“I train every day of my life as they have never trained a day in theirs.”
Justin is still out at the barbell cert, and we don’t have AC’s video yet. So we’re going to take a little time to consider the merits of weight class athletes in the world of 70’s Big.
Moving the iron is all well and good, but I personally cannot think of a more useful application of strength and power than tossing another human around. And nobody tossed humans around better than today’s subject.
Alexander Karelin is one of the greatest wrestlers of his generation athletes of all time. Karelin was a superheavyweight Greco-Roman wrestler that represented the old Soviet Union and, later, Russia. The Russian Bear went undefeated for 13 years in international competition, including a six-year stint where he didn’t give up a single point. Over this period he won 12 European Championships, nine world championships, three Olympic golds, and one Olympic silver (his last match was a loss in the finals). And lest we forget, at 6’3 290, he was definitely 70’s Big.
Greco-Roman differs from other forms of wrestling because all the action happens above the waist. Grabbing, hooking, or tripping the legs is forbidden. As a result, the throws are often quite dramatic. Body slams and suplexes are commonplace in Greco-Roman.
You can get a feel for the setups by watching Karelin in this video:
Karelin wrestled at 130 kg, but he was impossibly fast and athletic. The big guys couldn”t keep up with him. No other wrestler matched his strength, either. Opponents were so scared of being slammed that many sprawled onto the mat (giving up dominant position and possibly points!) hoping to avoid being thrown for big points. Karelin countered this by applying his signature reverse body lift, which was a gutwrench suplex off the mat! This move affectionately became known as the Karelin Lift.
To put this into perspective, try to clean a 300 pound resisting object from the floor. Do this multiple times over three two-minute periods, and you get the idea. Still not clear? Here you go:
As is customary with dominant athletes, Karelin was accused of using performance enhancing drugs like HGH and steroids. Many referred to him as “The Experiment, “a not so-subtle dig at the U.S.S.R.’s tendency to dispense testosterone like it was candy. However, Karelin never failed a drug test his entire career (and Olympic drug tests actually have some teeth). When asked about these rumors, Karelin shrugged and said, “People cannot believe I am natural because I train every day of my life as they have never trained a day in theirs.”
Edit: If anybody has any factual training info on Karelin, please send it in. Most of the information on him is in Russian, and my Russian is quite poor. I have read claims of him doing a 420 pound clean and press. Supposedly Pavel remarked that Karelin did 440 pound Zercher deadlifts for a set of 10. That would be applicable to the Karelin lift, as you need your arms underneath your opponent (Karelin was blessed with very long arms). I have also seen a training clip of him running through waist-deep snow with a log on his back and rowing for hours. You know, stuff from Rocky IV.
I finally got a hold of a scanner the other day. This means that I can now post pictures from the hundreds of powerlifting magazines that Rip has held onto over the years.
We don’t really get an opportunity to talk about women on 70’s Big, so I’d like to highlight some women lifters from the 1981 Women’s National Powerlifting Championships. You’ll see that these women were not only strong, but pretty good lookin’ too. All the numbers from this meet are in kilograms (2.2 pounds = 1 kilogram). All of the following women won their respective weight classes. And “(WR)” denotes a world record.
Terry Dillard
Terry Dillard squatted 137.5 (WR), benched 57.5, and deadlifted 145 for a 340 (WR) total. That’s a 302.5 pound squat for a 105.6 pound woman. She also won Best Lifter.
Gayla Crain
Gayla Crain, a 56 kg lifter, squatted 152.5, benched 70, and deadlifted 180 for a 402.5 (WR) total. I dare say she is very good looking. Nice hair. She’s my favorite of this bunch.
Vicky Gagne
Vicky Gagne competed in the 82.5 kilo class. She squatted 202.5 (WR), benched 115, and deadlifted 220 (WR) for a 537.5 total! That is a 445.5 pound squat and a 484 pound deadlift. In the picture, she had been red lighted on a 507 lb. deadlifted, and said, “It’s ok, I’ll get it next time.” Kinda cute, eh?
