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How High Is An "official Lift" Of The Inch


pdoire

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Can that "clip" be posted?

I believe it can. I may have it. If someone still has it, post it in the gallery. It might be in the gallery archives. The old gallery.

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that clip was plain silly.

What is the difference between lifting it a few inch's or full deadlift? endurance?

Anyone who can lift it off the ground and maintain some control gets my respect

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A full deadlift is a good standard. I'd hate to see a long thread about how high is high enough...

I can see it now. "2 inches is sufficient to demonstrate control" "No, you must deadlift it 2.5 inches or you are a wimp and a communist" and on and on and on....

The rule is there. I'll be on the list when I can fully deadlift it. In the meantime I just need to get stronger.

Edited by Sean Dockery
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Can that "clip" be posted?

I believe it can. I may have it. If someone still has it, post it in the gallery. It might be in the gallery archives. The old gallery.

can somone post the link to the clip please

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The clip referred to is one in which Inch claims to be lifting 'the famous Inch challenge bell'. It patently isn't and as per Joe's researched (yes even clips from magazines can be useful Kim) info we are aware and have seen photos of the several Inch challenge dumbbells looking nigh on identical yet weighing various amounts. In the Pathe news reel Inch is lifting a completely different bell and he knows it. Ergo, as per Bills comments and in common parlance, he's a lying old git trying it on with an unknowing public. Even now people can misquote the weight and the info on one of the sites which makes copies of the Inch is incorrect.

I appreciate what Inch did only for two things 1) he produced the bell so that we have a challenge - even if we argue the semantics it's still a legacy and 2) he was a showman and for that the idea that he would always be 100% accurate in his 'bigging himself up' is too much to ask for. He will have been a big strongman at one time and needed to make a living - I'll allow him a foible or two.

As an aside if you google my name a copy of the Inch appears in Google images and takes you to the foundry's site with no mention of my name on the page - fame at last?? I think I've become a meta-tag ha ha

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With the limited research I have done I do believe the original intent of the Inch challenge was to break it off the ground only. And, as the story goes they flew from all over and noone could lift it. This part is where the bells may have been switched, but the point here is what was "lifting the inch" then considered?

Today, as has been mentioned, many can probably lift it off the ground if not to full deadlift, and many more again if they were more widely available to be tried readily.

This is not about the GB's standard..that is fine and clear. Again what was considered a lift...

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Clay Edgin asked me to contribute about the Inch dumbbell lift probably because he knows that I keep track of lots of different lifts and then publish the results in a book called "Strength & Speed". I believe I can add a little perspective to this historically as can Steve Gardener add a whole lot because he lifted the Inch several times with reputable witnesses. Starting with Thomas Inch--5'10, 210, born 1881. He wasn't exactly a wimp--he did a professional British record bent press from the shoulder with 304 lb, a one-arm side press of 201 lb, a one-handed dead lift of 402 lb on a 1 1/2" thick straight bar. Most of this info comes from the highly respected David Willoughby's book "Super Athletes" of which I have a extra few copies for sale. Inch's offer stipulated he would give 200 British pounds (almost $1000 with an equivalence of at least $10,000 today--the latter is my estimate). To win the money all you had to do was to lift the Inch db off the ground. Now, here's where the "fraud" part of Inch's reputation comes into play. No serious historian that I know of doubts his 1-hand DL nor Bent Press records, and I believe he dead lifted well over 600 lb with two hands and there are claims he could DL over 600 lb into his late sixties. To continue, the "fraud" part-- is that Inch had at least three different "Inch" dumbbells of the same apparent size with the heaviest one weighing 172 lb and the others substantially lighter. The charges made are that he would substitute one of the lighter ones when he was lifting and have the other guys all try the heavier one. Personally, I find it hard to believe that he could make the switch and none would be the wiser. I have a record of 58 people who have been documented as lifting the Inch the original way or better (and I'm sure there's a few more that I haven't found yet). Within that list is a subset of people who have done a complete 1-hand dead lift with it (most of whom I got from the Grip Board itself). I also have a short list of people who have 1-arm lifted it all the way overhead. I also have a short list of people who have dead-lifted two Inches at a time and at least a couple who have farmers walked a pair of them. In my opinion I think lifting it off the floor is a great feat of strength in itself and should be recognized as such. I have personally witnessed Sean Little, David Erives and Clay Edgin all lift the Inch replica off the floor and then some. I also think there's nothing wrong with having multiple Inch lifts recognition--by that I mean: 1. Those who get it off the floor. 2. Those who do a complete 1DL with it. 3. Those who do a 1-arm overhead lift with it. BTW I like what Bob Lipinsky has done on his grip website with gripper closures--he differentiates rules for three different categories of closures--no set, credit card set, and deep set. Obviously a no set close is a lot different than a credit card set or a deep set close. So here's someone else that believes in differentiated degrees of doing a feat of strength. Hope my opinion helps. :D

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I like the 3 step recognition..it makes sense just like Bob's 3 gripper sets.

