The multi-talented Ingrid Marcum is headed to Calgary, Alberta (Canada) today, “for push training and testing,” as part of her bid to make the 2010 USA Olympic Bobsled Team.

Ingrid Marcum lifted at the IronMind® Invitational at the 2009 Arnold - this photo of her is included in the October issue of Iron Man magazine.  IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen photo.


Ingrid Marcum played a key role in the IronMind® Invitational that brought the German Men’s Olympic Weightlifting Team - featuring Olympic gold medalist Matthias Steiner - to the main stage of the Expo Hall at the Arnold Sports Festival earlier this year.  As a dramatic counterpoint to the German men, Ms. Marcum helped make the show that counted California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger among its spectators.

In June, Ms. Marcum won the USA Weightlifting National Championships in the 75-kg class and later that month she also began working with John Brookfield on a training video featuring his Battling Ropes training system.

“I have really enjoyed working with John, and filming the DVD this summer, and have incorporated the ropes into my own training!” Ms. Marcum told IronMind®. 

John Brookfield told IronMind® that in the same way that he created new training systems for developing grip strength, he developed his Battling Ropes program as a way to enhance strength-endurance with an entirely new approach to training.

Called Hurricane Ingrid: The Workout, John Brookfield says that in this DVD you will “see Ingrid demonstrate the different training concepts of the Battling Ropes system.  From there she will show the viewer how to put these different concepts into a variety of workouts that will greatly benefit any athlete and take their strength and conditioning to the next level and beyond.”

Calling her “a complete champion in every way,” John Brookfield said that he is “very happy and honored to work with Ingrid Marcum.”

Back to weightlifting, this past weekend was the USA Weightlifting Secondary Qualifier for the team going to the 2009 World Weightlifting Championships - Ingrid said that she’d “love to be out there competing, [but] I had too much going on with the bobsled.” 

Travis Ortmayer has just raced through the stones in a blazing time at the North American Strongman Capitol City Classic in Louisiana.

He’s a blur, but that’s Travis Ortmayer after loading five stones in what might be the fastest time ever for  a comparable series of strongman stones.  IronMind® | Dione Wessels photo. 

“Not sure if this has ever been done,” NAS president Dione Wessels told IronMind®, “but Travis O [as in Ortmayer] just loaded a 5-stone series in 35.28 seconds.  The stones weighed 290, 315, 380, 435, 480 pounds.  I would think it is a new world record.  It was done at a NAS sanctioned event in Louisiana at the Capitol City Strongman Classic.

“Travis is here to get training for World's [as in the World’s Strongest Man contest].  Andy Vincent is here also training,” Wessels explained.

As for Travis Ortmayer, he was unfazed by his stellar performance, telling IronMind® he “can cut that time in half and break that time easily!”

Go, Texas Stoneman.

White Castle teams up with the New York Arm Wrestling Association (NYAWA) to present the 27th Kingsboro Armwrestling Championships tomorrow, August 30.

There’s no other strength sport with the visceral appeal of arm wrestling and thanks to Gene Camp’s New York Arm Wrestling Association, White Castle, and the Brighton Jubliee Festival, arm wrestlers and their fans are set for a big day in Brooklyn, New York tomorrow.  IronMind® | Artwork courtesy of Gene Camp/NYAWA. 


“This is the crowning of ‘Brooklyn’s Strongest Arm,’” NYAWA president Gene Camp said and there’s plenty of cash to go along with the glory.

Weigh-ins start at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow, there’s a class for everyone - men and women, novice and pro, big and little, young and old - and you can get there by public transportation.  If you need additional information, please call NYAWA president Gene Camp at 718-544-4598.

The World’s Strongest Man (WSM) contest starts next month and for the first time in several years all the major players have a chance to strut their stuff in the competition that created strongman.

Marcel Mostert (left) and Ilkka Kinnunen (right) - the founders of Strongman Champions League, armed with caffeine, stop watches and whistles - ready to referee at Fortissimus earlier this year.  IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen photo.

No more partisan conflicts are splitting the field and keeping some guys out of WSM just because of a line drawn in the sand, and even with there being just one official qualifying tour for the World’s Strongest Man contest (Giants Live), the unifying effect of this preeminent strongman contest is evident.

“Because a lot of athletes are going to WSM, we decided to start our train again in October,” Strongman Champions League (SCL) co-founder Marcel Mostert told IronMind®, something that he said also took into account the soft economic climate that has been weakening sponsorship opportunities worldwide.

“On 10 October, we will continue with the next stage of SCL Spain.  Thereafter, at 18 October, the SCL England will be, and on 31 October, the SCL Hungary.  These dates are new, but sure to happen.  We hope to have the final stage at 25 November in China, but this can still be delayed to December this year. The organization of SCL keeps you informed!,” Mostert said.

“Meanwhile, all the athletes can focus themselves on the WSM in Malta where we are happy to be a supplier this year with good athletes who competed very well this year in SCL.  We keep hard working, for the benefit of all strong athletes in the world!” said Mostert.

And speaking of SCL - London, Denim Bison’s event marketing manager, Sandra Donskyte, told IronMind®, “We are successfully going ahead - the event will happen on the 18th of October, at Wembley Arena, London,” and the first of a series of promotional video clips has been released.

Halil Mutlu was about the size of an elementary school kid, but there was nothing small about the weights lifted by the three-time Olympic gold medalist in weightlifting.

Halil Mutlu nailed this 130-kg snatch while competing in the 54-kg bodyweight class at the 1995 World Weightlifting Championships (Guangzhou, China).  IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen photo.

Take a trip down memory lane and get some inspiration at the same time: IronMind® has just added a video clip of this lift to its Big Lift series on YouTube.  Here’s the direct link to the video.

The 39th Annual Newman Fall Festival will be the site of an arm wrestling contest organized by Bill Collins and John Fantazia on September 5.

Central California has produced more top arm wrestlers than a lot of countries have, including such guys as Kenny Hughes and Mike McGraw.  Here, Kenny Hughes (left) makes Bryan Johnson’s neck bulge as he tries to separate Bryan’s arm from his shoulder.  IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen photo.


Sporting $1,800 in prize money, there are classes for men and women, so sign up to pull or stop by to cheer.  Weigh-ins are from 10 - 12 and the competition begins at noon.  For full details, please contact Bill Collins.

Finnish grip enthusiast Timo Tukkannen asked IronMind® about the possibility of having successful attempts on made on the Captains of Crush® Grippers (No. 3, No. 3.5 or No. 4) at the Finnish Open Grip Strength Championships count as the official attempts that are one element of the requirements for certification.

Timo Tukkannen (shown competing at the 2009 European Rolling Thunder® Championships), while fairly new to grip strength, is already making his presence felt: The 188-cm (6’ 2”) and 120-kg (265 lb) Tukkannen told IronMind® that he has “been training about 12 years at the gym more or less regularly, mostly bodybuilding style.  I’m a newbie on grip training since I tried some CoC grippers [Captains of Crush® Grippers] first time ever at exhibition autumn 2008 and noticed then that I have quite a nice grip by nature or as a result of my physical work with conveyor belts installation at our family-owned company.”  IronMind® | Photo courtesy of Timo Tukkannen.

 

The logic of this request, as Timo Tukkannen fully grasped, was straightforward: this grip contest is following the official rules for closing a Captains of Crush Grippers, so why dilute the best efforts by requiring certification attempts to be made outside (i.e., before or after) the contest.

The soundness of this suggestion was apparent to both IronMind® and contest organizer Sakari Selkäinaho, who explained,  “The event is run by official rules.  Every certification attempt is judged by Kimmo Kokko and overviewed by myself.”

So with everyone on the same page, it is official that these attempts will count toward certification (please note that the other elements are still required before IronMind® can make its certification decision).

Train hard and if you have a formidable grip, consider showcasing it at the 1st Finnish Open Grip Strength Championships - this grip contest is gathering steam and watch here for news on further developments.

For more details on the 1st Finnish Open Grip Strength Championships, please email Sakari Selkäinaho at sakke@voimaharjoittelu.fi.

Bruce Robb won the Granton-on-Spey Highland Games, creating the potential for quite a runoff with Stephen Aitken at Braemar next month: they are close to each other on points and in hot pursuit of victory in the Glenfiddich Championships Series.

Francis Brebner filed this report for IronMind®.


2009 Granton-on-Spey Highland Games

By Francis Brebner

The Granton-on-Spey Highland Games, held yesterday, drew a crowd of over 5,000 spectators, who watched eagerly as the heavies fought it out for vital points needed in this Glenfiddich Series Championships.

The weather was a little breezy with light showers, but that did not stop Bruce Robb and David Dowson from producing tremendous putts of over 55’ as they battled with each other.  Robb narrowly snatched the win from Dowson with a putt of 55’ 9”, with Dowson landing in second place at 55’ 8”.  In third spot was Stephen Aitken at 51’ 8”.

