Armlifting - what kind of sport is it, rules and regulations of the discipline

Sports training and strength exercises are extremely varied. New exercises are constantly appearing that are aimed at working one or another muscle group. Armlifting is a relatively new sport that is actively gaining popularity.

Armlifting – literally translated from English means “lifting with your hand.” This name fully reflects the essence of the exercise. The athlete must lift a large weight with one hand, without helping himself with any equipment or free hand.

The difficulty of the training is that the entire load during the grip falls only on the hand and forearm, so they must be as developed as possible.

For armlifting competitions, as well as for training, a special projectile is used, which is called Rolling Thunder (literally translated from English - “rolling thunder,” but athletes call it “Rolling Thunder”).

The projectile is a load of varying weights, which has a round rotating handle with a diameter of 60 mm. It is with this handle that the athlete needs to lift the apparatus, demonstrating maximum grip and hand strength.

History of origin

Some athletes mistakenly believe that the history of armlifting began in 1920. According to this version, the founder of this sport is Hermann Gorner, nicknamed “The Mighty”. During his speech, he demonstrated a block weighing 330 kg, to which a handle was attached.

After Moguchy was able to lift this weight with one hand, his achievement began to be considered a world record. Subsequently, many athletes were able to break his record.

In fact, the history of armlifting began in 1993, when the IronMind training equipment company released the Rolling Thunder simulator.

Initially, the machine was used for training aimed at developing strength, and then grew into a separate sport. Perhaps the popularity of armlifting is justified by the fact that it is never possible to guess the outcome of the competition. The strength indicator in this case does not depend on the appearance of the athlete and on the degree of muscle development.

Origins and federations

Lifting heavy loads with one hand has long been a staple of strongman shows. One of the first documented cases is the lifting of 330 kg by German Hermann Horner in 1920. Subsequently, various competitions were held for lifting barbells with one hand, but the history of modern armlifting began in 1993, when the IronMind company designed and patented the already mentioned Rolling Thunder simulator (from English - Rolling Thunder).

By promoting its products, the company has ensured that Rolling Thunder, along with the Captains of Crush expander, is considered one of the main standards for grip strength. Initially, the machine was used as an auxiliary in other sports where grip is important, for example, in powerlifting, but gradually “grew” into an independent type of variety, where other exercises joined it.

Nowadays, armlifting competitions are often held at major tournaments in other strength sports as an additional discipline, and are also used as entertainment at various public events. The sport is interesting for spectators because it is not always possible to tell by the appearance of the participants who will win, since grip strength is not directly dependent on general physical fitness . Among athletes, few people engage only in armlifting, but many love it for the warm and friendly atmosphere of the competition and the fairly low entry threshold - the sport is only gaining popularity, and training does not take much time and is often an auxiliary activity.

There are currently three largest international federations:

1. WAA (World Armlifting Association). Created in 2010. It was this organization that gave a significant impetus to the development of armlifting throughout the world and especially in Russia. Dozens of competitions at various levels were organized.
2. APL (Professional Armlifting League). Created in 2015 by Sergei Badyuk.
3. SAR (Union of Armlifters of Russia), the youngest federation on this list, was founded in 2016 and is a branch of the international WAF (World Armlifting Federation). Initially, it was created as a branch of the Union of Russian Powerlifters with the purpose of prescribing clear rules of discipline, defining standards and conditions for assigning titles (up to the Elite of Russia). There was even a uniform for judges and participants.

Rules

The rules of armlifting are quite easy to remember. At the same time, it will not be possible to perform the exercise without preparation, despite its apparent simplicity. During the approach, the overall physical strength of the athlete is not important, only grip strength matters.

For this exercise, you can only use original rolling produced by . Before the competition, the organizers unpack the original packaging, filming a video about the appearance of the box and the projectile itself, as well as its first use.

The order of the exercise is as follows:

1. Starting position - the body is straightened, feet shoulder-width apart, the projectile is between the legs.
2. When gripping the handle, your thumb should be on top, and all the rest should be parallel to it on the other side of the handle.
3. Holding the handle with any grip other than closed is prohibited.
4. During the exercise, your fingers should only be on the handle; you must not touch the non-rotating parts of the projectile, even by accident.
5. After lifting the load, the body should be completely straight
6. As soon as the athlete hears the judge’s command, he must calmly lower the weight to the floor; he must not throw the roller.
7. During the exercise, the feet should remain in place. A step to the side, even a short one, is grounds for not counting the exercise.
8. At armlifting competitions, the athlete is given one minute to complete the exercise. During this time, you can make several attempts to lift the weight.
9. While lifting the roller, you are allowed to pause its movement and then continue lifting it. However, if the weight goes down while stopping, the attempt will not count.
10. Magnesium may be used during competitions. However, you cannot bandage your palms.
11. The free hand should not touch the thigh or other parts of the body, and certainly should not help in lifting the roller.

You can study the rules and methods of performing the exercise in more detail in training videos or directly during training with a personal trainer.

