Atomic Athletic Bomb Proof Bulletin

Specials Page Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Athletic) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 17:59:00 +0000

by Atomic Athletic on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at 1:58pm ·

Yes, Atomic Athletic does do Specials!

I get a lot of people asking if we have Specially discounted items and packages that will give a discount. The answer is, “Yes. We do Specials.”

I know you have been wanting to start doing neck training like an Kushti wrestler, so the Stone Wheel, traditionally called a Gar Nal, is a tool you will want to explore. There is nothing else like it. They are made of solid, honed smooth granite.

Here is the link to the Specials Page with the discounted Gar Nal:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/category.aspx?categoryID=751

Summer will officially be here in less than 2 weeks, so we have discounted our York T-shirt & Hat Combo Pack. Get now, while the getting is good:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/category.aspx?categoryid=751&startpage=3

Education is key to getting the most out of your gym time, so put up some Instructional Wall Charts to help your stone lifting. Here is that link:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/category.aspx?categoryid=751&startpage=1

Check these Specials out right now. There are several more there as well!

When we sell out of our stocked specials, they will disappear from that page.

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

Lean Mass Building Workouts

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Athletic) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 20:21:00 +0000

Summer is a time when you want to just pack on some great, quick lean mass. Try out this two workout combination. Take a day of rest between these workouts. There is a lot of lower body work here and you will feel it the next day. You will really feel it the day after Workout B. Give yourself two days of rest after Workout B, or just do some easy jogging or medicine ball work.

Workout A
Bodyweight Squats 3 sets of 10
Front Squat 3 sets of 10
Back Squat 5 sets of 5 up to 60%
Stiff Leg Deadlift 5 sets of 5 - see how high you can go using perfect form. You may hit 300 #, which would be great
Iron Boot Leg Ext. 2 sets of 20
Iron Boot Hanging Leg Curl 2 sets of 20
Hanging Frog Crunches 3 sets of 10

Workout B
Body weight squats
Stretch
5 sets of 6 depth jumps
Isometrics in the power rack: Squat, Standing Press, Deadlift, Bench - in that order
Stretch

Live strong,
Roger LaPointe

Time to Hit the Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Athletic) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 19:21:00 +0000

by Atomic Athletic on Thursday, June 7, 2012 at 3:19pm ·

Late night TV is never so good as when it is time to hit the beach! I love it.

We have our own video. One regular customer, named Andy, said, “Disturbingly funny! I couldn't stop watching it... How do you come up with this stuff?”

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=MINT11

So there I was, up late with the new cat we just adopted. The show I was watching ended and up comes the shot of super hot women wearing next to nothing and drenched in enough fake sweat to make the director of “Airplane” proud. These DVDs had the best name I have seen in years, which I am changing here to “Craziness”. It made all the usual claims about losing huge amounts of weight in a very short time, etc. You know the commercial. It seems like there is a new one every week and they are all the same.

I have been on sets where they film those commercials. I have known some of the actors. I have even worked with some of the producers and business owners who put that stuff together. Their formula sells DVDs. It's amazing that there are so many people who fall for it. You know all those tricks that you suspect? You probably don't know the half of it, but you do know the real secret. If you are reading an Atomic Athletic Bomb Proof Bulletin, then you know the secret.

The real secret is no secret at all. Every one of those producers, writers and actors know the secret too. The secret is hard work over a long period of time. Sure, there are details where we can all constantly work at improving our methods of getting “strong & sexy”, or whatever the infomercials claim, but it starts with hard work.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=BK90

I have been getting a lot of questions about who the guy is in the background cover photo of my book, “Traditional Training Legendary Strength”. Everyone says the same thing, “That guy looks old school tough. Is he some buddy of yours from the 60's? What was he taking?” Well, I know that guy took the long road and was all natural. I know because the photo was taken nearly a hundred years ago. His name is Bobby Pandour. The full photo is on page 13.

Learn how to get powerful and strong in the most efficient ways possible. Work hard. Keep training hard for the entire long road. Remember to believe what you already know. It is possible to naturally become incredibly strong and tough, you just have to stick to it and constantly work at improvement.

Knowing the secret, WE can confidently hit the beach. Later, we can go back to laughing at the late night infomercials.

Enjoy the beach.

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

Dropping In

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Athletic) — Thu, 31 May 2012 20:41:00 +0000

by Atomic Athletic on Thursday, May 31, 2012 at 4:39pm ·

Word is getting around that Atomic Athletic is more than just a web site. We are having customers just dropping in to pick items up every day now. Here is the page for our showroom:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=SHOWROOM

Sure, we are right next to the railroad tracks, in an ancient auto factory, but what could be more appropriate? We are only an hour's drive south of Detroit and no more than 15 minutes from the south side of Toledo, OH, if you hit every light...

Everybody loves the showroom, but they really want to see the warehouse and the warehouse gym. To say that the gym is minimalist, would not really be accurate. For the space, I have a ton of stuff there. Of course, most of it is basic traditional strength training tools, like the “Olympic lifting” platform and weights, stone balls, padlocks, Indian clubs, ropes, etc. In fact, the only two machines are an Atlantis plate loading leg extension and a giant antique scale. Everyone loves that scale!