In the 24-lb. heavy shot, after a hard-fought competition between Robb and Dowson, Robb clamed yet another win with a putt of 41’ 4”, with Dowson taking second place with 40’ 7” and Aitken coming in third at 39’ 4”.

Going in to the 22-lb. hammer, Craig Sinclair came into his own and breezed to the win with a throw of 108’ 3”.  Aitkin, on his last attempt, moved into second place at 102’ 10”, just going ahead of Robb, who took third place with 102’ 4”.

In the light 18-lb. hammer, Sinclair claimed his second win with a throw of 123’ 11”, with Aitken pulling out a throw of 120’ 11” for second place to go ahead of Robb, in third with 115’ 8”.

The 28-lb. weight for distance was a third straight win for Sinclair, who overshadowed Robb with his throw of 79’ 10”.  Robb was in second place with 78’ 6” and Dowson in third place with 70’ 2”.

In the 56-lb. weight for distance, however, Robb took the win over Sinclair with a distance of 38’ 11”, with Sinclair in second at 36’ 10” and Dowson in third spot at 34’ 9”.

In the caber toss, with a pole 19 ft. long and 135 lb., it was Robb who once again notched the win with a 10:00 toss.  Aitken landed in second place with 12:15 and Sinclair in third place at 80 degrees.

The final event was the 56-lb. weight over the bar, which was won by Robb at a height of 15’, with Sinclair and Aitken tying at 14’ 6”.

Overall points:

1. Bruce Robb – 37
2. Craig Sinclair – 32.5
3. Stephen Aitken – 30.5

Glenfiddich Championships Series standings after 11 Games:

1. Bruce Robb 290.5
2. Stephen Aitken – 284
3. Craig Sinclair – 188 (missed 2 Games)
4. David Dowson – 128

With Robb now in a marginal lead over Aitken, it will all come down to a final head-to-head between these two at the Royal Braemar Gathering for the Glenfiddich Championships title next month.  It is rumored Sebastian Wenta and Aaron Neighbour could also be there, which would influence the points dramatically either way between the two leaders, Robb and Aitken, especially in the hammers.

Under-25 Championships standings:

1. Sinclair Patience – 285
2. John MacLeod – 246.5
3. Dale Walker – 154.5
4. Grant Sinclair – 120.5


 

Doubles aren’t just for drinks:  Read the latest “Jim Schmitz on the Lifts” and see what doubles can do to help your lifting - whether you’re training for the next Olympics or just hope to clean and jerk your body weight someday, doubles have a place in your training.

Juergen Spiess (Germany) - shown ripping this 178-kg snatch in the 94-kg category at the 2009 European Weightlifting Championships - is a product of training that includes plenty of doubles, not just limit singles, and this is one of the reasons why his one-rep max is so high.  IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen photo. 

Get the inside story on how to use doubles effectively in your own training - learn directly from three-time USA Olympic Weightlifting Team coach Jim Schmitz by going to the Training Articles button at the top of the IronMind® home page.  Or, you can go directly to the “Schmitz on the Lifts” index page.

Next workout, make yours a double!
 

This weekend, Aaron Neighbour won the Lonach Highland Games, a Games with a history that goes back to the early 1800s and is part of the Glenfiddich Series Championships.

Francis Brebner filed this report with IronMind®.

 

2009 Lonach Highland Gathering

By Francis Brebner

Both the Lonach Highland Gathering and the Granton-on-Spey Games this weekend attracted thousands of spectators.  Both Games were also are part of the Glenfiddich series championships, with the finals held at the Royal Braemar Games on 6 September.

The Lonach Gathering was first established in 1823 and boasts one of the grandest and rarest attractions, the world famous Lonach Highlanders, the last Highland society of its type in the world.  These Highlanders are dressed in full traditional regalia, carrying their battle pikes and axes as they march six miles to the Games, stopping along the way at each house for a wee dram before their grand entrance into the Games arena.  It is a sight to behold as they receive a warm, hearty welcome from the packed crowd of over 12,000 spectators.

The Games itself was founded by Sir Charles Forbes and is one Scotland’s friendliest Games.  TV was on hand to film the Gathering's spectacular attraction for the Gaelic BBC channel, which will be aired later in December.  Local residents of Lonach, along with stars such as Billy Connelly and wife Pamela Stephenson with their Hollywood friends, were there to share in the festivities.

Our star lineup of heavy athletes included world champion Aaron Neighbour, along with Craig Sinclair, Stephen Aitken, David Dowson, Sinclair Patience, and Bruce Robb.

The first event of the competition got underway with the 16-lb. hammer, with Craig Sinclair showing great form with an effortless win of 137’ 8”; in second place was Neighbour at 129’ 9” and in third place was Stephen Aitken at 129’ 8”.

In the following event, the 22-lb. hammer, Craig Sinclair aroused the crowds with another graceful throw of 115’ 5” for his second win of the competition, with Stephen Aitkin in second place at 111’ 7” and Bruce Robb in third at 109’ for a new personal best.

The 16-lb. open stone witnessed a very close competition between the top three athletes, with Neighbour taking the win with a putt of 51’ 5”.  Robb came in second place at 50’ 2” and Englishman David Dowson took third place at 49’ 6”.

The 22-lb. open stone proved to be another riveting competition, with Robb and Neighbour tying at 42’ 7” for first place on their last attempts, with Dowson in third spot with a respectable putt of 41”.

The 28-lb. weight for distance was won by Neighbour with a throw of 83’ 8”; in second was Robb at 80’ 9”, with Craig Sinclair close behind in third place at 80’ 8”.

In the 56-lb. weight for distance, Neighbour dominated with a winning distance 43’ 5”. In second place was Craig Sinclair with 42’ 5”, and in third place was the young rookie Sinclair Patience with a throw of 38’ 7”.  Sinclair Patience, at only 19 years of age, is showing great promise, following in the footsteps of his father, George Patience, who was a former world champion and one of Scotland’s all-time greats.

The caber toss, with a stick 19’ long and 125-lb., was won by Stephen Aitkin with a perfect 12 o’clock toss; in second place was Robb and in third, Neighbour.

The final event of the competition, the 56-lb. weight over the bar, was won by Neighbour at a height of 15’ with Sinclair.  Aitkin and Robb tied for second equal at a height of 14’.

Overall standings:

1. Aaron Neighbour
2. Bruce Robb
3. Stephen Aitkin
 
Leading the Glenfiddich Series Championships after ten games are two heavies tied for first place:
 
1. Bruce Robb & Stephen Aitken
3. Craig Sinclair
4. David Dowson

He came out swinging and didn’t stop, and when the final bell rang, Christian Savoie had won the 2009 Canada’s Strongest Man contest - which carries an added plum in the form of an invitation to the World’s Strongest Man contest, the leading event in the strongman world.

Christian Savoie made big news in strongman today when he won the 2009 Canada’s Strongest Man contest.  IronMind® | Photo by Geneviève Caron. 


Yesterday, Canada’s Strongest Man was marked by close battles, but at each stage, Christian Savoie pushed onward.  As a result, he came into today with a solid lead - surprising a lot of people as he proved himself to be the man to beat - and today saw him continue on his path, claiming the big title and the big invitation.

Grant Connors won today’s first event, the Deadlift Hold, and then Christian Savoie bounced back with another victory on the second event of the day, the Tire Flip.  Defending Canada’s Strongest Man winner Louis-Philippe Jean pushed forward with a win on the Viking Press, but going into the final event, Christian Savoie’s consistently high-level performance had left him in the driver’s seat, as he led Louis-Philippe Jean by 6 points; Jean-François Caron was 2.5 points behind Louis-Philippe Jean at this point.

Christian Savoie left no doubt that he was focused, finishing strongly on the final event, a medley, once again a battle between himself, Jean-Francois Caron and Louis-Philippe Jean.

Here are the final points and places for the top three:

1. Christian Savoie  88 points

2. Louis-Philippe Jean  81 points
3. Jean-François Caron  80.5 points

All of these points are unofficial, although they are believed to be accurate.  IronMind® would like to thank everyone who contributed to our coverage of the 2009 Canada’s Strongest Man contest, especially Ms. Geneviève Caron, Communications Consultant for Montmagny, Quebec.

Day 2 of Canada’s Strongest Man got off to a roaring start as Grant Connors won the deadlift hold.

Here are the unofficial top five places and times, courtesy of Ms. Geneviève Caron, Communications Consultant for Montmagny, Quebec:

1. Grant Connors: 1min:39:77
2. Jean-François Caron: 1:20:63
3. Louis-Philippe Jean: 1:18:36
4. Franky Bonneau: 1:07
5. Christian Savoie: 1:01:33

Weight of the car: 795 lb.

Watch IronMind®’s Twitter account for fast updates.
 

