The Pro GNC Deadlift Competition is an invitation only event where the only contested lift is the deadlift. 15 men are selected along with 8 women. There are two scoring categories: 1) absolute weight and 2) Wilks formula. The criteria for selecting participants are:
The event occurred on the main stage inside the expo and was fantastic. The seating was good yet there was plenty of standing room. The music was loud, the announcers were solid (they were the same guys at the NAPF Raw Challenge that our guys lifted in), and the energy was high. Here are some notable lifts (I wasn’t able to record everything).
Kimberly Walford pulled 512 weighing 136 pounds! (not my video)
Ian Bell pulled an amazing 810 pounds at 19 years old and 196 lb body weight!
Brad Gillingham, who is a living legend, wrecked shop as usual. Here’s his second attempt at 826:
And Gillingham’s third attempt at 837. He’s 45 years old! Seeing him lifting in person was an experience.
Other notables include Carl Yngvar Christensen (pulled 832 on third, Gillingham went up 2.5kg to beat him) and Alyssa Hitchcock (who is attractive, here’s a vid from 2011). Everyone was notable in this competition; they wouldn’t be in it if they weren’t.
As most of you know, the Arnold Sport Festival occurred this past weekend. This post will be a quick synopsis of the weekend and focus on the event instead of our experiences. Chris, Mike, and Alex (the three friends who I coached in the raw powerlifting meet) got there Wednesday, Brent, his lady friend, and I got there Wednesday. Ellee Carlson (who is head of the 70’s Big Chicago Chapter) also got in on Thursday. Jeremy Wolfe and friends (Mel and Bijan) got in late Thursday night. This was our hang-out nucleus throughout the weekend but it would split apart depending on the schedule.
Overall, it was a fantastic weekend, albeit busy. Any time spent with my friends was a good one, but there were many events and spectacles that were very fun. I would highly recommend that everyone actually make plans to attend next year (many of you were unable to attend because of work or cost). If you read this website, then you have an invested interest in all things strength, power, fitness, training, and having a good time. “The Arnold” portrays all of that and more. There simply isn’t an event that has what The Arnold has: powerlifting, professional deadlift, professional strongman, Olympic weightlifting, various products to purchase, and every big name associated with every sport and activity.
PR Friday
Post your weekly training updates or PR’s to the comments.
Chat Room This is the link to the chat room we’ve used in the past. Feel free to loiter and hang out in it during the various Arnold meets and competitions. Keep an eye on Facebook but mostly Twitter for updates.
Weekly Reading List
This is stuff that I read this past week that I think you will enjoy.
[spoiler] John Welbourn weighs in on slow and fast twitch muscle fibers.
Interesting article by Eric Cressey on how the lats can be too tight and cause problems. It’s not relevant to everyone, but understanding what tight lats do is important. Also, hitting up MobilityWOD.com regularly can alleviate these systems, especially 5 Way Shoulder.
Mongol General: Hao! Dai ye! We won again! This is good, but what is best in life? Mongol: The open steppe, fleet horse, falcons at your wrist, and the wind in your hair. Mongol General: Wrong! Conan! What is best in life? Conan: To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women. Mongol General: That is good! That is good.
We all know the quote well and good. But do you UNDERSTAND it? Do you GET it?
I DON’T THINK YOU DO.
No, it just doesn’t mean you try to win. No, it just doesn’t mean you try to do your best. You go out there, and you find that fucking dog!
You aren’t supposed to just have another day, walking in circles. Nay, good sir, you step to the challenge of the day, kick in the door, toss a flash bang, sweep your sectors and put two precision rounds in the brain or heart of that THING, that fucking THING, that stands in the way between you and success.
CHOP YOUR FEET — that fullback is comin’, he’s comin’, he’s gonna meet you in the hole. WHO’S GONNA WIN? YOU OR HIM? WHO’S GONNA GET LOWER? BLOW THAT ISO UP, SON!
Hmm, what I’m trying to say is that when your horse isn’t doing his job because he catches the scent of a mare in heat, you un-sheath your glistening broad sword and CUT HIS FUCKING HEAD OFF. Wait, no, that doesn’t explain it.