STOCKING ITEMS

We have also really worked hard at getting a nice selection of our most popular items on hand and available for pick up.

Just yesterday, a new customer, Heath, came up from Lima, OH. He was able to get a set of Allen Collars, a Factory 2nd Wrenchless Screw Collar Set, a pair of Kettlebell Handles and a pair of 20” Long Dumbbell Handles. Everything he wanted was in stock. Perfect.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=WDB20

However, just showing up without calling first is a bit of a risk. I encourage everyone to do it. The phone number is (419)352-5100. Yet, if you don't have your phone and you happen to just be driving by on I-75 and you see Exit 181, we are less than a mile from the exit, in the Progress Industrial Park on the corner of Lehman and Manville.

Hope to see you soon.

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

PS. There is stuff in the store that is NOT on the site. The web site is a constantly growing selection of products we have available

Coney Island Closed

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Athletic) — Wed, 30 May 2012 19:47:00 +0000

by Atomic Athletic on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 at 3:46pm ·

I have never been to Coney Island, but I always wanted to go. I just figured that is would always be there... I even lived on Long Island for a year. Unfortunately, the carnival is closing.

Sure, I love to go to fairs and carnivals. I even worked a Jacob's Ladder event and can still climb one to this day. Here is the real reason I wanted to go to Coney Island. My buddy, Vic Boff, worked a booth on the Coney Island board walk as a strongman with his buddy Charlie Phelan, during the 30's. They are no longer with us, but I always thought I might be able to visit the long standing carnival where they performed.

Make sure you don't miss out on history.

You can get a copy of Vic's book here:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=BK22

In addition to Vic's masterpiece of a training manual, we also have some great footage of Vic talking about equipment and memorabilia at the Association of Olde Time Barbell & Strongmen dinner, which he started.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=VID040

So, yesterday was the last day for Coney Island's Astroland, which was the bulk of what is considered the Coney Island carnival. You can check out more details about Coney Island at many different places on the web, but this is my little tribute.

Remember the performing strongmen of the past, especially Vic Boff, as without men like Vic we would not have the weightlifting of today.

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

Dip Station Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Athletic) — Tue, 29 May 2012 16:35:00 +0000

by Atomic Athletic on Tuesday, May 29, 2012 at 12:34pm ·

I love dips. They really are the upper body squat, but have you ever thought about the lower body options for your dip station?

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=IBC

My buddy Dr. Ken Leistner gave me the idea for this great little series of exercises. First put on your Iron Boots and you probably won't need any extra weight, at least the first couple times you do this series. Now go to your dip bars and get in the full upright top of the movement. If your triceps are really strong, you may not have to lock your elbows, but I will leave that up to you.

If you don't know what Iron Boots are, then go to this link:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=IBC

1. Alternate Knee Raises – 2 sets of 15 Make sure to point your toes at the bottom of the movement and fully flex those shins at the top of the movement. This is a tibia dorsi-flexion with the foot. It won't seem like much at first, but later in the day you might really feel it, particularly if you try running after your lifting.

2. Leg Curl – 2 sets of 15 This will hit the entire posterior chain of muscles ligaments and tendons.

3. Knee Raises – 2 sets of 15 You will do both legs at the same time and make sure to get those lower abs at the top of the movement.

This series of exercises is really great for any athlete, but especially so for anyone who needs sprinting power or kicking power.

If you want to see more classic strongman leg training with just Iron Boots and a Barbell, check out the Atomic Athletic Leg Development DVD at this link:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=BK103

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

Bull Moose Thick Bar Training

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Athletic) — Fri, 25 May 2012 16:22:00 +0000

by Atomic Athletic on Friday, May 25, 2012 at 12:22pm ·

Thick bar training is really becoming popular. Check out the photo of this amazing thick bar we are selling, then check out this great little workout.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=Y02988

Here is a very simple workout, but fantastic workout for your entire body, that will also fry your forearms and grip. All you need is a thick bar and plates, preferably they should be bumper plates.

Warm-up with a little jogging and/or Indian Club swinging
Thick Bar Hang Cleans 5 sets of 5
Thick Bar Power Clean & Press 5 sets of 5
Thick Bar High Pulls 3 sets of 3 (You should really be feel this in your forearms by now.)
Thick Bar Deadlifts 5 sets of 2
Thick Barbell Curls 3 sets of 10
Roman Chair Sit-ups 5 sets of 10
Stretch, especially the hands, wrists and forearms

This will be sound very strange, but start your first hang cleans with just the empty bar. Add weight with every set and don't remove any weight until you get to the curls. You will have to make small jumps in weight as you are doing 18 sets. When you get to the deadlifts, use a conventional grip and you will be maxing out on that last set. It will really help to have a thick bar that rotates when you are doing the Olympic type movements.

Our Thick Grip Bar will make you feel strong as a Bull Moose!

