USSF founder Ty Phillips told IronMind® that his amateur strongman organization has joined forces with Powerfest "to host/sanction powerlifting and strongman shows all over the US."

Phillips said that some 2007 contest announcements will be coming out soon, and you can keep your finger on the pulse of USSF developments, including their joint efforts with Powerfest, by checking the USSF website.

With his membership booming, George Champlin told IronMind® that grippermania.com turned two today.

Champlin turned his enthusiasm for all things grip into a popular internet meeting place for people who are driven to do such extreme things as get certified on the No. 3 Captains of Crush® Gripper or give the Blob serious air time, as well as for mere mortals who recognize the benefits of progressive grip strength training and would like to share ideas with like-minded individuals. Champlin modestly describes himself as a "a little cog in the great sport of grip," but his positive contributions have not gone unnoticed in the grip community.

Happy Birthday!

Mikhail Koklyaev and Zydrunas Savickas were tied coming into the final event, so the winner of their duel would be the 2006 IFSA World Champion.

The last event was the stones, and to set the stage, the world record holder in the event, Travis Ortmayer, had the fastest time, 28.97, before Koklyaev went. Koklyaev ran through the stones in an impressive 29.21 seconds, so now the ball was in Savickas's court and the big man wasted no time in dropping the hammer: His time of 25.65 seconds gave him the title and a new IFSA world record.

Finals places for were:

1. Savickas
2. Koklyaev
3.Virastyuk
4. Blekaitis
5. Mirumets
6. Szczepanski
7. Benedikt Magnusson
8. Thompson
9. Best
10. Ortmayer
11. Brusokas
12. Katona

IFSA CEO Christian Fennell told IronMind®, "We do this for the competitors," and Magnus Ver Magnusson, who was pivotal in organizing the contest, said that the competitors told him that it was "the best and hardest contest they had ever been in."

Praising the work done by Magnus Ver Magnusson and others in IFSA, Fennell said, "This was a true test of a world champion in strength events . . . There was no place to hide."

Fennell said that this contest would be broadcast in over 219 countries and looking toward 2007, Fennel said, "The best thing IFSA can give its athletes is a full slate of top quality events," mentioning plans to build on and expand what IFSA has accomplished this year.

Prize money was paid on the spot, said Fennell, with US$45,000 for first place, US$25,000 for second place and US$15,000 for third place.

After four events on the first day of the IFSA World Championships, Zydrunas Savickas and Mikhail Koklyaev are tied for the lead, with 40.5 points.

Vasyl Virastyuk is in third place, with 36 points, and here are the places and points for the whole field:

1-2. Savickas, Koklyaev 40.5 points
3. Virastyuk 36 points
4. Benedikt Magnusson 31.5 points
5. Blekaitis 31 points
6. Murumets 29 points
7. Szczepanski 22.5 points
8. Best 21 points
9. Thompson 19 points
10. Ortmayer 15 points
11. Katona 13.5 points
12. Brusokas 5.5 points

The day's competition began with the deadlift for reps (320 kg), and Koklyaev and Savickas tied for first with 10 reps, followed by Szczepanski at nine, Bleikaitis at eight and then Best, Katona and Benedikt Magnusson all tied at seven.

Murumets won the farmer's walk (160 kg, 50 meters for time), with a new IFSA world record. Benedikt Magnusson was second, followed by Virastyuk in third, Best in fourth and Koklyaev in fifth place.

Savickas won the log lift and, as reported earlier, attempted a new IFSA world record with 215 kg, but did not make it. Magnus Ver Magnusson told IronMind® that it appeared that Savickas lost his balance and while another attempt would not have been allowed, Savickas had enough time to try the weight again, but chose not to. Savickas won with 200 kg, Virastyuk was second with 190 and Koklyaev and Thompson tied with 180 kg.

The last event today was the Toyota Wheelbarrow, which was won by Koklyaev, followed by Virastyuk, and then Savickas.

The action continues tomorrow, and Magnus Ver Magnusson said that he is extremely pleased with how things are going so far. Asked about the prize money for the winner, Magnus Ver said that he was not in those discussions, but that the total prize money for the contest was US$160,000.

