In arm wrestling, big muscles aren’t the only thing you need to win

By Taylor Bern

Monday, June 29, 2015 | 2 a.m.

In arm wrestling, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a truck driver, a mechanical engineer or the most badass middle school principal in Pennsylvania. The only thing that matters is whether you can step on the stage and beat the person standing across from you.

With ESPN planning to air events starting at the end of July and bigger pots of prize money available to competitors, the sport of arm wrestling appears to be adding some muscle.

On May 30-31, the World Armwrestling League held a regional contest at Cox Pavilion with nearly 650 competitors. The organization handed out $3,500 to each weight class champion and at least $500 to competitors who qualified for the national finals.

The finals are July 4-5 at Cox Pavilion, and each winner will take home $20,000. Second-place finishers will receive $10,000 each.

The high payout is helping to legitimize arm wrestling, a sport many associate only with bar brawls.

“This sport has never seen a lot of money,” said Mike Cook, a local competitor who picked up passion for pulling from his father. “The World Armwrestling League is finally giving us a venue, cash prizes, and they’re putting the sport up on a pedestal.”

So what does it take to compete against arm wrestling’s best?

Physical training

To understand arm wrestling training, all you have to do is look at the sport’s best competitors. They are big.

In most cases, they achieve their strength and physique the same way athletes in any sport get big: a lot of weightlifting.

Specifically, big arm wrestlers tend to follow the low reps/high weight model that personal trainers tell the average gym-goer to avoid because of risk of injury. While it’s never bad to be able to run a mile at a quick pace, most arm wrestling matches are over in less than 15 seconds. That means it’s more important for arm wrestlers to have quick bursts of high energy than longer outputs at a lower gear.

Smaller-sized competitors don’t put up the same weight but typically share the same goal. Many favor horizontal rope climbing to increase strength and grip.

Pull-ups are a staple of any puller’s workout because they work practically every muscle arm wrestlers want to target. More isolated lifts include rows to develop back muscles, plus lots of curls for the biceps, wrist and forearms.

“You’ve got to find people who want to train all the time,” Cook said.

Mental games

During the left-handed heavyweight finals in last month’s regional competition, defending champion Devon Larratt made simply getting the match started difficult.

Pullers are supposed to place their hands together, clasp thumbs first, then grip their fingers to start the match. But even a slight angle in the wrist can give an immediate advantage, and there’s some gamesmanship in trying anything to gain that advantage.

Larratt played the villain and kept looking for the small edge while the crowd grew restless. A fellow competitor yelled, “This ain’t for $20,000. He ain’t going to play games in July.”

Larratt won the best-of-three final for a $3,500 prize and a shot at more — in part because he gained a mental edge from the start.

Part of working your way up through arm wrestling is being able to shake off losses, Cook said.

“When you’re in the sport of arm wrestling, you’re used to losing,” he said.

Larratt swaggered onto the stage and acted the part of the bad guy, yelling, “You just better get stronger, that’s what you’ve got to do,” after winning the first pin. Then, he immediately lost the next one.

There’s a lot of back and forth in arm wrestling, and shaking off the last outcome is vital, as Larratt did on his way to his decisive victory.

Match technique

Every arm wrestler must step onto stage with a game plan, Cook said.

For most pullers, the basic plan is to get into either the hook or the top roll position.

The hook starts with bending your wrist and isolates the opponent’s bicep, taking away most of the power from his back and giving you the advantage. A top roll is a bit more complicated; the key is leverage both from the nonpulling arm and the hips to generate enough power to win.

In either case, the seemingly simple objective — pin down the opponent’s wrist before they do it to you — becomes much more complicated if you break down every pressure point and advantageous angle that can be gained with a subtle change.

Then there’s the factor of the strap, which can be helpful or hurtful depending on an armwrestler’s strengths.

If competitors slip out of their grips, which happens more often with bigger pullers, the competitors’ hands are strapped together to prevent separation. It’s a good scenario for the puller with weaker hand strength because he doesn’t have to worry about keeping his grip tight. With the hand advantage nullified, he can focus on other leverage battles involving arms, backs and legs.

All simultaneously and potentially in the blink of an eye.

“It happens so quick,” Cook said. “It’s very fast, it’s very intense, and then it’s over.”

Taylor Bern can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.