It's in the in the city center area of Reykjavik, but don't think Magnus Ver Magnusson's new gym is anything but focussed on the gritty side of the training world: powerlifting, strongman, and boxing.


The name Jakabol, "strongman's nest," harkens back to Iceland's mighty roots in the strength world. Photo courtesy of Magnus Ver Magnusson.


Explaining that such Icelandic strength world legends as Jon Pall Sigmarrson and Hjalti Arnason originally trained in "an old place the city gave them . . . it was called Jakabol, which translates to something like "strongman's nest," Magnus said, explaining that he wanted to honor that tradition by picking up the name. "I am going back to the roots, so it's fitting to put that name on it."

Best known as a four-time World's Strongest Man winner, Magnus Ver Magnusson - in good Icelandic tradition - was no slouch as a powerlifter, and this Saturday Jakabol will be hosting a WPC competition. Asked why he was holding a WPC contest instead of an IPF event, Magnus Ver explained that he inherited the presidency of WPC Iceland from a friend of his and that was the reason why. Incidentally, Magnus Ver mentioned that Benedikt Magnusson is slated to compete, which means a big deadlift is very likely to happen so show up and have your cameras ready . . . even a modest number by Benedikt's lofty standards would likely be an impressive weight for just about anyone else.

Still somewhat rough, the gym will be open during peak traffic hours, Magnus Ver Magnusson said, and that members will have keys so that they can train whenever they want to.

"I own so many weights, so much strongman equipment - I have been collecting stuff and just keeping it stored . . . I have been thinking about this for a long time," Magnus Ver told IronMind.

Jakapol is located at Tverholt 19 and the doors open at 9:00 on Saturday, with the contest and cocktail reception following later that day.)

Giants Live has just announced that Gerard Benderoth will be the twelfth competitor at that World's Strongest Man qualifier at the Mohegan Sun on May 17.


Gerard Benderoth has just been added to the field for the Giants Live debut at the Mohegan Sun. Photo courtesy of Deirdre Baker.


Giants Live told IronMind that Benderoth is "really excited about being invited," quoting Benderoth as saying, "I am totally psyched to be part of this show."

The Mohegan Sun is a world-class setting and has a proven record in strongman, so all the elements are in place for a grand kickoff for Giants Live, the official qualifying tour for the World's Strongest Man contest.

For additional details on Giants Live, including ticket information, please visit their website. Tickets for the May 17 show can also be purchased from the Mohegan Sun.)

"I decided three days ago to enter Norway's Strongest Man," Arild Haugen told IronMind today.


Arild Haugen has been training for his boxing debut, but he said he will be joining the field at the 2009 Norway's Strongest Man contest. Photo courtesy of Arild Haugen.


The man dubbed "The Emperor of Stones" said, "I haven't been training strongman at all since WSM 2008, but I think I can do ok, still. My weight is about 132 kg right now and I have very good condition. I thought I would at least do my best to give the guys a fight at the Norwegian championship. The lineup this year is very good. The top four guys are on a very high international level, but I am entering this competition mostly for fun and to help out Svend and the strongman sport in Norway."

"We are also planning a small exhibition of boxing in the great Viking Power Challenge in Stavanger in June. I think I will be the world's strongest boxer," Arild added.

"I am training three times a day: 1 hour of hard cardio, 1.5 hours of boxing and 1.5 hours with weights. My boxing career is going great and I have made a big improvement and we are now planning our first real fight in September, probably in Denmark or Germany."


This is Arild Haugen's private boxing gym - quite a setup. Photo courtesy of Arild Haugen.)

May 9 is the big day for the 2009 edition of Strongman Champions League. as the season starts in Sobotica, Serbia.


Strongman Champions League is ready to roll in 2009 and opening day will be May 9 in Sobotica, Serbia. Image courtesy of Marcel Mostert/Strongman Champions League.


Here is the official start list:

1. Misha Koklyaev (Russia)
2. Travis Ortmayer (USA)
3. Ervin Katona (Serbia)
4. Andrus Murumets (Estonia)
5. Agris Kazelniks (Latvia)
6.Tobias Ide (Germany)
7. Jarno Hams (Netherlands)
8.Simon Sulaiman (Syria)
9. Szabo Zsolt (Hungary)
10. Martin Wildauer (Austria)
11. Igor Mitrovich (Serbia)
12. Radojca Marinkovic (Serbia)

The events are: Atlas stones, weight for height, log lift (reps, 135 kg), farmer's walk (160 kg), deadlift and car pull.)

"We had warm, sunny weather, everyone lifted well and we raised $5,400 for the American Lung Association," William 'Fullsterkur' Crawford, M.D. told IronMind.


Here's the cast of hardy souls - including Dana Florence, Erik Sauve, Mike Zolkiewicz and Bill Crawford - who hoisted stones to raise money for the American Lung Association. Photo courtesy of Bill Crawford.


This event was a great success and once again don't expect Bill to rest on his laurels, as he told IronMind, "The Strong for Good will continue to raise ourselves up to give to the greater good.")

Sean Katterle, owner of Hardcore Powerlifting, LLC, told IronMind, "It's live!" . . . meaning the high-resolution version of his no bench shirt-no squat suit meet at the Ronnie Coleman Classic Expo in Dallas can now be seen at bodybuilding.com.


"A few months out from the contest, Jesse Kellum reminded people that he was now 43 years old and that time was running out for the pros who wanted a shot at taking the 'old man' on the super open division platform," Sean Katterle told IronMind. "Well, there were some strong takers on Jesse's challenge but none were up to the task on this day. At 218 pounds body weight Kellum went 750 in the squat (NO knee wraps!), 520 in the raw bench and 680 on the deadlift platform for a highly impressive 1,950 pound total." Photo courtesy of Sean Katterle/Hardcore Powerlifting, LLC.


Produced and promoted by Hardcore Powerlifting, LLC, this contest produced some impressive performances and here's the link to the high-resolution video:

http://webcast.bodybuilding.com/fitshow/2009kingsofbench/webcast/longversion_high.htm.

This contest was produced and promoted by Hardcore Powerlifting, LLC, and Katterle is quick to acknowledge his sponsors: "A special thanks to MHP for putting up $10,000 in cash awards and to SLAPPA.com and EOSportsGear.com for adding over $2,000 worth of prizes to the pile of loot that was up for the winning in Dallas.")