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=Y02988

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

Education of a Strong Man

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Athletic) — Thu, 24 May 2012 20:09:00 +0000

by Atomic Athletic on Thursday, May 24, 2012 at 4:07pm ·

“How can I learn to do that?”

Strength events are moments in time that everyone remembers, especially when there is a radio, newspaper or television story associated with it. Our 2012 Atomic Athletic Great Black Swamp Olde Time Strongman Picnic was no exception. However, they can be much, much more.

My friend and former training partner, Yasser Ul Haq is busy putting together his first powerlifting event in Pakistan. While that is cool and certainly the start of something great over there, Yasser made an astute observation. The event hasn't happened yet and he has already learned a heck of a lot about staging an event. What he hasn't experienced is all the things he will learn about the education and creation of strength athletes through events.

One of my real business mentors was Vic Boff, the founder of the Association of Olde Time Barbell & Strongmen. He drummed one vital concept into my head, without an event to showcase the strength athletes, we won't have new strongmen.

Vic was right. Sure, it seems like an obvious concept, but it's not just the crazy idea of an old performing strongman. Every year I get athletes coming up to me, before and after the event with one simple question, “How can I learn to do that?”

Some athletes are just at the edge of being able to do a particular feat of strength or an old time strongman lift. They have the foundational skills, power and strength. Some athletes are at the very beginning of their journey in strength, but already know where they want to go with it, ie. Travelling Performing Strongman. Regardless of where you, or the athletes you are coaching, are at, these are some educational suggestions that will help you get to where you want to go.

Try These Out for Size:1. Vic Boff's Bodybuilder's Bible (Don't let the name throw you. This is the old concept of bodybuilding that Vic grew up with in the 1920's and 1930's) http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=BK22 2. Atomic Athletic Garage Gym Guide (I packed this with suggestions from my own experiences and those of my customers. It's not just a book of lists.) http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=BK1000 3. Classic Training Hall Wall Charts http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=WC12MA

I have many more suggestions, but this is where everyone should start, even if they are big and strong. I think there is something for everyone here. I will hit on more in the next week.

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

T-Shirts & Poster News

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Athletic) — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:46:00 +0000

Gym art and charts are an essential for any gym. They become a focal point for the training atmosphere, so you want good ones.

Before they are all gone, you want to make sure that you get an Atomic Athletic Great Black Swamp Olde Time Strongman Picnic T-Shirt & Poster from the 2012 event. We also have posters for the 2012 USAWA Heavy Lifts Championships, which were part of this year's picnic.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=PICNIC6B

Make sure to listen to the Radio Coverage we received from WBGU, while you are buying your t-shirt and poster from the Picnic page. Newscaster Dave Horger did a nice interview of me a couple days before the event. At this year's picnic, we had newspaper, radio and television coverage. Word has really gotten around for our annual event.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=PICNIC2

Remember, we ship our event posters in high quality tubes, so you can frame them and have them looking good for years to come.

Live strong,
Roger LaPointe

World Record Clean & Press

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Athletic) — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:18:00 +0000

by Atomic Athletic on Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 4:17pm ·

You want world records? We've got'em.

This year's Atomic Athletic Great Black Swamp Olde Time Strongman Picnic hosted the USAWA Heavy Lifts Championships, where 8 World Records were broken.

Two of the World Records were done as extra lifts. One of the beauties of the US All-Round Weightlifting Association is having the opportunity to add in extra lifts that are not on the regular agenda. One such lift was the classic Clean & Press.

Dave Polzin was the lifter. He trains with the Atomic Athletic Club at the new Atomic Athletic Training Center. Dave's first meet in the All Rounds took place at last year's Atomic Athletic Great Black Swamp Olde Time Strongman Picnic, but this was far from the beginning of his lifting career. In fact, Dave's first weightlifting competition was in Olympic Weightlifting, when the Clean & Press was still part of the Olympics. Dave was quite a presser, pushing up over 300 pounds. Unfortunately, right after that meet, the Press was eliminated from Olympic competition. However, as a football player for Defiance College, Dave continued to do the press in his training.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=BK22C

Dave achieved some real success in Olympic style weightlifting, reaching national level in the late 70s and early 80s. He usually lifted in the 110 kg weight class, placing as high as second at the US Nationals. His by clean was 202.5 kg (446.5 lbs.). Dave quit competition by the mid-1980s, with many of his friends trying to get him to lift as a Masters age athlete.

It took the “odd lifts” of the USAWA to get him back into competition mode again. Last year's Strongman Picnic included the One Hand Barbell Deadlift and the Clean & Push Press, where he set records in both lifts. Now Dave Polzin has caught the bug for all round weightlifting.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=VID212

This past weekend, the Heavy Lifts Championships were not enough for Dave. He also wanted to break the Clean & Press record, which he did in fine style. He practiced the Hand & Thigh Lift with us at the Atomic Athletic Club, but we didn't have harnesses for the Neck Lift or the Hip Lift, so Dave learned from the other lifters that day. When he finished he went 2 for 3 in the Clean & Press, breaking the record twice, where the new record now stands at 90 Kg (198 lbs.) for the 100 kg wt. Class and 60+ age group. Dave is already pushing for the next meet here at Atomic Athletic.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=IGIWF

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

Dumbbell Swing vs. Kettlebell Swing

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Athletic) — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:09:00 +0000

by Atomic Athletic on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 at 5:08pm ·

Everyone knows that kettlebells are extremely popular right now. With that popularity has come a re-introduction of some old exercises and lifts, especially the kettlebell swing. While the one hand and two hand versions of the kettlebell swing are great exercises, they are not competitive lifts.

