Gym Articles

Detroit Barbell

Detroit Barbell: Hardcore Gym #45
(Plus an update from Sweet 16)

Last month we visited Circleville Barbell, learned that old is not always bad, and then nearly ran over the neighbor?s dog. Thankfully, we were able to swerve up into the yard and run over a birdbath and 2 cats instead. So, there was no real loss. Please ? no letters or emails from bird-lovers; we fully repaired the birdbath with duck-tape and JB Weld.
OK, what were we talking about? Oh yeah, Sweet 16. Back before baseball players followed the lead of the weightlifters and started taking steroids; we did an article on Pit Gym (Hardcore Gym #16). We also mentioned their related Pit Barbell team, and they basically challenged any drug-free team in the nation to put up or shut up. We got inquiries about this challenge from quite a few teams and individuals. Even Hunter S. Thompson got interested (until tested). Meanwhile, Pit Barbell kept on powerlifting.
I?ll let Derek Wallace (of Pit Barbell) respond to all interested parties:
It seems that I have #*@#** off several gyms with my comments regarding the Pit Barbell Club being one of the Best Teams in powerlifting. This was not this writer?s intent nor was it to boast on our individual lifters? numbers. In the August 2003 issue Mr. Lambert wrote a great article on team competitions and whatever happened to them. Responding to Mr. Lambert?s article was my main purpose when I said that I feel that The Pit has the best eleven-man open drug tested team. Since my response was published I have read about many great hardcore gyms that sound like wonderful places to train. When I lifted in the Military I found myself training in many of the smallest and hottest (temperature) gyms in this country. During this time, team competition at meets meant that you were competing against groups of lifters from similar gyms.
Today if you got a National meet, few teams competing are from individual gyms. Instead specific corporations and states form their own teams. These newly formed teams are not lifters who have worked together to prepare for a meet. The Pit powerlifting team is made up of individuals who train and live or have lived in our local vicinity, approximately a 25-mile radius. We come from almost every walk of life. We have doctors, engineers, electricians, police officers, concrete workers, laborers, physical therapists and students. We are the everyday people who work for a living and go to the gym to work out our frustrations of the day.
In several responses to my article you wanted numbers to back up my statement. OK, here goes. The Pit Barbell Team has 11 National Team titles including, most recently, 2005 ADAU Raw Nationals, 2003Deadlift Nationals, and 5 second place team titles in 2002 and 2003 Master nationals. In both of these Master Nationals it took state teams and multiple state teams to beat us. Some of you wrote articles on hardcore gyms said you were at those meets. Where was your team? The Pit also supports 42 individual national championships. Many of those are multi-year winners. In addition, The Pit holds 22 state team titles and a 2 world champion. Many of our lifters have held or do hold national or state drug tested records. At the deadlift nationals two of our lifters broke the national deadlift records for their age group. We are not just a powerlifting gym either. Several arm wrestlers, a few of whom are nationally ranked, train at our gym. Coach Conner trains wrestlers from local schools. One particular school has won over ten straight wrestling titles. I could list individual accomplishments of our members, but I feel that these numbers should suffice to back up my statement. We might not be the best in the world, but we have several lifters or average lifters that make up our teams. We have lifters that are willing to make personal sacrifices to make a certain weight class to help the team in the point standings.
I also make this statement as far as hardcore gyms go ? we are the best equipped. Recently our coach and gym owner made a huge financial sacrifice for the gym by updating the equipment to better serve everyone who benefits from weight training or is competitive in a weight training sport. Do you have 320lb dumbbells? Strongman apparatuses? A complete set of chains from 20lbs to 150lbs? A custom arm wrestling table? A complete Olympic lifting platform with bar and bumper plates/
I take a lot of pride in this gym. Many of the lifters have been lifting there for over twenty years. I myself lifted against the Pit when I was with the Ball State Weightlifting Club in the early 80?s. But for the past 10 years I have been part of one of the greatest gyms in powerlifting history ? The Pit Barbell Club. We have the greatest respect for all powerlifters, weightlifters, strongmen, and arm wrestlers. We support all those sports with a passion and mean no disrespect to anyone or their gym. If anyone would ever like a tour please let us know.
On a very sad note Powerlifting has lost a great lifter. The Pit?s oldest lifters, Gene Hall, hadn?t lifted for very long. In fact his entire lifting career only lasted 1 year and what a year it was. Gene was not the strongest lifter, but he touched everyone he met. He had a joy that nothing on this Earth brings. It was the joy of Christ. Gene passed on doing one of the many things that he enjoyed ? telling people about Christ.
Gene Hall started lifting three months before his 73rd birthday. After a few weeks he wanted to try powerlifting, and when he decides to do something he goes all out! Powerlifting was no different. He started with the April 2003 Dave Martin Memorial meet in Bloomington, Indiana, where he rewrote the Indiana state record books. Then a few weeks later he went to the USPL Master Nationals in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and won again. He continued his powerlifting at the USPL Deadlift Nationals; and not only did he win, but he set a new American deadlift record in the process. Gene wasn?t done yet, so he went to the IPA Nationals in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and again reset the records for the 181lb 70-74 year-old class with a 300lb squat, 200lb bench, and 380lb deadlift. Gene was an inspiration to all both young and old. Many were amazed at his tenacity. For a man who hadn?t squatted or benched his entire life, he did some amazing things. As his coach and son-in-law, Gene was the type of pupil I always want to train ? someone who you have to hold back. He trained harder and ate better than the 20-30something lifters.
Sadly, his lifting career has been cut short. After a heart attack in December 2003, Gene was determined to return to the platform. He was able to return to the gym after a couple of months; however, his health just wasn?t the same. He underwent a quadruple bypass in January of 2005 and was on the way to recovery when he went to the Lord. Gene was giving his testimony to a group of young athletes and he had just told them about Christ and how he was certain where he was headed when he collapsed and was taken home.
Gene?s legacy will continue! You see, Gene trained with his 27 year-old son, Tim Hall, former four-time national teenage powerlifting champion and world teenage Champion who has returned to the platform this past year, and his eldest grandson, Caleb, who at 15 years old went to his first meet and won the national title. This year he took his 2nd national meet. In the family tradition of Grandpa Gene, his 14 year-old grandson, Jacob, joined us at the gym and has just one his first championship. Both these boys have set the bar for the best all time raw totals for their weight classes. Their dad and Gene?s son-in-law, 43 year-old Derek Wallace, train Caleb and Jacob. And waiting in the wing is Tanner Hall, a stocky 14 month-old son of Tim and grandson of Gene who just may grow up to be like his dad and grandpa. Gene?s last meet was the 2003 IPA Nationals where this family of lifters had the privileged to able to compete together on the same platform. He will be missed greatly.

