind uses for certifying Red Nail benders ( /Main/rednailroster1.html), would be making quite a mark for himself.

Leave it to Kevin Meskew to come up with yet another great grip contest: Kevin is hosting the 2005 Southern California Iron Grip Decathlon Challenge, and if you're a grip guy, you will want to be there.


Kevin Meskew gets set for a big pull at the Rolling Thunder contest held at Muscle Beach last July. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Kevin Meskew has long been putting on some terrific contests at the world famous Muscle Beach (Venice, California), and lately one of his themes has been grip strength. Kevin's about to take things up another notch, with his Iron Grip Decathlon, and with all the top level grip guys in Southern California, you can bet that this contest is going to see some record-level performances.

Here are the events:

1. Captains of Crush grippers
2. dynamometer
3. smooth plate curl
4. Apollon's Axle® deadlift
5. wrist roll
6. Blockbuster Pinch Grip Block
7. IronMind Hub
8. Rolling Thunder®
9. One-hand dumbbell deadlift (3.5" handle)
10. Deadlift hold for time

The contest is March 26 at the Power Palace in Chatsworth, California, and you can email Kevin for more details: warrior01@earthlink.net.

IFSA Strongman's fundamental challenge, explained CEO Jussi Laurimaa, is to grow the sport: As the cake gets bigger, all will benefit, and the process will begin with the athletes themselves.

Outlining the IFSA philosophy that, properly nurtured and directed, passion will allow the sport of strongman to thrive as never before, and the net result will be benefits first to the athletes, Mr. Laurimaa said, "We believe the sport of strongman has room for a few millionaires." While not guaranteeing this figure could be achieved in IFSA's first year, Mr. Laurimaa saw this as an attainable mid term goal for IFSA's top competitors, and one that reflected the sort of potential he sees for the sport.

Stressing that strongman appeals to a primal human interest in determining who is the strongest, the sport of strongman cuts across cultures, which makes its potential huge, Laurimaa said, and IFSA is committed to investing the financial and managerial resources required to realize this potential.

Addressing concerns that had arisen within the strongman community that, by virtue of seeking outside assistance, the sport itself would be diluted, Mr. Laurimaa said that IFSA had selected people with long histories in the sport, engaged at its highest levels, to run the divisions with the most direct impact on the sport itself, so IFSA was confident that it would develop top drawer strongman events and contests.

The Federation Division of IFSA Strongman is headed by Jamie Reeves and Ilkka Kinnunen, and its primarily responsibilities include events, rules, equipment, world records, and so forth. The Athlete Management Division is headed by Dr. Douglas Edmunds and Marcel Mostert, and this division is responsible for such things as athlete career development, training referees, etc. Malcolm Crease and Christian Fennell run the Commercial Division, which counts TV production and sponsorship acquisition among its key responsibilities.

Stressing its open door policy and as another indication of how IFSA plans to reshape the sport of strongman, Mr. Laurimaa said that a number of workshops have already been held, with more planned, to provide a forum for athlete input.

In a widely-awaited announcement, IFSA Strongman has just released its first official statement on IFSA's vision for the future of strongman.

Douglas Edmunds, a founding father of the sport, said, "The revolution that we are now witnessing has been talked about for over two decades but is only now, with the assistance of InvestGroup Sports Management and real investment in the sport, actually beginning to happen. IFSA Strongman is finally in a position to stop the historical exploitation of the athletes by offering stable and quantifiable sponsorship platforms to brands, and by changing the televised aspect of the sport from 1980's travel commercials to the 2000's reality and entertainment based shows.

IFSA CEO Jussi Laurimaa said, "From a business perspective, there is no reason why IFSA Strongman could not do for the strongman sport what WWE did for pro-wrestling. There is an innate fascination in who is the strongest in all human cultures, and by being at the same time the manager of all the top athletes, the global governing body, and the key rights holder in the sport globally, IFSA Strongman is in a unique position among televised sports to capitalize on this latent demand."

Congratulations to Michael Grutto, the latest guy to make the Red Nail Roster and the first person to achieve this honor in 2005.

Recognizing Michael's accomplishment, IronMind has added his name to the official list: /Main/rednailroster.html.