What is the competitive lifter to do?

Keep training with those kettlebells, as they are great tools. However, now it is time to haul out your Plate Loading Olympic Dumbbell for the Dumbbell Swing. The Dumbbell Swing has rules and records in the USAWA. What makes it a lift great lift is the relative ease of judging a good lift. Basically, it is one of those lifts that is clearly locked out overhead.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=HIB20ZR

To give you an idea of how much a really good lifter can do with a One Hand Swing, we turn to two time Olympian (1932 and 1936) Stanley Kratkowski. As a middle weight (165 pound) lifter, in 1934 Kratkowski held the Right Hand Swing US Record of 178 1/2 pounds... Not too shabby. In the modern All-Round Association, the current World Record is 78.3 Kg (172.6 lbs.) in the 75 kg (165 lbs.) weight class, by R. Meldon of Great Britain. Looking at the other weight classes, I believe there is considerable opportunity for improvement in this lift.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/category.aspx?categoryID=758

I have found the two hand kettlebell swing to be a really fantastic training exercise for the one hand swing. As a shorter athlete, I find that my grip is the first thing to go. With the two handed kettelbell swing I can concentrate on that triple extension, really working my hips back and neck. The two handed nature of the lift also lends a balance to the body, decreasing spinal torsion issues associated with one handed lifts. As it is an exercise that does not exactly replicate the competitive lift, this is something that I would do for higher reps, particularly working some portion of the lift where I have identified a common problem. Achieving full extension of the hips seems to be a problem for many lifters.

Photo of Roger competing at Ambridge VFW Hall with an antique Jackson Dumbbell:

Link to Olympic Dumbbell

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=HIB20ZR

Live Strong,

Roger LaPointe

Awesome Strongman Picnic

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Athletic) — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:29:00 +0000

by Atomic Athletic on Monday, May 14, 2012 at 5:28pm ·

Performing strongmen, barbeque, broken records and good friends, what more can you ask from a Saturday afternoon? We had it all.

Summing up one of the Atomic Athletic Great Black Swamp Olde Time Strongman Picnics is nearly impossible, but just like the event, I will try to pull it off.

The USAWA Heavy Lifts Championships were going on throughout the day, with records being broken left and right. In case you don't know the lift order, it went like this: Neck Lift, Hand & Thigh Lift and the Hip Lift finished it off. However, sandwiched in there were a couple of invitational record breaker lifts: the One Hand Barbell Snatch and the 2 Hand Clean & Press, just for a little variety.

We also had some informal Open Competitions. We started off with a little kids Farmers Walk, where they used a pair of 10 Pound Kettlebells. You would be hard pressed to find a lifting event higher on the cuteness scale. All of the kids did a great job and showed great sportsmanship. We also had a Farmers Walk with 190 pound competition units and a Repetition Deadlift with a 309 Pound Barbell. Of course, the Atlatl demo had to be paused so we could use the field. Everyone loved the spear throwing with the primitive tools. I do try to get something in there that is a little off the wall, even for this group.

Punctuating all of this we had Jeff “Chain Breaker” Bankens, all the way from Louisiana, doing bits and pieces of his act that he does on the road, including a classic water bottle routine. This is the first time I had seen that done live.

In the Atomic Athletic Training Center we had Sensei Mike Sherman, of American Kenpo, giving a competition kettlebell seminar and mini-competition. While people were there, they bought T-shirts, posters and equipment... all to the smell of free popcorn and cotton candy, a favorite of the kids.

A great time was had by all. I would like to give a special thanks to everyone who helped out, especially Dennis Habecker and Al Myers, who each managed and brought equipment for the Heavy Lifts Championships, as well as Jeff Rybek, who managed loading the weights. There were many other people who helped out as well, but in addition to special expertise, these moved some real weight in the sun. Loaders, administrators and referees rarely get much credit. Just to give you an idea, the heaviest lift was a 2075 Hip Lift...

Make sure to keep checking out the Atomic Athletic web site, USAWA Facebook page and the Atomic Athletic Facebook page for more updates.

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

Good Company

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Athletic) — Thu, 10 May 2012 18:58:00 +0000

by Atomic Athletic on Thursday, May 10, 2012 at 2:57pm ·

Records galore! Check this out.

It looks like Andrew Durniat will be attempting at least one more record at the Atomic Athletic Great Black Swamp Olde Time Strongman Picnic. He is one of the Invitational Record Breakers this year. I know one of the lifts he has been training is the One Hand Barbell Snatch. I don't know where his weight class will be until Saturday morning and I don't know which hand he will do it with. However, I know Andrew is right handed.