“We had a great [strongman] team competition yesterday, here in Latvia,” Ilkka Kinnunen told IronMind®.

Raimonds Bergmanis, shown competing in Finland in 2002, and Andis Linde, both of the Latvian Strongman Federation, held a strongman team championships in Riga, Latvia.  IronMind® | Photo courtesy of Ilkka Kinnunen.

“The competition was organized by the Latvian Strongman Federation (Raimonds Bergmanis and Andis Linde), and it took place in front of the Presidential Palace.  It was very nice weather, around +25° C [+77° F], with sunny clear skies, and an audience of around 7 - 8,000 people watching the athletes who competed in 6 different disciplines,” Kinnunen said.
 
Here are the events:

Wheelbarrow: 750 kg, 25 meters
Log Lift (for reps): 240 kg
Hercules Hold with cars
Medley (Yoke 380 kg, 12 meter, Tire Flip 360 kg, 4 Flips, Barrel loading (3 barrels), sled pulling for 12 meters)
Power Stairs: 200, 225, 250, 275 kg, six steps
Medley with Shield and Atlas Stones
 
Final Results, top three:

1. Agris Kazelniks/Raivis Vidzis (Latvia) 57.5 points
2. Artis Plivda/Mareks Leitas (Latvia) 53
3. Michal Szymerowski/Sebastian Kurek (Poland) 51.5
 

Still unofficial, IronMind® has received some additional details on the battle for Canada’s Strongest Man where by all accounts, yesterday saw a very intense competition in this major strongman contest - with Christian Savoie establishing himself as the leader at the end of day 1.

In the first event, an arm-over-arm pull, Christian Savoie won by a margin of 0.1 second, signaling that the contest would be close and that he was there to win.

Next up was a deadlift for reps and this (not a squat as reported yesterday) produced a three-way tie as Christian Savoie, Louis-Philippe Jean and Jean-Francois Caron pulled 8 reps . . . six more than the next competitor, indicating that this group of three was producing a contest within a contest.

Only Christian Savoie and Louis-Philippe Jean finished the power stairs, and Christian Savoie took top honors by five seconds over the defending Canada’s Strongest Man, Louis-Philippe Jean.  Jean-Francois Caron and Mike Saunders finished 14 of the 15 stairs within the time limit.

Wrapping up the first day were the Atlas Stones, and although IronMind® has few details on the event, we heard that things were made tougher by the hot weather, and that Christian Savoie once again won the event and that Louis-Philippe Jean came in fourth.

Stay tuned for more action today, as the battle for Canada’s Strongest Man continues.

In addition to the title itself, the winner of Canada’s Strongest Man is going to be invited to the World’s Strongest Man (WSM), IronMind® has been told by sources close to the WSM decision-making process, so the stakes are high as Christian Savoie leads after the first day of competition today.

Unofficially, here are the top three competitors and their points after the first day of competition:

1. Christian Savoie         47 points
2. Louis-Philippe Jean    39
3. Jean-Francois Caron  38.5

Also unofficially, IronMind® has been told that the top three guys were tied in the squat, but that Christian Savoie won all the other events today.

Stay tuned as Canada’s Strongest Man continues tomorrow.

The recent NAS Women’s National Championships had a number of highlights - including Kristen Rhodes winning her third consecutive title - and if you talk to NAS president Dione Wessels, this reflects both the commitment of the competitor and the growth of the sport.

Three-peat heavyweight winner Kristin Rhodes lofts Kelly Picchione, who won the lightweight title.  IronMind® | Jacob Picchione photo, courtesy of Dione Wessels.

"This year we had the largest number of women [ever] competing at the Nationals,” Wessels said, explaining that NAS has seen its number of female competitors increase alongside the growth on the men’s side.  This year’s NAS Women’s National Championships had 15 women, Wessels told IronMind®, and there are 165 women competing in strongwoman contests in total. 

“This year was the first year we added a middleweight class in order to give a little more to the women.  ASC is hoping to see an international contest for the women in the year 2010,” Wessels said, referring to American Strongman Corporation.  “We think it would be great for the fans that follow the sport to also see the extreme strength of some of the world’s best as well [as the top American competitors].”

In case you missed the results from the NAS Women’s National Championships, here are the top three in each of the categories.
 
Lightweight:

1.  Kelly Picchione
2.  Lydia Knurek
3.  Sarah Jackson
 
Middleweight:

1. Beth Grauer
2. Margaret Boyle
3. Mary Jacobson
 
Heavyweight:

1. Kristin Rhodes
2. Kimberly Berbrier
3. Christine Lafex

Putting all of this in context, Wessels told IronMind®, “Many of the women competing are mothers, students, as well as competitors in other sports.  The sacrifice that they give up daily is truly impressive and appreciated because they too help to keep the sport for women growing as well as NAS and ASC.”

“It is quite impressive to see an athlete such as Kristen who has three small children herself and is a nanny by day not only compete, but also keep the title for three years in a row.  Equally impressive was Mary Jacobsen, who competed with the younger women, at 55 years of age.  Mary has battled cancer twice and still continues to train and compete.  She is a true pioneer for the sport as well.”

For more information on North American Strongman, please visit the official NAS website.

Athletic Director Steve Conway has previewed the upcoming IHGF World Hammer Championships and U.S. Invitational Heavy Events Championships for IronMind® - with a top-drawer field, the big Highland Games weekend at Pleasanton is set for another world-class event on September 5 - 6.

Billed as “the world’s largest Celtic festival,” the 144th Gathering & Games, presented by the Caledonian Club of San Francisco, will once again feature many of the world’s top Highland Games Heavy Events competitors.  IronMind® | Artwork courtesy of Steve Conway/Caledonian Club of San Francisco.

144th Gathering and Games: Spotlight on the Heavies

by Steve Conway

For the second year the Caledonian Club of San Francisco is hosting the IHGF World Hammer Championships; this will be in conjunction with the 35th U.S. Invitational Heavy Events Championships and the 144th Gathering and Games at the Alameda Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, California.

It promises to be an exciting competition with 10 top pros competing for the titles:  Last year's champion Eric Frasure (who also hold the U.S. record in the heavy hammer) will have his hands full with challengers Sean Betz, Harrison Bailey III, Mike Pockoski, Ryan Vierra, Daniel McKim, Scott Rider, Bert Sorin, Rusty Price and Lucais McKay.  Scott Rider has fully recovered from last year's appendicitis and has been throwing very well in Scotland this summer.  Sean Betz and Harrison Bailey III finished 2nd and 4th respectively at this years IHGF World Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland. Mike Pockoski and Daniel McKim have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are ready to take on anyone in the pro class.

Bert Sorin had some early season injuries but has recovered nicely, and Rusty Price and Lucais McKay will shake up the rankings.  Rusty, Sean, Dan, Mike and Scott have all thrown very well in the stones this year.  Rusty is the current World Stone Champion while Scott is the British Champion.  Look for Dan and Lucais to score high in the caber, while Harrison and Sean should do well in the weight for height; last year Harrison set a new field record in that event with a toss of 18' 1" (with a spin). 

The signature event, the hammers, will be anyone's guess.  All of these athletes are capable of big throws, but Eric has thrown the heavy hammer farther than anyone in this group and Ryan holds the U.S. record in the light hammer.

Speaking of Ryan Vierra, this is his "home Games" and he can never be counted out:  Ryan has proven time and again why he has to be considered as one the greatest Highland Games athletes in the world.
 

For full details on the IHGF World Hammer Championships and the 35th U.S. Invitational Heavy Events, please visit the official Caledonian Club of San Francisco website.

As the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest draws nearer, the big talk is about the big three in the strongman world: Mariusz Pudzianowski, Zydrunas Savickas, and Derek Poundstone.

Zydrunas Savickas has more than put his stamp on the world’s major strongman contests - next up for six-time Arnold strongman champion is the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest.  IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen photo.

First of all is the question of who’s going to show up, and at IronMind® our guess is that as long as he is above ground and vertical, Derek Poundstone will be in Malta - he’s zeroed in on adding the World’s Strongest Man title to his collection of major strongman titles.

Next to consider is Zydrunas Savickas because as IronMind® has written the obvious over and over again, Zydrunas Savickas is the de facto strongest guy on the professional strongman circuit.  Yet, he hasn’t won the title of the contest that many think describes him to a T: World’s Strongest Man.  For a few years, when IFSA split from the WSM world, Zydrunas Savickas was effectively locked out of World’s Strongest Man, but that’s all history now and with nearly everyone playing nice at the moment, there are no artificial barriers keeping some of the world’s top strongmen from competing in WSM.

“Yes,” Zydrunas Savickas told IronMind®.  I am going for sure to WSM.”  And with the events now out in the public domain, IronMind® asked the Big Z what he thought of them.

