FREDERICKTOWN — Mike Amheiser wasn’t expecting to arm wrestle at 63 years old. He wasn’t expecting to be good at it either.
Amheiser, co-owner of the Pizza Dock, has arm wrestlers come to his shop weekly, just to challenge him.
Amheiser doesn’t train. He doesn’t lift weights. He doesn’t go to the gym. Instead, he slings pizzas and rolls dough Tuesday through Saturday.
People significantly bigger than Amheiser size come into his pie shop itching to come out with a ‘W.’ Still, he wins nearly every time.
“I grew up on a farm,” Amheiser said. “I pitched and shoveled everything.”
Amheiser said he doesn’t have any real aspirations with arm wrestling, other than it’s a way to keep his arms in shape. His full-time gig is keeping Pizza Dock afloat.
On this particular Wednesday, the orders arrived steadily. Amheiser picked up the metallic pizza peel, slid the freshly baked pizza out of the oven into the cardboard box where he sliced away.
It was around 7:30 p.m., which meant it was time for arm wrestling practice. One of his employees Cameron Stephens, 17, was the challenger of the night.
The duo walked through the glass doors with the doorbells jingling in the background. An orange table rested outside the cold, pitch-black sky, along with a neon ‘Open’ sign sharing light.
On opposite sides of the table sat two metal poles for hands to hold during the match.
Amheiser and Stephens met on opposite sides, sat their right elbows on the place mate and locked hands, finding the perfect placement before the go-ahead was given.
Amheiser and Stephens’ hands stayed motionless for a couple of seconds until Amheiser gained the advantage bringing Stephens down to his left side.
The match was best two out of three, so Stephens had another shot.
Stephens stretched his wrist and prepared for Round Two. He gripped Amheiser’s hand and brought it down swiftly, securing his first win of the night.
Unfortunately for Stephens, the Third Round wasn’t in his favor, as Amheiser brought his opponent’s hand down in a close battle.
Both have been trained by coach and owner of the arm wrestling group Crazy Apes — Rick Grebenik.
Grebenik, of Mansfield, was mesmerized by arm wrestling five years ago when he went to a club in Cleveland, and later began coaching others in that region.
“I just fell in love with the sport,” Grebenik said while wearing a Popeye t-shirt. “I had so much fun I just had to keep going.”
He’s combed over videos, changed his diet, lifted weights and altered his lifestyle to become an arm wrestling champion.
“For (Amheiser’s) age, weight and size, he can bring down most of those guys (in Cleveland).”
Mentors eager to coach with Grebenik find him either through word-of-mouth or homemade posters scattered throughout northeast Ohio, he said.
“(Some coaches) said that I would never be at their level,” Grebenik said. “I came back four months later and pinned them and have been pinning them ever since.”
Grebenik said he believes his training philosophy is the best in the area.
“One guy from Cleveland came down and he thought he could just put Mike up there and slam him down,” he said. “He found out wrong and he’s 60 pounds heavier than him, but he’ll be coming down soon for his revenge.
“So, after he arm-wrestled Mike, I said, ‘Now do you believe my training is the best training method out there?’”
Grebenik wouldn’t explain his techniques but did say nutrition and form play important roles in arm-wrestling battles.
“Mike knows a little bit about it (training) but it’s a combination of everything,” Grebenik said. “When you put it all together, I mean if I miss one ingredient it’s going to affect everything.”
The foundation for arm wrestling, in Grebenik’s mind, is to fill in the strength gaps.
“You can be stronger than your opponent but if you’re not focused on your setup you can lose the match,” he said. “It’s not just like put your hand in there … You’re really focused on knowing what they’re (competitors) going to do.”
Another benefit for Grebenik is studying a competitor’s strengths and weaknesses. That includes a focus down to the tiny details of different size hands, arm length and where their strength comes from.
“I know what I have to do to get the edge on them,” Grebenik said. “And they have no idea.”
There’s a kick in arm wrestling, Grebenik said.
“If you can walk into a room and pin all of them that’s pretty cool,” he said. “To beat guys that have been doing it for years that are pros and say, ‘Oh you can’t do it cuz it’s unrealistic with your age.’ yes that’s a challenge.”
Last week, Grebenik was arm wrestling a competitor and had him in a hook position.
“I said, ‘What’s going to happen from here?'” Grebenik said. “He goes, ‘Oh, you’re not going to pin me.’
“I’m thinking dude I beat you two out of three two months ago and now you’re saying I’m not going to pin you?”
Grebenik put those thoughts aside and pinned him. The room went silent.
“From someone last year saying, ‘Oh it’s not realistic with your age blah blah blah to be in our league.'”
How does that feel?
“It’s like kicks and giggles,” he said.