Performing under the watchful eye of Marc Castro, Captains of Crush '01 ( /Main/captainwhoswho1.html), Michael wasn't content to bend just one of the three Red Nails provided directly by IronMind for his certification attempt - he blew through all three of them, for a PR performance. "This was the culmination of well over one and one-half years' of bending for me, and what a feeling!," Michael said.

Congratulations Michael - way to go!

When IronMind began its focus on grip over fifteen years ago, we hardly guessed that we would be spawning a cottage industry, and the latest person to hang out a shingle is John Wood.

Unlike most of the new entrants, John actually has been involved in grip training for years - from the time he was 12, he has been training on the world's leading grip equipment under the watchful eye of his father, Kim Wood, a longtime advocate and practitioner of hand strength training.

It looks as if John will be focusing on football applications and his overall thrust appears to be on functional strength, and we encourage you to take a look at his new web site: http://www.functionalhandstrength.com/ .

Want to win the biggest title in strongman, but wondering how to get there?

Stressing its philosophy of inclusiveness, a high-ranking World's Strongest Man Super Series spokesman said today that all qualified strongmen are welcome to compete in the Super Series contests that are the gateway to 2005 World's Strongest Man invitations - the theme of the new alliance is to open the doors to all top strongmen, giving everyone equal access to the Super Series events which pave the road to the World's Strongest Man contest.

Since 2005 will be the inaugural year of this organization, the underlying structure of qualifying events leading up to the actual Super Series competitions will not be as fully developed as in coming years, but the strongman community will see clear indications of this pattern.

Announcements of qualifying contests are expected to begin shortly, so the word is out that if you have the ability, these contests will give you an opportunity to demonstrate it, and the net result just might be earning an invitation to compete in the 2005 World's Strongest Man contest.

With all eyes in the strongman world focused on the rapidly-changing landscape, fundamental changes have just been announced by the World's Strongest Man Super Series/World's Strongest Man contest stakeholders.

Of top importance to US strongmen, a statement was made that they would like to have four or five American competitors in the 2005 World's Strongest Man contest, and as a demonstration of their commitment to building strongman beyond its current stature, a World's Strongest Man Super Series spokesman said today that with their enormous television reach and the other resources at their disposal, they expect to be able to create "a superstar strongman celebrity" within six months to one year's time.

And just what kind of TV coverage are they talking about? ESPN will televise each 2005 Super Series event with a one hour show and the 2005 World's Strongest Man contest is scheduled to run in 105 countries, ensuring massive exposure for the competitors.

In addition to this contest detail, the new organizational structure of the World's Strongest Man Super Series/World's Strongest Man contest was outlined.

Terry Todd, Ph.D. was named head of the technical committee, which has responsibility for such things as the World's Strongest Man officiating, and the formulation of a health policy, which will include a drug-testing policy that will conform with "established international standards." Dr. Todd was described as being "very passionate about the future of the sport." An athlete committee was also formed, with Odd Haugen named in charge of North America, and Colin Bryce named in charge of the rest of the world. This committee will have responsibility for such things as athlete selection and recruitment.

The competition machine, while hugely formidable in terms of its integrated competitions, high level of prize money and far reaching television exposure, was described as an alliance, where all elements are working together for the advancement of strongman as a sport.

Following yesterday's meeting, high-ranking officers responsible for the World's Strongest Man Super Series and the World's Strongest Man contest provided a detailed glimpse of what is in store for the future of strongman.

First, all athletes will want to know that the only way to qualify for the 2005 World's Strongest Man contest is through the World's Strongest Man Super Series, period, and the first event in the series is the strongman contest at the Arnold Expo. Second, four World's Strongest Man Super Series events are planned for this year and the top two finishers at each event will qualify for the 2005 World's Strongest Man contest. In addition, at the end of the Super Series events, the next two highest placers, on cumulative points, will also qualify for the World's Strongest Man contest. Finally, there is a provision for wild card entrants who would come from sports other than strongman, but even so, they would have to compete in a minimum of two Super Series events to be eligible for the World's Strongest Man competition.

Total prize money for the 2005 Super Series and the 2005 World's Strongest Man contest will be a minimum of US$350,000.

Stating that they do not recognize IFSA, the World's Strongest Man Super Series spokesman said that due to a situation created by external forces, all competitors at this year's Arnold strongman contest will have to sign a statement requiring participation in the 2005 World's Strongest Man contest if they qualify.