“Normal for World’s Strongest Man,” Savickas said and rather than boasting about how he planned to punch the performance levels to another galaxy, he modestly said “[we] will see after one month” if those events were good for him.

Don't think this implies nonchalance or anything less than a maximum effort, however: “I always want to win competition, whether it’s a small contest or it’s the Arnold Classic, or WSM.  I always try to do my best.  It’s my goal,” Savickas said.

Explaining further, the man who sometimes seems to break strongman world records at will said, “If I win a competition with bad results in events I will be not happy.  If I lift very good results, but lose the competition, I will be happy with my results.  My goal in this sport is to lift big weights.”

Looking ahead of WSM 2009 for a moment, IronMind® asked Zydrunas Savickas whether he planned to compete in the Arnold strongman contest next year and once again the level-headedness of the man who can move near-mountains was apparent: “I have plans to compete next year for Arnolds, but first I must finish this season, have some rest and then we will see.”

There’s a thing called super-itis, which is the swagger that can frequently accompany the physically large and mighty, but be cautious if you try to apply that label to Zydrunas Savickas - asked if he had anything he wanted to say to strongman fans, he had a very un-WWE-like reply:  “ Thank you for loving this sport!”

So there he is - calm and purposeful, no braggadocio and no bluff . . .  but when you’re as strong as Zydrunas Savickas and you say, “My goal in this sport is to lift big weights,” that should send a clear message to the other World’s Strongest Man competitors.

Other than Captains of Crush® Grippers, no test of grip strength has the recognition, history or track record of the Rolling Thunder® - it’s a seminal test of grip strength that is as fun as it is challenging, and it has been put to the test by the world’s strongest men for nearly two decades.

Peter Mortensen, a rock climber from Denmark, does a one-arm pull-up on a Rolling Thunder® Revolving Deadlift Handle:  “There seems to be a strong correlation between strength on revolving handles or dumbbells (especially thick handles) and climbing hand strength . . .,” Peter told us.  Reprinted from the 2006 IronMind® catalog - Volume Fifteen, with permission.  IronMind® | Photo courtesy of Peter Mortensen.

Developed by IronMind® in 1993, the Rolling Thunder® is directly linked to the classic feats of strength that combine basic lifts with thick handles and bars, and its origins are most closely associated with the one-hand deadlift that has such a prominent place in strength history.

Noting that, “One of the problems with evaluating thick-handled, one-hand deadlifts is that it can make a HUGE difference whether or not the handle revolves,” IronMind®, in 1993, replaced the stationary thick handles it had sold in the past with the Rolling Thunder®, so named because it rotates and because of the potentially thunderous sound of missed lifts - both from the plates themselves and from the frustrated lifter. 

Since that time, the Rolling Thunder® has established itself as a worldwide standard of grip strength: it is one of the three elements that make up the world’s top grip event - the GNC Grip Gauntlet - and, like Captains of Crush® Grippers, the Rolling Thunder® has an unrivaled record as a jousting ground for the world’s strongest men to test their grip strength.

Late in 2008, IronMind® retooled the Rolling Thunder® and took it from the lab to the field as Wade Gillingham, among others, put it to the test.  Frankly, we at IronMind® had outsmarted ourselves as we had gotten a little overzealous on one manufacturing tolerance and there were a couple of other instances where theory and practice did not align perfectly, so we did some fine tuning to arrive at what you see today:  the no-excuses-have-fun-test-of-grip-strength known simply as the [new] Rolling Thunder®.

So fundamental is the Rolling Thunder® as a test of grip strength that IronMind® begins any list of the world’s strongest grip men by considering it along with the Captains of Crush® Grippers, and only three men have ever officially closed the No. 3 Captains of Crush® Gripper, or beyond, plus held the world record in the Rolling Thunder®: Andrus Murumets, Laine Snook and Magnus Samuelsson.  In our book, these men define the top echelon of grip strength, although we would prefer to see a big lift on the Hub-style Pinch Gripper thrown in to cover the element of pinch grip strength, as well.  Also, we consider closing at least the No. 3 Captains of Crush® Gripper and lifting at least 250 pounds on the Rolling Thunder® as defining the threshold for truly world-class grip strength, and such guys as Brian Shaw, Wade Gillingham and Chad Woodall come to mind as being in this zone of the grip-strength world. 

Incidentally, when IronMind® says “close a Captains of Crush® Gripper,” we mean according to the official rules, period, and when we say “lift the Rolling Thunder®,” we mean a new one, so that everyone knows we are not talking about something that either due to nature or nurture has basically frozen and might well be adding something like 50 pounds to one’s top lift.

The fun aspect of the Rolling Thunder® is not to be ignored and the Rolling Thunder® is not just the province of either the huge-handed or the gigantic . . . in fact, average-sized people can have a lot of fun with it and turn in some extraordinary performances too, such as the one-arm pull-up done on a Rolling Thunder® by Peter Mortensen, truly an exceptional feat of upper and lower arm strength that was featured in the 2006 IronMind® catalog - Volume Fifteen.

In the not-too-distant past, a guy with a huge bodyweight disadvantage in the Rolling Thunder® World Championships was egged on by yours truly, who pointed out that he was knocking on the door of pulling a bodyweight lift on the Rolling Thunder®, which nobody else was in the range of doing.  In the spirit of this lift, IronMind® will send a Rolling Thunder® handle with our compliments to the first person who can name this man, along with when and where this took place.  Email responses directly to rjstrossen@ironmind.com; only one entry per person, please.

And in the meantime, if you seek grip greatness or merely want to have some fun with grip strength training, hook up with the Rolling Thunder® - it complements your beloved Captains of Crush® Grippers and, just like them, if you’re strong, it will allow you to prove it.

Canada’s Strongest Man contest is this weekend and while IronMind® does not have this officially from World’s Strongest Man, tradition would have us predict that the winner of this big Canadian strongman contest will receive an invitation to the preeminent event in the field, the World’s Strongest Man contest.

Louis-Philippe Jean on the deadlift at the Giants Live - Mohegan Sun strongman contest earlier this year.  IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen photo.
 

The Canada’s Strongest Man contest is scheduled for Québec City, August 22 - 23, and it is part of Expo Québec, “which is a big fair . . . very popular . . . with many activities mostly dedicated to the family,” Ms. Geneviève Caron, Communications Consultant for Montmagny, Quebec told IronMind®.  “According to the insiders, the favorite athletes are Jean-François Caron, Christian Savoie and, of course, last year’s champion, Louis-Philippe Jean."

As an added boost to the defending champion, Louis-Philippe Jean, Montmagny Mayor Jean-Guy Desrosiers explained for IronMind® the special status accorded Louis-Philippe Jean by his local community:

 “We are proud to support Louis-Philippe Jean through his aims in the strongman world.  Montmagny has ‘adopted’ Mr. Jean, 2008 Canada’s Strongest Man, almost one year ago.  Then he became an ambassador of his kind and we wish him the best for this year’s Canadian Strongman Championships.”
 
It’s a lot of pressure to put on his broad, but young shoulders and LP (as some of his friends call him) told IronMind®, “Canada’s Strongest Man of 2009, makes me a little bit more nervous because now I have to protect my title and my career.  You know it’s all based on a small thing, so if you break it, everything is going down.  For this year, I’m going to weigh a lot again!  I’m now weighing 330 pounds . . . stronger than ever, but not as lean as I was at Mohegan,” referring to the Giants Live - Mohegan Sun strongman contest earlier this year that was an official World’s Strongest Man qualifier.  “All the events are going to be a 3 - 4 guy race again . . . I have to be strong!”

Here are the events:

Deadlift Hold
Squat for Reps
Atlas Stones
Power Stairs
Truck Pull
Viking Press for Reps
Tire Flip
Medley

And this is the list of athletes slated to start:

Christian Savoie
Louis-Philippe Jean
Paul Vaillancourt
Grant Connors
Scott Cummine
John Dungey
Jean-Francois Caron
Mike Saunders
Franky Bonneau
Chris Harper
John Moerike

For full information on Canada’s Strongest Man, please visit the official Canada's Strongest Man website.

And for updates throughout the weekend, watch our News column and follow us on Twitter.


 

Although always subject to change, here are the events for the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest.

Qualifying Events:

Medley
Fingal’s Fingers
Conan’s Wheel
Squat Lift
Deadlift
Dumbbell Press
Keg Toss
Truck Pull
Atlas Stones
 
Final Events:
 
Giant Farmer’s Walk
Fingal’s Fingers
Deadlift Hold
Overhead Lift with Axle
Boat Pull (arm over arm)
Plane Pull (harness and rope)
Atlas Stones
 
Stay tuned for more details.

Reporting on the NAHA Nebraska Highlander contest, D. J. Satterfield told IronMind®, “The day started out very rainy, but eventually let up so we could get things going,” as the contest drew “competitors from all strength disciplines and levels.”