Wanda Sander
Wanda Sander won the 82.5+ kg class with a 192.5 kg squat, 110 kg bench, and a 210 kg deadlift. Pretty strong.
I keep going back to the idea that these women are both real strong and attractive. There has always been a silly misconception that lifting weights will make women bulky, but they tend to forget they have one-tenth the testosterone of a male. Being “toned” means being strong, and being strong means you are probably gonna lasso a 70’s Big fella real soon. Once you go adult male (>200 lbs.), you’ll never go back.
“Alls ya need to do to get strong is yer knee bendin’, yer bar liftin’, and yer bar pressin’.”
We got most of everyone’s PR’s in our comments the other day. If you haven’t done that, you can post them today. However, Friday is now going to be known as PR Friday. Post the improvements you made throughout the week whether they be in weight lifted, reps, bodyweight increase, or eating PR’s. If you made some kind of improvement this week towards getting stronger or yoked, I wanna hear about it.
Note: Somebody tell Anthony from Washington state that he should have already gained 5 pounds. Also, Scott from the Inner City Gym needs to send me an e-mail (forgot to get it in Washington).
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The rest of the post was written by Gant.
Today’s spotlight is on Arden Cogar, Jr., a Timbersports champion and a hell of a nice guy. He has been 70’s Big since, well, pretty much the seventies. He was 14 when he squeezed himself into a size 48 jacket. As an adult, he sports a 13.5 shoe and wears a size 13 ring (which would be a collar to most 90s small guys).
Arden has been a fixture on the professional lumberjack circuit for over 30 years. If you haven’t been watching manly programming (perhaps you’re 90s small and have been watching Glee), you might have missed ESPN’s Stihl Timbersports, a series of lumberjack events that challenge competitors to chop, cut, and saw their way through white pine as fast as they can.
To date, Arden has won 47 world titles in lumberjack sports, including the U.S. Stihl Timbersports Championships three times in the past four years. He is the current Captain of the U.S. National Lumberjack Team.
He came into this the old fashioned way, through his family. His 75 year old father, himself a legend in the sport, is a retired logger who spent over 50 years in the woods. Arden Sr. instilled a work ethic in his son that sticks with him today.
In addition to his dad, his four uncles participated in Timber Sports for many years, and they passed it on to their sons. Currently, there are over 20 members of the Cogar family who are active in some facet of Timber Sports.
Standing Block Chop
How long have you been competing in lumberjack sports?
Last weekend I wrapped up my 31st year competing in professional lumberjack sports. I started at age 8 when my father put modified chain saws in my hands. I started chopping and sawing when I was 12. I became the youngest participant ever in ESPN’s Stihl Timbersports Series at age 17.
What is your training background?
I started lifting weights when I was 12. I competed in my first bench press contest when I was 14. I competed in my first three lift powerlifting contest when I was 17. I stopped power lifting when I realized I would have needed to turn to “the dark side” in order to remain competitive. For the next 14 years, I did “power bodybuilding” until I was introduced to Crossfit. I then started doing more “metabolic conditioning” workouts to make myself fitter and tougher. Through Crossfit I fell in love with the Olympic lifts. Through that love for the Olympic lifts, I was introduced to my current coach, Randy Hauer, who has completely revamped my entire training protocol.
Through Randy’s diligence, I’ve made more progress in the past two years (as a middle aged man), than I did in the previous 20. I’ve turned my event training sessions into my metabolic conditioning sessions and my weight training is now speed and speed strength based.
Editor’s note: Before any of you Crossfitters think Arden is building off-season GPP by doing Fran, snatching PVC, or taking pictures of himself doing handstands in public, think again. Here is Arden’s idea of a conditioning workout:
BABE THE BLUE OX workout
How has this change in training philosophy helped you?
My weight training has gone from “grunting and getting hurt” as I settled into middle aged to “halfway grunting for a week, resting a week but still lifting; three quarters grunting for a week, resting a week but still lifting; 4/5’s grunting for a week, resting a week but still lifting, back to half way grunting.” Training this way has allowed me to make more progress in the past two years (at age 38 and 39) than I did the previous 20 years combined.
