Dragon's Tooth

After some searching, I can claim that the Pyramid I purchased is indeed a Dragon's Tooth by John O'Connor.

I found a couple of videos from about 5 years ago.  There is also a painted one on the grip board that has the same rough dimensions.

Jujimufu Video

Adam Turner, Strongman

Dragons Tooth Lift World Record

1000 yard Pool Swim

Thursday, October 17, 2024

Carmody Rec Center

1500

Pool Swim

1x500 FR

1x200 BA

1x200 BR

1x100 FR

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1000 yards total (31 minutes)

Squat - Metcon

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Home Gym

1130

Warm Up

5 min Bike Erg

Hip Hammy Flow

Back Squat

10x45

8x95

6x115

4x135

4x135

4x135#

Metcon

16 Rounds (every 45 seconds)

1 Pull-up

10 WBS (10# ball to 10' Target

This was a nice little mover for me.  I have really been neglecting squats and wanted to get some Hyrox conditioning in so this fit the bill on all levels.

Dynamax Med Ball

I had the good fortune of picking up this bad boy for $20 today.  Yes, I do already have an 8, 14, and 20 pound med ball, but the price was too good to ignore.  These retail for $110 and even with the typical 30% off that happens a few times a year, I am still looking at a steep discount for an essentially new med ball.

Inman - Hyrox

Sunday, October 13, 2024

D'Evelyn High School Track

1230

"Inman Mile"

The Inman Mile is an event for time:  

The lifter will take a bar onto the shoulders with a weight equal to 150 per cent of the lifter’s bodyweight. The lifter will then carry this weight a distance of one mile.

I figured I would give it a try with a barbell loaded to 50% of my bodyweight, just to see how long it would take.  After 100 yards, it was pretty uncomfortable and I moved my arm position around.  After 200 yards, I was ready to be done, but wanted to go at least a quarter mile.  After a lap I dumped the barbell at a time of 6:11.  I think I could have gone further had I used straps to hold onto the barbell.  Nowhere in the rules does it prohibit this, but I was informed that the general rules of all-round weightlifting prohibit straps.

World Records have been kept by distance:

• Mark Rattenberry - 5/May/2013 - 855.75 meters
• Mark Rattneberry - 6/May/2012 - 503 meters
• Jevan Cockbain - 5/May/2013 - 121.05 meters
• Steve Freides - 12/Oct/2014 - 113.79 meters (USA)
• Jevan Cockbain - 4/May/2014 - 155 meters
• Ed Shorttle - 4/Sept/2011 - 29.5 meters
• Jevan Cockbain - 3/May/2015 - 121.1 meters
• Thomas Cleverley - 4/May/2014 - 198.2 meters
• Axel Amos - 6/May/2012 - 165.1 meters
• Nick Swain - 22/Aug/2010 - 151 meters
• Gary Ell - 6/May/2012 - 84.2 meters
• Gary Ell - 5/May/2014 - 43.2 meters
• Gordon Fairey - 22/Aug/2010 - 8 meters
• P. McManus - 29/Mar/2015 - 73.7 meters (Australia)

Only 14 records exist by 11 men.  The furthest being Mark Rattenberry of 855.75 meters (over half a mile)  and the shortest being Gordon Fairey at 8 meters.  Last attempt was May 2015 (over 9 years ago).  Only 2 records outside of Britain.

Hyrox Training

400m run

20 yards burpee broad jumps

400m run

40 yards walking lunges

400m run

20 yards burpee broad jumps

Nice little mover that I finished in 16:58.  Step back and step forward burpees allowed me to meet the standard even though I was very slow.

Clark's Gym Record Day #5

Another All-Round event in the books.  Today I performed four different lifts and one lift I made up.

• Clean & Jerk, Alternate Grip - 110, 115, 136 pounds.  This is not an all-round lift, I should have done a press.
• Clean & Press, 2 Dumbbells - 90, 100, 108 pounds
• Clean & Push Press, 2 Dumbbells - 114, 114 pounds (shuffled feet after press command on the first one)
• Vertical Bar - 1 Bar - 2" left hand - 120, 130, 130 pounds (still rotating, early down command)
• Vertical Bar - 2 Bar - 2" - 200 pounds

Jarrod, Elijah and Kim came out also and between the four of us, 15 records were set.

I have now set over 80 masters USAWA records.

I am continuing to work through the rule book to attempt as many lifts as my mobility, strength and equipment allow.  As of today (10/13/2024) I have attempted 131 of 195 lifts.