“Pro strongmen, pro Highland Games, pro football & powerlifting,” were represented, Sattfield said.  “We even had Warrick Brant show up to compete, who is from Australia.  The competitors loved the new format (1/2 strongman, 1/2 Highland Games) and all the divisions were very competitive.  Most came down to a point or two for the win.”

“The best of all, we raised $2,500 for Camp CoHoLo, which was our main reason for the contest. This will help at least 6 kids get to go to camp.”

Here are the top places.

Women (Open):

Amy Doner (IA)                      6 points
 

Men’s Lightweight (<200 lb.):

Jesse Jobe  (IA)                     23 points
Tim Pinkerton (NE)                22.5
Mac Capello (NE)                  16.5   

Men’s Middleweight (201 - 250 lb.):

Adam Keep (USA/England)   46 points
Eric Todd  (MO)                     31
Glenn Melnick (NE)                29

Men’s Heavyweight (+251 lb.):

Warrick Brant (Australia)         29 points
Charles Kasson (NE)               28
Sean Betz  (NE)                       23

Men’s Master (Open):

Darren Barnhart (KS)               26 points
Larry Kaiser (NE)                     22
David Lindstrom (KS)              18
 

Watch for a full report on the North American Highlander Association (NAHA) website in the next day or two.
 

At IronMind®, we used to joke that the Arnold strongman contest should be renamed in honor of Zydrunas Savickas, since he has won it so many times, but how about Lithuania's Strongest Man, where Zydrunas Savickas just racked up his 10th victory this weekend?

Among his standout performances, Zydrunas Savickas set the IFSA Axle world record with this lift of 202.5 kg.  IronMind® | Photo courtesy of Zydrunas Savickas. 

Zydrunas Savickas set 5 new Lithuanian strongman records and a new world record on the IFSA Axle, with a whopping 202.5 kg. 

Here are the top six:

1. Zydrunas Savickas 58.5 points
2. Vidas Blekaitis   49
3. Vytautas Lalas    39.5
4. Saulius Brusokas  33
5. Antanas Abrutis   32.5
6. Alvidas Brazdzius 30.5

“The competition level was very good,” Zydrunas Savickas told IronMind®.  “All athletes lift a lot personal records.”

“The real center of excellence [in the Highland Games] is on the west coast of Scotland, not the east coast,” Dr. Douglas Edmunds told IronMind® today, referring to the west coast locus of the Highland Games competitions he runs.

Douglas Edmunds relaxes at the premiere of the Jon Pall Sigmarsson documentary in Reykjavik - an international strength world party organized by the film’s co-producer, Hjalti Arnason, who, like many  at the top in the strength world, have worked with Douglas Edmunds for decades.  IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen photo. 

Edmunds, who is known as the Godfather of Strongman, continues to march forward with his plans for what he sees as a critical revitalization of the Highland Games: “We are all about entertaining the public, not so much for the athlete,” meaning that the crowd is fully engaged, experiencing the Highland Games “up close and personal,” says Edmunds.  But don’t take this to mean the athlete suffers, though.

“They feel appreciated,” Edmunds said of the athletes in his competitions, explaining the sense of recognition he said his competitions bring to the athletes.  “They feel important, famous,” Edmunds said.

And while much has been made of the apparent rivalry between Edmunds’ Highlander concept and what is called the traditional approach to the Highland Games, it’s not exactly the case that a line is drawn in the sand, separating the athletes into two different groups.

Edmunds pointed out that his son, Gregor, had lent his hammer boots to Aaron Neighbour when Neighbour needed a replacement pair for the IHGF Highland Games World Championships in Edinburgh last month - Neighbour won that event, but he also competes in the contests that Edmunds puts on.

Still, don’t think Edmunds has gone soft these days as he gives no ground when it comes to extolling the superiority of his approach to the Highland Games:  Citing the historical ties he promotes as dear to his thinking, Edmunds says that his Games attract a superior crowd, with an appeal that takes them beyond “just the meatheads,” he said.

Known for his animated performances at the arm wrestling table, Tom Nelson had an easy time of things as he dominated the Nevada County Fair Arm Wrestling Championships today - calmly walking through his matches, the whole time remaining remarkably calm and quiet.

Carlos Garcia (left) and Austin Lockhart (right) battled it out at the Nevada County Fair Arm Wrestling Championships today.  IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen photo.
 

Put on by Bill and Ginger Collins’ Armworld Promotions, this was part of the arm wrestling tour that includes stops at a number of California locations.  California is home to some of the world’s top arm wrestlers, and the Collins’ contests showcase the sport throughout the Golden State.

The Nevada County Fairgrounds is known as one of the country’s most beautiful, and another gorgeous Northern California day combined with the rural, small-town county fair ambience to showcase some spirited action at the arm wrestling table, which drew quite a crowd - with nobody being shy about cheering for their favorites.

Speaking from the Europa Super Show in Dallas, North American Strongman’s Dione Wessesls told IronMind®, “We had our last Platinum Plus show for the year . . .  Max Pippa won the 105-kg division and Andrew Palmer won the open division.”

NAS Platinum Plus at the Europa (left to right): Rob Lewis, Ryan Bracewell, and Andrew Palmer.  IronMind® | Photo courtesy of Dione Wessels.


“It was an awesome show and crowd.  For both athletes, the competition came down to the last event, the stone over the bar,” Wessels said.

With this big show on the books, it marks another step forward for North American Strongman (NAS).

“NAS continues to grow each year with bigger contests and venues,” said Wessels.  “We are seeing a lot of athletes with tremendous potential!  The NAS National Championships will be October 10th and 11th in Lafayette, Louisiana and it will be our 127th show for the year.  We are up from 120 shows from last year.”

Quick to credit the parties who share in the success, Wessels told IronMind®, “NAS would not be where we are if it were not for the State Chairs, promoters, athletes, and sponsors.”

For more details on NAS and a schedule of upcoming events, please visit the official NAS website.
 

Contested at Glasgow Green (Scotland) today, the European Open Highland Games Championships joined the string of victories racked up by Sebastian Wenta.

Run in conjunction with the World Pipe Band Championships, which is billed as “the world’s biggest bagpipe event,” the European Open Highland Games Championships was organized by Dougland Edmunds.  With 200 pipe bands and a crowd of 40,000 setting the stage, it’s no wonder that Colin Bryce summarized things by saying, “Great day!”

Here are the top six:

1. S. Wenta 41.5
2. K. Chuprynin 39
3. S. Rider 27.5
4. L. Wenta 25.5
5. H. Lolkema 25
6. A. Neighbour 24.5
 

“Scotland’s Craig Sinclair was in top form at the Tain Highland Games,” Francis Breber told IronMind®.

Craig Sinclair sports his two British Hammer Championships medals.  IronMind® | Photo courtesy of Francis Brebner.


Here is Francis Brebner’s complete report:

Craig Sinclair Wins the Tain Highland Games
by Francis Brebner

Scotland's Craig Sinclair was in top form at the Tain Highland Games, where he claimed two national titles - winning the British Light & Heavy Hammer Championships.
 
With perfect weather conditions, a crowd of over 4,000 spectators watched a top field of international athletes, including Scotland's Jason Young and Malcolm Cleghorn, England's Scott Rider and David Dawson, and the current World Champion, Australia’s Aaron Neighbour.
 
In the 16-lb. stone it was Britain's number-one ranked Highland Games shot putter, Scott Rider, who dominated this event by establishing a new ground record with a put of 57’ 1/2".  In second place was David Dawson  with a put of 53’ 2-1/2" and Aaron Neighbour came in third with a putt of 52' 7".
 
The 22-lb. stone once again witnessed another spectacular performance from Rider as he unleashed a putt of 47’ 2", with the Neighbour in second with 45’5", and Scotland's Jason Young in third spot with 42’ 6".

The next event was the 16-lb. hammer, which saw Craig Sinclair (who is currently Scotland's number one with the hammers) claim his first national title with a throw of 126’ 8".  Second place was a real  tussle between Neighbour and Rider, with Neighbour just going ahead for the win with a distance 122’ 11", and Rider getting third place with 122’ 6".
 
Moving onto the 22-lb. hammer, Sinclair let fly with a winning throw of 105’10" which secured another national title; Neighbour was in second place with 100’ 8" and Young was in third with 96’ 8".
 
 The 28-lb. weight for distance was a ding dong battle with the lead changing hands between Neighbour and Rider, with Neighbour eventually claiming the win with a distance of 78 ’8".  Rider was second and Sinclair was third.
 
Moving onto the Caber, which was 19’ long and 118 lb., it was a tie for first place between Cleghorn and Rider, both of whom had 12 o'clock tosses.  Young was in third place with a 12:10.
 
The final event of the competition was the 56-lb. weight over the bar and it was won by Neighbour with a height of 15’.  In second equal was Young, Rider and Cleghorn - all at 14'.
 