"My kidney transplant has been unbelievable," Svend 'Viking' Karlsen told IronMind today. "I have a feeling I haven't had for years."


Norway's Strongest Man, Viking Power Challenge and World's Strongest Man - all three are connected and the race begins on May 23. Artwork courtesy of Svend 'Viking' Karlsen.


That feeling is one of good health and high energy levels, the Viking explained. "Everything day to day - walking, running - is easy now; I don't get tired. It's a new spring for me."

After going through dialysis 972 times, Viking said that it was almost worth it: "It's like beating your head against a wall for 14 months . . . it feels so good to stop."

And despite all the challenges Svend had endured lately, Norway's Strongest Man and Viking Power Challenge are running ahead at full tilt.

Set for May 23, Norway's Strongest Man will qualify its top three finishers for Viking Power Challenge, which will directly qualify its top four finishers for the 2009 World's Strongest Man contest, Karlsen explained.

The field for Viking Power Challenge is Derek Poundstone, Kevin Nee, Travis Ortmayer, the top three finishers from Norway's Strongest Man, Mikhail Koklyaev, Jarek Dymek, Slawomir Toczek and Stefan-Solvi Petursson.

And guess who's giving a boxing exhibition at the Viking Power Challenge: Arild 'The World's Strongest Boxer' aka 'The Emperor of Stones' Haugen.

"He looks like a god, to be honest" Svend Karlsen said. And don't think Arild is just 134 kg of good-looking muscle - get this: he can do 50 continuous reps from the ground to overhead with a 100-kg log! And if that's not enough, Svend said that Arild has become such a nice guy that "He's like the Norwegian Kevin Nee."

And if that's not enough to keep the Viking busy, when asked about the forthcoming biographical film - A Life in Power - Svend said, "The film itself is ready; we are just waiting for the final piece of music. I really like the final cut: It makes me proud, but it makes me feel old because I have been through so much . . . powerlifting, bodybuilding, pro bodybuilding, strongman. After I watched the film, I truly believed it myself that I am a legend," Svend said with a laugh.)

"It was'a fantastic show with a great crowd on the FIBO in Germany," reported Marcel Mostert.


Five-time World's Strongest Man winner Mariusz Pudzianowski (right) was on at hand at the FIBO strongman contest this past weekend, where Jarno Hams (right), unfortunately, had to withdraw from the competition due to an injury. Marcel Mostert photo.


In addition to the competition, Mostert said that strongman fans had plenty to cheer about as Zydrunas Savickas and Mariusz Pudzianowski were there as spectators.

Travis Ortmayer won the overall title, doing what he came for Mostert said.

Tobias Ide "showed his teeth by setting a new German record in the Log Lift [177.5 kg], on his way to winning the first event. Ortmayer answered with a win on the Circus Dumbbell (with 10 reps). With Ide in for second place on this event, "it looked like it would "become a great battle between Travis and Tobias," Mostert said, but "unfortunately Tobias hurt his biceps in the farmer's walk," causing him to lose too much ground.

Meantime the Austrian 'Deadlift Kid' Martin Wildauer came up with a third place in the Medley and a first place in the Wheel Flip! Wildauer is just 21 years old. With his second place finish, Wildauer earned "a place and ticket to the Strongman Champions League competition in two weeks at 9 May in Serbia!" said Mostert.

"Because of the huge success, next year the FIBO will be bigger again and we hope Travis can defend his title then," said Mostert.

Here are the top six:

1. Travis Ortmayer (USA)
2. Martin Wildauer (Austria)
3. Igor Werner (Germany)
4. Tobias Ide (Germany)
5. Jimmy Laureys (Belgium)
6. Gregor Stegnar (Slovenia))

"The FIBO was a huge success," Heinz Ollesch reported to IronMind: "Travis [Ortmayer] won ahead of the 'Deadlift Kid' Martin Wildauer from Austria, who won the Bavarian Stonelift in great style."


This past weekend Travis Ortmayer added the FIBO strongman contest to his list of 2009 wins. Photo courtesy of Heinz Ollesch.


Igor Werner, the winner from last year's FIBO Classic came in third. Tobias Ide, currently the Strongest Man of Germany came in fourth and set a new German record in the log lift with 177.5 kg. Jarno Hams got injured during the log lift, as did Tobias Ide in the wheel flip, but both should be ok within the next two weeks for the Strongman Champions League in Serbia. Martin Wildauer qualified also for that contest; it's his first time at the Strongman Champions League.)

It's been named as the "official qualifying tour for the World's Strongest Man competition," pretty heady stuff in the strongman world, and here it is, the official press release direct from Giants Live.


Giants Live: It's the official qualifying tour for the World's Strongest Man contest and and May 17 will see the 2009 tour launch at the Mohegan Sun. Artwork courtesy of Giants Live.


Here is the official press release:

GIANTS LIVE NAMED OFFICIAL QUALIFYING TOURFOR WORLD'S STRONGEST MAN COMPETITION

First Event on International Calendar To Be Held on May 17 in Connecticut

GIANTS LIVE (www.giantslive.net/), an arena-based series of live strongman competitions, has been named the Official World's Strongest Man Qualifying Tour for 2009-2011. The first 2009 qualifying event will take place May 17 at the Mohegan Sun Casino Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

"We're totally pumped to have entered into an exclusive partnership to present one of the fastest-growing sports on the globe," said Mark Avery, CEO of AEG ThemeSTAR. "Our expertise in arena-based sports competition promises to deliver a unique entertainment experience - audiences will be truly amazed by incredible feats of strength on a scale that can only be presented in an arena setting."

"It takes a lot of muscle to find the World's Strongest Man, and I'm excited to be part of a powerful three-year collaboration among IMG Sports Media, AEG ThemeSTAR, Crystal Entertainment and Show Productions," said Colin Bryce, former strongman competitor, ex-Olympian and CEO of Show Productions. "Audiences who witness GIANTS LIVE will truly be seeing something unique in the world of strongman competitions."

Each GIANTS LIVE qualifying event will find 12 of the world's greatest strongmen battling for supremacy across six grueling disciplines including Truck Pull, Log Lift, Refrigerator Carry, The Pillars of Hercules, Car Deadlift and Atlas Stones. A top-three finish gains the competitor championship points and a place at the World's Strongest Man Finals.