National AAU Records 1934

Right Hand Barbell Snatch (As reported by The Arena & Strength Nov. 1934)

118 lb. Class 121 Emil Mozer, Detroit, MI

126 lb. Class, 126 1/2 Michael Mungioli, Maspeth, Long Island

132 lb. Class, 143 Richard Bachtell, York, PA

148 lb. Class, 166 Mario Cerrentani, Los Angeles, CA

165 lb. Class, 171 3/4 Mario Cerrentani, Los Angeles, CA

181 lb. Class, 171 William Good, Reamstown, PA

Heavy, 170 1/2 William Rohrer, Brooklyn, NY

Here is one of the bars you will see in use at the Atomic Athletic Great Black Swamp Olde Time Strongman Picnic:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=IGIWF

The One Hand Barbell Snatch was last an Olympic Lift in the 1932 Olympic Games, in which William Good competed, as well as in the 1936 Olympic Games, which had only the 3 lifts. Richard Bachtell also competed in the 1932 Summer Olympics. Good, Bachtell, Michael Mungioli were each multiple time National Champions.

If Durniat breaks any of those records, he will indeed be in good company.

Make sure to use decent bumper plates when training the One Hand Barbell Snatch. You really want to be able to dump the bar when you miss the lift.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/category.aspx?categoryID=399

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

Atomic Athletic on WBGU

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Athletic) — Wed, 09 May 2012 18:50:00 +0000

by Atomic Athletic on Wednesday, May 9, 2012 at 2:49pm ·

Do you want to get some FREE Atomic Athletic stuff?

Make sure to listen to WBGU Radio 88.1 FM from 6-9 AM with Dave Horger. Dave has an outstanding morning news radio program on the BGSU Public Radio station. He will be giving away free Atomic Athletic swag every day this week.

When you are at the Atomic Athletic Great Black Swamp Olde Time Strongman Picnic on Saturday, May 12th, make sure to find Dave. He will be doing interviews covering the event.

Here is the link for 88.1 FM:

http://wbgufm.com/schedule

If you need more information about the Picnic, here is the link:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/

Don't forget, the USAWA Heavy Lifts Championships are part of the Strongman Picnic this year. I am sure you will see someone doing a chain bar lift with over 1500 Pounds!

You can hit the banners on the link above.

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

How Good was Ed Zercher?

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Athletic) — Fri, 04 May 2012 20:11:00 +0000

by Atomic Athletic on Friday, May 4, 2012 at 4:11pm ·

Comparing old records to modern records can be tough. In the case of Ed Zercher, we can compare contemporary results in the Olympic lifts.

The Olympic weightlifting contests were very different in the early 1930s. The biggest difference being in the number of lifts contested in a single day. Today, there is just the Two Hand Snatch and Two Hand Clean & Jerk, but way back then it was a weightlifting pentathlon, including the single hand version of those lifts and the military press. Of course, the equipment was less sophisticated and the rules slightly different.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=IGIWF

At the Fifth Annual Western AAU Weight Lifting Championships Ed Zercher (Bodyweight 156 Pounds), had the following lifts:

One Hand Snatch 120 lbs.

One Hand Clean & Jerk 130

Two Hand Military Press 170

Two Hand Snatch 145

Two Hand Clean & Jerk 200

Total 765

Ed was also a Loader and Official in the meet.

As a comparison, John Terlazzo (Olympic Gold Medalist Tony Terlazzo's brother) won the 148 pound class at the 1935 AAU Junior Nationals, as well as John Terpak and Walter Good, as reported in the same issue of The Arena & Strength.

Terlazzo (148 #) Terpak (148 #) Good (165 #)

OHS 143 lbs. 126 ½ 159 ½

OHCJ 159 ½ 143 176

THMP 181 ½ 176 203 ½

THS 187 187 192 ½

THCJ 242 --- 275

Total 913 632 ½ 1006 ½

(I believe Terlazzo's OHS was his National Record, but it is not mentioned as such in the accompanying article.) Terpak went on to win a Gold Medal in the 1936 Olympics and Good took 14th in the 1936 Olympics.

As you can see, when it came to the five lift Olympic contests, Ed was not quite up to Olympic caliber, but he was not far off.

Thom Van Vleck reports on the USAWA web site (usawa.com) that “The oldest record listed that has a verified date (Old record list from Bill Clarck) is a Harness Lift done by Ed Zercher, Sr with 2150lbs in 1940.” He also reports, “Clark stated that the below records were Missouri Valley AAU marks prior to 1941. So, while we don’t know the exact year these were set, they were set prior to or in 1941. “

Aug. 3-4, 1963 Iron Man Lifting News reported on the 3rd Annual Heart of America Festival, which contested 15 different events, of which Ed (age 56) competed in the following:

Roman Chair 610 lbs., Leg Press-Unsupported 10 Reps 600 lbs.

The Zercher Squat was also a lift at this meet, but Ed did not compete in it. However, he did officiate.