• 2022 (3 events, no official)
• Q2 Postal
• Q3 Postal
• Q4 Postal
• 2023 (7 events, some with official)
• Q1 Postal
• Q2 Postal
• Q3, Postal
• Q4 Postal
• IAWA Postal
• National Championship
• Colorado Record Day
• 2024 (15 events to date, all with an official)
• Q1 Postal
• Q2 Postal
• Q3 Postal
• IAWA Postal
• Grip Championship
• Colorado Spring Fling
• Bench Press Heptathlon
• Clark's Record Day
• Stars of Tomorrow on Parade
• National Championship
• Buffville RTCC 5
• Clark's Record Day 4
• Two Fisted Challenge
• IAWA Worlds
• Clark's Record Day 5

My all-round goals include learning the bent press and starting a training plan to see how close I can get to completing an Inman Mile.  The Inman mile requires carrying a weight of at least 150% of your bodyweight for a mile.  I want to start with 50% of my bodyweight.

Pool Swim

Friday, October 11, 2024

Carmody Rec Center

1500

Pool Swim

1x500 FR

1x150 BR

1x150 BA

1x200 FR

--

1000 yards total (29 minutes)

Couple of New Grip Implements

Clay Edgin was cleaning house on the grip board.  

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I think grip has been great to me. Been able to do a lot with it in the competitive sense, but I think it's time to put it away. Moving in with my fiance in a couple months and I want to clear out the toy chest. Prices and devices are listed below. Most everything is negotiable. Since I have these things for sale on multiple locations, I might miss your message if you reply on the Gripboard. Best bet is to text me at 5128153583. Prices do not include shipping. Shipped from Austin, TX.  None of the grippers being sold are rated.

1. Rolling Thunder - $50

2. 2" Arm Assassin thumb blaster - $30

3. 2" Barrel Strength Systems tips tester $50

4. Ironmind anvil - $40

5. Excalibur $30

6. Pyramid $25

7. Bear Grip Revolving Handle (stainless and spins on ball bearings) - $75

8. Custom Barrel Strength Systems revolving vertical handle $75

9. 2 3/8" Arm Assassin Thumb Blaster - $30

10. The Edginizer - a 2.5" revolving handle I made which spins on ball bearings. A relic. - $40

11. Blue Fat Grips $15

12. Orange Fat Grips $15

Both pairs bundled together for $25

13. Golden Potatoe (2) - $25 each

14. Titan Fitness Hub - $25

15. 2 3/8" Wrist Wrench - $40

16. Brand new CoC #3 - $15

17. Complete set of Russian hand grippers - 80kg, 90kg, 100kg, 110kg, 120kg, 130kg - $75 for whole set

18. Random Grippers - $10 each:

Ironmind:

Number 4 (2)

Number 3.5

Number 3 (2)

Number 2.5

Number 2 (3)

Number 1

Number .5

Trainer

Sport

Tetting Grippers:

Super Elite

Grand Elite

Thor

Heavy Grips

HG 500 (#1 run from the production)

HG 400 (#1 run from the production)

Heavy Grips only made 500 of each gripper in this size. They had oversized handles and almost comically large springs. The 400 feels like an easy 3 and the 500 feels like a #4. Each handle was stamped with the number that they came off the production line and these are the first ones ever made. 

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I was not too interested in the grippers, except of course for the Tettings.  Among the implements, I had several including the rolling thunder, anvil, fat grips and wrist wrench.  I did end up requesting the Excalibur and pyramid and am glad I did.

The Excalibur was said to be made by Arm Assassin Strength Shop and although it was listed for close to cost, I was happy to grab it.  When it arrived, I noticed it was from the Bear Paw Store (a Russian Company) that makes grippers and grip implements.  "Excalibur for the Bear Paw Deadlift" Weight 650 grams, handle length 150 mm, handle diameter 50 mm, 1400 Rubles (~14 USD)

The pyramid was supposedly a prototype made by Mike Saffell and feels like a jewel in my burgeoning collection.  This thing is brutal to lift.  My initial attempts with it yielded a measly 12 pounds.  Mike Saffell of Saffell Performance is an athlete out of Eastern Ohio that has a long history of strength training and grip.  I reached out and it was not his.  He did point me towards John O'Connor and I am now convinced that it is a Dragon's Tooth.  I spotted it in a couple of old youtube videos and saw a painted version on the grip board.

