The Arnold - A Great Weekend

[Al Thompson]

It was great seeing everyone in Columbus over the weekend especially Jesse and Callie. You guys are definitely the new power couple in strongman!

I thought the level of competition was great in the strongman show and the performances top notch. But some of the events are just dumb. I don't like the medicine ball throw at all and they can get a little more creative to have something other than the Inch Dumbbell for reps. But it was pretty cool.

I hung backstage with Glen Ross, Zydrunas Savickas and Schoonie...all great guys...you just have to give Savickas a chance to catch up with what you are talking about...I don't speak a lick of Lithuanian.

Saw Dione, Steve Kirit, Mark K., Gary Mitchell...the nail-bending guys from New Jersey (Paul & Dennis), Roger, Karl, Mark Philippi, Van Hatfield, good ole Peter Thorne from Inzer (I think he changes his contact info every month), Dave from Universal, Hollis Thomas (DT Philadelphia Eagles), Ed Cohen, Phil Pfister (he actually ackowledged I exist!), Shannon (no Jon Anderson!), Girard and Frank from MHP, Jake Jones and his wife...it was all good.

There was definitley an edge in the air with all the directions strongman is going in right now...lots of hushed talk...people are waiting to see how it all pans out...I hope it is all for the good, but we'll see.

I was pulled in alot of directions with strongman so I didn't get to check out all the exhibitors and competitions like I have in the past. The powerlifting I did see was awesome...saw my old friend Garry Frank...he hurt his shoulder in the squat (?) and had to pull out of the WPO meet...he may come to Philly this summer for the strongman show...just to hang out and maybe help out.

I made the trip with Joe Pulcinella who is the photographer for ASC and my boss back at Iron Sport Gym...we sort of reverse roles when we are doing the strongman stuff...he has some great pics including exclusive backstage stuff at photojoe.com

Also along for the trip with Joe and I were Mike Barcelone, a member at Iron Sport and Batiste...a friend of Iron Sport and Mike B. who lives in South Philly...for the record I can't think of three other guys - and Walt Gogola - I'd like to travel with than these guys...it was great.

[Callie Marunde]

It was a great weekend!! We were super busy at the expo!! Nice to see you Al!

Callie

[Jesse Marunde]

The ball throw... Couldn't agree with you more. The proof is in the audio volume of the crowd. The axle and deadlift inspired the crowd to create alot of noise. The ball and hammer were much less exiting. Disagree with you on the Inch DB because the crowd was getting into that event or so it sounded. I heard Vasyl hurt his bicep on the ball throw as did Brad Gillingham last year or the year before I forget. Every year the injury rate at the arnold is high and severe.

Jesse

[Dana Matheson]

In my opinion the Med Ball throw for height is a terrible event. It's boring as hell! Just going on the 2 or 3 Arnolds I have cought on TV over the past few years. I love the Axle and deadlift, I cant wait to the the DB too. The hammer is a little better to watch than the Ball but not much. Oh, the farmer carry is decent too.

[Al Thompson]

Now that I think of it the crowd started to count reps when the competitor got it going...they are limited on production because everything is on a stage...
Injuries were all over the place..I heard Van is hurt and could be out for a little while...Svend Karlson had two injuries ...elbow and a hip flexor and Hugo with the achillies heel...Magnus Samuelsson passed on the final two events.
so yeah a lot of injuries and we may not know of them all.

[Jesse Marunde]

it's like that every year. is it just the big prize money enticing athletes to push it harder than they normally would? Are they lifting recklessly in an attempt to win the big pot? are the events not tested prior? any one have any theories? I'd like to hear from some of the competitors on this too.

Jesse

[Jonathan Barlow]

I thought the ball throw was cool, and the crowd seemed to be into it. The most noise I heard the whole show was when everyone was screaming for magnus on the ball throw.

[Aaron Anderton]

I think that one of the big reasons for the injuries is that some of the events are not only very heavy, but they are unfamiliar. Strongmen practice the events that they compete in, which prepares their bodies for the contest and minimizes injuries. The reason so many powerlifters who do a strongman contests on a whim, get injured, is because they don't practice the events and aren't prepared to handle moving in awkward ways with heavy objects. The Arnold has some events that are very difficult to simulate in practice (i.e. the hammer) and some that are just plain dangerous like the medicine ball throw. In that event you have your biceps activated to help squeeze the ball to throw it, and then you stretch them severely and explosively to throw it. I throw for height is fine, but not when the object requires so much stress on the biceps.

