Strongman Events

Also...

 

These challenges will take place on the Expo Stage on Friday, March 5 and Saturday, March 6 immediately before and after our Strongman events.  

 

An entirely new competition, Mighty Mitts will be an extra attraction for fans of Strongman contests as well as for aficionados of "grip feats."  We believe that Mighty Mitts will provide even more excitement for the tens of thousands of people who watch the Strongman contest every year.

 

The Mighty Mitts Challenges for 2010 will consist of:

 

1.  The Jowett Anvil--In the early years of the 20th century, George F. Jowett was a very prominent figure in the physical culture world as a writer, lifter, and promoter.  One of the stunts for which he is most famous featured a large blacksmith's anvil, which he supposedly gripped by the horn with one hand, swung up to his shoulder, flipped so that he caught it upside down in his hand, and then pressed over his head.  Jowett claimed to be the only man who could do this feat.  However, leading strength historians are in agreement that Jowett--who was also famous for his exaggerations--never made such a lift. In any case, Jowett's own anvil will be used in the challenge. It weighs approximately 163 pounds and will be placed on the platform with its horn pointing upward.  The challenge will be to simply grasp it by the horn with either hand, lift it off the ground and walk/run as far as possible forth and back across the front part of the 50' stage within 30 seconds.  The prize-money ($1000) will go to the man who carries it the greatest distance. Only chalk will be allowed for this challenge and for all others.  

 

2.  Sorin's Monster--Richard Sorin, founder and owner of the Sorinex Equipment Company and himself one of the legends of hand strength, will provide a huge, circus-type barbell weighing approximately 500 pounds and featuring a bar two inches in diameter; this bar will not rotate within the spheres in any way.  The challenge will be to deadlift the bar for as many repetitions as possible within 30 seconds using a double-overhand (pronated) grip.  Sumo and traditional deadlifting styles are both permitted and the bell may be "hitched" on the way up as long as the lifter is standing straight at the end of the lift.  The barbell will have to touch the platform on every rep after the referee has given the "Down" signal, and a "hook grip" will not be allowed.  A contestant may put the barbell down between reps if he likes, or he may simply touch the platform before making another attempt to deadlift it. If no one deadlifts the Monster the prize-money will be given to the man who pulls the bar the greatest distance off the platform, and if more than one person makes at least one successful lift and there is a tie in the number of reps the prize-money will be split.

 

3.  The Inch Dumbbell--Named in honor of the English strongman and weightlifter Thomas Inch, the original Inch Dumbbell weighs 172 pounds and has a handle almost 2.5" in diameter.  The bell was made approximately 100 years ago, and for many years very few men were able to lift it off the floor.  Once replicas of the original implement began to be manufactured, however, a number of men trained until they could deadlift one.  A few men have been able to deadlift two Inch Bells and walk a short distance with them, and so the challenge at the Mighty Mitts event will be to do exactly that--to deadlift two Inch Bells with the dumbbell handles remaining approximately parallel to the platform throughout the deadlift portion of the feat, and attempt to walk across the front of the 50' Expo Stage, go around a large, solid marker, then go back the other way without dropping either one, and then repeat the process. The distance for each competitor will be marked at the place where the first dumbbell hits the floor.  Competitors will not be allowed to hold the dumbbells tightly against their waists, thighs, or hips during the attempt.

 

4.  The Mark Henry Bell-About three or four years ago, Mark Henry decided to have a dumbbell made weighing approximately 250 pounds. However, the machine shop that built Henry's bell made a miscalculation when they cut the pieces of 9" bar-stock used for the "canister" weights at each end of the short handle.  The result was a dumbbell, with a handle 2.5" thick and 6" long, which weighed not 250 pounds but 300 pounds.  We called it the "Mistake Bell," and even though Henry was unable to lift it, he decided to leave it as it was so that it would remain as a challenge for everyone.  Shortly after the Henry Bell was made, a small but heavy box (50 pounds) was built for it so that it would be easier to carry, and the challenge will be to lift the bell all the way out of its box with one hand without tipping the box over.  If more than one person succeeds, the prize-money will be split.  Although we hope that one of our Grandmasters of Grip will be able raise the Henry Bell out of its box in 2010, we know that a man will come along one day who will do it, and we intend to bring it to Columbus every year until someone does.

 

The winner of each of these challenges can earn up to $1000 as well as lasting fame, and his name will be placed permanently on a plaque at the Joe and Betty Weider Museum of Physical Culture at the University of Texas.  It is not necessary for a challenger to attempt all four of our events, and no overall winner will be selected in 2010.

 

We believe that the Grip Giants who have been selected to take part in this event are the very best in the world and we fully expect that world records will be broken in MHP�s Mighty Mitts event.  The contestants are, alphabetically:

 

1. Andrew Durniat

2. Mark Felix

3. Steve Gardener

4. Wade Gillingham

5. Odd Haugen

6. Tex Henderson

7. Mark Henry (if his wrestling schedule permits)

8. Jedd Johnson

9. Chad Woodall

10. Rich Williams

  

Jim Lorimer refers to the Arnold Sports Festival as "Strength Heaven," and the introduction of these unprecedented grip challenges has added a new attraction to the festival--an attraction which should stimulate strong men everywhere to push back the boundaries of hand strength.