ROC-MO & Ironman Barbell

I finally crossed paths with Brian Tetreault when he listed some ROC-MO 45's and York Roundheads.  The Olympic plates were listed for $1/pound and the Roundheads (pairs of 70's and 80's) were listed for $1.50 per pound.  As I abandoned collecting heavies, I was excited to grab the ROC-MO plates.

I purchased (3) plates for $135.  One is in nice shape, the other two are rusty and I need to hit them with the PB Blaster and some 3-in-1 oil.  

His gym is very much a functional gym.  He had some nice York's, Marcy LA, and BFCO.  He had the amount of weight he needed and nothing extra.  He also had some GOOD barbell Olympic plates and he is going to try to build out a set.

Of course I had to ask if anything else was for sale.  I ended up grabbing a 7.5# Ironman barbell single plate for $10.  He also offered me a pair of Jackson 35s for $3/pound.  I am not sure of the center hole diameter, but probably standard.  I thought about it for a minute as it would be nice to have them for posterity, but ultimately passed.

Brian picked these up in February and let me know the were for sale.  I ended up getting 35's and was happy to get these 45's.  I am not sure about the single, but I figured better with me than lost to the wind.

UPDATE:  10/15/2024 - The ROC-MO cleaned up well.  I weighed them at 46.6, 46.6 and 48.5 pounds.

IAWA World Championship

Back Row - Paul, Trevor, Steve Gardner, ?, Tom, Matt, Brandon, Graham, Matt, Anthony, Aaron

Middle Row - ?, Tom, Steve Sherwood, Chloe, Denny, James Joyce, Mark Haydock, Pandora

Front Row - Chris Bass, Sylvia, Lara, Natalie, Sanjiv, Gary, Paul, Beatra, Josh, David, Ben Goodman, Steve Sherwood

120 kg Hack Lift

Zercher

Pullover & Push

Cheat Curl

Dumbbell Clean & Jerk

Continental to Belt

Clean & Push Press

Awards Night

I had the great privilege to travel to Eastbourne, United Kingdom to participate in the 2024 International All-Round Weightlifting Association (IAWA) world championship hosted by Metamorfit.

This started out as a bit of a lark.  I had just got back from USAWA nationals where I had met Steve Gardner and the next clincher was flights from Denver to London-Gatwick were not terribly expensive.  Everything kind of fell in place from there.

Thursday, October 3rd - Left for the airport early, parked at 40th & Airport Park-n-Ride and took the light rail into DIA.  Went through security, hung out at Delta Lounge, boarded planed for (3.5) hour flight to JFK.  Hung out at the Delta Lounge in JFK and then boarded flight for (6.5) hour flight to Gatwick.  

Friday, October 4th - I arrived, cleared border control quickly and bought a National Railway Ticket on the Southern Line to Hampden Park Station in Eastbourne.  I arrived in Eastbourne around 12:30 PM local time and walked 1.1 miles to the Premier Inn.  Snacked on fish & chips at The Mill waiting for my room to be made available at the Premier Inn at 3PM.  After checking in and getting settled, I went over to The Turing School to help set up the venue.  I was there from 6 to 7ish and the work was done quickly.  Setting up 2 competition platforms, 1 warm-up platform and bringing in the weights and barbell.  Afterwards, I met everybody at The Mill to chit chat.  Pub culture is alive and well and I was made to feel welcome.

Saturday, October 5th - I walked to the venue at 8:30 AM, got weighed in at 91.3kg and met my fellow lifters.  The rules briefing was at 9:45 and we were underway right at 10:00 PM.  I officiated during the morning session and lifted in the afternoon.

• Clean & Push Press - 60kg, 62.5kg, 65kg - This felt really good and was just a smidge under my PR of 65.5kg.
• Continental Clean to Belt - 90kg, 95kg, 102.5kg - This felt good as well and I left some weight on the platform.  It is still a PR to my previous best of 93kg.  Several athletes used a Zercher technique which is something I want to work on.
• 1H DB Clean & Jerk - 27.5kg, 30kg, 35kg - I got a little greedy here after leaving something on the platform on the last lift.  Just a smidge off of PR of 31.5kg.
• Cheat Curl - 40kg, 45kg, 47.5kg - This is always rough due to my right arm mobility, but I still managed a PR.

After lifting, I got a ride over to Metamorfit for the 2024 World Council Meeting.