Overall top three were as follows:

1. Scott Rider 25.5 points
2. Aaron Neighbour 25 points
3. Craig Sinclair 16.5 points

Leonard Harkless and Denise Wattles of the US Armwrestling Association are in the midst of something like a 40-tournament year, showing the popularity of armwrestling and the demand for their expertise.

A lethal weapon of a different sort: the John Brzenk forearm gets a rest in between mowing down opponents.  IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen photo.


Already looking forward to 2010, Harkless and Wattles told IronMind® today that their hometown of Billings, Montana will host the Unified US National Armwrestling Championships and then the 2010 WAF World Championships will be held in Las Vegas.  Approximate timing for the nationals is the first week of August and for the worlds, the first week of December is looking likely.

"So we’re saying, 'The Road to Las Vegas Goes Through Billings,'” Harkless and Wattles said.

Stay tuned for more details.

Corey St. Clair asked the rhetorical question, “Is Chief Joe Onosia still in the strength world?”

Meggie St-Jacques (left), Joe Onosai (center) and Corey St. Clair (right), on location (Waikiki Beach).  IronMind® | Photo courtesy of Corey St. Clair.


"Yes he is!,” St. Clair, the shy strongman, answered.
 
“Being an ordained minister put him, Corey St. Clair and Meggie St-Jacques (whose Aunt Isabelle and Uncle Mario are neighbors with Hugo Girard) all together on Saturday August 8th for Corey and Meggie's wedding on Waikiki Beach,” St. Clair told IronMind®.  “Joe is still a very strong and powerful man  both inside and out, and after spending some time together and getting to know Joe a little more, I now know how he became one of the strongest men in the world!" 

Consistent with the theme of a strongman wedding, Malcolm Lutu (who promotes Hawaii's Strongest Man) and his family attended the wedding, as well.

Corey said that he “and Meggie now live in Boise, Idaho,” and the newly-wed M. St. Clair “is currently training for North America's Strongest Man labor day weekend in Gatineau, Quebec."

All of this leaves but one question unanswered for the latest on Corey St. Clair: Did he or didn’t he . . . wear black fingernail polish at his wedding?

David Webster, OBE has reported that “all those drug tested at the [2009 Highland Games] World Championships . . . have passed with flying colors.”

Aaron Neighbour, 2009 IHGF Highland Games World Champion, on the Braemar Stone (Edinburgh, Scotland).  IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen photo.


Here is David Webster’s complete statement:

"Dear Friends,

Today I returned from Canada and the Highland games at Maxville, Glengarry, Montreal and Fergus.  I was delighted, but not surprised, to receive the news that all those drug tested at the World Championships, top men and random alike, have passed with flying colours.  I thought you would like to know about this. It is expensive and time-consuming to set up, but I feel it is imperative that we show that our athletes are worthy champions and it is heartening that you all participate when you know very well that there is genuine testing for anabolic steroids, amphetamines, masking agents, etc. 

Thank you most sincerely.  Special thanks to Dr. Bill Crawford and Francis Brebner for the important part they played in conducting the sampling and administration at the venue.



I think that our many recent important events on both sides of the Atlantic and in Europe shows that we are moving forward and the splendid  future programme reinforces this view.  Ryan and Francis have done a great job in developing new locations for world class events. Tommy and his wife are also taking steps to boost the European dimension.
In the thirty years of the World Championships we have never had a better group of top class athletes than those of the present.

YOU HAVE MADE HISTORY AND THE FUTURE LOOKS GOOD.

Yours aye,

Dave"

This sounds like the perfect ending to the 2009 Highland Games World Championships, which began with an on-field visit from none other than Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla.
 

IronMind® received a question about how to rate performances in tearing cards and whenever this subject comes up, we can’t help but think of John Brookfield.

John Brookfield demonstrates his preferred positioning for tearing cards.  IronMind® | Photo courtesy of John Brookfield; reprinted from MILO®, with permission.


Tearing cards is one of the most popular feats of lower arm strength and for good reason - it can defy some pretty strong guys if they’ve never tried it, but, at least at moderate levels, it is achievable by almost anyone who is reasonably strong.  Plus, you can do it nearly anywhere and if you ignore the cost of training, the basic equipment is pretty cheap.  As John Brookfield said, “It’s accessible to everyone in the world . . . it’s not like trying to sell a yacht.”

If that’s not enough, tearing cards is also super easy to learn how to do - speaking from personal experience, two minutes on the phone with John Brookfield would give you all the technical coaching you need and you’ll be off and tearing, as long as you have the basic strength . . . John proved this to me almost 20 years ago.

John’s basic advice is to think about opening a jar of peanut butter and we’ll assume your right hand is on top.  Next, push your hands toward each other a little (as if you are compressing the jar lightly) and then turn your top hand clockwise, being careful to go slowly at least until you develop the grip strength that will allow you to blast through a deck without losing control of the cards.

And talking about blasting through decks of cards, take a look at what John Brookfield has done in this realm - it will give you a new appreciation for what truly is a world-class performance when it comes to tearing cards:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oeFLUAPpns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoUrxbEJci4
 

If anyone else is approaching these levels, IronMind® would be interested in hearing from them.  And in the meantime, if you want more details on how to do this, please check John Brookfield’s MILO® article on the subject.

Create a short list of the favorites for this year’s World’s Strongest Man contest and you’re likely to see three names on it - Mariusz Pudzianowski, Derek Poundstone and Zydrunas Savickas - but considering all the factors, one name seems to rise above the others and that’s Derek Poundstone.

Derek Poundstone on his way to setting a new world record (414 lb.) on the Apollon’s Axle at the Giants Live World’s Strongest Man Qualifier held at the Mohegan Sun earlier this year.  Presenter Colin Bryce called it the highlight of the contest and said that he wished there had been a decibel meter to measure the crowd’s response as they roared for Poundstone when he made this lift.  IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen photo.


The World’s Strongest Cop says he lost World’s Strongest Man last year - as opposed to getting beaten - when he didn’t quite place the final stone on its barrel, allowing Mariusz Pudzianowski to overtake him and win the title for record fifth time.  If you talk to Poundstone, it’s clear that he doesn’t plan to lose again.

Poundstone is steering around 325 pounds of muscle these days and his training is “too good, almost,” he told IronMind® today.

Asked about [the other] favorites for this year’s World’s Strongest Man contest, Poundstone is quick to mention Zydrunas Savickas and Mariusz Pudzianowski, and what follows is a long pause before he can name some other guys whom he sees as having a chance at the top five.

Quick to praise the basic strength of Zydrunas Savickas, Poundstone adds, “I can really challenge him because static strength isn’t everything in strongman.  Every strongman contest has its personality and World’s Strongest Man suits someone like Mariusz or me better than Zydrunas.”

Looking at the big three, Poundstone says he will be surprised if they all show up for World’s Strongest Man this year, not that it might matter so much for Poundstone since he says he’ll be there and he knows he can beat them . . . whoever shows up.

Just in from Zydrunas Savickas: “Yes, I was invited to WSM.”

He’s just plane strong: Zydrunas Savickas, widely considered the strongest man on the strongman circuit and often spoken of when people discuss the strongest men in the world, ever, has been invited to the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest.  IronMind® | Photo courtesy of Lina Kirkliauskaite


“Training is going very well,” Savickas added.  “On 15 August I will have Lithuanian Strongest Man.”
 

In addition to those strongmen who have already qualified for the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest, IronMind® is hearing that “the top five from Strongman Champions League have been taken into account,” which we understand to mean that they might already have been earmarked for this A-list strongman event.

IronMind® has heard the rumor that Zydrunas Savickas has been invited, but we have not been able to confirm that.  We have also heard that Ervin Katona might be making his debut at this year’s World’s Strongest Man contest, but that would be contingent upon his being “fit in time.”

Someone close to the decision-makers told IronMind®, “World’s Strongest Man has never stopped the world’s best strongmen from going to WSM and now that the world of strongman is getting much closer, it appears that we will be able to have every top athlete in the world there [this year].”

Always exciting and fun, World’s Strongest Man 2009 promises to be the best one yet.

Stone lifting aficionado and lifting history buff Roger Davis wrote to IronMind®, “Firstly, congratulations to Andy Cairney on his magnificent press of the Inver Stone - he made it look easy.

The Inver Stone at rest.  IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen photo.

“Just to let you know, Andy is in fact the sixth person to have pressed the Inver, not the fourth,” continued Davis, supplying the following list of those who have succeeded in getting the Inver Stone overhead:

1. Bill Kazmaier
2. Hamish Davidson
3. Francis Brebner
4. Laine Snook
5. Sebastian Wenta
6. Andy Cairney

When this subject came up several years ago at a World’s Strongest Man contest, Bill Kazmaier - the man who dropped jaws by being the first man to lift overhead the stone that many others would have been happy to hoist waist high - was nonchalant about his performance.