With one event remaining in the first day of the IFSA World Championships, Zydrunas Savickas is leading, with Mikhail Koklyaev in second place.

Zydrunas Savickas reportedly just missed an IFSA world record attempt in the log lift, with 215 kg.

Phil Pfister just called IronMind® to say that he's minutes from appearing on the Megan Mullally Show, again.

What's Phil doing? With Megan on his back, Phil is going to race the North American Wife-Carrying Champion . . .

The great Quebecer strongman Hugo Girard and California's own Ken Brown - world record holder in the Silver Dollar Deadlift - honored IronMind with a visit yesterday and as part of the fun, our Inch dumbbell got so much airtime that it could almost qualify for elite flyer status.


Working his way back from surgery, Hugo Girard made pressing IronMind®'s Inch dumbbell look like child's play. IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.
 

Hugo Girard, who holds the world record for pressing a replica Inch dumbbell for reps, wasted little time elevating the brute for everyone at IronMind® yesterday - pumping out reps that didn't look very hard. Hugo is healing up well, and along their way to IronMind® yesterday, Ken and Hugo stopped at a gym to train, and Hugo's workout included "squatting three plates," Ken said. Look for Hugo to return to strongman competition next June.

Meantime, it's a lot of training and exhibitions, where, as you might guess, Hugo handles an Inch replica so much that he said, "It feels like a toy." Incidentally, Hugo, who has a tremendous grip, said that after he has lifted a lot of large, heavy things in his exhibitions, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out an IMTUG®, which he closes for the crowd. "It is so small, after seeing all the big things I lift, they think they can close it, but they can't," Hugo said with a smile.

Speaking of grip strength, Ken Brown, as MILO® readers know, is certified on the No. 3 Captains of Crush® Gripper, and even before he tried to dent a flatbed with his chin in a strongman contest, we had Ken pegged as a MILO® guy. Over the years, we have consistently seen that if someone does unusually well with Captains of Crush® Grippers on his first try, it's more likely to be a guy who has done hard work with his hands than guy who can, say, bench press over 600 pounds and deadlift over 800 pounds. Well, Ken has all three going - he grew up on a ranch and among his many big lifts, he has exceeded both of those numbers just mentioned. Looking forward, Ken said he's been invited to the strongman contest that Odd Haugen is putting on at the 2007 FitExpo, and he's considering doing it, but whether he enters it or not, the world record in the silver dollar deadlift gets nervous whenever Ken Brown walks into the room.


Besides lifting huge weights, Ken's a rancher, and since Hugo eats several pounds of beef a day, we wondered if Ken gets nervous about his livestock every time Hugo comes down for a visit. IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

You can call him Salem Jaber (Qatar) or Yani Marchokov (Bulgaria), but either way, he's a super super, and he told IronMind® today that he's lifting at the Asian Games.


Salem Jaber ripping a 210-kg snatch, good for the gold medal at the 2003 World Weightlifting Championships. IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Jaber told IronMind® today that he is lifting in Doha at the upcoming Asian Games, which is good news for weightlifting fans because this is the guy who has snatched 210 kg at both the 2001 and the 2003 World Weightlifting Championships, and at the 2001 Worlds, he also cleaned 263 kg (only to miss the jerk). Jaber is big among weightlifting fans for the way he lifts: It's raw power that launches the bar.

Jaber said that he has a back problem which has hampered him and that he only has two months of training under his belt coming into this contest. Still, he said he has been snatching 190 - 195 kg in training, and cleaning and jerking about 230 kg, so even if not at the very top of his game, expect to see him lift some very respectable weights in Doha in a couple of weeks.

"It was pretty cool," Magnus Ver Magnusson said.

Describing the amphitheater-type setting that had been created in the Alcan warehouse by rearranging the aluminum blocks waiting to be shipped, he could also have been describing the temperature, because the warehouse hosting the qualifying round of the IFSA World Championships wasn't heated and the temperature was estimated to be about -9 degrees Celsius (about 15 degrees Fahrenheit). This "shouldn't be a problem for tough guys," Magnus Ver said, "unless they don't make them like they used to."

