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[This is a feature story that ran with the Statesman's weekly communities package that runs on Mondays. I interviewed George on Dec. 8]

Lifter enters Hall of Fame
By Lee Clarkson
Statesman Journal
December 13, 2010

For someone who viewed competitive weightlifting simply as a motivator to work out, George Nelson has made a pretty good career out of it.

Nelson, 66, was inducted into the World Association of Benchers and Deadlifters (WABDL) Hall of Fame on Nov. 20 in Las Vegas.

“It felt really great to be honored by the federation,” Nelson said. “It’s been quite a ride.”

Nelson broke 18 WABDL benchpress world records during his career, which began in 1993. Six records still stand today, including a mark of 615 pounds while competing in the age 54-60 division.

His last record, 501.5 pounds in the 61-67 division, was set two years ago. Nelson’s lifting career began rather innocently.

“It was a reason for me to do a workout,” Nelson said. “That was the driving force to get me to the gym to work out.”

It wasn’t until the late 1980s — and until he gave up alcohol — that he even began lifting weights.

“I’d been a logger all my life,” Nelson said. “I’d never lifted a weight until 1987, which was when I got sober. And I’ve been 24 years now without a drink.

“I kid, but it’s really pretty serious that I traded one bar for another.”

Nelson’s coach, Terry Luehrs, also was inducted into the WABDL Hall of Fame last month. As Nelson was beginning his competitive lifting career, Luehrs approached Nelson about becoming his coach and crafting his training plan.

“I don’t remember who he’d gotten (his) routine from, but I said ‘I think I can come up with a better routine,’ ” Luehrs said. “So George and I, we developed (a new) routine. … We basically changed how weightlifting was done.”

Nelson improved drastically to become a world class lifter. He began benchpressing in the 350-pound range, but steadily increased his performances and eventually approached the 600-pound mark.

Successfully lifting 600 pounds for the first time in competition was a big accomplishment, Nelson said.

“The day that I broke 600 — I got a 600 on my second lift and then a 610 on my third lift — that was a big thing because I had attempted 600 at 20 different meets,” Nelson said.

Another highlight for Nelson was competing at the Arnold Classic, which is part of the Arnold Sports Festival that is co-produced by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“We did the Arnold Classic many times and it always had just a ton of excitement,” Nelson said of the invitation-only competition. “(It’s) the only place where when you sit down on the bench, you’re facing the crowd. It was a big deal.”

Luehrs said that Nelson was a special athlete to coach.

“I’ve coached 76 world record holders,” Luehrs said. “(Nelson was) the greatest master lifter of his time. At the time, he was the best there ever was.

“I was fortunate enough to be along with him for the ride. It was a great time.”

Nelson currently owns Salem Fitness Center and helps train lifters at the gym; some of them are record holders themselves.

For Nelson, last month’s Hall of Fame induction was a reward for all the work he put in during his career.

“It’s a great honor,” Nelson said. “I think it’s a recognition of a lot of work, and I was just fortunate to have the time and energy and I guess the desire to do all that.”

lclarkson@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801

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