Moreover, Coach Randy has done the same sort of lay out with my event training, that keeps me chomping at the bit to train more than what he’s allotted for me. The heaviest times of the year are the Fall and Spring, but I only do what he says and it has kept my performances ever improving.
I love it. I’m totally looking forward to my 40s and I think the sky’s the limit.
How do you train for your sport?
My training for Timber Sports events is sports specific. We have various disciplines in the sport that require use of the axe, the crosscut saw, and the chainsaw. I train those events as though I were doing them in competition. I do not however, use my best equipment when I train. I do try and simulate the events that I’m training for – in other words, If I am cutting a 12″ white pine at a contest and I estimate it will take me 16 hits and 15 seconds to cut the log – I will train the log to be cut in 16 hits and 15 seconds.
The volume of my training and the “perceived intensity” of my training varies depending upon the time of the year. When in my off season my volume is higher, but my “perceived intensity” is lower. When the season rolls around my perceived intensity increases as I get myself race ready; my volume of training drops somewhat. During the season, my perceived intensity is still high, but my overall volume of event work is limited.
Numbers time. Any cool feats of strength you’d like to talk about?
I’m a natural puller. I could deadlift a lot of weight at a very young age. The most I’ve ever singled was 775 (I can do a lot more, but I have no interest in trying). Last Christmas I pulled 615 for 9. My goal is to do it for 10 this Christmas. I’ve back squatted well into the 600s. And, at 39, I can still dunk a volley ball; not bad considering I’m very under tall. I can also still do 20 consecutive dead hang pull ups with little or no effort (and never training them).
You have recently started training the Olympic lifts. How are those going?
Currently, my best squat clean is about 150 to 155 (but I can see that increasing quite a bit as my technique improves), my best power snatch is about 110 (I’m still mastering the squat snatch), my best overhead squat is about 140.
How does one become a professional lumberjack?
Getting involved in Timber Sports is an expensive endeavor. If a person is willing to invest the money in the equipment and the time into training, they can be very successful in the sport. The contests are all over the world and we have various levels of competition (novice, intermediate, professional and masters). There are also events completely and exclusively for women and younger athletes. The axes cost about $400 a piece; the crosscut saws cost about $1,500 a piece; and the modified chainsaws cost about $4,000 a piece. So it’s in expensive endeavor. But the contests offer prize money that can result, through diligence and training, enough placings to pay for the equipment and the costs of travel.
Right now, there is a big push on the collegiate level by Stihl which has resulted in a great influx of very good young competitors. Stihl has recently sponsored the Collegiate Timbersports Series which is aired on ESPN U. There are over 400 universities and colleges in the United States that have Forestry programs that have Forestry Clubs and Woodsmens’ Teams. These college lumberjacks or timber sports athletes are building the future of U.S. Timbersports.
For a person who’s not in college, the best way to learn about the sport is to contact someone such as myself or another professional. Most of us are very wiling to share what we know about the sport because we see it as a hobby that we want to preserve and share with the world. Tons of people have offered to pay me to train them and I’ve turned it down every time because it would take the fun of the sport for me. My father trained hundreds of competitors over the years. He told them everything he knew because he wanted them to beat him. He wanted them to make him work harder so he would become better. I live by the same adage.
I’ve noticed that not all lumberjacks are 70s Big. What kind of physical skills do you need for this sport?
The physical attributes for good Timber Sports athletes are all over the place. While physical size is a plus, it is not the true indication of success. My father was 5’7’ 200 pounds during his prime years in the sport. I’m not much taller at 5’11″. A lot of today’s top athletes are very tall and rangy. One of the best axemen in the world is 5’10″ and weighs 135 – or a little over 60 kilos. I weigh nearly twice as much as he does, yet he can drive an axe in as deeply as I can. I am much physically stronger, but his timing and technique is absolutely perfect.
The true test is perfecting technique while continuing to become stronger and more athletic. That is my challenge and one I hope to master in the upcoming years.
