Derek Poundstone suffered a vertebral fracture during his Worlds Strongest Man training just prior to the Arnold Strongman Classic. He was forced due to injury to withdraw from the 2011 Arnols Strongman Classic. He was told, "Take six months and then come back nice and easy". Derek has done just that. Here he is training with the lovely Kristin, his soon to be new bride later this month. Congrats to Derek on both fronts.... and good luck Kristin!
Powerlifting is a series of variables and equations. Body weight, percentages of one rep maximums, total work volume; all of these are relative to the individual, and so are the devices used to train the individual correctly. In this, the third and final, installment of the SWEDE STRENGTH=SPEED STRENGTH series, I am going to outline the proper use of the most advanced, severe and effective, device known to man for accommodating resistance in speed training: BANDS.
Several major sports have had athletes that participated in another professional sport. Bo Jackson played professional football and played professional baseball. Michael Jordan played for the World Champion Chicago Bulls basketball team and then took a shot at playing baseball professionally too. However, the IFBB has seen a handful of athletes excel in both powerlifting and bodybuilding. Johnie Jackson, Ben White, Bev Francis and as of late, the current World's Strongest Bodybuilder, Stan Efferding. This past weekend Stan took to the task of bringing home more than bragging rights; he brought home world records.
Congratulations Stan and thanks for taking some time after such a huge weekend.
On September 19, 2009, you entered an SPF Sanctioned Raw Powerlifting meet in Sacramento California and totaled 2,221lbs in 275lbs category. This was just 29lbs away from All-Time American Raw Record, set in 1972 by Jon Cole. You nailed a squat of 821lbs, Bench of 606 pounds, and deadlifted 794.
The Quest Continues to Find The Ultimate Powerlifter at APF Europa Rum 4 Airing Schedule on FoxSportsNet Orlando, Florida April 29 & 30, 2011: XPTV is excited to be at Europa this year with 70,000 people coming and 33 FITness Sports in the Orange County Convention Center. XPTV will be filming Europa for a upcoming show on Fox-SportsNet.
First things first, let me apologize for the delay in getting this second installment to you. I realize that a lot of folks have been waiting for it and I regret the fact that it has taken me this long to deliver. The unavoidable reality is that due to the prodigious undertaking of moving 300 miles from my home and handling the preparations for opening my athletic training facility, I have been absent from most other activities.
In conjunction with the DYMATIZE Bro’s vs. Pro’s VI, RxMuscle.com ventures into new territory with the AtLarge Nutrition Strongman Tire Flip Challenge. On Saturday April 23, 2011 outside the Arlington, Tx Metroflex gym we will contest a roughly 625lb tire to be flipped over a 60’ distance. The winner will be the person who can get across the finish line fastest. American Strongman Corporation Professional Strongman Ryan Bracewell will be our Pro for this event and he has issued a challenge to anyone with the balls enough to face him. Chris Mason from AtLarge Nutrition has long supported the strength community and jumped at the chance to be the title sponsor for this first time event. AtLarge Nutrition is awarding $500 and a complete nutritional supplement package to the events winner. No pre-registration and no entry fee required. Have you got what it takes to beat the best?
Every sport has a cheerleader. The one person not appointed by anyone in particular that rides the emotions of that particular sport with unbridled passion. When powerlifting took a turn into near oblivion, there was still that one guy who refused to let it disappear into obscurity. He is the Rainbow haired John 3:16 sign waving fanatic omnipresent at 1970’s Los Angeles Rams football games. He is Bill the Beer Man from all major sporting events in Seattle. He is the Valhalla Viking sitting front row, 50 yard line at the Minnesota Vikings football games. In the powerlifting community, that insanely passionate fella is Sean Katterle.
Where do we go from here?
The Strongman Section and the entire Strength Section at RxMuscle.com began as a natural progression of the bastardized relationship between iron fanatics training for posterity and those training for strength. Whether it is powerlifting, strongman, bodybuilding, highland games, fitness, figure, bikini or physique, we all have that one commonality; the drive to be the best we can be in a very misunderstood community. That’s the adage I am taking as I assume the new RxMuscle Editor in Chief of the Strength Section.
MHP's Kings of the Bench V & Clash of the Titans IVThe Ronnie Coleman Classic Expo
April 2nd, 2011, Mesquite Convention Center, Mesquite (Dallas), Texas
When I got the invite to this show I was extremely excited and to be honest a bit nervous. My log training had been going very well and I have improved it so much in the last six months or so that I was pretty confident I could hit a good number. The event was to be held live on Eurosport in Vilnius, Lithuania using the old IFSA metal log. Traveling to Lithuania is definitely long and arduous. I missed a flight connection from Frankfurt to Vilnius which put my arrival time at around 8pm rather than the original 1pm. On top of the delay, United Airlines actually lost my baggage!