With 49 days and counting until the Arnold Expo, Jim Lorimer introduced yesterday's Committee Chairpersons meeting with press coverage highlights, and one writer minced no words, calling the event "the greatest show on earth."


As the Committee Chairperson meeting ended yesterday, Jim Lorimer took a moment to pose with the signature ad for this year's event (Columbus, Ohio). Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

With more than half a dozen Olympic sports on the schedule, and the promise of seeing everything from, for example, some of the world's top strongmen to young kids just starting off in gymnastics or fencing, the Arnold Fitness Weekend has something for just about everyone - and the expectation is that about 100,000 people will be there to prove the point.

At yesterday's meeting, Steve Slater's status report on the strongman contest confirmed that the competition will include the same events as last year - although the Hummer deadlift setup has been prepared to go over 1,000 pounds this year - and there will be an absolutely world-class field of competitors. Columbus Weightlifting Club's Megan Tornstrom and Mark Cannella reported on the weightlifting competition, which they brought to the Arnold with great success - winning rave reviews from California Governor Arnold Schwarzegger himself - and at Mr. Lorimer's invitation, they were joined by IronMind's Randall Strossen, who gave a recap of the invitation accepted by a stellar delegation from the Chinese Weightlifting Assocation, which includes a top coach and two gold medalists from the Athens Olympics. Scientifically-minded strength athletes should be sure to catch the strength summit seminars - StrengthPro's David Sandler has some top names in the strength world ready to teach and inspire you, and while he kidded about not being the most exciting thing going on at the show, when you see his lineup, you will want to stop by.

Yoga, table tennis, cheerleading, archery and dance sport are just a few of the other choices available to you if you're looking for something besides heavy duty lifting.

The room was buzzing with energy as the people responsible for the individual events and services that make the Arnold Fitness Weekend what it is are getting ready to raise the curtain.

Check http://www.arnoldexpo.com/ for event details and ticket information.

Speaking from the US Olympic Training Center yesterday, Shane Hamman said that Dragomir Cioroslan has been urging him not to retire quite yet.


Shane Hamman blew up this 192.5-kg snatch at the 2004 Olympics (Athens, Greece). Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Shane Hamman is coming off a PR/American record performance at the 2004 Olympics, but he had been planning to retire - those plans just might be changing now.

Currently his training is pretty light, but Shane said that he is reconsidering taking another shot at the World Championships, and that he's about "fifty-fifty" on it right now.

Lifting fans see Shane Hamman - with hard training and a good day - as a medal prospect at the 2005 World Weightlifting Championships, and if he can manage this tremendous feat, he will be the first American man to accomplish this since Wes Barnett did it in 1997.

Clay Edgin hasn't just been making huge strides in his crushing grip - lately, he seems to be taking things to the very edge.


Last month, at Steve Belanger's great Grip Gathering, Clay Edgin demonstrated what crushing grip is all about: No smoke and mirrors, just starting with the full credit card gap, Clay laid some serious horsepower on the exact 2004 No. 3 Captains of Crush gripper that had him stalled out earlier in the year. No contest this time - Clay walked right through this challenge like it was a piece of paper. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Clay just reported, "Dave Morton, Greg Amidon, myself and a couple others get online several times a week and train our grip via webcam.

Well last night Dave dared me to see if I could crack a nut between the handles of my #3 but the only nuts in the house (besides yours truly) were some peanuts in the shell. I smooshed the first couple of nuts and then figured out that you have to grind the handles of the gripper to make the shell disintegrate. I tried with a #4 but I wasn't strong enough. I also smashed a bottlecap between the #3 handles but that wasn't as hard as the peanut. Then I asked Dave if he thought smashing a penny with a gripper was possible and he didn't know, so I took a gripper that was about the strength of the Trainer and over the course of a few squeezes managed to bend the penny in half. Getting the initial bend was pretty tough, but after that it went easy."

Not content to sit around and twiddle their thumbs while Clay had all the fun, Dave bent 30 IronMind Red Nails and Greg bent 20 IronMind Red Nails over the course of about an hour and a half.

Way to go guys!

If you want to see some great strongman coverage, be sure to catch the MHP All Strength shows on Fox Sports, beginning this Wednesday.