What should the readers know about Timbersports?
Timber Sports is a wonderful family oriented sport that has it’s roots in hard work and sweat. Many people who watch a Timber Sports event say, “wow, that looks like a lot of work.” Simply put, it is. It’s great fitness and a great event that celebrates a rich logging and lumbering history that is the basis for the infrastructure of what is today the United States.
Thanks for talking with us. Any parting thoughts?
To quote a good friend and 2006 World’s Strongest Man, Phil Pfister, – “Alls ya need to do to get strong is yer knee bendin’, yer bar liftin’, and yer bar pressin’.”
Guess the quote:
“Hey, Big Mike, how are you doing?”
Enough about me, let’s talk about some strong guys.
Werner Günthör was a Swiss shot putter in the late eighties and early nineties. He won a European Championship (1986), a World Indoor Championship (1991), some World Championships (1987, 1991, 1993), competed in the 1984, 1988, and 1992 Olympics, and won a Bronze Medal in the 1988 summer games.
Aside from success as a thrower, Günthör is 6’7″, 280 pounds with a solid ’ stache and a feverish mullet. Observe…
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Here’s a picture of 70’s Big HoF shoe-in John Kuc from the 1979 World Powerlifting Championships. Kuc is pulling 859 lbs in the 242 class to total 2127 lbs — both world records at the time. This meet also had other powerlifting greats such as Lamar Gant, Larry Pacifico, and Bill Kazmaier winning their respective weight classes. On a side note, Rip has the original Powerlifting USA magazine that originally published this photo. He has tons of magazines, and I’ll be scanning pictures out of them soon — especially of the good lookin’ ladies.
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I received a video from 70’s Big enthusiast Mike from Mississippi. He lost his arm when he was fifteen in a machine related accident, but he is figuring out ways to train his 6’6″, 288 pound frame. The bar he’s using in this video is bent all to hell, but he still manages to front squat 135 with his one good arm. You can read more about him and his training here. Oh, and he’s also sporting the 70’s Big t-shirt. Lookin’ good, Mike, lookin’ good.
If you guys have any videos of you or your trainees training, send them on in.
Off to Seattle this weekend to work a barbell seminar. Eat well and recover this weekend.
70’s Big will always take a stand against conventional fitness wisdom and the fitness industry. It is a money oriented industry that thrives on selling a shortcut to emaciation. Being skinny with abs is just not impressive nor productive. This demographic will fall early and fast when the inevitable zombie outbreak occurs.
Face it, the following video is full of guys that are doomed to be zombie fodder:
Wow, that was a lot of underweight guys who probably wear skinny jeans. Surely those non-adult-males could have made better money as an extra in a porno or something (you know, like a guy eating a sandwich in the background…they needed one anyway). And the device itself is…inadequate. I can get plenty of exercise for the “hand shandy muscles” on my own, thank you.
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Today is the day that you get acquainted with Ricky Bruch. In short, the guy is fucking insane. It’s hard to glean any interesting information, because all the juicy stuff is just hearsay. From what I found in my “research” (which consisted of YouTube and eating snacks) is that he is a Swedish discus thrower who won a bronze medal in the 1972 Olympic Games. However, a steroid fiasco kept him out of further competition, and this pissed Ricky off. A lot. He trained like an absolute madman (which you’ll see in the video below), and proceeded to throw the discus between 3 and 5 meters further than the current world record (unofficial sources vary with the distance). After he stopped taking steroids, there are reports that he took about 750 vitamin pills a day while improving his performance even more.
If anybody has any sources on him, or they own his documentary/biography called The Soul Is Greater Than the World, let me know. It’s supposed to be very inspiring because of his undying motivation to get better. He has the perfect equation of
Beard + Mustache + Strong + Big + Intense Training + Insanity
Our kinda guy.
The following video has some clips of him training. It gets good around the 2:00 minute mark. If you are short on time, and only want to see him freak out, then go to the 3:00 minute mark. Lots of yelling.
After that first video above, we had to double up on the testosterone. Thanks Ricky.