The end of the GIANTS LIVE season will see the winner crowned "Giants of Strength World Champion." Past champions include five-time World's Strongest Man Mariusz Pudzianowski of Poland, America's Strongest Man Derek Poundstone, Britain's Strongest Man Terry Hollands and seven-time Sweden's Strongest Man Magnus Samuelsson.

The GIANTS LIVE tour will consist of a minimum of four qualifying events in 2009 and will grow to as many as 12 events by 2011. Each GIANTS LIVE qualifying event will be filmed for global television broadcast distribution and, where applicable, local broadcast.

Following the May 17 qualifying event in Connecticut, GIANTS LIVE will travel to Stavanger, Norway for an event on June 6. Additional qualifying events will be announced shortly.

We'll see you first you at the fibo strongman classic on this coming Saturday!

"The Strongman Champions League (SCL) train starts moving again!" SCL co-founder Marcel Mostert told IronMind today.


Strongman Champions League in on a roll - with a feeder contest at FIBO this coming weekend, ten major contests on schedule, and a plan to help get its athletes to the 2009 World's Strongest Man contest. Artwork courtesy of Marcel Mostert.


"Slowly we start the new season, at 25 April on the FIBO Strongman Classic, which is a qualifier for the Strongman Champions league," Mostert said."We will see who s the strongest at the FIBO this year. The FIBO increased the prize money every year, and will "probably have next year" the official SCL Germany status, with a great TV broadcasting all over the world. The best two athletes from this FIBO classic 2009 edition will be guaranteed into the Champions League." For full detail, please visit the official FIBO site.

But that is only the first stop, because as Mostert describes it, "The big locomotive starts his diesel engines at 9 May, with the Strongman Champions League Serbia. There will be top athletes and champions of various countries," with the athletes and the events named next week.

"One week after Serbia already, the diesel starts to get hot," as at 16 May, the second SCL will go off in Finland! The locomotive [continues] with at least 10 "stops worldwide. There s a big chance that the Champions League train will run in front of your house!"

"The top 5 will have places in the Giants Live tour for qualifying at World's Strongest Man (WSM) 2009," Mostert said. "And also, wild cards for the SCL to WSM will be there at the end this SCL season in August. This means for sure that athletes in the SCL tour will be seen in WSM 2009 this year."

"Finally we made it all possible again that all the athletes have chances to qualify for the WSM, which means in my opinion the WSM will have the strongest field ever in her history! It will be very interesting for 2009! We thank TWI/IMG and Giants Live for these possibilities," said Mostert.

So,jump on that train and show your brute strength, cause once you miss that train, you ll have to cry for another year training in your backyard!)

Odd Haugen has been added to the FORTISSIMUS Certification Board, responsible for signing off on the equipment, rules, and refereeing at this premier strongman event.


Whether its running global fitness industry businesses, organizing top strongman competitions, giving guys half his age a run for their money, or getting into the trenches as a referee, Odd Haugen has quite a resume in strongman. Here, Odd encourages Travis Ortmayer at the 2004 NAS Nationals, where Ortmayer won the title. Randall J. Strossen photo.


According to its prepared statement, "FORTISSIMUS WORLD STRENGTH proudly announces that Odd Haugen, Chairman of the Board of World Class Events, worldwide owner of the Super Series, President and CEO for dotFIT Worldwide, the online fitness and nutrition authority providing innovative fitness solutions to fitness facilities and consumers on an international scale, and senior competitor in major strongman competitors, has been nominated on the 2009 FORTISSIMUS Certification Board."

"We consider Odd Haugen as one of the most prominent figures in the worldwide strength community. As a professional strongman he has put together a remarkable track record, outpacing notable competitors half his age. In his professional life he has succeeded as a business executive with a great passion for strength and fitness. Holding a bachelor's degree in exercise physiology, Odd Haugen has earned a Master's degree in Finance from the University of California at Berkeley. His expert eye will be an asset for the 2009 FORTISSIMUS Strongest Man on Earth," Paul Ohl, president of FORTISSIMUS, told IronMind.

Odd Haugen will replace IronMind's Randall Strossen, who resigned, citing concerns about the potential appearance of a conflict of interest. In his resignation letter, Strossen told Ohl, "The ideal candidate should be someone with longstanding involvement in strongman across a variety of high-level competitions and who has demonstrated leadership and earned respect in the field - my sense is that this should be a somewhat senior person and someone with significant ballast in the field. "Odd Haugen is my recommendation to fill my vacancy . . . ."

Hats off to FORTISSIMUS for introducing this concept to the strongman world and congratulations to Odd Haugen for being selected to serve in this capacity.)

Fearsome deadlifter Benedikt Magnusson will be opening the doors to his new heavy lifting "Super Gym" on May 9 with the Icelandic Rolling Thunder® Championships! reported Benedikt's wife, Gemma Taylor [Magnusson].

The doors open at 2:00 and the contest will start at 2:30 p.m.

Those wanting to battle for the title of "Rolling Thunder Icelandic Champion" and to prove their grip is truly the strongest in Iceland can register at 2 p.m. on the day at the gym, which is located at Drangahraun 1B, Hafnarfjordur. Iceland. Entrance to the competition is free and there will be a prize for the champion," explained Gemma.

Benedikt and Gemma welcome everyone to come and see and join "Super Gym," and to keep up to date with all that is happening join the "Super Gym - Iceland Facebook Group".

"Congratulations to Benedikt and Gemma," IronMind's Randall Strossen said. "This gym builds on the great strength tradition that is part of Iceland's culture and what better place for the Land of Fire & Ice to hold its Rolling Thunder® national championships. IronMind is proud to be a part of this grand opening!

Just in case you think that everyone who gets lung cancer is a two-pack-day smoker who deserved what he got, William 'Fullsterkur' Crawford, M.D. told us otherwise when we asked him to explain what motivated him to organize Stone Lifters For Cures - which will be holding a benefit for the American Lung Assocation this weekend.


Already "an Ivy League educated MD," Bill Crawford earned his stripes of another kind when he gained fullsterkur status on the actual Husafell Stone, in its original Icelandic setting. Continuing his march forward, Bill has organized a fund raiser at the New Hampshire State Capitol this Saturday. Eric Sauve photo.