OK, thanks Derek for that updated response. Keep lifting, and ignore the naysayers. Like Clay Brandenburg. Speaking of big Clay, he benched 815 in Orlando this past year, and has hit some big numbers lately. There are so many huge bench pressers now, that he has largely been overlooked. BUT, Clay has a new gym: Detroit Barbell Strength Training Facility ? and yes, the name is WAY too long. We?ll call it DBSTF for short. Heck, even DBSTF is too long.
Speaking of too long, this article is dragging on; so let?s summarize a few of the lifters training there: John Zemmin (722 BP @ 275, Arnold Classic), Matt Zweng (long time tough guy who has beat Jesse Kellum at 198#, and won the Show of Strength), and Craig Gallo (1025# Squat, former 308# WPO record holder). Plus big Clay Brandenburg himself (see the photos). There is definitely of lot of body weight in this gym!
Clay also has a guy who pukes everytime he max-effort trains (anonymous), a few female State Champion lifters (note to Clay: next time send pics of the women), and a couple of great up and coming APF lifters who are bound for the WPO.
Clay reports that it is an industrial area (like all of Detroit), and that he modeled it after Westside Barbell. (He didn?t ask me about my experiences in Detroit, so I?ll just keep them to myself. But, does anyone remember Dave & Doreen of Great Lakes Fitness Guide?) Clay owes a lot of a gratitude to Louie Simmons, and most important ? nobody ever died in his gym. At least not yet. Well, we?re pretty much out of time and space, but stay tuned because next month ? we?ll go Olympic style, and visit an old friend that y?all will remember!

Questions/Comments?
rick@houseofpain.com
HOUSE OF PAIN
PO Box 333
Fate, TX 75132