Brian Shaw of Lupton, CO won the contest over an international field to capture the 8th Annual Arnold Strongman Classic title. Shaw received a $45,000 check and the Louis Cyr trophy by Gerard Dente of MHP, an Audemars Piquet watch from Shane Dixon of Ricart.com, and congratulations from Arnold Schwarzenegger...
As I predicted, this year’s Arnold Strongman Festival has turned out to be a hugely exciting event. First Derek Poundstone, the 2009 and 2010 ASC champion bowed out of competition due to complications of a previous back injury only three days before his pending arrival in Columbus. On the same day 6x national powerlifting champion Brian Siders also withdrew due to an unspecified injury. Veteran Mark Felix takes gets a 72 hours-notice invitation to fill in one of the spots, but the other remained vacant. Add in a new world record, broken not once, but 3 times, in the deadlift and it makes for a wild start to the weekend.
As I have written before and will probably do until the games change; I am not a fan of most
professional sports. The spirit or soulfulness of these games has been lost to mediocre men
wielding large sums of U.S. currency as their weapon. "Do not hold the delusion that your
advancement is accomplished by crushing others." - Marcus Tillius Cicero. The 1st century roman
philosopher and political theorist couldn’t be more correct, 2000 years later.
The 2011 Arnold Strongman Classic was rocked with information today when it was announced by Ironmind Magazine that the 2x reigning champion Derek Poundstone has withdrawn from this weekends event. Ryan bracewell first broke the news here on RxMuscle.com around 1:00pm today.
Behind every strong man is a stronger woman. Sorry guys, but honestly, to be successful in life, the balance of family man to athlete are always tenuous. Working two jobs, competing in a non-stop lifestyle of international travel for athletic competition and being a husband and father is tough. But, with support from family and friends, the goal to be the best in your game is that much easier. Travis
Ortmayer has everything a man could ask for in Strongman; except that 1st place trophy at the Arnold
Strongman Classic.
Sometimes, it’s the unexpected that can make for a great conversation. In a recent tête-à-tête with 2010 Arnold Strongman Classic Amateur Champion, Mike Jenkins, I felt a bit like Ralph Waldo Emerson when he said; “Nothing Great Was Ever Achieved Without Great Enthusiasm”. In his tone and dialect, often punctuated with self-deprecating humor, it was easy to hear Mike’s enthusiasm as he spoke about his sport. Humble? Maybe to a fault. However, not without great pride and understanding of who he is.
Think accomplished, with poise.
At the 2010 Arnold Strongman Amateur Championships, when Mike won the amateur event, he was given an automatic qualifying spot for the next years Pro Arnold Strongman Classic. It was clear in our conversation that he has taken on that “responsibility” to represent himself through hard work and careful planning. Some athletes don’t think the automatic qualifier was a good thing - that there are more experienced and qualified athletes. Mike doesn’t really agree and will show the world what he has what it takes to be among the chosen few.
"For me life is continuously being hungry. The meaning of life is not simply to exist, to survive, but to move ahead, to go up, to achieve, to conquer." Arnold Schwarzenegger
Truer words have never been spoken in terms of developing a unique and storied athletic event. In 2002 Arnold Schwarzenegger and his planning committee contacted powerlifting expert Dr. Terry Todd to develop a strength contest as part of the overall Arnold Schwarzenegger Sports Festival. The program they developed has become the backbone to the entire centenary Arnold festivities.
The term ‟speed strength" will usually bring a scene to mind like... a sprinter coming off the blocks, or a javelin being thrown. You might think of a lineman, in a 4-3 defense, firing off and trying to get across the offensive line to make things bad for those guys in the backfield; or Barry Bonds, knocking a 100 mph fast ball out of the park.
These are all good examples of speed strength in sports, and for each example special strength training can be used to improve the performance of the athletes.
Editors Note: Rx Muscle's own Bryan Attila Hildebrand will be supplying complete coverage of the 2011 Arnold Strongman Classic starting with a series of articles relating to the history of the event as well as in-depth profiles of the athletes competing. Look for the live play-by-play of the ASC on March 5th and 6th as well as video interviews and a competition wrapup following the events.
This year’s Arnold Strongman Classic (ASC) has some very familiar faces with the addition of some unusual twists. This year’s ASC will take place March 4-5 in Columbus, Ohio on the main EXPO stage as part of the larger Arnold Sports Festival. 2009 and 2010 Arnold Strongman Champion Derek Poundstone and 6x winner Zydrunas Savickas will face off against each other in a rematch for the ages! Throw in eight other fierce competitors, as well as the addition of one athlete who qualified via an Strongman event in Los Angeles, and you have the making of one spectacular competition!
The All American Strongman Challenge will determine the American athletes to compete in the 2011 World Strong Man Super Series. The competition is OPEN to all qualified Strongman athletes. The top six athletes will receive All American Team Honors and the top 3 athletes will get a direct invite to the 2011 WSM Super Series Tour. Also, the 2011 All American Champion will get a direct invite to the 2011 Arnold’s Classic Strongman competition.
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