"I organized this event in the memory of my brother-in-law who died last year, a 45-year-old non-smoker," Bill said. "He died of lung cancer and about 10% of those who die from primary lung cancer are non-smokers. The American Lung Association is dedicated to promoting lung health as many long term and fatal lung illnesses are preventable. Funding for lung cancer research is low because the general consensus is that smokers are the only victims so why put energy into research?  Well, we know that non-smokers are susceptible as well."

"This event is a small way to make sense of tragedy. My sister Anita will be coming from North Carolina to help promote the event which will be held at the very steps of the State Capitol here in Concord. The benefit is called Stone Lifters for Cures and [you can access] the website for donations."

"Steve Slater of Slater Stones donated a mold for me make several stones in the 225- to 250-lb range for the event." Steve Jeck also donated signed copies of his inspirational book "The Stone Lifter" to give to participants. We have mobilized for an event to benefit a great cause. The greater story is that we stonelifters, The Strong for Good, will use our passion for stonelifting to benefit others.)

Roll back the calendar to 2003 and the U.S.A. National Rolling Thunder Championships - Odd Haugen won the title, not surprising, but Karl and Wade Gillingham both missed the opening weight of 211 pounds, so they were out of the contest and that was a huge surprise.


There are times, such as this world record weight for height throw by Shannon Hartnett, when you want the implement to fly out of your hand. There are also times, as in Rolling Thunder contests, when you don't. And as George Santayana observed, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Randall J. Strossen photo.


More than one of us thought of this contest when results from the recent European Rolling Thunder Championships hit the airwaves, and the idea that history repeats itself is no mere cliche.

Of course, when Mark Felix didn't coast to his expected victory in Finland, the conspiracy theorists hit their keyboards, pushing all kinds of reasons for the improbable outcome. The keyboards and phones at IronMind have not exactly been idle during this period either, as we have conducted transcontinental and transatlantic inquiries with questions, follow-up questions, and still more questions. After all this toil, we are happy to report that there really doesn't seem to be such a big mystery about what happened in Helsinki and vindicating the work of historians, the major lessons had already been recorded. As Yogi Berra would say, "It's deja vu all over again."

Here's the deal in Finland. Language differences did no favors in the communications process and especially when you are not the promoter, it is easy afterward to say how things might have been done better, but IronMind believes that nothing improper happened. Mark Felix chose not to warm up, probably thinking that the 120 kg he picked for his opener would be such an easy lift, it would be a warm-up weight for him. He had also not reckoned with dialing in such details as the best amount of chalk to use, the impact of having multiple lifters going before him, and so forth. When Mark Felix bombed, the grip world reeled because this was like Mighty Casey striking out.

In actuality, there are many good lessons in this for everyone.

For starters, before anyone criticizes the person who organizes a contest, let him or her show the world their superior offering. Second, just as in weightlifting, the competitor's first job is to get on the board, then to win, and finally to set a record. Mark Felix probably could have gotten away with skipping the warm-ups, not worried about the chalk, and just taken a blink over the top weight, done a routine lift, and secured the win. For his next attempt, he could have nailed something more like the 120 kg, and for his final attempt, with two good lifts under his belt and 300 euros in his pocket, he just might have ripped up a world record lift.

Instead, adding the aggressive opener to no warm-up and too much chalk delivered the third strike and the mighty Mark Felix, instead of hitting a home run, was out.

Sound crazy? Then listen to this.

"Mark Felix was briefed of the rules by Kimmo Kokko and myself," contest organizer Sakari Selkäinaho told IronMind. "We did it very clearly by showing what will pass and what will not pass. Also, 10 minutes before the event I went and asked if he is going to warm up like competitors were doing, he said no. I guess that was his choice."

"Felix came [up to me] after the meet and asked for a chance to retry. We had 25 minutes before the bench meet and I said go ahead. He said he thought he had too much chalk on the handle on the competition. He did 118-123-128-132 solid and lifted up 134.5 kilos but on that he hold the handle not knuckles front but got the weight [Felix's hand had the knuckles turned toward the side on this last attempt]. Only WR 137 kilos stayed on floor. Very solid efforts and there is no doubt that Mark has a world-class grip. I did witness this and will give him credit for this," said Sakari.

"However," Sakari continued, "he was disqualified from competition by his own mistake of starting too high. He did not get his first attempt of 120 kilos off floor.

"I got big thanks from the event organizer K.P. Ourama. He already asked me to run the same meet next year. The Fitness Classic pulled less crowd than ever before, only half of the last year's. We had no problems running the meet and it had approximately 500 spectators, almost same as the big bench meet and fitness events," said Sakari.

"I talked to Mark Felix after the event and thanked him for his efforts," Sakari said. "Also, even with my limited English there is no reason for misunderstanding. In my opinion, Mark Felix is a class act and humble guy and will definitely perform a new record pretty soon in Rolling Thunder."

And if you want to see how this is a case of history repeating itself, read Wade Gillingham's MILO report on the 2003 USA Rolling Thunder National Championships: To win, first you have to show up and then you have to do all the little things right.)

Saying he "set this program up to be able to give Olympic weightlifters an option to lift while earning a degree in college," Derrick Johnson is inviting lifters worldwide to explore the possibility of going to college at Lindenwood University while pursuing their weightlifting careers at the same time.


A lean, mean weightlifting machine: The IronMind Invitational at the 2008 Arnold Sports Festival featured top Chinese weightlifters Zhang Jie and Lu Changliang along with four top American lifters, including Derrick Johnson - and it was Derrick Johnson who first lit up the crowd when he came out to lift with the top of his singlet pulled down. Randall J. Strossen photo.


"I made sure to include international weightlifters in the process to give them the opportunity to 'get an American' education," Johnson said. "Being a part of this program would give an athlete a great training environment, we offer competitive grants to attend Lindenwood University, and the athlete would be coming to a school that has the biggest athletics program in the United States with a heavy international influence."