Koklyaev, Best, Benedict Magnusson and Brusokas qualified from the first heat. Savikas, Murumets, Blekaitis, and Thompson qualified from the second heat. Virastyuk, Ortmayer, Szczepanski and Katana qualified from the third heat.

IFSA world records were broken in the farmer's walk (Best), overhead block/stone lift (Savickas) and the Atlas Stones - where the record first fell to Savickas, only to be rebroken by Solvi, and then out came Ortmayer, who blistered the event, breaking the record for the third and final time today.

That legendary arm wrestler John Brzenk won both the 199 -242-pound and +243-pound classes in Boomtown last night isn't surprising, but the king of the table, who sports an an unreal looking forearm, said that he might be taking a shot at getting certified on the No. 3 Captains of Crush® Gripper.


Legendary arm wrestler John Brzenk demonstrates one of his gripper training techniques with a brand new No. 1.5 Captains of Crush® Gripper. Look at the Brzenk forearm, which had just mowed down all comers at the International Tournament of Champions at the Boomtown Casino and Hotel. IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.
 

Arm wrestling and grip training go together like ham and eggs, and while John Brzenk has regularly trained on Captains of Crush® Grippers and was one of the first guys to latch onto IM TUG®s, last night he made it clear that he might be ramping up his grip training. John told IronMind®'s Randall Strossen that he has enjoyed meeting more grip guys because so many of them are also interested in arm wrestling and, he said, he might be getting more serious about his own grip training . . . and going for his certification on the No. 3 Captains of Crush® Gripper.

John Brzenk said that one of the things he likes to include as part of his gripper training is a movement that combines an arm wrestling position with closing the gripper - something he demonstrated with a No. 1.5 Captains of Crush® Gripper.

Arm wrestling prowess and grip strength aside, the Breznk lower arm is one of the wonders of the world - train hard and maybe you too will leave Popeye looking frail.

Besides John Brzenk, the other winners in the men's pro right division were: Roger Nowatske (0 - 154 pounds), Cobra Rhodes (155 - 176 pounds), and Bryan Johnson (177 - 198 pounds). On the women's side, Tamara Mitts won the 0 - 143 pound category and Renee Mahoney won the ladies +144-lb. category.

IronMind has just learned the exact location of the IFSA World Championships.

The qualifiers of the 2006 IFSA World Championships are tomorrow and they will be held at the Alcan factory in Reykjavik. Admission is free, Magnus Ver Magnussson said, and he told IronMind® that he thinks the first heat will begin at 2:00 pm, the second heat at about 4:30 or 5:00 pm and the third heat will start at about 8:00 pm, so if you're a strongman fan and will be in the area, be sure to stop by.

The drawing has been completed for the IFSA World Championships and here are the heats for the qualifiers.

Heat 1

1.Koklyaev
2. Dolan
3. Best
4. Benedikt Magnusson
5. Brusokas
6. Lotta
7. Pedan
8. Johanson

The events for Heat 1 will be: Farmer's Walk, Shield Carry, Overhead Block Lift, Deadlift with Apollon's Axle and a Medley (Tire Flip and Block Loading)

Heat 2
1. Savickas
2. Murumets
3. MacDonald
4. Blekaitis
5. Hams
6. Thompson
7. Smith
8. Georg Agmundsson

The events in Heat 2 will be: Medley (Tire Flip and Block Loading), Farmer's Walk, Overhead Block Lift, Deadlilft with Apollon's Axle and Atlas Stones.

Heat 3

1. Virastyuk
2. Kazelniks
3. Ortmayer
4. Stefan Salvi
5. Illikainen
6. Szczepaaski
7. Katona
8. Kershbaumer

The events for the third heat are Atlas Stones, Shield Carry, Log Lift, Deadlift with Apollon's Axle, and a Medley (Tire Flip and Block Loading).

Forewarned and forearmed: the big guns are setting up in Boomtown this weekend as some of the world's top arm wrestlers will be hitting town.


Marcio Barboza (right) and Eric Woelfel made the cover of the March 2005 issue of MILO® after they locked horns in Boomtown in 2004. IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

There will be plenty of action, with such headline names as John Brzenk, Marcio Barboza, Cobra Rhodes and Rick Vardell expected to compete in the International Tournament of Champions. Over $12,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded and this is the final 2007 Arnold qualifier.

