Deadlift holds and strongman auto holds

[Guest DavidHW]

Hey, no fighting, please. Not over my little question. I'm happy with the 1/3 approximation and will train my Hammer holds in the 750-950 range over the coming weeks.

Thanks to all who've contributed.

David

[Roark]

Let's be pleased that BarBender and Nathan Say are on this

board when it comes to technical matters.

Had someone at the Arnold Classic Strongman show earlier

this year consulted with them, then perhaps the embarrassment of NO ONE being able to deadlift a HUMMER could have been avoided.

There are two extremes in this sport: those who believe ANY

lift claimed by a favorite lifter, and those who insist that as many details as are available be provided before belief or doubt is decided.

Remember a few years ago a religious leader performed a calf

raise with an elephant? Think it mattered whether the elephant was on the man's shoulders or several feet forward of him? Isn't that 'New-tons' 7th law?

[ChrisJames]

Sri Chinmoy, he also claimed a 7000 lb one arm lockout.

Strong or what !!  :hehe

I think he even had Bill Pearl to sign a certificate of merit !!

[Roark]

Chris,

'Strong or what?'

I choose 'or what'. The actual claim was 7,063.75 lbs.

I don't know about anyone else, but that .75 lbs throws

the whole matter into doubt for me :crazy

[ChrisJames]

Joe , what ever happened to that old fakir ?  :hehe  :hehe

[The Mac]

Chris,

As far as I can remember he continued to go about his spiritual business and give public demonstrations of his strength, but this time with more realistic weights (on occasion the athlete Carl Lewis).

I have a number of old "Strength Athlete" magazines in which this is discussed. It is incredible how he managed to get so many credible strength "experts" (ie. Bill Pearl) to believe in his 7,063.75lb lift, but then there was a massive backlash (at least in "Strength Athlete") against him. People simply refused to believe him - which cast him in a bad light as he was of course a well known and respected spiritual "guru". I think this is a prime example that claims cannot simply be accepted just because of who made them.

Hope that will answer your question until someone who remembers that time better can fill you in - I was only a whipper-snapper at the time...

[Roark]

Chris,

Not sure what happened to his 'strength' career, and I

have no interest in his other career.

I am told that his people badgered and badgered some

famous people in the iron sport to acknowledge some of

his 'feats' and (to be rid of him), they signed off. I do not

know if this is true.

I do know one of his people contacted me, and probably

did not care for my reply.

One other thing- I recall noting, but not filing, some more

recent one arm lift claim which was about 98% less than

the seven thousand pound travesty, and thinking at the

time, "This guy could market a course on how to LOSE

98% of your strength!"

Chris,

The Strength Athlete- the few issues I have seen- was a

sterling publication.

[The Mac]

Joe,

Yes, Strength Athlete is a good read. It contains articles on many of the old greats (mostly written by David Gentle, the man from whom I purchased them, many of which I have seen reporduced on the InterNet at various locations), plus good coverage of then-current events (my magazines date from the mid-eighties). It also contains quite a few grip related articles (again mostly by Mr Gentle).

If you can get your hands on them (and, quite rightly, they are not that cheap), I recommend them whole-heartedly!

[Guest 77-1005097254]

I have some experience at the deadlift hold using vans and cars. Training for strongman competitions using a van, which was supposed to be equivalent to 300kg, i have held it for 35 seconds in training. Using an average sized car i held it for 59 seconds also in training. At a strongman comp earlier this year i did 15 seconds using a different van but which was reported to be also in the 300kg range. It felt far heavier to me, but i cant be sure because a couple of the guys i train with got similar times that they had posted in training. The diffuicult thing i have found is that besides a strong grip, a very strong and durable upper back is also needed in the lockout position.

I am not sure, but i think that deadlifting vehicles and trying to get an exact weight, is similar to comparing the different strength of grippers.

At home using my farmers walk implements i have also done some deadlift holds:  2 x 182kg for 8 seconds , 2 x 175kg for 18 seconds and 2 x 160kg for 35 seconds. I think that 300kg to 320kg is probably around the average weight of the vans used in UK comps.

Michael.

[Guest DavidHW]

That's very helpful, Michael, esp. the note about upper back strength. On long holds, I find that well before my grip gives out, I have to stop because I can't breathe -- the downwards pressure exerted upon my torso by the weight doesn't allow me to inhale. OK, maybe barely, with quick short breaths, but still . . .

David

[crushjunior]

Micheal Daly, what is your max regular barbell deadlift or if you do reps what is the most you could do for that rep range? Do you use handles that extend behind the van in the events you do? Just curious.

[Guest 77-1005097254]

David. That is exactly what happens to me with regards to trying to get a breath. The guys are always on at me to breathe but sometimes i can hardly get a breath because of the huge pressure. I think that very heavy shrugs and partial deadlifts is what is needed.

crushjunior. My max deadlift is 280kg ( 617 lbs ) at 93kg with no support gear. I have done 200kg ( 440 lbs ) for 10 reps. Yes the handles extend behind the van and the frame we use is adjustable so the handles can come out further which makes leverage better.

[The Mac]

Excellent lifts Michael.

As for the breathing, when I have done heavy holds in the past I never found it to be that much of a problem. Whether this was because I never went heavy enough I could not say for sure, but I think alot of it depends on your natural build (how far a given weight pulls the shoulders down onto your chest) and the way you normally breathe (ie. whether you breathe through mouth/nose and take breaths from the lungs/belly). I also seem to have the ability to maintain a static hold for along time without breathing, which may be the key to this event.

Obviously as Mr Daly says strengthening your upper back would allow you to hold a more natural position of the shoulders and make it easier to breathe thus allowing you to hold for longer periods, given the same grip-strength.

Don't know if I've helped....