Nodding toward a group of World’s Strongest Man competitors, the Kaz told Randall Strossen, “Any of these guys could do it.”

Anyone else lifted the Inver Stone overhead?  If so, please let me know.

Giants Live is the official qualifying tour for the World’s Strongest Man contest and last weekend’s competition, the final stop in 2009, provided a sneak preview of who might do what at this year’s World’s Strongest Man contest.

First, here are the official final places and scores:

1. Jarek Dymek 64.5 points
2. Mark Felix 55
3. Stefan Solvi Petursson 46.5
4. Kevin Nee 45
5. Darren Sadler 43.5
6. Laurence Shahlaei 28
7. Sławomir Łukawski 18
8. Konstantyn Ilin 16.5
9. Damian Antoniok 15
10. Rob Frampton 13
11. Rolands Gulbis 6
12. Tarmo Mitt 6

Even more telling is the story behind the numbers and for that IronMind® was fortunate to get some comments directly from Giants Live founder Colin Bryce.

“Dymek looked like he did six or seven years ago,” Bryce told IronMind®, which is a heads-up for World’s Strongest Man competitors.  “He is very hungry to make yet another [WSM] final.”

“It was good to see Mark Felix on top form again - winning the deadlift with ease,” Bryce said of the man with an unworldly combination of grip strength and back strength.   “Kevin Nee may well have won the whole contest but a terrible performance in the tyres caused him to go backward in the overall results,” Bryce reported to IronMind, speaking of a perennial crowd favorite.  On a related note, Bryce told IronMind®, “WSM competitors who are a little nervous of their biceps will be pleased to hear that Tyre Flip has been ruled out of WSM this year as too many biceps have been torn off in that event recently.”

Last, but certainly not least, is the young Icelander Stefan Solvi Petursson and his talents caught Bryce’s eye: “Stefan Solvi Petersson has come of age, too. The 23-year-old Icelander is a good bet to make the WSM finals this year.”

The first phase of their training is off to a good start for the German men’s weightlifting team, including Olympic gold medalist Matthias Steiner.

This last attempt 258-kg clean and jerk gave Germany’s Matthias Steiner the super heavyweight gold medal in weightlifting at the 2008 Olympics.  IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen photo.
 

The 2008 German men’s Olympic Weightlifting team hit a home run in Beijing and as part of their post-Olympic fun-mixed-with-work, they starred in the IronMind® Invitational at the 2009 Arnold, holding a mini-contest in the Grand Ballroom and an exhibition on the main stage of the Expo Hall, among other things.

Now, it’s full steam ahead, with an eye on both the World Weightlifting Championships later this year, and, longer term, the 2012 Olympics.

Training is going well and “we are at the beginning of this preparation,” coach Michael Vater told IronMind®, and if you want to hang some numbers of their performances, here is where the 2008 Olympians were in their first week (snatch-clean & jerk, in kg):

Matthias Steiner: 170-210
Almir Velagic:  160-180
Jürgen Spiess:  150-170

As part of their participation in the 2008 Arnold, the German team put on a seminar at the Speed-Strength Summit, where IronMind®’s Randall Strossen introduced them by saying, “This is the team that the USA can learn the most from if it wants to be successful, once again, in weightlifting.”

Stay tuned for more progress reports as we draw closer to the 2009 World Weightlifting Championships.

It’s the party everyone the strongman world wants to attend as once a year the World’s Strongest Man crew sets up shop, usually in an exotic location, with a series of challenges well suited to the tall, big and strong - a two-meter, 150-kg competitor who can manhandle huge stones and pull giant trucks at will is just one of the guys in this crowd of XXXLT-and-beyond bodies.

Strongman hits the big time at the World’s Strongest Man contest with major media coverage for the strongman contest that created the concept.  Here, Bill Kazmaier (left) interviews Mariusz Pudzianowski (right) for ESPN at the 2008 MET-Rx World’s Strongest Man contest.  IronMind® | Randall J. Strossen photo.


Mariusz Pudzianowski has qualified, by virtue of being the defending WSM champion, and IronMind® has been told the following men have already qualified for the 2009 World’s Strongest Man, based on Giants Live, the official World’s Strongest man qualifying tour:

Brian Shaw
Derek Poundstone
Travis Ortmayer
Mikhail Koklyaev (injured)
Richard Skog
Mark Felix
Jarek Dymek
Stefan-Solvi Petursson

If you are a leading strongman competitor, or want to be recognized as one, the most important thing at this point is to get an invitation to the 2009 World’s Strongest Man contest, and as part of the selection process, IronMind® has been told by a reliable inside source that an IMG committee is developing the list of wild card invitations at this moment.

Stay tuned for more updates, both here and on IronMind®'s Twitter page.

Now trimmed down to 124 kg and saying that he “feels like a butterfly,” Arild Haugen seems likely to sting like a bee when he makes his boxing debut.

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He’s a proven talent and hot property in the strongman world, but now Arild Haugen is turning his talents to boxing.  IronMind® | Photo courtesy of Arild Haugen.

He was the strongman billed as Mariusz Pudzianowski’s most-likely successor, capable of such devastating performances on the stones that he vaulted over the title of King and went straight to the ranks of Emperor - Arild Haugen has the physical package and the personality to take him far in the strongman world, but what was missing was the financial incentive and reward system, so he switched to boxing.

Talking boxing, Arild told IronMind®, “I have improved so much, but there is still a long way to go.  My first match will probably be in September or October, in Spain.”

“I miss all the guys in strongman . . . The finest thing about strongman is all the good relationships you can build up all over the world and also you get to travel a lot if you want.  But before I would consider to go back to the sport there has to come some money in it.  I will not sacrifice so much for so little.  What you do in life goes in eternity!”
 
“I heard the ‘Dominator’ [Mariusz Pudzianowski] is also leaving strongman.  I don’t know why, but he will probably make more money in MMA.  And I also think he probably needs some new excitement in his life.  He has won everything and is still quite young and can do well in MMA, too, I think.  But this is a BIG loss for the strongman sport because he was the front head of strongman in the world.  He had an attitude, either you liked him or hated him; he was there, and was unstoppable.  He also had a great look and competed a lot over many years so people will miss him big time.  There are no one else who can fill his shoes at this time.”

“Strongman is show biz, almost like boxing.  You have to walk, talk and act different to make yourself interesting.  Like Mohammed Ali said, '20,000 people will come to see me win, and 20,000 to see me lose.'

“I wish all the guys the best of luck at this year’s World’s Strongest Man,” Arild Haugen told IronMind®.  “Watch out for the new Norway’s Strongest Man Richard Skog.  I will be training with him in the next couple of days and he looks great.”

Come down to Coney Island on August 30 for some top arm wrestling as the 33rd Annual Brighton Jubilee Festival will host the battle for Brooklyn’s Strongest Arm.

Looking for Brooklyn’s Strongest Arm.  IronMind® | Artwork courtesy of Gene Camp.


“More than 100 men and women will compete for Brooklyn’s prestigious Kingsboro Golden Arm Wrestling Championship titles and the overall male will be crowned Brooklyn’s Strongest Arm and receive a $500 MVP cash prize,” said New York Arm Wrestling founder Gene Camp.

Entry fees are modest, spectators can watch for free and “there are no residency requirements,” so if you’ve got a mighty arm, roll up your sleeve and join in the action.  Once again, White Castle is backing this competition, but don’t think this is just a fun, big-deal local competition - it’s a fun, big-deal international competition as Gene Camp said, “I expect some of the best arm wrestlers in the world to compete for this unique Brooklyn title.”

For details, please visit the NYAWA website.
 

About a week ago, Kenneth Nowicki told IronMind®, “My training partner Andy Cairney shouldered a 195 kg Atlas stone and I wanted to check to see if you had any idea if it was a new WR [world record] or not.”

Andy Cairney puts the Inver Stone overhead in commanding style.  IronMind® | Photo courtesy of Kenneth Nowicki.


Well, we have checked and at least provisionally, IronMind® would have to say that it is, but if anyone knows of a bigger number, please let me know:  rjstrossen@ironmind.com.

Kenneth added that besides the sheer magnitude of this lift, “It also shows what good shape Andy’s in for UK's Strongest Man this year.” 

Not content to stop there, a couple of days ago, Andy Cairney was back on it, this time with the Inver Stone.

“Just wanted to let you know that Andy became the 4th man and 3rd Scot to press the Inver Stone and IMO it’s the best lockout yet as there’s no backward lean.”  Take a look at this video and see if you don’t agree that Andy delivers a dominating performance.
 

“The 105-kg athletes are also true strongmen,” Ilkka Kinnunen told IronMind®, “and deserve to have big international events.

Here’s the podium from the 105-kg Strongman World Record Breakers competition held this past weekend.  IronMind® | Andis Linde photo.