Exercises and rules for doing them

Rolling Thunder

The main discipline in all three federations. The exercise itself is similar to the one-arm deadlift, but has differences. The key one is the diameter of the handle of the simulator, which is 60 mm. It is also designed in such a way (the handle rotates freely around its axis) that the entire load when lifting weights falls on the hand and forearm muscles. This is why this movement is more difficult than a regular deadlift, as it requires a very strong grip. Pancakes are attached to the bottom of the machine:

© valyalkin — stock.adobe.com

The general rules of implementation (we will not go into unimportant details that differ for different federations) are as follows:

• The athlete is given one minute to complete the approach. Moreover, in a minute he has an unlimited number of repetitions, if this does not work out the first time. If the athlete cannot cope with the ordered weight in a minute, he has no right to perform the second and third attempts.
• The machine should be placed between the legs of the athlete, who lifts it up until he is in a vertical position (legs fully straightened).
• The grip is only closed (the thumb is opposed to the rest).
• Only magnesium is allowed to be used. As a rule, it is issued by the competition organizer.
• It is forbidden to rest your free hand on the body or touch other parts of the body.
• The projectile itself should not go down during the attempt (although stopping the movement is allowed) or touch the athlete’s legs.
• Movement of the feet is also prohibited.

The winner in his weight and absolute categories is determined by the maximum weight of the lifted projectile. If the result is equal, the participant with the lower body weight wins.

Apollo Axel Row

Apollon's Axel is a special large-diameter bar (50 mm, regular standard bars are 25-30 mm). Otherwise, the exercise is no different from a regular deadlift. Due to the difference in the bars, the movement is also greatly complicated, as the load on the hands increases many times over. Deadlifts can be performed in both classic and sumo styles.

Silver Bullet

According to the name (translation - Silver Bullet), the projectile is similar to a bullet 45 mm long and 19 mm in diameter with a cord on which a load is attached. The exercise also uses the Captains of Crush expander (No. 3 and 4 for men and No. 1 and 2 for women), between the handles of which a “bullet” with a suspended load is clamped. The task is to hold the load (2.5 kg) as long as possible at arm's length.

Saxon Bar Traction

Another type of deadlift with a specific bar. Unlike the Axel row, it uses a different type of grip - a pinch grip, which makes the exercise even more difficult. The neck has a rectangular shape and a diameter of 80 mm. The grip is from above, with two hands, the thumb is opposed to the rest. The general rules are identical to the Apollo's Axel pull.

Hub

A rarer discipline. Almost completely identical to Rolling Thunder except for the handle. It uses a handle with a rounded base with a diameter of 76 mm, meaning it uses a pinch grip to hold it, making it difficult to lift even compared to the Rolling Thunder.

Excalibur

The exercise is named after the legendary sword of Arthur - Excalibur, since the movement itself is similar to how you would take it out of a stone. It's all about the handle - here it simply looks like a piece of pipe that needs to be grasped with a brush (it is directed upward). Otherwise, all movement rules are similar to Rolling Thunder.

World Armlifting Association

World Armlifting Association has begun a new stage in the development of armlifting. It was created in 2010, not so much to support athletes, but to establish a new sport on the world stage. They developed their own standards and rules and became organizers of large-scale competitions around the world.

To date, several dozen tournaments have been held around the world, in which weightlifters, arm wrestlers, strongmen, wrestlers and other athletes took part. The first president of this organization was Alexander Anatolyevich Filimonov, who at that time was the president of the Russian Armwrestling Association.

Rank standards for armlifting[edit | edit code]

Armlifting Professional League standards[5][edit | edit code]

World Armlifting Association standards[6][edit | edit code]

The standards of the Armlifting Federation of Ukraine are posted on the forum: https://powerlifter.ru/forum/index.php?topic=613.0.

There are many different standards on the Internet, but they do not contain official sources.

Standards

Union of Armlifters of Russia (SAR)/World Armlifting Federation Standards[edit | edit code]

ROLLING THUNDER[edit | edit code]

APOLLON'S AXLE[edit | edit code]

HUB[edit | edit code]

TWO HANDED PINCH GRIP BLOCK[edit | edit code]

EXCALIBUR[edit | edit code]

SAXON BAR[edit | edit code]

SILVER BULLET[edit | edit code]

Why armlifting is attractive to its fans

If you ask athletes why they like armlifting so much, each of them will probably name their own reason for loving such competitions. This is truly a unique sport in which anyone who devotes enough time to training and activities can compete.

There is a lot to be surprised about at armlifting competitions. For example, a fragile girl and a skinny guy, who, as everyone thinks, cannot lift heavy weights, can win. However, their grip strength is such that they can easily lift weights that are two or more times their own.

In addition, the popularity of armlifting is due to the fact that there is no need to attend training every day. Athletes claim that to develop grip strength, just one full workout per week is enough, but it should be done using rolling or expanders from the same company. Although few athletes engage only in armlifting.

Another advantage of armlifting is the growing popularity of this sport. Lots of competitions, valuable prizes and a pleasant company of athletes - what could be a better activity?

Who besides weightlifters and bodybuilders cares about grip strength?