Saying more, Johnson explained, "A new program has been created in the United States for international weightlifters of all levels. The university has a high level of international students and can accommodate all of their needs including green cards, visas, and current level of English speaking and writing skills. Athletes interested in applying to the weightlifting program at Lindenwood University will be fully outfitted and their expenses to competitions will be paid for including meals, hotels, and travel costs. The athletes accepted into the Lindenwood University weightlifting program will have the option of staying in dorms or on-campus housing, and will receive three meals a day. Lindenwood University will be accepting undergraduates, graduates, transfer students, and international students.  Lindenwood is located in St. Charles, MO, USA,  which is 25 minutes from downtown St. Louis.

For more information on Lindenwood University, please visit the following link, and for additional information on this program, please contact DJohnson2@Lindenwood.edu or Weightlifting@lindenwood.edu.)

What's the secret: why is the guy, completely wasted from a set of 20-rep squats, grinning?


Steve Jeck's Quarry: Instead of lot of words with little content and less direction, this is where you dig in for some high-density, rock-solid insights. Logo courtesy of IronMind Enterprises, Inc.


To check in with Steve Jeck on this subject, follow the menu from the Training Articles button at the top of the IronMind homepage to Steve Jeck's 'From the Quarry' or click here.)

In some ways, it's the worst-kept secret in the strongman world, but based on IronMind's conversations with someone very close to the center of the conversations, it is time to end the rumors and raise the curtain: Giants Live is the new official qualifying tour for the World's Strongest Man contest and the first event in the tour will be on May 17 at the Mohegan Sun.


Giants Live is the official qualifying tour for the World's Strongest Man and on May 17 the 2009 tour begins at the Mohegan Sun.


Although an official press release will be following, here are the most important details.

Mohegan Sun is the kick-off event and tickets, as the cognoscenti know, are on sale Mohegan Sun box office. This first-stop in the 2009 Giants Live tour is scheduled for May 17 at 4:00 p.m.

The next stop with be in Stavanger, Norway on June 6 "and the rest of the tour will be confirmed soon," IronMind was told. "We are very excited about the new tour and hope that we can take strongman competitions to the next level," said this key insider.

Here is the official list of competitors:

Terry Hollands (UK)
Jimmy Marku (UK)
Derek Poundstone (USA)
Hugo Girard (Canada)
Travis Ortmayer (USA)
Misha Koklyaev (Russia)
Brian Shaw (USA)
Mark Felix (UK)
Boris Haraldsson (Iceland)
Sebastian Wenta (Poland)
Johannes Arsjo (Sweden)
Louis-Philippe Jean (Canada)

Subject to change, the events are:

Giant Timber Frame Carry
IronMind's Apollon's Axle
Husafell Stone Carry
Car Deadlift
Giant Log Press
Atlas Stones





World's Strongest Man - the leading name in strongman - has a new official qualifying tour for 2009.)

This month, John Brookfield's Grip Tips combine two very basic exercises, but the mixture delivers an unusually powerful set of benefits.


John Brookfield's Grip Tip this month will test your body from head to toe, giving your cardiovascular system more than a tickle, and the character-building challenges presented by this routines will help you endure whenever the going gets tough.


Follow the link to John Brookfield's Grip Tip from the Training Articles button at the top of the IronMind homepage or click here.)

Bucharest - Ihor Shymechko (Ukraine) had things his way in the +105-kg category at the European Weightlifting Championships, sweeping the gold medals.


Sticking this 203-kg snatch, Ihor Shymechko won his first of three gold medals in the superheavyweight class at the European Weightlifting Championships today. Randall J. Strossen photo.


Opening after everyone else had finished in the snatch, Shymechko nailed 195 kg, 200 kg and 203 kg. Evgeny Pisarev (Russia) got the silver medal in the snatch with 193 kg, and Almir Velagic (Germany) got the bronze medal with 190 kg. Ruben Aleksanyan (Armenia) had looked to be medal contender, but after missing 192 kg on his second attempt in the snatch, he dislocated his left elbow attempting the same weight on his third attempt.

Shymechko made 223 kg and then 230 kg, before missing 233 kg in the clean and jerk - not huge lifts by a world standard, but good enough for two more gold medals. Grzegorz Kleszcz (Poland) had a best jerk of 229 kg, for the silver medal in the jerk. After missing the jerk with 227 kg on his second attempt, Velagic made a good lift with 228 kg on his third attempt, good for the bronze medal in the jerk and the silver medal in the total. Pisarev got the bronze medal in the total.

Hats off to European Weightlifting Federation president Antonio Urso and to Romanian Weightlifting Federation president Nicu Vlad for an extremely well organized competition.)

Telling IronMind, "This is a big milestone for ASC," American Strongman Corporation (ASC) president Dione Wessels put this contest in perspective.


ASC brings strongman to the Olympia. Artwork courtesy of Dione Wessels.


"I think that this adds to the other big shows out there. In reference to ASC, we are looking forward to growing the Olympia Strongman event every year in Las Vegas. Since the Olympia is the mecca of all bodybuilding shows, having the top Americans at this event not only puts the ASC athletes in front of the world, but also the sport of strongman. The Olympia will give the athletes more opportunities to get their names out there to grow a broader fan base. We are extremely excited to be a part of the Olympia and are looking forward to growing the event each year," said Wessels.

ASC vice president Mike Johnston emphasized the 'coast to coast' nature of ASC live. "As always, this is a show based on merit, with the top ten ASC athletes from America's Strongest Man® getting the ten spots at the Olympia."

Wessels said that all expenses will be paid for these ten competitors and the minimum prize list will be $15,000 in cash.

For more details, please check the Mr. Olympia and the ASC websites, as well as this column.)

Bucharest - The man once best known for grabbing medals even though he was lifting in the B session was front and center today: Vladimir Smorchkov (Russia) handily won the snatch, took the bronze medal in the clean and jerk, and pocketed the gold medal in the total.


Vladimir Smorchkov pulls himself under this 221-kg clean and jerk in the 105-kg class at the European Weightlifting Championships. Randall J. Strossen photo.


Even if Smorchkov had the snatch to himself, it was a dogfight below the top position, with three kilos separating the next six lifters. Smorchkov's teammate, Roman Konstnatinov, made three good attempts, finishing with a best lift of 183 kg for the silver medal. Ramunas Vysniauskas (Lithuania), lifting with great restraint compared to some of his past performances, got the bronze medal for his only successful lift, 182 kg on his second attempt.