Thanks Oldtimer for that info.

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I also think there's nothing wrong with having multiple Inch lifts recognition--by that I mean: 1. Those who get it off the floor.  2. Those who do a complete 1DL with it. 3. Those who do a 1-arm overhead lift with it.  BTW I like what Bob Lipinsky has done on his grip website with gripper closures--he differentiates rules for three different categories of closures--no set, credit card set, and deep set. Obviously a no set close is a lot different than a credit card set or a deep set close. So here's someone else that believes in differentiated degrees of doing a feat of strength. Hope my opinion helps. :D

I saw a thread earlier about wanting to know how big the hands are of inch lifters. Do you have such info? Any idea who had the smallest hands?

Edited by joeyg
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If you think that's good where's the video Burkhart took. I do the Inch left, right and then I row it.

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Arne, great lift. Does the 172 lb kettlebell also have at least a 2.47" diameter handle? To satisfy possible critics, do you have people who will sign affidavits saying they witnessed the weighing of both implements? From the looks of the video you should at least qualify for the complete 1-hand dead lift of the Inch, and if the diameter of the kettlebell is 2.47" or 6.27 cm then you should make it for the double Inch DL. :)

Once, again congrats!

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I also think there's nothing wrong with having multiple Inch lifts recognition--by that I mean: 1. Those who get it off the floor.  2. Those who do a complete 1DL with it. 3. Those who do a 1-arm overhead lift with it.  BTW I like what Bob Lipinsky has done on his grip website with gripper closures--he differentiates rules for three different categories of closures--no set, credit card set, and deep set. Obviously a no set close is a lot different than a credit card set or a deep set close. So here's someone else that believes in differentiated degrees of doing a feat of strength. Hope my opinion helps. :D

I saw a thread earlier about wanting to know how big the hands are of inch lifters. Do you have such info? Any idea who had the smallest hands?

I don't know who has the smallest hands. Richard Sorin's on my Inch list and he says his hand length is 7 3/4". That should be a starting point. How about it? Anyone who's done it and has smaller hands please post or send me an email. :happy

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a wise individual once said "not all things are what they appear to be"

"Inch is a fraud"...is just too strong a comment...especially if one uses

the Pathe News clip as "the evidence". Inch was THE "strength icon" in the UK for

a number of years AND he was a showman. He had many "challenge" dumbells...

heck, every dumbell the man owned might have been a "challenge"bell!

The dumbell lifted(and not lifted) in the clip is certainly not the 172lbs. dumbell

that we have come to know as "The Thomas Inch Challenge Dumbell"(the

bell that was passed on to Reg Park, then sat in David Prowse's garden and

then porch and then gym and now sits in my front room)...no attempt was made to

visually"masquerade" the bell lifted as the dumbell that we (and our magazine clippings) have verified as "The Inch Challenege Dumbell"... I defy anyone to

"prove" the exact weight of the bell lifted in the clip... Inch lifts it...it's one of his

"challenge bells"...great "Historical" movie clip of a "Strength Icon" and showman...what's all

the fuss?

I have tapes from the old Calgary Stampede Pro-Wrestling promotion given to me by my

friend, Bruce Hart. In the tape there is an in-ring lifting contest between

Kaz and Ted Arcidi(who at the time of the taping were two of the world's strongest men.). They go for "World records "in the "clean and jerk" and "bench press"...

I know the weights are not right...I know because Bruce Hart told me and he's the

guy running the whole show...

I can't tell from the tape... the weights look heavy but I can't tell much.(the

live spot was ruined by old Kaz who chose to "meditate" at great length before

cleaning the weights(said to be way over 600lbs.)and then passes out twice

once he cleans 'em...all this taking up bunches of time from the live broadcast and

driving the wrestling TV guys nuts(Kaz was not a very good pro-wrestler). Later in the

skit Arcidi throws chalk in Kaz's face as he goes for a "World record" bench...

