The dimly lit farm shed in south London, Ontario, pulses with pairs of men huffing and grunting as they clasp their hands, torn biceps flexing.
In this recent training session, there are about a dozen members of the London Armwrestling Club, where they get together twice a week to practice and prepare for their next arm fight.
“If you go over half a minute, it’s war,” said coach George Iszakouits, known as Crazy George. At 73, he is by far the biggest legend on the farm.
“People think it’s muscle. They’re not. It’s ligaments and tendons. It takes a lifetime to get there.”
he’s crazy He’ll go up against people two or three times his size and beat them pretty easily. – Mike Mende, 39, member of the London Armwrestling Club
At just 5’7″, Iszakouits is usually an active participant in these training sessions, taking on opponents at the tables and giving tips to opponents while their faces turn red.
And yes, here are some women. They’re just not that loud.
The team is currently training for Saturday’s Be Strong Armwrestling Tournament in Brantford, Ontario.
“I’m an old man. I’m over the hill,” chuckled a humble Iszakouits. He may be one of the older contenders on the track, but he’s certainly still one of the most successful, claiming that arm wrestling isn’t just about strength. It’s also about strategy and knowledge.
“It looks easy, but it’s not. It’s a lot of work,” he said.
CLOCK | Arm wrestling coach George Iszakouits, 73, club member Mike Mende, 39, in bicep fight:
More than 5 decades in competition
Iszakouits, who was born in Romania, has been a competitive arm wrestler since 1968. He has dozens of championships under his belt and won his first world title in 1983 in Costa Rica from the World Armwrestling Federation.
Iszakouits is also the current Canadian 75kg champion, having competed against much younger men in July 2022.
“He’s crazy. He goes up against people two or three times his size and beats them pretty easily,” said Mike Mende, who has wrestled with the club for nearly seven years and has a massive right bicep.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said Mende, 39. “It’s much better than sports.
“He was always going up there and beating himself up,” said assistant coach Rick Baarbè, 64, of longtime rival Iszakouits as he explained his friend’s nickname “Crazy”. “He acted like a dog once. I had to train him on a leash.”
Like Iszakouits, Baarbè has a long list of titles and continues to compete and hold his own against younger contenders.
Josh Rodrigues is one of the younger members of the London Armwrestling Club.
“I’ve been doing this for about two years and just fell in love with it,” said Rodrigues, 33, who is married with four children. “It’s fun to compete and be competitive and do something outside of work and family.”