NASS vice president Dione Wessels said that this Wednesday, strongman fans will have a chance to see the 2004 All Nations competition, featuring USA versus Canada. Check schedule details here, under "All Strength USA":

http://msn.foxsports.com/tv/schedule?regionCategoryId=277&date=2005-01-12&submit_button=Submit

We understand that the coverage area is over 50 million homes, so a lot of people will have a chance to watch some of the top strongmen in action - tune in and cheer for your favorite(s).

At least in the US, we heard that a lot of people were caught by surprise and either missed the initial airing of the 2004 World's Strongest Man contest or just happened to be channel surfing at the right moment and caught it by good fortune.


With the first event just finished, Vasyl Virastiuk casts a hungry eye toward the rest of the 2004 World's Strongest Man contest (Paradise Island, Bahamas). Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Don't despair if you missed it the first time around, or if maybe you'd just like to see it again, because NASS vice president Dione Wessels passed along the link with the TV schedule:

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tvlistings/scheduleWeek?sport=BL

Get up early on Monday or set your VCR: Programming begins at 6:00 am Eastern time.

Mariusz Pudzianowski and Glenn Ross have been invited to compete in the Arnold Strongman contest, filling the roster for the 2005 contest, confirmed contest coordinator Terry Todd, Ph.D.


Polish strongman star Mariusz Pudzianowski will be at the Arnold Strongman contest. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Mariusz Pudzianowski "really seems to me to be a natural choice," said Dr. Todd, citing Pudzianowski's consistently top performances and his tremendous improvement from his first to his second appearance in the Arnold. Regarding the Polish star's recent IFSA suspension based on a drug test, Dr. Todd said that even though he does not know the specifics of the test involved, his understanding is that the test did not follow a WADA protocol, or similar standard, "so the wiser course was to invite Mariusz to the Arnold."

Glenn Ross, Dr. Todd said, "is just brutally strong. He has raw, brute strength."

The final field is Van Hatfield, Brian Siders, Vasyl Virastiuk, Zydrunas Savickas, Magnus Samuelsson, Svend Karlsen, Mark Philippi, Hugo Girard, and now, Mariusz Pudzianowski and Glenn Ross.

"Everybody is ready to go," Dr. Todd said.

Ulf Bengtsson, president of the World's Strongest Man Super Series, said today that his overall philosophy is to seek win-win situations in the pursuit of advancing the sport of strongman.

Besides reflecting this philosophy, Bengtsson's leadership position in the new strongman alliance - which comprises the original Super Series, along with the World's Strongest Man and the Arnold Strongman contests - is likely to be marked by his beliefs that the sport needs fewer rumors, and more coordination, along with perfectly clear policies.

Thus, for example, while opening embracing the need for a drug-testing policy in the sport of strongman, Bengtsson emphasized that is must be clearly articulated and viable from all perspectives if it is to have any meaning and value.

Beginning this year, due to this new alliance, the entire qualification process for World's Strongest Man has changed, and Bengtsson said that there will be a minimum of four Super Series events, which will serve as the qualifiers for the 2005 World's Strongest Man contest.

It's official: UNLV strength coach Mark Philippi has been invited to the Arnold Strongman contest.


Mark Philippi on the tire flip at the 2004 US Strongman Nationals (MHP Pro Strongman Invitational) in Atlanta, Georgia. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Terry Todd, who heads the Arnold strongman contest, said that he had conferred with David Webster and Bill Kazmaier, and there was strong agreement that based on Mark's performances at the 2004 Arnold (which included winning the prestigious Hummer Deadlift event) and at the Nationals (where he produced another solid performance), he should be included in the 2005 event, which will feature a top-flight field of strongmen.

After Bill Kazmaier retired from strongman competition, there was an extreme shortage of Americans competing in the top events, but then Phil Martin made a big splash in 1995 and then within another two years, Mark Philippi was making a name for himself on the international circuit, earning some real respect for American strongmen.

Hjalti Arnason just called to tell us about something that is going to leave strongman fans on the edge of their seats: A film is being made on the late, great Jon Pall Sigmarsson, and it is going to be as spectacular as its subject.

Hjalti "The Great Ursus" Arnason is something of a legend in strongman circles and when he provides detail on how Jon Pall trained, for example, it's going to have the added edge of someone who was in the gym rep-by-rep with strongman's first superstar, Jon Pall Sigmarsson. And instead of a few shaky clips from a handheld, consumer-level video camera, the footage is top caliber, as Hjalti explained that the filmmakers have acquired the rights from TWI to use original World's Strongest Man film. Added to that, Hjalti said, this project is going to be led by someone who is extremely well known and accomplished in the film industry, so everyone can expect a strongman documentary of a level that has never been seen.