Arnold voice:
There are doubters, naysayers. They say that you shouldn’t break the rules. They say you should be afraid to fail. You can’t always win, but don’t be afraid of making decisions. Believe in yourself to keep pushing. NEVER LISTEN TO “YOU CAN’T”. ONLY LISTEN TO YOURSELF WHEN YOU SAY “YES, YOU CAN.” Muhammad Ali was once asked, “How many sit-ups do you do?” He said, “I don’t count my sit-ups, I only start counting when it starts hurting, because that’s when it really counts. That’s what makes you a champion.” Someone out there is working harder, and someone out there is getting smarter. They are winning. Just remember that. SLEEP FASTER, I WOULD RECOMMEND, AUUGHHHAUUGHHHH!
What is it that you want to do? What is it that you want to accomplish? What the FUCK is standing in your way? Why are you letting it stop you? The 500 pound squat? The dream job? WHAT EXACTLY IS STOPPING YOU FROM DOING IT? A horde of 10,000 Uruk-Hai, no less. Better to just sit this one out, right? After all, it’s safer. Oh, uh, excuse me sir? Kindly leave. Because WE’RE BUSY SHARPENING OUR SWORDS!
You will have to fight every god. damn. inch. You are all on your own. You will be beaten bloody. You will hang by a thread. But in that moment when you think you are too weak to continue, when you lie in a handful of dust, and when you have all but given up hope…you will rise. You will grit your teeth. You will clench your fists. And you will continue fighting. Because it’s too easy to die.
Yesterday I neglected elaborating on a lot of the women’s sports because of a lack of time and information. A reader with the username “flipper” provided some insight on the women vying for a spot on the Olympic team this weekend (I linked a video with each name):
Primarily, the weight classes to watch are the 58kg class and the 75+ class. The major hitters in here are Sarah Robles and Holley Mangold in the 75+, and Rizelyx Rivera and Amanda Sandoval in the 58kg category. Close following them are 2008 Olympian Natalie Burgener in the 63 class, Chioma Amaechi also in the 75+, and Hilary Katzenmeier in the 53 class. Keep in mind however that only two spots are available, so I think the lion’s share of the attention will be on the top four or five contenders.
First, I’m pretty confident that Sarah Robles is going to the Olympics – she’s a solid 2% points higher than her rivals in the scoring system, and she really just needs to not have a repeat of her Pan Am troubles to win a spot.
The second spot will be the real battleground: While Robles’ % score (the same method as the men’s) is 89.6%, the four athletes following her are all between 87.4% and 87.8%.
Sandoval and Rivera are actually tied at 87.8% of their qualifying total, their best recorded totals are 198 for each of them. Their rankings at any point in time fluctuate. Sandoval is slightly stronger in the snatch, but Rivera slightly better in the clean and jerk – it ain’t over till it’s over. Also, I must say that both of them are just awesome to watch, with some of the most impressive technique I’ve ever seen.
Right on their heels is Holley Mangold with an 87.5% score. She’s strong as an ox, but still pretty new to the sport. She’s been making huge strides but isn’t always the most consistent in her lifting – expect amazing things from her, but this particular meet will be hard to predict from her.
And in a very close 5th with an 87.4% score is returning Olympian Natalie Burgener, a long time favorite of the sport. I have heard rumor that she had until recently taken some time off to nurse a tight hip, but she seems to be getting back into full swing and many people are hoping to discover that her comeback was only just beginning.
This list is certainly not exhaustive, I’ve heard amazing training lifts are coming from Amaechi, Katzenmeier is fantastic and has enough heart to surprise us all, and we have a lot of other long time front runners on the start list, but with only two slots on the line I only covered the ones with the top few results in competition – someone could always surprise us on the day of.
The Olympic Trials will of course be webcast live via USAW’s website for those of you that can’t make it or have to head home early. Hope this was helpful in getting a feel for the women’s competition – which is unfortunately the only Olympic Trials we’ve earned the right to hold this year.
Edit: Jacob Cloud re-sent me THIS DOCUMENT. It shows the top 20 or so American male and female lifters and how they compare to the “world average”. The totals for each lifter are what they have hit in recent and relevant competitions, so note that some of them have improved upon those totals. It gives you an idea of who is contention.
Also, stop messaging me by saying that the men don’t have a spot in the Olympics; they will unless several male lifters drop dead.
If anyone has similar breakdowns for other sports, then feel free to post them and I’ll put them up on the site.
