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Bill Kazmaier
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ASL Interview with Tommy Ingalsbe


An Interview with Mr. Thomas Ingalsbe
Held on February 15, 1998


ASL: Hello. Is Mr. Ingalsbe in?

Ingalsbe: This is him. How can I help you?


ASL: This is Justin McShane calling.

Ingalsbe: Justin! Great to hear from you! How are you?


ASL: Good. Yourself?

Ingalsbe: Great.


ASL: Thank you very much for giving me the call last week and for the pictures. They are great.

Ingalsbe: Sure. What can I do?


ASL: I just wondering if I could ask you a few questions for the internet if that is OK?

Ingalsbe: OK.


ASL: First could you share with us some statistical information such as your best lifts (squat, bench, deadlift, total, body height, body weight, Olympic lifts of the snatch and clean and jerk, etc.)?

Ingalsbe: Geez. I don't know. Clean and Jerk officially at 462. Snatch at 363. Bench at 560. Deadlift, I've never really tried. I have been successful at 650. I've never really trained for it or the squat. The squat, I've never really maxed out on squat. So, I've done 600 pounds a bunch of times for reps. I've done a 600 pound front squat.


ASL: Would you care to share with ASL some biographical information? Your birth date, marital status, any kids, etc.?

Ingalsbe: I was born in Powder Springs, Georgia. 11/16/69 I was born and raised here in Georgia. I am single.


ASL: I understand that you were an All-American Football player for the University of Georgia.

Ingalsbe: Hahahaah. They got that wrong.


ASL: They did?

Ingalsbe: HaHaHa. Yeah, I did play for the University of Georgia but I wasn't even in the all-American polls. I don't think. So, I wasn't an All-American. In fact, my career was cut short. My football career was cut short at the University of Georgia due to a hip injury. It was one of the reasons that I started to do the Olympic lifts was to rehab the hip injury and to regain my balance. I thought my career was over. I wanted to increase my flexibility. So, I guess at the University of Georgia I started my weightlifting career. I can't run like I used to. Long distances are a big problem. In high school, I worked out for football but not like I do now. At 19 years old I did a 705 pound squat. I haven't really maxed out lately, but with a little training I bet I could be in the low eights with no problem.


ASL: What position did you play?

Ingalsbe: Defensive Tackle.


ASL: When did the injury occur?

Ingalsbe: During my third season.


ASL: Did you take a red shirt freshman year?

Ingalsbe: No, it was a red shirt sophomore year, then the injury came.


ASL: What is your height?

Ingalsbe: 6 foot five inches at 335 pound bodyweight, all natural. No juice ever.


ASL: Have you ever completed any feats of strength?

Ingalsbe: Ripped some phone books in half. I once lifted a fire hydrant over my head. It was on the front of my Christmas card that I sent out this year. It weighed something like over 400 pounds. I got it up to my shoulders and pressed it. It was about 8 and a half to 9 feet in length and six to seven inches in thickness. It was a real challenge. Let me think... I lift valves. One time I lifted a valve that weighed something like 285 pounds on to a flatbed truck with one hand. It took four other men to do this.


ASL: Wow. Why the unusual objects like fire hydrants and valves?

Ingalsbe: Well, I work for a company that makes fire hydrants and valves. I am an east coast region salesman.


ASL: Do you plan on competing anytime soon?

Ingalsbe: Well that was my first strongman contest ever. I have never done the highland games. I have been invited at the American Strongman finals for next year. York, PA is having something this summer.


ASL: Yeah the summer picnic.

Ingalsbe: Yeah. I'm not completely sure that I am going to go or not. I've been invited. I think I'll take a business trip up there since my region is the east coast. Do some business and let the company pay for the trip. HaHa.


ASL: Are you still training for the Olympics or are you going to be a professional strongman?

Ingalsbe: Yeah, I am still training for 2000. Just a little while ago I jerked 460 out of a rack and hurt my hip again. So I have to be careful. Plus, I hurt my hamstring either a strain or a pull. I have to recover from that. I am now about 10 weeks out from the Olympic Weightlifting Nationals. I am going to go to and the American Strongman is right after that. So, it's looking really good this year. I don't know about other things. James McCartney and Herb Glossembaum are starting a new federation, have you heard of it?


ASL: Is it the five lift?

Ingalsbe: Yeah, the five lift federation. I don't know what they are going to call it. You go do all five lifts in one day: snatch, clean and jerk, squat, bench, deadlift. It sounds pretty good because I have a pretty decent bench and squat. I know I can do a 750 dead and with a little training I could break eight.


ASL: Could you tell me about your World's Strongest man experience? Do you remember when you found out that you were invited? If invited would you ever compete again?