Even if you are not going to attend an armlifting competition, including such training in your program is extremely useful. Roller classes are useful for fans of martial arts, mountaineers, workouts and rock climbers. No other exercise will help improve grip strength or increase hand endurance.

For example, when performing various tricks on the horizontal bars, no matter how strong and flexible the athlete is, he will not be able to maintain his position on the horizontal bar longer than his hands allow.

Armlifting records

In Russia, the first armlifting championship took place in 2010 and was organized in Podolsk. It was at these competitions that two records were set, which to this day no one has been able to break.

Records were recorded according to the World Armlifting Association:

Men

• +110 k - Alexey Tyukalov - 148 kg (own weight 123 kg) Russia-Finland (note: Absolute record)
• 110 k — Kulyasov Sergey — 120.5 kg (own weight 98.4 kg) Russia
• 90 k – Bashun Victor (Viktor Blud) – 115.5 kg (own weight 84 kg) Russia
• 70 k - Alexey Laptev - 100.5 kg (own weight 68.4 kg) Russia

Juniors

• +90 k – Grigory Kopaigora – 103 kg (own weight 99.4 kg) Ukraine
• 90 k — Omelyanenko Oleg -97.5 kg (own weight 84.5 kg) Ukraine
• 70 k - Alexey Laptev - 100.5 kg (own weight 68.4 kg) Russia

Women

• +60 k – Lyudmila Gaiduchenko – 68 kg (own weight 91.2 kg) Ukraine
• 60 k – Julia Dvorskaya – 50.5 kg (own weight 55.9 kg) Ukraine

Veterans (+40)

• +90 k Melentyev Oleg – 135.5 kg (own weight 142 kg) Russia
• 90 k Khasai Khvich – 98.5 kg (own weight 89.9 kg) Ukraine

Famous representatives of sports

Famous athletes of this sport are, first of all, record holders in armlifting.

• The first among women is Ukrainian Gaiduchenko Lyudmila, who lifted 68 kilograms with her own weight of 91 kg.
• Among the sports veterans, it is worth mentioning Oleg Melentyev, who managed to lift 5 kg with his own weight of 142 kg.
• Among men, the record holder was Grigory Kopaigora, weighing 99.5 kilograms, who managed to overcome the weight of 103 kg.

Among celebrities, armlifting is actively promoted by Sergei Badyuk and Sergei Dluzhnevsky.

Also read: What muscles work during arm wrestling? What is powersports? How to do a strict bicep curl? Exercises to develop arm strength →

Example of training programs

For training, two types of bars are necessarily used - with a diameter of 5 and 7 centimeters. Before starting a workout, a warm-up is mandatory, then the athlete moves on to holding the bar, holding the rolling, and finally holding the selected weight. The program and specific weight are determined for each hand separately.

The training begins for the arm that is weaker in the athlete, in order to pump it up as quickly as possible. When choosing a weight, you need to make sure it is really heavy, this is how you can increase your strength and endurance.

In addition, it is necessary to add to the program various complexes and exercises for the development of the forearms in the gym and at home. An example of a basic workout would be the following.

Records in disciplines

The records are absolute, regardless of federations and categories:

• “Rolling Thunder” - 150.5 kg, established in 2013 at a tournament in Moscow by Alexey Tyukalov with a body weight of 123 kg. It is also worth noting 125 kg from Kirill Sarychev, the ex-record holder in the bench press without equipment.
• Deadlift of Apollo Axel - 235 kg of Kirill Sarychev, taken at the European Championships on May 9, 2022.
• Saxon deadlift - 114 kg from Dmitry Burlakov, installed in 2018.
• “Silver Bullet” - 58.55 seconds from Dmitry Sukhovarov on Captains of Crush #3 and 19.44 seconds from Clay Edgin on Captains of Crush #4.

The absolute world record in the main discipline can be seen in the video:

Forearm training - A

Wrist curl with a barbell while sitting on a bench, palms up

• 3 sets of 12-15 reps
• Body part: Forearms and wrists Equipment: Barbell

Reverse grip biceps curl

• 3 sets of 12-15 reps
• Body Part: Biceps Equipment: Block

Alternating dumbbell curls while standing with a Hammer grip

• 3 sets of 12-15 reps
• Body part: Biceps Equipment: Dumbbells

Bend the wrists on the lower block while sitting on a bench

• 2 sets of 12-15 reps, forward and reverse grip
• Body Part: Forearms and Wrists Equipment: Block

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You need to train your forearms at least once a week, preferably at the end of a biceps workout.

Adviсe

Beginning armlifting athletes often make mistakes in training, which can lead to injuries, as well as incorrect execution of exercises that will not be counted in competitions.

Exercises should be performed as slowly as possible. Firstly, performing the exercise slowly will allow you to pump up your muscles as quickly as possible, and secondly, it will help you avoid injuries.

During training, the roller should not touch the leg or other parts of the body. You cannot help yourself lift the load; the projectile is lifted only by the force of the hand and forearm. Having lifted the load, the athlete must straighten up completely; only in this case will the exercise be counted by the judges.

It is also worth paying attention to the fact that the free hand should not touch any part of the body.