Smorchkov made 217 kg on his opening clean and jerk, a little shaky overhead, but a good lift, and had 221 turned down two-to-one on his second attempt. He repeated with the same weight for three whites on his third attempt. Konstantinov missed the jerk with 222 on his second attempt, Robert Dolega (Poland) deadlifted the same weight on his third attempt, and then Konstantinov failed to rack it on his final attempt.

Vysniauskas, who had been waiting in the wings, opened with 223 kg, which would put him in second place overall, and he made a good lift - once again, nearly stoic by his historical standards. Oleksiy Torokhtiy (Ukraine), who had made 213 kg and had 220 kg turned down two-to-one, punched 224 overhead with a quick, shallow power jerk, for gold medal position in the jerk and silver medal position in the total. Vyniauskas took two shots at 225 kg, looking to overtake Torokhtiy, but he couldn't clean it on his second attempt and only deadlifted it on his third attempt.)

Bucharest - Coming off a top performance at the Arnold Sports Festival, Juergen Spiess was nearly perfect last night, so when others came up short, the 94-kg lifter was in the perfect position to capitalize on the situation, which left him with two gold medals and one silver medal at the European Weightlifting Championships.


Juergen Spiess (Germany) on his way back up with 178 kg in the snatch at the European Weightlifting Championships. Randall J. Strossen photo.


Juergen Spiess, along with his Olympic teammates Almir Velagic and Matthias Steiner, had come to the Arnold for the IronMind Invitational and the day before lifting on the main stage of the Expo Hall, Speiss and Velagic were going for broke in a mini-contest we had arranged in the Grand Ballroom, following the USA Powerlifting raw meet. Spiess was aiming to set a PR snatch, going for 175 kg, and he succeeded.

Here, he absolutely smoked that weight on his second attempt and then ripped through 178 kg on his third attempt. Only Artem Ivanov (Ukraine) had a better night: hitting 175 kg, 179 kg and then 182 kg. Nikolaos Kourtides (Greece) got the bronze medal with his 175-kg lift, and Russia's Andrey Demanov finished out of the money - missing 170 kg up and over on his first attempt, making it on his second attempt, and then having a repeat of his first attempt, this time with 175 kg, on his final lift.

Having run into problems on the jerk before, it was not wholly surprising that Demanov missed the jerk on his opener, and when he did the same thing on his second attempt, he ended his chances of a top position. Ivanov, a power jerker, missed the jerk with 210 kg three times, so now the landscape was changing rapidly.

Spiess, who had opened with 208 kg, made 212 kg on his second attempt, so when Kourtides couldn't stand up with 216 kg on his second attempt and then missed the jerk with it on his third attempt, the German team had a big cause to celebrate. Having the jerk and total gold medals in his hand, Spiess took 218 kg on his third attempt, for what would have been a big PR, but he missed the jerk. No matter, he'd done himself proud and served notice with his 390-kg total that he's a world class 94-kg weightlifter.)

It's not just that Sam Solomi has certified on the benchmark No. 3 Captains of Crush gripper - as a mere 19-year old, his tremendous accomplishment means that IronMind® is contributing US$500.00 to the educational fund for Jesse Marunde's children.


Sam Solomi just certified on the No. 3 Captains of Crush gripper - the first teenager to hit this mark since IronMind made its pledge toward the educational trust fund of Jesse Marunde's children. Photo courtesy of Sam Solomi.


In memory of Jesse Marunde, "the first teenage Captains of Crush," IronMind® pledged to contribute US$500.00 to the educational trust fund for his children each time a teenager matched this tremendous feat of strength, and England's Sam Solomi is the first person to hit this mark.

The stoutly built 5'8" 280-pound Solomi has been training since he was 15 and he is the co-owner of a strongman gym, where he says, "We have just one rule which is TRAIN HARD."

Watch for much more from Sam Solomi in the coming years, but for now, he's the first teenager to hit this prestigious mark since IronMind announced its intended contributions: Congratulations, Sam, you have just been certified on the Captains of Crush® No. 3 Gripper.

IronMind would also like to say a word of special thanks to Brian Phillips, who despite a very demanding work schedule managed to make time to serve as Sam's official witness, for which we are deeply grateful.

Bucharest - With four kilos separating the top seven places in the snatch, and the final outcome in the jerk and the total coming down to the last attempt, the 85-kg category at the European Weightlifting Championships once again delivered new faces and tight competition.


Aleksey Yufkin (Russia) stuck this 205-kg jerk, good for the gold medal in the clean and jerk as well as the total in the 85-kg category at the European Weightlifting Championships. Randall J. Strossen photo.


When Intigam Zairov (Azerbaijan) opened with 165 kg in the snatch, he immediately signaled that he was here to win the gold medal - even though this was the highest opener in a hotly-contested class, he was almost disdainful of the weight, which he snatched with complete ease. Mariusz Rytkowski (Poland) missed the same weight twice, and then Mikalai Novikau had a close miss with 166 kg, unlike Erdal Sunar, who wasn't close to making the same weight. Novikau came back and made the 166 kg on his third attempt, and then Adrian Zielinski made a good lift with 167 kg on his third attempt.

Zairov replied with a gold medal lift of 168 on his second attempt, although he re-settled in the bottom position before completing his recovery. Zairov had 171 overhead on his third attempt, but he ran out of platform trying to chase it under control.

Although he was only eighth in the snatch, Benjamin Hennequin (France) showed the promise of being a factor in the clean and jerk and possibly the total as well. True to this prediction, Hennequin opened with a successful 200 kg, a weight that Zairov had made for his first attempt; Yufkin missed the jerk on the same weight on his opener, raising some eyebrows, although he came back for a strong success with it on his second attempt. Novikau, going for first place position in the jerk and second place position in the total, called for 201 kg on his second attempt and he was successful. Plamen Boev (Bulgaria), who had been looking good throughout the competition, made 203 kg to finish up with a six-for-six day.

Hennequin, winding up for his final sprint to the finish line, made 204 on his second attempt, which moved him into gold medal position in the jerk and bronze medal position in the total. Zairov struggled up with 205 and wasn't close to jerking the weight on his second attempt, and then Yufkin finished his day with a powerful success with the same weight.

Trying to overtake Yufkin's lead in the jerk and in the total, Novikau took 205 and had it overhead, but then he lost control of the jerk. Zairov cleaned the same weight, but dipped without attempting the jerk, so ending his chances of wresting the lead from Yufkin.