(this same skit was done years earlier with Ken Patera and Billy "Superstar" Graham)... Who has "called out" these lifter/showmen as frauds? ...and they sure are fun tapes to watch...and so is the Thomas Inch lifting tape.

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That Ted Arcidi was in the Battle Royal at Wrestlemania I or II - can't rmember which it was - that dude was a beast. It was the only match of his I ever saw, and he got eliminated really early if I'm not mistaken.

-Jedd-

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That Ted Arcidi was in the Battle Royal at Wrestlemania I or II - can't rmember which it was - that dude was a beast.  It was the only match of his I ever saw, and he got eliminated really early if I'm not mistaken.

Ted wrestled a few matches in the WWF (now the WWE). According to Gorilla Monsoon... pro wrestling wasn't "his cup of tea" and he soon left the WWF.

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Arne, great lift. Does the 172 lb kettlebell also have at least a 2.47" diameter handle? To satisfy possible critics, do you have people who will sign affidavits saying they witnessed the weighing of both implements? From the looks of the video you should at least qualify for the complete 1-hand dead lift of the Inch, and if the diameter of the kettlebell is 2.47" or 6.27 cm then you should make it for the double Inch DL. :)

Once, again congrats!

Yes, the kettlebell has the same diameter but is much easier to lift because the handle doesn't rotate. Steve: Kalle has also lift the dumbbell very easy with both hands. ;)

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Breaking the Inch Dumbell off the floor is just too easy for a records category. Just about any decently strong guy could do it with a very slight bit of training. Now a full deadlift, or a one hand clean and overhead....THAT's a challenge!

Edited by Sean Dockery
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Breaking the Inch Dumbell off the floor is just too easy for a records category.  Just about any decently strong guy could do it with a very slight bit of training.  Now a full deadlift, or a one hand clean and overhead....THAT's a challenge!

I agree with Sean. Which is why the list is not huge.

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the "number" is greater than you'd think..."lists" just scratch the surface(and always will)

I should have said, the documented "list" is not huge. I agree this doesn't mean the number is not greater. But, talk is talk unless a person actually tries to lift it. Should be or could have or could easily or is strong enough are just words unless someone actually gives it a go. Or even has the chance to try and lift it. Inch dumbbells aren't exactly in every weight room or I am sure the "list" would be much bigger.

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Inch in the video clip asserted that the bell he was lifting in that clip was indeed the famous Challenge Dumbell that so many over the course of years had failed to lift, even clear of the floor. We know from old issues of Health & Strength that he was shown with the 172 that Kim Wood now owns, and that Inch asserted in those older quotes that the 172 was the Challenge bell. There are abundant references, and a few photos asserting that the bell that Kim now owns is the 172 Challenge bell. SO far as I am concerned that matter is settled for me. So for Inch to claim in the clip that the bell he was lifting was the original bell that so many had failed to lift, was a misrepresentation of facts. Indeed about twenty years later when some men did in fact deadlift the 172 the photos and text show that Kim's bell, not the film clip bell, was the bell in use.

In regard to what constitutes a lift, Inch at one point, when it became obvious that no one could even get the bell off the floor, settled for paying so much money per inch lifted in height to those who could clear the floor with it. He never had to pay money while this offer stood.

There are conflicting tales from Inch himself regarding whether the bell ever left the floor in someone else's hand; one time he indicated that of three men trying, one made 'the best effort'- what does that mean if none of the men lifted it off the floor?

Inch's stories regarding the 172 changed over time, and it was only in the much later years that he required the bell be cleaned and put overhead- certainly not in the first few decades of the bell's fame.

Because I own old magazines I was able to follow the story as presented in those magazines. Perhaps there are many errors in those accounts- but they are the sole accounts in some cases for many of the iron game's feats.

And, were it not for the old issues of H&S, we would have picked up the story half a century later at which point several key ingredients had been rewritten. Indeed, if we had only the film clip from which to judge, we would not have realized that the story had been rewritten, or would have thought that the film clip bell was the 172. Not so.

If Inch deliberately misrepresented the film clip bell as the original 172, then the word fraud is apt.

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the bell lifted was what it was(and we can't tell too much about it from the film but it is not the "Challenge Bell" we are familiar with)... if you have a blue car...how can it be

mis-represented as a car that is red? Inch was a showman. The fraud

assertions are way too strong.

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