• New Lift - Duck Walk approved
• Disability Lifts approved
• OTSM Lifts approved
• Fixtures approved - Worlds = Belfast, Lebanon, Perth; Gold Cup = Boston, Darby
• Paul Barette elected IAWA President; Graham Sexton elected UK International VP, Sanjiv Gupta elected American International VP; all other leadership chose to carry on in their positions

Then it was back to The Mill.  I had a chicken burger for dinner and it was pretty good.

Sunday, October 6th - Day 2 of lifting was much like the same in terms of arrival and logistics.

• Pullover & Push - 45kg, 47.5kg, 52.5kg - This was a PR of about 0.5kg.  There is certainly some technique to a push with good hip drive and a quick pullover to reduce elbow strain.
• 1H Zercher (Left) - 60kg, 65kg, 70kg - This was a massive PR and this movement felt great today.  Pinning the bar to the body with slight lean back does the trick as long as the balance is right.
• Hack Lift - 100kg, 110kg, 120kg - This was another massive PR and I probably could have got 125 or 135kg.  Very proud of this accomplishment.

After lifting we disassembled the platforms and packed the vans.  Then we took team photographs.  I did not help unload at Metamorfit.  I got a ride to dinner with Steve Andrews to the Sovereign Harbour Yacht Club.  The venue was wonderful and started with drinks, dinner service at 7:00 PM and then speeches and awards.

Monday, October 7th - I opted to get a cab to the Hampden Park rail station, got the train to Gatwick, hung out at the Premier Plaza Lounge and then boarded my (7.5) hour flight to JFK.  I cleared border control in JFK.  The layover at JFK was tough, but the Centurion Lounge was nice.  I boarded my (4)  hour flight to Denver, picked up luggage, light rail to car to home near midnight.

All in all the lifting is what it was, but the atmosphere of international competition as a first timer was electric.  Hearing the encouragement of "Go on!" and the pronunciation of more familiar encouragement was super fun.  The venue and dinner were held at really nice places.  The reasonable 40 GBP (~53 USD) included a shirt and trophy.  They had volunteers to take pictures and set up refreshments.

The conversations at the pub were the most fun for me.  

Flights - $700

Competition - $53

Dinner - $50

Lodging - $335

Rail - $53

Dining, Taxi, Misc - $58

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Total - $1,250 (vs $600 for Nationals at Columbia; similar price driving or flying)

1. Lara Bennett - Junior UK lifter (MetamorFit)
2. Sylvia Stockall - Canadian masters
3. Beata Banas - UK Masters, 40+ (MetamorFit)
4. Chloe Brennan - UK Open, Europe's Strongest Woman amongst other accollades (Powerhouse Gym)
5. Pandora Holladay - UK Open, quieter, but great athlete (Powerhouse Gym)
6. Natalie Voce - UK Master, really nice and one of the only women referees
7. Danny Kingsland - UK Open, nice kid, did not talk to him much
8. Steve Andrews - UK Masters, nice guy, him and his wife Vivian drove me everywhere
9. Steve Sherwood - UK Masters, interesting guy, raced cars, chatted with him and his wife a bit
10. Ben Goodman - UK open, did not talk to him much
11. Steve Shah - UK Masters, nice guy originally from Pakistan
12. Paul Barette - Host, great guy, passionate about lifting, partner Adrian runs a Karate Club
13. Brandon Hy Hyland, UK Open (MetamorFit)
14. Denny Habecker - USA
15. Thomas Meakin - UK Masters, did not talk to him much (MetamorFit)
16. David Angrove - UK open, nice guy, we were twinsies in our singlets, his girlfriend(s) took video for me
17. Sam Bonar - UK open, did not talk to him much
18. James Joyce - UK open, really strong, covered in tattoos
19. Aaron Hayhoe - UK open, big numbers
20. Sanjiv Gupta
21. Josh Davidson - UK open, another strong athlete (Powerhouse Gym)
22. Gary Ell - UK masters, recently had neck surgery with plates in his neck
23. Paul Hallam - UK masters, fun guy, hung out at the pub both nights, background in Badminton (Powerhouse Gym)
24. Trevor Egglestone - UK masters, (MetamorFit)
25. Matt Ashdown - UK open 105kg
26. Mark Haydock - UK masters, following on instagram, two kids one plays cricket/hockey and the other plays chess (Powerhouse Gym)
27. Graham Saxton - UK masters, worked at Rolls-Royce, nice guy, new IAWA VP for the UK (Powerhouse Gym)
28. Anthony Chittock - UK master, 125+ kg, new to all-round but very strong
29. Matt Jones - UK open, 125+ kg, set a lot of records, Chloe's boyfriend (Powerhouse Gym)

I packed appropriately and am glad I brought my belt, wrist wraps, towel and clip board. I did not use my mouth guard.  It was good to have Clif bars and Larabars.  I also grabbed bananas, crisps and water from the refreshments stand.  Travel arrangements were great.  I did not need the headphones or rain jacket.  I liked having a backpack and travel backpack, but consolidating would have been even better.  I liked having a first aid kit and am glad that I did not need it.  Jeans and a button down were appropriate for the awards dinner.