We'll keep you posted on developments, and if you're a strongman fan or competitor, look toward the north tonight and say, "Thank you."

Hold a heavy strongman contest and the really strong guys will show up, so it's no surprise that Brian Schoonveld just confirmed that he will be competing in the FitExpo's strongman contest next month.


Schoonie pressing the Apollon Wheels at the 2004 Arnold Strongman competition: It might not on the Olympic program any more, but pressing remains a fundamental test of strength, and if you made a short list of the top pressers in strongman, you'd find Brian Schoonveld's name in the thick of things. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

The FitExpo strongman contest will span two days, featuring three events per day. Day one will see:

IronMind's Apollon Axle for maximum weight
farmer's walk with 400 pounds in each hand
a medley comprising a 600-pound front carry, 500-pound power stairs and loading a 400-pound sand bag

Day two will continue with:

side handle deadlift for maximum weight
1,000-pound yoke for distance
stone loading

Odd Haugen just received a 410-pound natural stone as his anniversary present and it will be included in the loading event. "It's a great lifting stone - very challenging," Odd said, but he noted that he lifted it, in front of witnesses, the first time he tried, so he feels it is fair to include it in the contest.

As a typical Odd Haugen strongman contest, expect things to be "heavy, short and sweet," and to drive the point home, Odd said, "Somebody very strong will win."

Mark your calendars for the FitExpo: Pasadena, California, February 18 � 20, and keep your eye on their official web site for more details: http://www.thefitexpo.com/ .

Strongman producer Colin Bryce said that filming has begun for the new Magnus Samuelsson DVD, and that it will include attempts at closing a No. 4 Captains of Crush gripper and breaking the world record in the Rolling Thunder, as well as in the heavy stones - so if you want bigger, stronger arms, and a world-class grip, here's your chance to learn from someone who personifies all three qualities.


With some of the world's very strongest hands and arms, Magnus Samuelsson grabs a winning time in the truck pull at the 2004 WSM contest - when you have arms with this kind of size and strength, it's almost like having an extra pair of legs (Paradise Island, Bahamas). Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Colin Bryce said that World's Strongest Man winner Magnus Samuelsson will also explain some of the more technical aspects associated with strongman event training, as related to arm power, such as the stones and arm-over-arm pulling events. And for those of you who are interested arm wrestling, Magnus, who was the European champion in the sport before he got into strongman, will give you an introduction as only he can.

Not to sound like a late-night infomercial or some self-promoting spammer, but there's even more, so stay tuned and we'll keep you posted on how things are developing.

Everyone who is interested in grippers and grip strength has another place to go on the Internet now: http://www.grippermania.com/ has been launched and from we have seen and heard, this forum is friendly, positive, and committed to bringing grip strength into more of the mainstream on the Internet.

Whether you are a beginner or have been into grip strength for a while, give this site a try - ask a question, provide an answer, or just share some of your enthusiasm with other people who have been bitten by the grip(per) bug.

Tommy Heslep has added to his laurels as a high-octane grip-strength guy because he has just been certified as officially bending an IronMind Red Nail.

Hoping to perform his official bend before Christmas, Tommy succeeded, with the well-known iron game historian and collector Reuben Weaver acting as his official witness. Recognizing Tommy's accomplishment, IronMind has added his name to the Red Nail Roster: /Main/rednailroster.html

Tommy's accomplishment is even more noteworthy because he now joins David Morton in the extremely exclusive group of guys who have been certified on both the Red Nail and on the No. 4 Captains of Crush gripper: /Main/captainswhosnew.html

Congratulations to Tommy Heslep!

Following its big presentation to the athletes and organizers invited to its London conference a couple of weeks ago, IFSA Strongman has just issued a statement listing some of the key elements in its strategy for expanding the sport.

Using a structure of continental championships that will lead up to "an overall world title [with] a total prize fun of over $1m per annum," IFSA Strongman envisions growing the sport with vehicles such its Pro Team, a hand-selected group of the leading strongmen whose role is "to represent the sport in a series of planned game shows and celebrity events."