Ingalsbe: Well, I turned them down at first. I did so because it is an invitational as you know and if you do bad they won't invite you back. So I was afraid that I was not going to do well so I said no. I told them if someone backed out or got injured that I might do it. So, a couple of guys backed out with one being injured and the other I don't know. So, two weeks before the event, they called me up and I told them I would think about it. I called them back the next day and told them yes. So, I had no idea what the events were going to be until 2 weeks before. So, I had no training. I never seen some of those things before. I did practice the tire throw. I got 45 and 46 feet in the driveway of my house, but I was disappointed that I came in fifth with only 34 feet there. If you take a look at the tape, you'll see I was too stiff on the glide. that was from all of the events that happened before. Oh well.


ASL: Yeah 46 would have beat out Mark, I think.

Ingalsbe: Yeah, Mark but not Tooth.


ASL: That's his thing.

Ingalsbe: Yeah he was really good at it. Yeah if I had done better in one event I would have beat out the Chief I think, but I don't know. It depends on the events, you know. I have a very strong grip. People were amazed there with the hanging plunge. Randall Strossen was there and thought that I could close the #3 grip of his. I don't know. It isn't like I have crushing strength, but once I grab a hold of something it's not getting loose. Overall, it was a lot of fun. A cool experience. I had to really watch out for injury though especially the cylinder walk, the farmer's walk. Injury could be really easy. The farmers walk especially because the deadlift was the day before. It was crazy because the warm-up weights for the flintstone deadlift were 330 to start, 500 and then we started the competition with 600 and then the next was 700. It was crazy. No real warm-up. We had to beg to get a bar. It was crazy. The farmer's walk was worse because there was no warm-up. You went from cold to lifting 500 pounds. I thought maybe I wasn't going to be able to get them up to carry them. The log press was the same way.


ASL: The log press by the way was impressive.

Ingalsbe: Yeah I was the first person ever to squat clean the logs. I thought the log was easier than the bar because the grips were rotated 90 degrees into a hammer grip which made it easier for pressing.


ASL: It was a shame that you lost your balance on that last one because it looked like you could have handled it no problem.

Ingalsbe: Yeah. I could have jerked over 400 pounds The Chief really snuckered me in that event. I looked at him after my last one and wasn't that upset because I didn't think he had it left in him, but he did. It was really tough because I went first on five events. But that's the luck of the draw.


ASL: When did you start lifting?

Ingalsbe: I started the Olympic lifts at the University of Georgia. I started in High School for football. I also wrestled and was on the track team in high school.


ASL: Who were your heroes when you were growing up?

Ingalsbe: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno, Paul Anderson. I read about Kazmaier when I was growing up. Dave Pasanella (1985 IPF Junior World Champion-125 kilo class with a 905 kilo total) was amazing though when I was High School. His leg development at 285 pounds was amazing. It made him look like 320 pounds. He did a triple with 1100 pounds. That's amazing. I don't know how they were but he did 1030 in competition so I believe it.


ASL: Do you have any funny stories that you could share with us about the World's Strongest Man?

Ingalsbe: Let me think of one... I know of one. Apparently Gerrit and Magnus don't like each other personally. I don't know completely. But they respect one another, but have differences on a personal level. We were at the American Strongman Banquet after the competition. Anyway, Gerrit came over to the table because he apparently knew Gary Mitchell from a previous competition somewhere. So, he came over and said hi. Kevin Tooth as Gerrit was walking away said loud enough, ''Hey is that Magnus?'' to Gerrit. Gerrit turned around and walked back, taking it as an insult. Kevin didn't know. He's never watched the World's Strongest man or nothing. So, Kevin put out his hand and said, ''Magnus, I have always wanted to meet you. Hi.'' Gerrit took it as an insult and I thought he was going to take Kevin's head off. Oh Boy. I thought he was going to hurt Kevin, level him. So, a bunch of us jumped in and told Gerrit that he didn't know and was not familiar with the people involved and it was a mistake. Anyway, that was the closest thing to a conflict there was.


ASL: Is there any special message that you would like to give your many, many fans?

Ingalsbe: I don't know. I don't really have one but you know try your best.


ASL: How do you think you think you would have done in the Finals?

Ingalsbe: I don't know I haven't seen the finals yet. Someone's supposed to be sending me it on tape. I think I would have given them a run fro their money. I thought I did well.


ASL: Besides the World's Strongest Man, the American Open Weightlifting Championships and Atlanta, do you have any other records or events to note?

Ingalsbe: No not really. I don't keep track. I'm not really into that. Some people are into it and being IPF champion. I'm not. If I win, I win.


ASL: Thanks a lot for the time.

Ingalsbe: Thanks. Talk to you soon. Keep in touch.


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