For full details, please check USA Armwrestling's website or just plan to stop by the Boomtown Casino and Hotel in Verdi, Nevada this weekend.

What are the actual events for IFSA World Championships?

For the qualifiers, there will be three heats, and the three team leaders will draw for their heats, just as they draw for the athletes in their groups. Once again, the idea is to keep things as fair as possible, IFSA's Marcel Mostert told IronMind®.

Here are the events, officially, for each heat:

Heat 1

1. Deadlift/Apollon Axle; reps, 320 kg
2. Block Lift Overhead
3. Farmers Walk: time, 125 kg, 75 meters
4. Shield Carry for Distance; 182.5 kg
5. Medley: Tire Flip + Block Loading

Heat 2

1. Block Lift Overhead; max weight
2. Farmer's Walk: time, 125 kg, 75 meters
3. Deadlift/Apollon Axle; reps, 320 kg.
4. Atlas Stones; 120-, 140-, 150-, 160-, 170-kg
5. Medley: Tire Flip + Block Loading

Heat 3

1. Log Lift; reps, 125 kg
2. Deadlift/Apollon Axle; reps, 320 kg
3. Shield Carry for Distance; 182.5 kg
4. Atlas Stones; 120-, 140-, 150-, 160-, 170-kg
5. Medley: Tire Flip + Block Loading

If you haven't had a chance to see the WSMSS Mohegan Sun Grand Prix, Eurosport is giving you a second chance this Friday.

WSMSS Tour Director Jesper Albanson told IronMind® that the Mohegan Sun Grand Prix will air on Eurosport tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. Also, the WSMSS Moscow Grand Prix will air on Eurosport next Friday, November 24.

These two contests are part of the buildup to the 2006 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man contest, which was held in Sanya, China in September.

Now that strongman fans know about the random drawing that will be used to divide the competitors in the upcoming IFSA World Championships, the question has to be, "Who's in which bowl?"

And here's the answer:

1. Muramets, Kazelniks, Dolan
2. Ortmayer, McDonald, Best
3. three Icelanders
4. Blekaitis, Schepanski, Brusokas
5. Lotta, Hams, Ilikainen
6. Katona, Thompson, Pedan
7. Smit, Johanson, Kershbau

For years, one of the bones of contention in top strongman contests has been who's in which heat, opening the door for all sorts of problems - both real and imagined.


Looking like he's ready for a TV commercial or an action movie, Marcel Mostert is one of the key people behind the upcoming IFSA World Championships. IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.
 

The qualifying rounds of the upcoming IFSA World Championships will take a decidedly non-traditional approach, though, and they will be structured as follows: three heats of eight athletes . . . which might not sound too radical, but the details of how this will be done stand to be quite dramatic.

The kicker is that instead of sorting the competitors into heats based on whatever decision rules are favored, the IFSA World Championships are going to use a random drawing. Three team leaders have been designated, based on the IFSA rankings: Zydrunas Savickas, Mikhail Koklyaev and Vasyl Virastyuk. The remaining pool of 21 athletes are divided into seven bowls, each with three competitors, and in turn, the team leaders will draw a name from the first bowl, then move on to the second bowl, and so forth. IFSA's Marcel Mostert told IronMind®, "This has never been done before in strongman," and Mostert agreed that the drawing itself will generate interest. It will "make good TV," Mostert said. "The drawing will be filmed and will be exciting."

Mostert has been a leading organizer of strongman contests for years and he said, "I'm very happy that finally this is the most fair competition ever, and nobody can moan about seeded heats, athletes, etc. May the strongest win!"

More than once, we've been told about how so-and-so's big lift was faked with aluminum plates, but when the curtain rises at the IFSA World Championships next week, if there are aluminum weights, you can bet that they will be for real.

With Alcan as a sponsor and Magnus Ver Magnusson designing events, it seems reasonable to expect to see some very special equipment used in the upcoming IFSA World Championships, and it will be made of aluminum.

