High Country Vigour

Three of us took on the USAWA Club Championship Lifts.  We were without Jarrod who came to officiate. The lift selection was tough. Snatch, Dumbbell, One Hand Zercher Turkish Get Up Deadlift, Ciavattone I was pleased with the results. Kim - 27.5-85-175-44 - Total = 331.5 pounds = 630.5 points Josh - 72-225-72-330 - Total = 699 pounds = 650.5 points Sanjiv - 72-245-50-325 - 692 pounds = 700.7 points We will have to see where we stack up against Clark's Gym and other clubs.

Our local venue had a blast with the Ground to Overhead Challenge.  Kim, Jarrod, Josh and I squared off to attempt the Clean & Press, Clean & Push Press and Continental to Chest & Jerk. As the weights should get heavier as we go, I will list the top lift in order Kim - 70-75-75 pounds Sanjiv - 135-145-155 pounds Jarrod - 165-185-165 pounds Josh - 155-175-165 pounds It turns out the Continental to Chest & Jerk did not suit any of us.  Jarrod nearly made a 185 pound attempt but was unable to complete the Jerk.  I was planning on cleaning my 155 pound attempt, but received it low and had to work it up my chest.  Looking forward to seeing the results from Clark's.

There are (4) USAWA Lifts that require a Roman Chair. Bench Press – Roman Chair (A6) – 55 records Abdominal Raise – On Roman Chair (D2) – 21 records Extension – Back (D12) – 22 records Roman Chair Situp (I21) – 46 records The last time the topic of a Roman Chair was discussed in earnest was in 2011 on the forum and the website . Al does an excellent job of providing some history of the device, early lifts and the USAWA lifts. My revisit is a little more on the practical side of actually securing a device that meets the USAWA standards. Tuff Stuff “Roman Chair” I unofficially tried to do these lifts on commercially available Tuff Stuff “Roman Chair” that had an angled pad which does not meet the USAWA specifications. I considered having a shop cut and re-weld the post to make it comply with the rulebook but abandoned the idea. Dino Gym Roman Chair with Adjustable Safety Clark’s Gym Roman Chair with Adjustable Bench Height Frank Zane on a Roman Chair Bruce Lee’s Original Roman Chair The...

World Wide Grip Battle Head Promoter: Jedd Johnson Local Promoter: Sanjiv Gupta Date: February 7, 2026 Location: Lakewood or Greeley Events: 1.       20mm Grippers 2.       Euro Two Hands Pinch 3.       IronMind Axle Deadlift 4.       SSE Anvil Entry fee: $15. Please contact Sanjiv Gupta if you plan to attend. Please bring your CPW treated grippers, my highest calibrated gripper is RGC 92 Time: 9:30 – Weigh In 9:50 – Rules 10:00 – Contest Start 2:00 PM – Approximate end depending on attendance

The fledgling High Country Vigour club completed its 2nd year with (6) members.  We were able to host (7) events including (3) USAWA championships.   I participated in another (14) event remotely and traveled to (2) events.  These numbers do not include the (4) postal events and (12) BSAG events.  My daughters and I traveled to Nationals in Albany.  Ratna and I traveled to Belfast for Worlds. It was a tumultuous year as an organization with the Board of Directors rolling over multiple times, grievances filed and overall low enthusiasm for all-round in the second half of the year.  I was elected Secretary, resigned and was brought back on the board as VP.  Joe is the current President, Bill is the current Treasurer, Eric and Chad are board members at large. 1/18 Bayou Beast Bash (remote entry, 4th out of 7 entries) - Remote 1/25 Ed Zercher Memorial Strength Classic (remote entry, 4th out of 4 entries) - Remote 3/1 Colorado Single Arm Challenge (7th...

Sanjiv Gupta 205.9 pounds (95KG class) - 54 years old Deadlift, 3" Bar - 305 pounds Dumbbell Walk - 83 pounds Pinch Grip Deadlift, One Hand, Left - 45 pounds Pinch Grip Deadlift, One Hand, Right - 45 pounds Side Press, Dumbbell, Left - 50 pounds Diya Gupta 112.5 pounds (55KG class) - 18 years old Vertical Bar Deadlift, 1 Bar, 1", Right - 101 pounds Vertical Bar Deadlift, 1 Bar, 1", Left - 96 pounds Vertical Bar Deadlift, 1 Bar, 2" Right - 90 pounds Vertical Bar Deadlift, 1 Bar, 2" Left - 90 pounds Nisha Gupta Jarrod Fobes Kim Van Wagner

Leg 12 mercifully ended the 2025 BSAG Season. Reverse Blitzkrieg - 0 pounds - I have a hard time with reverse grip movements Snatch, 2 Dumbbells - 90 pounds Deadlift, One Arm, Left - 205 pounds Deadlift, Dumbbell, One Arm Left - 4 x 162 pounds Deadlift, Dumbbell, One Arm Left - 13 x 132 pounds I did complete all (12) Legs. Pros Exposed to new lifts and new challenges Cheap at $50/year for the whole family Convenient as all of the legs are postal Cons No sense of community or camaraderie Results reporting are months after the event I rarely looked forward or planned these, often squeezing them in near months end It was a no brainer decision for me to sit out the 2026 season.  If I miss it, I can always come back in 2027.