Ed continued to be a judge for Olympic weightlifting contests in the 1960s, Iron Man Lifting News has him listed as an official for the Dec 7, 1964 Missouri State Weightlifting Championships, Missouri State AAU Olympic Weightlifting Championships at the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City, December 10, 1967. He was also an official for the March 30-31, 1968 Missouri State Penitentiary Weight Decathlon, during which they contested 10 lifts, including the “ Zercher Lift”. The Emcee was Bill Clark.

Ed did not lift in either contest.

See the Zercher Lift in competition here: http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=VID004

Zercher would likely have been considered a “Presser”, but his One Hand Snatch was quite good as well. If powerlifting had been an organized sport in the 1930's, I suspect that with his pressing ability transferring to the bench press, his record in the deadlift and obvious ability with leg pressing and other squat-type movements, he would have really done well, if not taking some national or world titles.

For your own research, you will want to start by looking at Strength & Health Magazine: http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=MAG006

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

USAWA

2012 USAWA "Heavy Event" Championships will be taking place at the Atomic Athletic Great Black Swamp Olde Time Strongman Picnic

Zercher: A Lift and A Lifter

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Athletic) — Thu, 03 May 2012 18:05:00 +0000

by Atomic Athletic on Thursday, May 3, 2012 at 2:04pm ·

Wow! Imagine if they named a lift after you!

You know you have really done something amazing in the world of weightlifting when that day comes. Lots of people set records, but very few get that named lift. There's the Hack Lift, the Zottman Curl, the Scott Curl and then there is Ed Zercher's squat, called the Zercher Squat.

You can read all about the proper way to do a Zercher Squat in the USAWA Rulebook. Basically, it is a front squat with the bar held in the crook of your arms.

Various individuals will tout the benefits of a Zercher Squat and others will talk about the dangers. I prefer an unorthodox way of doing it, using a rotating thick bar, as the lift can be very hard on the biceps tendons. Basically, the smaller the diameter of the bar, the greater the biceps stress. However, few people know about some of the truly amazing lifting that Ed did before becoming known for his signature lift.

Here is the bar I use:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=Y02988

Edward Zercher's Early Lifting

At the Fifth Annual Western AAU Weight Lifting Championships Ed Zercher (Bodyweight 156 Pounds), had the following lifts:

One Hand Snatch 120 lbs.

One Hand Clean & Jerk 130

Two Hand Military Press 170

Two Hand Snatch 145

Two Hand Clean & Jerk 200

Total 765

Ed was also a Loader and Official in the meet. This was Oct. 27, of 1934.

The December 1934 issue of The Arena and Strength reports that Edward Zercher also had the 2 Hands Deadlift record (165 lbs. Bdwt.) of 536 pounds. We also have a photo of Ed doing a 536 Deadlift, but the caption says he weighed

I highly recommend using bumper plates when training the Zercher Lift, as you can dump the weight without having the damage issues associated with iron plates. When those biceps tendons suddenly start hurting, it really is best to dump it quickly. If you don't already know the “good pain vs. bad pain” difference, be prepared to learn.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=BPC45LB

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

2012 USAWA "Heavy Event" Championships will be taking place at the Atomic Athletic Great Black Swamp Olde Time Strongman Picnic

Strength Training or Bodybuilding

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Athletic) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:38:00 +0000

by Atomic Athletic on Friday, April 27, 2012 at 4:33pm ·

Can of worms anyone?

I'm going to open one here. The “strength athletes” of the world, generally, don't want to think of themselves as bodybuilders, but most of us can learn a thing or two from that crowd. So guys, if you are not doing a little bodybuilding, then you better start.

Start right at the top, with your neck. The bodybuilders out there might just look in that other direction as well. If you don't know who Bill St. John is, then you might want to do a little research on the internet. He was 2nd in the 1971 Mr. USA contest and placed in the top ten in many contests around that time period.

One of Bill's favorite exercises was the “Dead Hang Snatch”. He did them for sets of 10 with 315 pounds. While that movement does many positive things for the lifter, he did it for the neck work. Like many bodybuilders of his time, he did some Olympic lifting moves, but was not really an Olympic weightlifter. I know Bill from my time working at the York Barbell company.

In fact, Bill had an interesting approach to bodybuilding, by the time he was just about finished with his bodybuilding career. He basically worked his body around his neck training. Essentially, he did everything he could to increase his neck strength. You can really see it both in the Strength & Health cover from Feb. 1969. You can also see it in one of the most incredible feats of neck strength I have ever seen. Bill is supported only by his heels and his head, between two chairs, while his training partner, Val Vasilef, is doing a hand stand on his chest.

Here are some of the other tools Bill used for his neck work: standard leather head harness and manual resistance. I believe that if more Olympic weightlifters did bodybuilding for their necks and bodybuilders did more Olympic weightlifting they would each benefit. Bill St. John certainly did.

Leather Head Harness

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=BSMA307V

Band Resistance Head Harness

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=N01

Neck Machine

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=SIS121

USAWA Nationals

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=VID004

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

2,000 Pounds of 100's

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Athletic) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:22:00 +0000

by Atomic Athletic on Thursday, April 26, 2012 at 3:21pm ·

When was the last time you saw 2,000 Pounds of plates that were all 100 Pounders?

