Background:
The annual Guns and Hoses boxing exhibition is one of the highlights of the Arnold Sports Festival. This year, it was held in the Voinovich Center at the Ohio State Fairgrounds.
Impression:
Ohio has a rich pugilistic history. The likes of Jerry Page, Buster Douglas, and Michael Dokes just to name a few.
Along with those famous names, we have a tradition where the police and fire departments put on an exhibition of the 3 round, 1 minutes fights.
Many great bouts were had at this years Arnold Sports Festival, both men and women's divisions put on a good showcase.
Below are some images from that nights events. Please enjoy!
Background:
A new event for this year, armlifting is a sport where grip strength is paramount. Athletes need to lift increasingly heavier weights, but the difficulty is ramped up from a traditional weight or power lifting event due to the larger sizes of the grippable areas.
The images in this thread are from the event names Rolling Thunder. The athlete must lift the weight straight up from the handle and be standing straight up to the judges satisfaction.
Impression:
Armlifting is very new to me. Much like years ago, outside of the Arnold Sports Festival, I knew nothing of MAS Wrestling. It being listed on the roster as a new event for this year, I had to do my research. I checked it out on YouTube and I knew that it was something we should experience first hand.
I knew nothing at all of it, had no idea that it even existed. So, we made out way to the Consourse stage to cover it.
We know that lifting heavy weights is a task in and of itself. With armlifting, the difficulty is increased by having the gripping handle much larger in diameter than you would usually find. This requires the participants to develop their grip strength in order to even be able to lift the weight from the ground.
These are not trivial weights either. In the first few lifts, the athletes were putting up 40-60 kilos (88-132 lbs) in weight.
Having discovered this great sport, we will definitely have to cover it more in the future. If you've never heard of armlifting before, give it a try and check it out for yourself.
Background:This is the 28th year of the Arnold Fitness Expo in Columbus, OH. This year we covered the Pole Championship Series, which is in it's second year at this event.
Impression:
Let's face it, fitness trends come and go. Some just transform into others through out the years. When I first heard of pole fitness, I admit that I thought it was just a fad. The Arnold Classic 2016 proved me wrong. The routines I watched and the athletes I met made me realize this fad is a sport and pole fitness is here to stay.
The 3rd annual Pole Championship Series at this year's Arnold was spectacular. My heart stopped a few times as I watched the athletes do amazing spins and calculated drops. I watched both men and women show off their tremendous upper body strength by working their bodies up and down the pole. I learned from the athletes that pole fitness is a full body workout and that anyone can learn it. Columbus has a handful of studios that offer classes for every level of student. Everyone I spoke with added that for them, the pole was not only a physical workout but also helped them mentally and emotionally.
The athletes stated that these workouts helped them escape and find focus in their daily lives. Each of them also beamed with pride as they described learning their level of expertise.
So, are you ready to try? Google "Pole Fitness" and find a class near you! Some of the athletes also told me their first class was due to a Groupon!! One of hte sponsors was a company that makes poles for the home. Check out X-Pole USA on Facebook or or athttp://www.xpoleus.com
I am already looking forward to watching this competition next year.