IFSA already made its mark on strongman equipment with its Jamie Reeves-designed stainless steel implements, striking to look at and part of the IFSA initiative to include some standardized events in its contests. Since IFSA has not released any details about its events yet, this remains speculation, but if Magnus Ver has come up with something along the lines that we are guessing, it would continue this process of IFSA innovations in strongman equipment and it would provide two specific, additional benefits: a natural showcase for the major sponsor Alcan, and elevating Magnus Ver's favorite overhead lift - the rock lift - to new heights.

In the absence of official word from IFSA, additional speculation is that this lift would be run in a progressively-heavy series, and maybe it would go well beyond the range of just several levels of difficulty. If so, how many? Eight? Ten? Twelve? Continuing down the path of rumors regarding events, it also might be very reasonable to see trucks used for the wheelbarrow or the Hercules Hold, but only, time will tell.

The qualifiers for the IFSA World Championships are expected to be on Monday, run in one day, and then the finals will be November 24 - 25, but once again, this is based on hearsay rather than an official IFSA statement.

Stage seven of the World Strongman Cup is set for Grodzisk Mazowiecki, Poland and wait until you see the lineup of competitors.


Jarek Dymek practically came back from the dead to forge ahead in this year's MET-Rx World's Strongest Man contest, and he will be in the star-studded field competing in Poland in the World Strongman Cup on November 25. IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.
 

World Strongman Cup manager listed his starting field as:

1 . Mariusz Pudzianowski - Poland
2 . Raivis Vidzis - Latvia
3 . Tarmo Mitt - Estonia
4 . Slawomir Toczek - Poland
5 . Kevin Nee - USA
6 . Antanas Abrutis - Lithuania
7 . Terry Hollands - England
8 . Jarek Dymek - Poland
9 . Elbrus Nigmatullin - Russia
10. Sebastian Wenta - Poland
11. Stoyan Todorchev - Bulgaria
12. Jessen Paulin - Canada

Vlad said that the events will be:

1. Farmer's Walk: 2 x 150 kg - 40m for time
2. Axle Lift: 150 kg for reps
3. Medley: 3 sacks -5 m to platform + Tire Flips 6 reps
4. Deadlift for Reps (car)
5. Yoke (car): 360 kg, 20m for time;
6. Atlas stones: 120, 130, 140, 160, 180 kg for time

"We have mini WSM in Poland!!!," Vlad said.

"I just received the air dates for this year's WSMSS on Channel 5," World's Strongest Man Super Series Tour Director Jesper Albanson told IronMind.


World's Strongest Man Super Series Tour Director Jesper Albanson (left) runs through some details with Bill Kazmaier at the 2006 Mohegan Sun Grand Prix. IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Known simply as Five, this is the huge UK channel, so if you're a strongman fan and you want to see the run up to the 2006 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man contest, tune in and enjoy the shows on consecutive Fridays, beginning on December 1:

Mohegan Sun Grand Prix: December 1 at 20.00
Moscow Grand Prix, December 8 at 20.00
Poland Grand Prix, December 15 at 20.00

Clearly pleased with the placement, Albanson said, "Pretty good time slots if you ask me!"

It's recognized throughout the strength world and anyone who can do it deserves quite a hand - officially closing the No. 3 Captains of Crush® Gripper is one tough feat of strength and Brian Brouwer has just succeeded in joining the elite list of men who have been certified on this legendary gripper.


Brian Brouwer just got certified on the No. 3 Captains of Crush® Gripper, so give him a hand. IronMind® | Photo courtesy of Shane Delaney, Iron Dog Fitness.

Brian said that he grew up working hard on his family's dairy farm in Nova Scotia and if anyone doubts the ability of hard honest work to develop incredible grip strength, consider that Brian banged out seven reps on the No. 2 Captains of Crush® Gripper the first time he tried it. Shane Delaney, president of Iron Dog Fitness, said that Brian closed the No. 3 "very easily" with his right hand, then did it with his left as well, before returning to his right hand for another successful squeeze.

Recognizing his accomplishment, IronMind® is proud to certify Brian Brouwer on the No. 3 Captains of Crush® Gripper and we have added his name to the official list: No. 3 CoC Certification.

Congratulations Brian!