[Ryan Phillips]

who won the freakin thing. it only has results for friday up. none for saturday. who won wat events and wat were the placings?
cheers

[AaRoNSnider]

From Ironmind..
Zydrunas Savickas Wins the Arnold Strongman Contest . . . Again
Columbus, Ohio - Defending his title in convincing style, Zydrunas Savickas won the Arnold Strongman contest tonight - taking home a prize package that included $16,000 in cash and a Hummer.


UNLV Strength Coach Mark Philippi won the final event, the trademark farmer's walk, although even he did not make the full distance with the heavier than ever massive timber frame. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

The final ranking was:

1. Zydrunas Savickas
2. Vasyl Virastiuk
3. Glenn Ross
4. Mark Philippi
5. Brian Siders
6. Svend Karlsen
7. Van Hatfield
8. Karl Gillingham
9. Hugo Girard
10. Magnus Samuelsson

[james rude]

"The reason so many powerlifters who do a strongman contests on a whim, get injured, is because they don't practice the events and aren't prepared to handle moving in awkward ways with heavy objects"-A. Anderton

Brian Siders really impressed me by making 5 reps in the apollon's axle in his first show. i really didn't expect him to do very well, but i guess the Arnold contest is pretty different than most strongman competitions. there isn't really much athletic stuff, just really heavy, so guys like Glen Ross can do pretty well.

[Steve Mac]

Also I'm quite sure he trainged under/with Pfister for several months, so he wasn't doing it so much on a whim.

[kara]

Also I'm quite sure he trainged under/with Pfister for several months, so he wasn't doing it so much on a whim.

you're absolutely correct about brian training with phil. and brian's other training partner matt is a strongman competitor as well.

[james rude]

hey Steve Mac do you compete in powerlifting? whats your total? 700x7 in the max calculator on the jackalsgym website says 861.7. the one on this site says 840. which is closer? that is freakin awesome. i can't get more than 600 yet, but i will. time is on my side.

[Steve Mac]

I've done just one powerlifting contest, I do it just for a little fun, obviously strongman is my main focus. I'll be doing a push/pull meet in about a month, I'll know what my max deadlift is then, I'm hoping for mid 8's, 850-865 sounds fun. If I get that much I'll train the deadlift real hard and go for 900 just to be able to say I did it.

[Steve Mac]

hey Steve Mac do you compete in powerlifting? whats your total? 700x7 in the max calculator on the jackalsgym website says 861.7. the one on this site says 840. which is closer? that is freakin awesome. i can't get more than 600 yet, but i will. time is on my side.

If you can deadlift that much already at your age and your height then you have a huge advantage. Taller guys have quite a few advantages when it comes to strongman events but one of the glaring weaknesses they usually have is the deadlift. Obviously you don't have that weakness. If you could train your deadlift to anywhere in the mid 7's and be able to combine a strong dead with your height advantage in other events watch out.

[Jesse Marunde]

Steve is right. but there are also quite a number of tall deadlifters who have done well. Gary Heisy pulled over 900 and I beleive he was 6'8". Guss Rethwich is another name that comes to mind and he is very tall. Tall guys usually have better supporting grip strength, which a factor that holds back alot of guys from pulling really big. So there's positives and negatives to being tall. you just have to fight hard against the negatives and try to be well rounded. The end result is a monster...

Jesse

[Brian Schoonveld]

I tested the Hammer on Thursday night. I loaded the hammer with 66 pounds in the head. I did it the exact same way as in the contest. We did it the year before with 50 pounds in the head and everyone smoked it. So I told Terry to make it heavier. Phil was a tester also. Needless to say Phil struggled. So just to make interesting. I loaded it to 110 pounds and did it from the deep squat position and did it in under 30 seconds. So that is why the Hammer was heavy! As far as the other events I think there great except for the Hammer and the ball throw. Hell I told Terry he should do a seated military press with two inch dumbells. This something the crowd can relate to. You also have to remember the time is limited on the stage. So events have to be easy to set up and tear down. I know eveybody wants to see traditional events, but you have to remember time is a big issue. I have competd in two Arnolds and been there for all of them. If you see what is going on with set-up it has to be quick. Just an observation from somebody that been there. Brian Schoonveld

[Jesse Marunde]

contest speed is really important no doubt.

Jesse

[Paul Sazy]

Have you seen or heard from Big Mike lately. I don't have his new phone number.
Paul

[Steve Mac]

Yes I hung out with him all last weekend at the Arnold. I'll send him a message on one of the other boards that we are both members of and tell him you need his number and get back to you with it.