There was one lift left and it belonged to Hennquin and based on his second attempt, the 207 he needed for two gold medals seemed possible, but after a hard recovery, he missed the jerk. Quel dommage!

This was another class packed with close competition!)

Bucharest - Continuing the pattern of many new, young faces in the competition, 22-year old Nikalai Charniak (Belarus) prevailed in the 77-kg class at the European Weightlifting Championships, although he was pushed hard by junior Erkand Qerimaj (Albania), and the young Russian, Dmitry Ivanenko, was not far behind.


Nikalai Charniak (Belarus) hit this 155-kg snatch on his second attempt at the European Weightlifting Championships, where he won the silver medals in the snatch as well as the clean and jerk, and the gold medal in the total. Randall J. Strossen photo.


Showing how close the competition was, Dmitry Ivanenko (Russia) won the gold medal in the snatch with 156 kg, Nikalai Charniak got the silver medal with 155 kg, edging out Viktor Guman (Slovakia) on body weight. Ivanenko had sailed through three good lifts (151, 155 and 156 kg), while both Charniak and Guman made 150 and 155 before missing 157 kg. Qerimaj, who would end up being a major factor in the competition had only succeeded with his first attempt in the snatch, 152 kg, which put him in fourth place going into the clean and jerk.

Of the leaders, Ivanenko opened first in the clean and jerk, making 181 kg. He missed the jerk with 185 on his second attempt and then came back to make a good lift on his third attempt. Charniak hit 183 kg on his opener, and Qerimaj made 186 kg on his first attempt, with an easy power jerk. Charniak went on to make 187 kg and then 189 kg, which would prove to be the winning total. Qerimaj made 190 kg on his second attempt, for the gold medal in the clean and jerk, and in a bid to overtake Charniak on his final attempt, he cleaned 192 kg, but missed the jerk. )

Bucharest - The final outcome was in balance until the last lift, but when the dust settled Arakel Mirzoyan (Armenia) was king of the hill in the 69-kg category at the European Weightlifting Championships.


Arakel Mirzoyan pulls himself under 185 kg at the European Weightlifting Championships. Mrozoyan won the gold medals in the snatch and in the total, along with the silver medal in the clean and jerk. Randall J. Strossen photo.


Mirzoyan got off to a good start, snatching 145 kg and then 151 kg, before missing 154 kg. The 151 kg would give him the gold medal in the snatch, but with Ninel Miculescu (Romania) making 151 and three lifters finishing with 147 kg, the snatch had demonstrated how competitive this class would be.

Miculescu opened with 173 kg in the clean and jerk, for a good lift, but then he missed 178 kg, unable to stand up with the weight on his second attempt; and after struggling up with it on his third attempt, he missed the jerk. This ended Miculescu's chances of a top place in either the jerk or the total.

Of the other leaders coming into the clean and jerk, Afgan Byramov (Azerbaijan) was the next to open, making a good attempt with 175 kg and then Vladislav Lukanin (Russia) made 177 on his first attempt. Mirzoyan, who is coached by his father, Oksen, opened with 180 kg on his first attempt, moving into gold medal position in the jerk and in the total - he cleaned the weight easily, barely got set for the jerk, and then rammed the bar overhead. Venceslas Dabaya (France) also made his opener, 181 kg, which moved past Mirzoyan in the jerk; Dabaya's clean looked pretty effortless and after standing up with the bar, he repositions his hands for the very wide grip he uses for the jerk.

Keeping the ball rolling, Bayramov made 182 kg on his second attempt, which put him in gold medal position in the jerk and silver medal position in the total, and then Lukanin hit 183 kg for first in the jerk and third in the total, as the battle continued.

Mirzoyan took 185 on his second attempt, looking to regain the lead in both the jerk and the total, but he missed the jerk badly - once again, he moved from the clean to the jerk very quickly. Also with his eye on the lead, Dabaya followed with a very easy clean with the same weight, but he, too, missed the jerk. Mirzoyan repeated with 185, taking a bit more time to get set for the jerk, and he made a good lift. Bayramov called for 186 on his third attempt, but he never racked the weight. Chasing the gold in the jerk and the silver in the total, Dabaya made a very nice lift with 186 on his third attempt, but things still weren't over, as Lukanin called for the 190 kg that would give him the gold in the jerk and in the total - it was a big call, but the lift was not to be, as Lukanin retreated with less than a deadlift.)

Bucharest - Erol Bilgin (Turkey) swept the gold medals in the 62-kg category at the European Weightlifting Championships via a 133-kg snatch, 160-kg clean and jerk, and 293-kg total, but he wasn't the only lifter worth noting.


After missing this 160 kg on his second attempt, Erol Bilgin came back to make it on his third attempt. Randall J. Strossen photo.


In a class with a lot of missed lifts, the top three lifters stood out: Erol Bilgin, along with Zulfugar Suleymanov (Azerbaijan) and Minasidis Dimitris (Cyprus).

Bilgin missed his opening snatch when he couldn't get under the bar with 130 kg, so it wasn't a promising start, but he came back to make the weight and then 133 kg. Dimitris had also missed his opener, 122 kg, but after making the 122 kg on his second attempt, he finished his snatches with a good 127-kg lift. Suleymanov had opened with a good 120 kg, made 125 on his second attempt, and then missed 127 kg on his third attempt.

Of the leaders, Dimitris was first to open in the clean and jerk, hitting 149 kg. Suleymanov opened with a good 152 kg and Bilgin opened with a nice 155 kg. Dimitris went on to make 152 kg and then 157 kg, the weight that Suleymanov had missed on his second attempt. Bilgin easily cleaned 160 on his second attempt, but then he lost the jerk overhead. Suleymanov followed with the same weight - going for the lead in the jerk and the silver in the total - and he was successful. Bilgin repeated with 160 kg on his third attempt, bumping Suleymanov down to silver in the jerk on body weight, in what was very nice comeback lift.

Bilgin won all three gold medals, looking good in the process, but the biggest story might have been Minasidis Dimitris, the 19-year old Cypriot who is coached by no less than Christos Iakovou, the former Greek coach who left that post following a doping scandal. Dimitris displayed the sort of swagger, not to mention the strength and speed, that you would expect from a potential champion. Since he also power jerks and looks from side to side when he holds the bar overhead, he's somewhat reminiscent of a former Iakovou athlete who made quite a splash in weightlifting . . . Pyrros Dimas.)