Bending nails and other short pieces of steel has long been a part of the strength world, so in 1993 IronMind® launched its Bag of Nails as a way to both facilitate training and standardize accomplishments in this arena - and officially bending the IronMind® Red Nail™, as Thomas Becker has just done, is the universal mark of excellence in this arena.

With Dr. Herman Korte serving as his official witness, Thomas Becker launched into the IronMind® Red and it succumbed his upper body power. Commemorating his accomplishment, IronMind® is proud to certify Thomas Becker on the Red Nail™ and add his name to the the Red Nail Roster, the official list of the men who have succeeded on this benchmarch short bend.

 

If you're a competitive lifter, you know all about lights: White is good and red is not what you want to see.

Steve "Inver Stone" Jeck has been digging in his quarry, and what he just unearthed concerns light(s) of another form, but just as relevant to lifters - competitive as well as recreational. Take a couple of minutes to read and ponder what MILO®'s resident strength athlete philosopher, Steve Jeck, has produced From the Quarry - you can also follow the link to Training Articles on the IronMind® homepage.

 

If you're in the Pennsylvania area and are into weightlifting - as a lifter, coach, or fan - or if you want to learn more about this terrific sport, be a part of the Pittsburgh Open Weightlifting Championships on January 28, 2007.

Regis Becker says, "This meet has been getting bigger, better and more fun every year and if you have not come to lift, coach, cheer or just hang out with a great gang of weightlifting fans you don't know what you're missing!"

For more information, please contact Rege Becker at regis.becker@verizon.net or Kathie Brenneman at kbrenneman@stbarnabashealthsystem.com.

Brad Gillingham just became the 13th male lifter inducted into the IPF Powerlifting Hall of Fame.


Brad Gillingham (USA) won the 2006 IPF Masters World Championships, and based on his recent lifts, despite his long and already illustrious career, the best may yet be on its way. IronMind® | Photo courtesy of Brad Gillingham.
 

Representing the USA and the great state of Minnesota, Brad Gillingham is a proud member of what IronMind® dubbed "the first family of strength": His dad, Gale, is a Green Bay Packer great, his older brother, Karl, is one of the world's top strongmen, and his little brother, Wade, is the reigning king of the GNC Grip Gauntlet. All three Gillingham brothers are sponsored by GNC Pro Performance.

Brad Gillingham hasn't just pulled more +800-pound deadlifts than you could easily count: The two-time IPF super heavyweight world champion has shown everyone the best side of powerlifting. With no suspect lifts or positive drug tests marring a career filled with milestone performances, Brad Gillingham is the kind of lifter who gives powerlifting the sort of credibility it craves.

Brad Gillingham's induction puts him in with some very special company in the powerlifting world: Ron Collins, Larry Pacifico, Hideaki Inaba, Precious McKenzie, Lamar Gant, Don Reinhoudt, Eddie Pengelly, Walter Thomas, Kenneth Mattson, Tony Stevens, Andrzej Stanaszek, and Jarmo Virtanen were previously inducted, making Brad Gillingham, the lucky 13th man to be honored in this very special way.

Among his many accomplishments, Brad Gillingham is the reigning IPF Masters World Champion; he is also a two-time IPF Open World Champion and an IWGA World Games silver medalist.

Congratulations, Brad!

The Svend Karlsen Viking Power Challenge is set for July 7, 2007, so forget about a mere 007 and know that this 0007 will be a big one in strongman.


Considered by most to be the top overall strongman in the world today, Mariusz Pudzianowski, shown churning up the pavement in the bus pull at the 2006 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man contest, will be competing at the 2007 Svend Karlsen Viking Challenge. IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

"We will be very selective in who we choose, only ten in total," Svend and Lene Karlsen said, adding that Mariusz Pudzianowski and Jarek Dymek have already signed. The top two competitors from Norway's Strongest Man will also qualify.

The Jon Pall documentary, which began with a huge splash, is continuing to make waves.

Hjalti Arnason just told IronMind® that, "The 'Jon Pall movie' has been nominated by the Icelandic Film Academy as the potential winner of the 'Best Documentary Film 2006.' 12,000 people have seen the movie [in Iceland], and it is still in theaters."