Here’s a video compilation of the 5 lifters of mine that competed at the Iron Works Olympic Weightlifting meet in Creswell, Oregon.  2 of them were brand spankin’ new.  So that was fun.  Every one of them either matched or broke personal records.  And Leslie won her weight class again!
If you find yourself wanting to join in on the fun, click here to find out how.

BTW, in case you’re wondering, the music in the background is mine.  Roy thinks I have a career writing music for the “adult” film industry.  Maybe I should stick to coaching …

Leslie, Chris, and I just (well … Saturday) got back from the Iron Mind Weightlifting meet at Iron Works Gym in Creswell, OR.

It was hard going getting there.  It was crazy icy between Salem and Eugene.  I think we counted 6 semi trucks stalled, jack knifed, or otherwise out of order on the side of the road.  Sadly, there were a few other accidents we saw that looked pretty bad.  One guys pickup truck was demolished, with the passenger side roof crunched down completely.

We didn’t think it was going to be that nasty when we left home, but we were clearly wrong.  At any rate, we got there safe (albeit in about nearly double the time it would normally take us).

To top it off, the pancake place we normally eat at was closed.  No pancakes!  Chris and I decided this would be our test case to see how dependent upon pancakes we are before a meet.  Read on and find out.

Leslie needs no pancakes after weigh in (if this case study has any relevance).  Not only did she win first place in the 63’s, but she broke personal bests in both lifts!  To top it off, she wasn’t even “supposed” to be in the 63’s.  She’d been wanting to diet down to them, but has been so busy with school that she was hanging out pretty comfortably in the 69’s.  She was shocked when she got on the scale, and it read 63 on the nose.

Chris did well, too, hitting an 80k, and a 105k for a 185 total.  He feels he could have done better, but I think he did good, considering the lack of pancakes!

He was head to head with Sam McLean in the 94’s all the way, and had to make his last clean and jerk to win it.  I’ve never seen him jerk a 105 in the gym, yet.  But, he stepped onto the platform, cleaned it like it was a sack of pillows, and blasted it over head for 3 white lights.  Killed it, and won his weight class.

He’s continually getting stronger and more technically proficient, and I see him hitting 90 and 115 at the State meet in June.  Maybe he doesn’t need pancakes either.

I missed everything but my openers.  I need my pancakes.  In fact, I was opening at 105 in the clean and jerk.  But, in the warm up room I missed 100k not once, but twice!  Somehow I made the 105k on the platform which gave me a 180 total (5k less than last contest).  Am I a carb-o-holic?  Without pancakes, I’m a half a man.

It was a fun meet. Too bad the weather didn’t allow more of the usual suspects of Oregon weightlifting to make it.  But, we had a good time.

For all results, click here.

Sarah at the World Championships 2009

Fellow Oregonian, Sarah Bertram recently finished competing at the 2009 World Championships in Goyang City, Korea.  She placed 16th, which makes her the 16 strongest woman on the planet in her weight class.  Put that way, what a bad-ass! Great job, Sarah!

I think she’s in a good position to be competitive in 2 years when the Olympics comes around.  I’ve competed “with” her many times, and she is very impressive to watch (as are her team mates).  It’s been cool to see her improve over the years, first winning Nationals, and now representing the US at the Worlds.

She hit an 89k snatch, and a 107k clean and jerk, for a total of 196k. The snatch was a personal record and the clean was only 2k off of her best.

All the results of the championships can be seen on the IWF website.

EDIT:  It turns out, Sarah is the first Oregonian (female or male) to go to the world championships–ever.  Fantastic.

Usain Bolt vs Tyson Gay

Tyson Gay just ran a 9.71 100 meter dash at the World Championships in Berlin smashing the American record.  This was the 3rd fastest time in history.  But, he only got second place and a silver medal.  Usain Bolt, the Jamaican 2008 Olympic sensation from Jamaica, got the gold with a 9.58!