Bucharest - He's 34 years old and from Belgium, not exactly the basic profile for winning gold medals in weightlifting, but Tom Goebeguer did himself proud as he won two golds and one silver medal in the 56-kg category at the European Weightlifting Championships.


Tom Goegebuer hits the hole with this 115-kg gold medal snatch at the European Weightlifting Championships. Randall J. Strossen photo.


Goegebuer went six for six, lifting purposefully and picking up steam as he went, marching through 109 kg, 112 kg and 115 kg in the snatch. Turkey's Artuc Sedat edged Igor Grabucea (Moldavia) for the silver medal in the snatch on bodyweight, as both lifters had best lifts of 110 kg.

Sedat dropped out of contention in the jerk and in the total when he only made his first clean and jerk, 135 kg, before missing the jerk badly on both 137 kg and 142 kg. Grabucea made 130 kg, 134 kg and 136 kg, for the bronze medal in the jerk and in the total.

Goegebuer continued with the steady pace he had established in the snatch, as he nailed 132 kg, 136 kg, and 137 kg in the clean and jerk. Vito Dellino (Italy), who had opened with 135 kg in the jerk, won the gold medal in the jerk with his second attempt, 138 kg, and when he called for 143 kg on his third attempt, the selection was hard to understand since it would tie him with Goegebuer in the total and both men weighed the same (55.71 kg). As it turned out, the call was academic because Dellino missed the jerk, but he had added a silver medal in the total to his haul for the night.)

Bucharest - Vasily Alexeev received the prestigious European Weightlifting Federation Certificate of Merit today, following the women's 53-kg category.


European Weightlifting Federation president Antonio Urso (right) presents the Certificate of Merit to Vasily Alexeev (left). Randall J. Strossen photo.


Opening the competition at the 2009 European Weightlifting Championships, the women's 53-kg class took the stage today in Bucharest, Romania. Nastassia Novikava (Belarus) left with a silver medal in the snatch (96 kg), a gold medal in the jerk (120 kg) and a gold medal in the total (216 kg). Yulia Kalina (Ukraine) was the silver medalist in the total (212 kg) and Romela Begaj was bronze medalist (207 kg). )

The 2009 European Rolling Thunder® Championships are set for April 18 in Helsinki and contest organizer Sakari Selkäinaho told IronMind, "This event has gotten really great responses: I am very glad to notice that so many top-level international competitors are coming in."


Mareks Leitis (Latvia) will be competing in the 2009 European Rolling Thunder® Championships on April 18 in Helsinki, Finland. Photo courtesy of Sakari Selkäinaho.


"The event has Finland's finest as well," Sakari said. "National grip champion Juha Harju will challenge world-famous strongman Janne Virtanen," a World's Strongest Man Winner. "Fast rising gripster Timo Tuukkanen will challenge them both," and to make things more interesting, Timo will first be attempting to officially close a Captains of Crush® No. 3 gripper as he goes for his certification on this most famous of all feats of grip strength.

"Kimmo Kokko," whom Sakari has named the "Father of Finnish Grip Strength," says "All our guys are at the best shape ever and anything can happen. "

Top international competitors include Mark Felix (England), Steve Gardener (England) and Mareks Leitis (Latvia). "This it the finest lineup in any grip contest in Finland ever," Sakari  Selkäinaho said proudly. Sakari told IronMind that he is still waiting on few more international entries and will do his very best to let everybody in who wants to have some fun and put his grip strength to the test.

"Anyone else willing to compete" asks Sakari, who has "three more spots available to anybody who is willing to prove his grip strength in a real challenge by IronMind® standards."

"The Rolling Thunder® starts to roar at 1 p.m., Sakari said, "at the Culture House, a five-minute walk from downtown Helsinki. We'll start with the certification attempts on Captains of Crush® grippers. Anybody interested? We are ready! Just contact IronMind first."

For more details, please email Sakari at sakke@voimaharjoittelu.fi or info@sportkraft.net. For the rules on getting certified on Captains of Crush® grippers, please check here: Captains of Crush® Grippers: Certification Rules.

Once again breaking new ground, Fortissimus 2009 has "has been nominated as finalist to the Pleiades 2009 Award of Excellence, a prestigious prize given out by the Board of Trade of the city of Lvis, Canada," according to an official statement.


It began with a concept and a dream, and when someone was needed to turn those visions into reality, Paul Ohl was tapped to do the job. Here, M. Ohl holds the certificate Fortissimus 2009 earned from the city of Lévis, Canada. Photo courtesy of Geneviève Caron/Fortissimus 2009.


"With this selection, FORTISSIMUS becomes the first ever strongman organization in Canada to contest for top honors in the field of community outstanding achievement of the year," continued the statement.

"This is all about an all-inclusive effort. We are striving for excellence, nothing less. And we want to share this with the strength athletes who stood by us last year and made it all happen. Every day they remind us that the will shows the way," said Paul Ohl, president of FORTISSIMUS 2009.

"When we decided to commit for the future with FORTISSIMUS, we knew that we were sending a strong message to other communities in this country. This recognition is proof that the sport of strongman is not a sideshow; it is a much-valued asset from an economic and cultural point of view," said Marcel Catellier, chairman of the FORTISSIMUS Board of Directors.

Match four strongmen, 20 cars and the America's largest auto show and what you have is a new twist on the classic strongman pulling event.

The four strongmen are Gerard Benderoth, Ben Lambousis, Skeet Dunn and Brett Somerville, and they will be divided into two teams, one 105 kg competitor and one heavyweight competitor per team. Hook up two lines of 10 cars each, and now the fun begins: The teams battle each other as they pull for maximum distance, one member from each team giving it his best shot before passing the harness to his teammate.

"Also on tap, is the 'American Strongman Challenge', which pits the athletes against each other to see who can deadlift a 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT-8 the most times in one minute," according to the official press release.

This event is on Saturday, April 11, at 10:00 at the New York International Auto Show (Jacob Javits Center, 11th Avenue at 36th Street). For full details on American Strongman Corporation (ASC) events, please click here.