The Axle - To Belt or not to Belt

by Chad · Published Jan 16, 2025 · Updated Jan 29, 2025

The Axle Clean and Press has been around in the strongman sport for a few years now, in both amateur and professional Strongman events and shows. Possibly repopularising the lift with the reintroduction of the Appollon Axle at the Arnolds in the early 2000’s ( Thanks for that reference Kalle Beck). Lets have a look at that event with a replica Appollons Axle/Wheels at 166kgs back in the 2002 Arnold Classis USA:

Traditionally in the sport of strongman, the Axle Clean and Press has been done as a “Continental,” or a “Continental Clean.” What does this mean? The Continential was developed (a damned long time before you or I were born) to get the bar to the shoulders “anyhow,” mostly, from the belly, or the belt (weightlifting belt!!!) up to the shoulders before the press/jerk. The Continental was adopted across to strongman due to the fatter bar and lack of knurling on the axle that is a regular part of the overhead events.

The “belly” rule: The belt clean possibly became obselete because most of the people competing on axle overhead events at the time were men of higher body fat. Yes they were strong, but the bar probably would not get near the belt either. So its simply then removed from the rules, no belt touches. (As seen with James Davies with 140kgs in the black and white picture below.)

So why am I covering this question? I figure it was easy to lay it out, as every year I run the event (The Gold Coasts Strongest Man and Woman (GCSMAW), 4th year in a row now at Jan 2018), it gets questioned as to why I allow the bar to touch/rest on the belt. Now I can just get people to read this, rather than answer it every time, as it will no doubt be questioned again in the future.

In 2014 I ran the GCSMAW with an Axle for reps and from 2015 onwards I have run the event with a Max Axle overhead. I had seen some amazing lifts in the Strongman Champions League World 90 and 105kg World Championships with some amazing competitors like Zach McCarley, Vladimir Reksha, Ben Kelsey and Marcin Sendwicki. Two out of those 4 competitors used the belt as part of their clean, one cleaned straight to the shoulders with a mixed grip and one cleaned very fast off the belly. All were amazing lifts, all were way above anything I had seen in our country (regardless of weight classes) so I ran my event following events to the same rules. Little did I know at the time the “interest” it may cause.

See, I have come across a few questions that can easily be answered by running it this way, allowing the axle to touch the belt, especially from the point of an event organiser (which many people with an opinion on the subject, are not).

- Does it increase or decrease injuries?
- Does the crowd get a better show?
- Does it damage the sport?
- Is it easier to judge? (and therefore easier to run the event?)
- Can the crowd tell the difference?

- Does it increase Injuries?
Nope. From experience, allowing the belt into the clean keeps the torso in a more straight up and down line, decreasing the load on an arched back (regularly seen in a belly clean). How is this imporant, well as an event organiser, your athletes go home healthier, decrease the loads on their already well used backs and they return to your events in the future.

Does the crowd get a better show?
- Yep. Bigger weights are lifted, athletes are less fatigued, they also aren’t scratching their head at weird judging decisions because a bar touched a belt. They see a person lifting 150kgs overhead, they are impressed.

Does the athlete benefit?
- Yes, a lot. The athlete can lift more weight. Less load on the body, in the clean (the harder part of the whole movement) so more chance to put it into the overhead press. They are happier, they then move on to trying to lift more weight, more safely and for a longer career in the sport.

Is it easier to Judge? (Both images above could be concidered belt cleans, yet the bars are not touching their belts)
- A lot easier. For example, I challenge every one that reads this to volunteer as a judge for their next axle clean and press event.
- Now, make sure every athlete either wears no belt or wears their belt outside their shirt
- Also no soft belt or built up pants inside their clothing
- Make sure the belts are the same (If you are making rules for the sake or making rules, you should make it fair across everyone.)
- Now when the person cleans and presses, make sure the bar doesn’t slip down to touch the belt, at all.
- Make sure the bar doesnt just pinch part of the t-shirt between the bar and the belt, as that is really just the bar on the belt anyway, or is it? - Also make sure no one touches the belt during the clean, at any time. Do you know why? Fairness, you will get atheltes that will find it unfair that some have touched, brushed or sat the bar on the belt.
- Now, deal with any complaints you have because “it was my shirt that touched, it was my skin that was between the belt and the bar, it barely touched the belt, it only skimmed it”
This incredibly hard situation has caused issues many times with the judging of events and the fairness of it.
This begs the question, maybe we should just remove belts for all overheads? Now find me a majority of top level athletes that prefer to overhead press maximal weights without a belt?

Can the crowd tell the difference?
I know there were first time competitors in my recent event, which also means their were first time family/friends watching. I am also guessing they would never have known the difference between no belt and belt cleans unless they have specifically been taught that way, which, in a fast growing sport like Strongman, not everyone has been taught every way to lift something before attempting their first competition. So why would the crowd know the difference as well? They see the weights go up, they see a unique lifting technique, they see an athlete complete an amazing lift, they are impressed, they clap, they cheer, they come back to another event in the future, maybe they even compete next time.

Now, having belt cleans in a competition doesn’t mean its a free for all for belts. I allow the belts in a natural position, one soft and one hard only. Not stacked belts, not three belts, not stepped belts all the way up the torso.

Anyway, thats my take on the subject. Good luck to you if you are running your first, or 13th strongman event or competing in one soon.

Chad

Note: A weightlifting belt is named a weightlifting belt purely for the purpose of being able to lift a weight. It was used as a part of the clean to get the weight to the shoulders. The belts started to be used to aid intra-abdominal pressure at a much later date. (Thanks to Justin Paul for that extra bit of information)