Gay is still healing from a groin injury, but plans to compete on August 31 at the European Grand Prix.  Expect good things.  These guys are all so fast that all it takes is bad start off the blocks to change history.  As great as Bolt is, and he is, so is Tyson Gay.

And don’t count out men like Asafa Powell, who until now, held the record at 9.74. He’s still a great sprinter.   But both Gay and Bolt took that record down.  And, Bolt ripped it down so hard it may need a paramedic.

The truth is, some are arguing that Bolt still has room to improve:

Yes, he sprinted through the finish line for a change, even if he did turn his head to look at the clock before he crossed it. Yes, his reaction time out of the starting blocks was better than in Beijing and yes he was in the lead after just 20 meters, which is good work for a man of his height who usually loses the start to more compact sprinters.

But according to former world-record holder Donovan Bailey, Bolt straightened up too early on Sunday, thereby losing early propulsion.

“In Beijing, of all the finalists, he was the worst technically,” Bailey said. “He’s improved a lot, but he can still go faster and improve his first 30 meters.”

Guy Ontanon, a French sprint coach, analyzed the final Sunday for the French sports daily L’Equipe and also remarked on Bolt’s premature rise out of the drive phase.

“He really gave it what he had, which explains the time game,” Ontanon wrote of the race. “But he can still pick up five or six hundredths of a second. It’s monstrous to do what he did in this race despite that error.”

Monstrous indeed, Check out the video:

There’s a new federation in town hoping to bridge the gap between Highland Games competitions and Strongman competitions called the North American Highlander Association.  Very cool.

Here’s how their contests work in the words of the organizations co-founder, D.J. Satterfield:

NAHA competitions consist of half strongman and half highland games events. This is a prerequisite for all competitions. Contests have either a total of 4, 6 or 8 events. The strongman events will consist of what everyone is accustomed to, ie: log press, farmers, stones, yoke, loading, truck pull, etc. and some other unique events.

The highland games portion must consist of any of the std. 9 highland game events, ie: light weight for distance, heavy weight for distance, light hammer throw, heavy hammer throw, open stone put, Braemar stone put, sheaf toss, weight over bar and caber.

There are a number of divisions including:

• Men’s lightweight, under 200#
• Men’s Middleweight, under 250#
• Men’s Heavyweight, over 250#
• Masters
• Women’s lightweight, under 160#
• Women’s heavyweight, over 160#

If you’re looking for another type of strength test for yourself, this sounds like a good one.   A mix of strength and skill.

Oh, and though it isn’t required, a Kilt is recommended.  I love any excuse to wear my Kilt!

There’s a contest happening up just north of Seattle I’m considering entering at the end of August.  We’ll see.  I’ll keep you posted.

And if you’ve entered one of these contests already, share your experience with us in the comments section.

Sarah Bertram and Jessica Gee got 1st in the 69’s and 4th in the 63’s, respectively, at Nationals this year.  Both of them are from here in Oregon.

Both are also coached by Tom Hirtz, a legend in his own right.  My club competes against their club all the time, and it’s fantastic to see the two of them doing so well.  They both work extremely hard, and are genuinely cool people.  Congratulations!

Here’s a news story about them from KEZI news Eugene, OR. It includes shot of them practicing, and interviews.

It’s a vegan revolution in the world of iron.   My friend Robert Cheeke, of Vegan Bodybuilding, has been pushing the boundaries of what people thought possible for a while now all while living a Vegan lifestyle.  He’s really started a movement.

I just got an email from Rob Bigwood (his blog is here), a New York based Professional Arm Wrestler, who is also vegan, about some tournaments coming up.

Here’s a vid of him in competition.   No joke, he takes the first guy out in less than a second!

Sweet!  Arm Wrestling rocks.

[Full disclosure:  I'm not a vegan.  But, I live in Portland, the vegan capital of the world, and I train many people who are.  It's very possible to meet your goals while sticking to your principles.   Don't let something as silly as a lack of meat eating keep you from reaching your potential.  These guys are doing it.  So can you!]