I also was the side judge for 6 of the 7 lifts and center judge for the 1H Zercher.  The center judge is unique in giving commands and waiting for the bar to steady seemed like an eternity.

I watched lots of movies in flight including Joker, Inside Out 2, The Challenger, Civil War, Furiosa, 

Great stories were shared about Rex Monohan, Art Montini, George Dick, Howard Prechtel, Adrian Blindt, and Chloe Brennan.  The first worlds was 3 days with 10 lifts on day 1, 10 lifts on day 2 and then a records session.  The USA contingency chartered a plane for 50ish people to attend (25 athletes and families).  One Arm Championship is a standard fixture on the UK calendar.  250KG deadlift challenge.  Separate from BAWLA mostly to establish drug free sport.  GAISF was a fledgling committee that was used to separate contesting lifts in multiple federations.

UK fixtures are interesting with roughly one event per month

January - British Grip Championship / British Olympics

March - British Powerlifting / Southern Shield

May - Midlands Championship / Single Arm Championship

July - British Championship

August - World Postal Championship / British Disability Championship / Welsh Open Championship

October - IAWA World

November - IAWA Gold Cup

December - OTSM

USAWA Meets

January - Zercher Strength Classic - Clark's

February - Grip Championship - Dino Gym

April - Bench Press Heptathlon - Clarks / New England Grip Classic - Franks

May - Heavy Lift Championship - Franks

June - Hackendinnie - Buffville / National Championship

August - Heavy Lift Classic - Franks / Presidential Cup - Habeckers

September - OTSM - KC Strongman

November - Goerner DL 12 + 1 Clarks / Steve Schmidt Backbreaker

December - Lift for Leroy / Memorial Record Day

Then record breakers and one off events

Husker Power Lock Collars

I do not need any more collars, but after continuing to see advertisements for Titan's new collars, I decided to pick up a pair of Husker Power Locks.

The website is a little antiquated, but I decided to go ahead an call them at 402-723-4469 (I left a message).  SIE-VAN, Inc. is still very much in business and the owner Paul gave me a call back a few hours later.

He was the designer who was handed a bunch of broken collars from a high school weight room and decided that he could build something better.  These are truly indestructible.  Per Paul, 100 pairs were delivered to the University of Nebraska in the mid 1980s and they are all still in use.

I am actually glad, I purchased direct rather than going through one of the distributors like Bigger Faster Stronger or Perform Better.  He originally quoted me $65, but when I mentioned his distributors were charging $50, he said that would be fine.  He wrote down my address and I sent a check to Lincoln, Nebraska.

I am looking forward to receiving these and giving them a whirl.  I doubt they will become my daily drivers, but they are a nice piece of history.

Belt Fed Strength

I recently won a giveaway from VintageWeightsPGH for a Belt Fed Accessory Strap (BFAS).  Since I have dabbled in leatherwork, I am beyond impressed with the craftsmanship on this item which I look forward to playing with more.  This is combined with the fairly reasonable price point of $65 for (4) cuts of quality leather, stitching, (6) rivets, welded D-ring and finishing.

I am so enamored, that I will probably end up picking up a casual belt for $60.  I measured my current belt to 38.5 inches and per instructions will round up to 39 inches.

I will also purchase a Utilit-Loop for $45.  My only goal with this is to be able to set up a Travis Lift.  Of course I am questioning my sanity in attempting the lift to begin with.

These items are heirloom quality out of a mom and pop shop in Johnson City, TN.  They have been helping out with Hurricane Helene clean up in addition to trying to satisfy orders.  They have been well reviewed by the home gym community and deserve everyone's support.

Deadlift

Monday, September 30, 2024

Garage Gym

1600

Warm Up

Reverse Hyper

Crossover Symmetry

Hip Hammy Flow

Deadlift

8x135

8x185

5x225

Pull-ups

7x1

30 minutes total workout