“I’m hoping, of course, that more countries will be interested in organizing competitions for these athletes,” said Kinnunen, who is coming off this weekend’s very successful 105-kg Strongman World Record Breakers contest.

“The 105-kg Strongman World Record Breakers and Finnish Nationals were done on very short notice and the organizer, Voimapuoti, did a great job doing such a event in a short period time,” Kinnunen said.  “We are started already discussion with them to have 105-kg World Championships in Finland.

“In World Record Breakers - Finland there were four new world records: Car Walk (370 kg 25 m), Farmer’s Walk (120 kg, 70 m), Deadlift for Reps (332 kg), and Atlas Stones (100, 120, 140, 160, 180 kg),” Kinnunen said.  Kinnunen also assembled the known 105-kg strongman world records, which should be a tremendous incentive for everyone competing in this category.

LOG LIFT FOR MAXIMUM        
PATRIK BABOUMIAN, GERMANY                                                  
165 kg

CAR WALK (370 kg, 25 meters)         
MIRKO ROTHE, GERMANY
17.49 seconds

FARMER’S WALK (120 kg, 70 meters)   
SERGEY KONYUSHOK, UKRAINE                                                  
30.82 seconds

DEADLIFT FOR REPS (332 kg)    
MARIS ROZENTALS, LATVIA                                                          
6 reps (in 60 seconds)

ATLAS STONES*                           
MARIUS LALAS, LITHUANIA                                                            
26.31 seconds

*(100 kg 4 m, 120 kg 3 m, 140 kg 2 m, 160 kg 1 m, 180 kg next to platform. Platform height 120 cm)

DEADLIFT FOR MAX                 
MARIS ROZENTALS, LATVIA                                                             
500 kg (deadlift machine)

YOKE RACE (350 kg, 25 m)          
MARIS ROZENTALS, LATVIA                                                             
15.23 seconds

LOG FOR REPS (110 kg)             
SERGEY KONYUSHOK, UKRAINE                                                      
9 reps

CHINESE STONES                     
JANNE HARTIKAINEN, FINLAND                                                       
30.05 seconds

Also, Kinnunen told IronMind® that there will be DVD coming out for sale about the 105-kg Strongman World Record Breakers competition, so stay tuned for more information on it.
 

Sebastian Wenta is turning up the heat on the Highland Games circuit and he’s just added a win at Aboyne to his list of victories.

Francis Brebner filed this report for IronMind®.


2009 Aboyne Highland Games
by Francis Brebner
 
The Aboyne Highland Games, a venue in the Glenfiddich series, had a big turnout of more than 6,000 spectators who had travelled near and far to watch this event which had been chosen as a 2009 Homecoming Games on the Scottish circuit, receiving special funding because of its selection.
 
One of the highlights of the Games was the clan parade behind the Gordon Highlanders Pipe Band, with almost a thousand clan members taking part, a great sight to behold.
 
Eight top heavies made up the field, including the current IHGF world champion Aaron Neighbour, Polish brothers Sebastian and Lucas Wenta, Scott Rider, Craig Sinclair, Bruce Robb, Stephen Aitkin, and David Dowson.
 
In the heavy 22-lb. stone, massive distances were putted—and by no means is this stone easy to put with its circumference the size of a standard soccer ball and very awkward indeed.

Despite this, England’s Scott Rider blasted out a leading put of 48’ 2”, just enough to take the win over second-place Sebastian Wenta at 47’ 6”, with brother Lucas in third at 45’.
 
With all the athletes fired up after the first event, the 16-lb. light stone was sent into orbit again by Rider with a worthy put of  57’ 6”, with Sebastian Wenta this time 2’ behind at 55’ 6” in second place, and once more Lucas Wenta in third place at 53’.
 
In the 22-lb. hammer, Scotland’s number-one hammer thrower Craig Sinclair breezed through the event with an excellent throw of 104’ 5”, with Sebastian Wenta in second place at 99’ 8”, and the big Australian Neighbour in third at 99’ 7”.

Once more in the 16-lb. hammer Sinclair showed great form, with a noble winning throw of 128’ 1”; in second was Neighbour at 122’ 8” and in third, Sebastian Wenta at 118’ 6”.
 
The 28-lb. weight for distance was a close event between the top three athletes, with Neighbour finally claiming the win with a throw of 81’ 6”; Scotland’s Bruce Robb took second place at 79’10”, and Sebastian Wenta placed third at 78’ 1”.
 
In the 56-lb. weight for distance, this time it was Robb with a clear winning distance of 41’ 9”over Neighbour, who placed second with 39’ 6”; Rider landed in third sport at 38’ 7”.
 
In the caber event, with a pole of 120 lb. and 19’ long, there was a tie between Scott Rider and Sebastian Wenta, who shared the win with perfect 12:00 tosses; Robb followed in third place with a toss of 12:10.
 
The final event of the competition proved a highlight of the day, with Sebastian Wenta breaking the ground record of 16’ 2” previously held by Dave Barron of America since 2003.  Wenta succeeded with a new ground record height of 17’; in second equal were Robb, Neighbour and Lucas Wenta at a height of 16’.
 
Overall points:

1.  Sebastian Wenta    34.5
2.  Aaron Neighbour   25.5
3.  Scott Rider             24
4.  Bruce Robb           19.5
5.  Craig Sinclair         15
6.  Lucas Wenta          11
 
Overall Glenfiddich standings:
 
1.  Stephen Aitken      196.5
2.  Bruce Robb            194
3.  Craig Sinclair         129.5
4.  David Dowson         93.75
 
The next Glenfiddich Games in the series will be at Ballater on 13 August 2009.

 
 

Reporting on Germany’s Strongest Man contest, Heinz Ollesch told IronMind®, “It was a very tough and tight fight between Tobias Ide the winner from 2008 and Florian Trimpl.  In the end it was one point that made the difference.”

Florian Trimpl pulled out the victory in the closely-contested Germany’s Strongest Man this past weekend.  IronMind® | Photo courtesy of Heinz Ollesch.
 

2009 Germany’s Strongest Contest

By Heinz Ollesch

On Saturday, 1 August, we had the final of this years Germany’s Strongest Man contest in Waging am See Bavaria.  It was a very tough and tight fight between Tobias Ide the winner from 2008 and Florian Trimpl.  In the end it was one point that made the difference.

Patrik Baboumian set a new world record in the log lift in the 105-kg category with 165 kg.

Here are the top 10:
 
1.  Florian Trimpl
2.  Tobias Ide
3.  Steffen Hayn
4.  Daniel Wildt
5.  Patrik Baboumian
6.  Patrick Gentsch
7.  Oliver Eichele
8.  Tilo Kretzschmar
9.  Anton Schimke
10. Enrico Schütze

Patrik Baboumian set a new 105-kg strongman world record in the log lift with a very impressive 165 kg.  IronMind® | Photo courtesy of Heinz Ollesch.

Day two of the 105-kg Strongman World Record Breakers began with another world record, as Mirko Rotte carried the 370-kg car down the 25 meter course in 17.49 seconds.

Next up was the deadlift and it, too, produced a world record, with Maris Rozentals getting 6 reps on the 332-kg apparatus.  Lalas was second with 4 reps and Koniushok got 3 reps.  At this point, Koniushok led with 106 points, followed by Lalas and Hartinkainen both with 99 points.

Hartinkainen won the Conan’s wheel and going into the last event - the Atlas stones - Koniushok led with 122 points, Hartikainen was in second with 118 points and Lalas was in third with 116 points.

The Atlas Stones provided more fireworks, with Lalas setting a 105-kg strongman world record as he won the event.  Hartikainen was second in the stones.

Overall top three:

Sergei Koniushok
Janne Hartikainen
Marius Lalas

Special thanks to Jyrki Rantanen for his excellent reporting throughout the contest.

It’s global: besides the 105-kg World Record-Breakers meet going on in Finland, the ASC 105-kg America’s Strongest Man contest was held yesterday and Dave Mihalov took home the title.

Here’s the podium from the ASC 105-kg America’s Strongest Man contest: Dave Mihalov won, Beau Gertz was second and Justin Blake was third.  IronMind® | Photo courtesy of Dione Wessels.


Dave Mihalov won the title, Beau Gertz was second and Justin Blake was third in what was ASC’s second big contest in two weeks.

“Dave Mihalov of Connecticut dominated the competition,” ASC president Dione Wessels told IronMind®.  And since Dave Mihalov is Derek Poundstone’s training partner, Wessels added, “Connecticut sweeps in back-to-back weekends,” referring to Poundstone’s victory in the ASC America’s Strongest Man contest.

“The lightweight athletes were very impressive as they walked with an 830-pound yoke, pressed a 280-pound axle, carried a 650-pound frame with the IronMind® sandbags,” said Wessels.  “It rained the entire time, but it did not stop the show from continuing!”