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So today, I'm kickin' at my local 24 hour SHITness, doing some barbell rows in the power rack with 2 plates, wishing I had a high-tensile strength bar that didn't wobble like Queen Latifah's ass. I peer over my shoulder after a tough set of eight, and I spy a gigantic beast on a flat bench, with blue bands secured to the bar and the bench ala Louie Simmons. "Very unusual to see that around these parts," I think to myself as I peer around and view neon pink signs and purple upolstery everywhere in my fruity-ass gym. So then the man peers over at me, approaches the power rack, and asks me how many sets I've got left. "Just one," I reply, and promptly crank out 6 more reps. "I saw you using those blue bands over there. Do you follow Westside Barbell?" I asked him.
"Ehehe-well-you know, definitely do, grumble-grumble, just a lil' bit of Louie Simmons now an again. I'm not a powerlifter, though," he replies. I look closer at this gargantuan. Six foot five at least, around three hundred and fifty pounds I'm guessing. And then it comes to me: this guy is all over the place in my Ironmind catalogs and Powermags. You know, the guy who always has the breathe-right nasal strip on?
"Do you do Strongman?" I ask. "Yes, I do," was his promt response. "I've seen you all over the place. What's your name?" I asked. "Odd. Odd Haugen,"
"An honor to meet you," I say back.
"And yours?"
I totally forgot I had a name. "James," I say.
He went on at length to tell me (in between sets of hang cleans with 225 on those godawful bars) that he had moved out to my area, and was going to set up a gym "for folks like me an' you - not for the rest of these people" as he waved his hand around the gym. We talked about some other stuff, and he told me that he is actually coaching (!!!) Svend Karlsen at the upcoming Arnold Classic. Svend claims, says Odd, that he WILL clean and press the Apollon's Axle 4 times! Amazing. I can't wait to see how it turns out! Odd said that the only reason Svend couldn't press the Axle overhead at the last show was because he had a back injury which was preventing him from being able to do any kind of pressing motion for many months before the competition. For those of you who don't know, the Apollon's Axle is a 363 lb. wagon wheel with a bar as thick as a python. In fact, when I asked Odd how he managed to not hurt his wrists doing cleans with the crappy bars at 24 hour, he said, "It's easy compared to the bars we use in competition!"
Odd seemed like a man of good character, humble and strong, and quite kind to boot. It was a pleasure to meet him, and hopefully, I'll be training at his gym soon.
"Ehehe-well-you know, definitely do, grumble-grumble, just a lil' bit of Louie Simmons now an again. I'm not a powerlifter, though," he replies. I look closer at this gargantuan. Six foot five at least, around three hundred and fifty pounds I'm guessing. And then it comes to me: this guy is all over the place in my Ironmind catalogs and Powermags. You know, the guy who always has the breathe-right nasal strip on?
"Do you do Strongman?" I ask. "Yes, I do," was his promt response. "I've seen you all over the place. What's your name?" I asked. "Odd. Odd Haugen,"
"An honor to meet you," I say back.
"And yours?"
I totally forgot I had a name. "James," I say.
He went on at length to tell me (in between sets of hang cleans with 225 on those godawful bars) that he had moved out to my area, and was going to set up a gym "for folks like me an' you - not for the rest of these people" as he waved his hand around the gym. We talked about some other stuff, and he told me that he is actually coaching (!!!) Svend Karlsen at the upcoming Arnold Classic. Svend claims, says Odd, that he WILL clean and press the Apollon's Axle 4 times! Amazing. I can't wait to see how it turns out! Odd said that the only reason Svend couldn't press the Axle overhead at the last show was because he had a back injury which was preventing him from being able to do any kind of pressing motion for many months before the competition. For those of you who don't know, the Apollon's Axle is a 363 lb. wagon wheel with a bar as thick as a python. In fact, when I asked Odd how he managed to not hurt his wrists doing cleans with the crappy bars at 24 hour, he said, "It's easy compared to the bars we use in competition!"
Odd seemed like a man of good character, humble and strong, and quite kind to boot. It was a pleasure to meet him, and hopefully, I'll be training at his gym soon.
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