The 2012 Heavy Lifts Championships at the Atomic Athletic Great Black Swamp Olde Time Strongman Picnic will have that many. I fully expect that someone will do a lift of OVER 1,500 pounds on Saturday, the 12th of May.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=PICNIC6B Make sure to check out this web page for photos of some of these monster lifts and the one of a kind Poster!

We will also have multiple chain lift bars, an assortment of heavy lifting harnesses and hand & thigh bars, not to mention all the smaller plates. Hopefully, we will even have need for the little Record Maker Plates. Those babies go down to the 1/4 Kg size. After all, a 1/2 Kg record is still a record...

The 3 lifts are: The Hip Lift, The Neck Lift and the Hand & Thigh Lift!

We now do our own classic Chain Lift bar design and a USAWA Regulation Bar. They are slightly different, but the same price.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=AR004

Definitely don't miss out on the Picnic!

Remember, the Picnic and Heavy Lifts Championships are at the Old School on South Main in beautiful Bowling Green, OH. The action will be taking place on the sports fields with lifting platforms on the basketball court.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=PICNIC2

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

2012 Atomic Athletic Great Black Swamp Olde Time Strongman Picnic http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=PICNIC2

2012 USAWA "Heavy Event" Championships will be taking place at the Atomic Athletic Great Black Swamp Olde Time Strongman Picnic

Neck Lift

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Athletic) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 19:41:00 +0000

by Atomic Athletic on Friday, April 20, 2012 at 3:41pm ·

Neck training could be YOUR missing link.

When I spoke at Ohio State's NSCA Clinic last year, the speaker who was up right after me was Mike Gittleson. For those of you who do not know anything about Mike Gittleson, he was the Strength Coach at the University of Michigan for 30 years. He started under Bo Schembechler. Mike has been on the forefront of research into the football and concussion issue, which has led to his research into very serious neck training.

Try this on for size.

Mike convinced a fellow strength coach, who still occasionally competes in strongman competitions, on a very competitive level, to put several neck exercises into his program. Aside from getting an even bigger and stronger neck, he put 60 pounds on his Press!

How would you like to add 60 pounds to your standing press?

You want a good place to start your education into neck training? Now is your chance to ask some of the best neck lifters in the world about their secrets. The Heavy Lifts Championships are taking place at the Atomic Athletic Great Black Swamp Olde Time Strongman Picnic this year. This year, the lifts will be: the Hand & Thigh Lift, the Hip Lift and the Neck Lift!

Before you get to The Picnic, you will want to study up on this subject. The best place for you to start is the a past USAWA Nationals, in 2000 that included the Neck Lift. Here is the link:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=VID004

In addition to the Neck Lift, that Nationals included: the One Hand Snatch, Clean & Press with Heels Together, One Hand Ciavatone Deadlift, Pullover & Push, Hack Lift, Clean & Jerk Behind the Neck, and the Zercher Lift. It was one hell of a contest.

If you don't have one, check out our standard heavy duty leather Head Harness:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=BSMA307V

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

2012 USAWA "Heavy Event" Championships will be taking place at the Atomic Athletic Great Black Swamp Olde Time Strongman Picnic

Master's Age Lifting & The Safety Squat Bar

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Athletic) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:56:00 +0000

by Atomic Athletic on Tuesday, April 17, 2012 at 4:52pm ·

All of the young guys out there are welcome to ignore anything you want in this Atomic Athletic Bomb Proof Bulletin. I have written this one for the Master's age lifter and anyone who wants to continue lifting real weights after they are no longer “young”. Masters are welcome to ignore me as well, but I know you won't.

I caught a lot of hell for my last bulletin, because I recommended using a Safety Squat Bar. One guy wrote, “Real lifters don't use that kind of crap. Grow a set of balls”. He is welcome to his opinion. In the mean time, I hope to continue breaking records.

Here is the basis for my current use of a Safety Squat Bar. I have identified a weak point, which is my partially torn right rotator cuff. I have a couple of lifts that aggravate the tear, but still need to be worked. When I do serious back squats, that will also aggravate it. I tend to go a little gung ho with this stuff. Using the Safety Squat Bar allows me to get the benefit of back squats and those other lifts with blazing fast recovery. I have worked around a long term problem with continued improvement.

Safety

I do several other things that also keep me in the game. From now until the Atomic Athletic Great Black Swamp Olde Time Strongman Picnic, I will continue to hit that topic. If anyone wants to ask me about them, in person, at the Picnic, get your list together. There will be a whole bunch of other guys, some are nearly twice my age, who will also be glad to help out.

Picnic Link:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=PICNIC2

Heavy Lifts Championships Link:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=PICNIC6B

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

Building Bigger Legs

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Athletic) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 21:08:00 +0000

by Atomic Athletic on Thursday, April 12, 2012 at 5:06pm ·

The secret to building bigger legs is really knowing the tools of the trade. You simply don't build a skyscraper without a solid foundation. To build that foundation you need the right tools.

I had a great conversation, which did result in a sale, with a very high level basketball coach. As you might expect, he is dealing with very tall men who really are not built to be weightlifters. Yet, they do need the strength and explosiveness in their legs that serious weightlifting will bring them. We talked about the various bars I personally use, unsurprisingly, they are the same type of bars he uses, with slight variations. I regularly use an Olympic weightlifting bar with super smooth rotation, a stiff thick bar, a shrug/trap type bar, and a safety squat bar. At a height of 5 foot 3 inches, I am using them somewhat differently than his potential NBA recruits.

These are the exercises you need to do for building big and explosive legs:1. Back Squats2. Clean Pulls or, better yet, Power Cleans3. A grip building exercise, such as Thick Bar Deadlifts4. Front squat type movement – for some coaching situations, based on sport, facility resources, and/or body type – shrug bar deadlifts or a safety squat bar squats will be best

Now you need to apply these correctly.

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

PS. If you can possibly get there, you need to come to the Atomic Athletic Great Black Swamp Olde Time Strongman Picnic. The real draw is the other people who attend. We have had coaches from the worlds of: football, track & field, basketball, mma, wrestling, cycling, boxing and a wide variety of other sports. This is your chance to pick their brains. Don't miss it. Who knows, they might surprise you and try to pick your brain...

Safety Squat Bar with Standard Plate (1") Sized Bar Ends - Roger La Pointe doing repetition lunges in the winter of 2010. http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=SSB

Hip Flexors Iron Boot Training

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Athletic) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 20:32:00 +0000

by Atomic Athletic on Thursday, April 5, 2012 at 4:31pm ·

I had a sprinting coach in here the other day. He wanted to know what my best tool was for training the hip flexors. I asked him what his athletes were currently doing. They were using a variety of tools, but he really wanted to know if he should add the Iron Boots.

Here are 5 exercises that would work both the hip flexors and the ankles:

Hanging Knee Raises
Thai Knee Kicks
Inner Thigh Work
Leg Raise Foot Circles/Flutter Kicks
Alternate Bent Knee Crunch Touches

Every one of these exercises will help a runner, as well as a fighter, weightlifter or soccer player. Try them out. Even with an empty, unloaded Iron Boot, these are tough moves that will work your body in ways that you simply can't get with any other tool.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=IBC

By the way, there will be a number of people at this year's Atomic Athletic Great Black Swamp Olde Time Strongman Picnic who will be glad to give you more ideas about Iron Boot training.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=PICNIC2

See you there.

Live strong,

Roger

Durniat's Amazing Ranking from Picnic Lift

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Athletic) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 21:19:00 +0000

by Atomic Athletic on Wednesday, April 4, 2012 at 5:18pm ·

Fan's of the Atomic Athletic Great Black Swamp Olde Time Strongman Picnic are well aware of Andrew Durniat and his amazing feats of strength. Some of you are also aware that he also has actual World Records in recognized competitive lifts. Historically, that is a very unusual thing for a performer. Many performing strongman “records” are actively debated today.

Al Myers, the Secretary/Treasurer and prolific writer for the USAWA web site, has come up with his Top 10 Lifts of the past year. Andrew Durniat's World Record Left Hand Deadlift of 519 Pounds, at last year's Picnic, came in at number 4. Not too shabby...

To see the rest of that Top 10 List, see the USAWA site at: http://www.usawa.com/

Andrew and I have been looking at what lift he is going to try to break this year. Will you be there to see it?

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=PICNIC2

You can see a photo of that amazing deadlift on this year's picnic poster and at the picnic page on the site.

Enjoy.

2012 Atomic Athletic Great Black Swamp Olde Time Strongman Picnic http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=PICNIC2

Olde Time Strongman Picnic

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Athletic) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 19:45:00 +0000

by Atomic Athletic on Tuesday, April 3, 2012 at 3:41pm ·

Check out the 2012 Atomic Athletic Great Black Swamp Olde Time Strongman Picnic page. We are taking pre-Orders for T-shirts right now!

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=PICNIC2

Make sure to write down the picnic address, we are back on green grass!

You can see lots of past picnic photos on our Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/AtomicAthletic/

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

Picnic World Records

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Athletic) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 19:06:00 +0000

by Atomic Athletic on Friday, March 23, 2012 at 3:03pm ·

He set both the Left and Right Hand One Hand Deadlift World Records at last year's Atomic Athletic Great Black Swamp Olde Time Strongman Picnic. What will Andrew Durniat do this year?

In addition to the USAWA Heavy Lift Championships, this year's Picnic also has an Invitational World Record Breakers!

I just got confirmation that Durniat will be one of those lifters and the record he will attempt to break is NOT the One Hand Deadlift! He is going to attempt an overhead lift, soon to be announced.

Stay tuned...

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

Link:

2009 Picnic DVD

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=VID212

Andrew Durniat World Record at the Atomic Athletic Great Black Swamp Olde-Time Strongman Picnic 2011