NATURALSTRENGTH.com – Old School Weight Training Strength Strongman Power Vintage Bodybuilding: Remembering Tom Tedesco
Back in 1983, when I first joined Bruno’s Health Club, there was no shortage of characters who trained there. In those days, there was an actual “Sign-in Sheet,” which you would sign upon entering the gym. A casual glance at a typical sign-in sheet would show names such as “The Wolverine,” “The Old Man,” “Thunderlips,” “Goat Balls,” and other assorted monikers. It got to the point where you could predict the names that would be there on certain days and at certain times. Yet, every time I would show up, among the colorful nicknames, there would be a simple entry that was simply “TNT.” At first, I thought it was another nickname indicating something to do with explosiveness or something along those lines.
It wasn’t until I had been there a few months that I found out that TNT was actually the initials of a certain Thomas Neil Tedesco. I knew little about him except that he was close friends of Larry “Bruno” Licandro, and that he competed in Olympic weightlifting. Eventually, I found myself training with Tommy on a semi-regular basis. At the time, Larry had several York Racks, and sometimes, due to the number of guys working out, you had to share the equipment and “work in” with someone else. As someone who was still relatively new to the game, I benefitted greatly from the Squat sessions that we would share.
My first impression of him was that he seemed to have a very business-like, almost professional approach to his workouts. Unlike what you see in today’s YouTube videos, there was no screaming like a banshee, no sloppy sets done in a slipshod manner. Each set was done in impeccable form, in a smooth, controlled fashion. After each set, he would take a block of chalk, and make a mark on the Squat Rack, so that he could keep track of his six sets of six. Even his attire exuded professionalism. He would wear his Empire State Games warm-up suit ( minus the jacket, of course). He would even show up to the gym clean-shaven! During our sets, we would hardly say a word to each other except for if we had to add weight to the bar. I learned a lot about how to approach my workouts from those early years with Tommy.
Unknown to me at the time, those Squat workouts were the beginning of a friendship that would last over forty years. A few years later, when I began to compete, I tried to emulate his business-like approach to the science of “hoisting the steel.” We competed in many contest together over the years. Along with Larry, Chris Newins, Bob Sailor, Mike Doucette, Steve Matthews, and myself, Tommy was a charter member of Team Bruno, or “Bruno’s Barbarians,” a phrase that was originated with Tommy.
I have written about Tommy in previous articles, and in different publications. Back in 2011, I wrote an article in The Dinosaur Files detailing Tommy’s comeback from a near-fatal bicycle accident. And just last year, I dedicated an article in Hardgainer 2.0 to Tommy and his performance in Master Weightlifting Contests, even in his late 60s, he was still competing, and coaching young lifters. I can easily see how a lifter just starting out could benefit from Tommy’s tutelage and expertise. What I couldn’t easily see was how a 69 year-old man could still perform Snatches and Clean and Jerks! He not only lifted, he dominated and was a legitimate threat to National and World records!
Tommy wasn’t content to compete in weightlifting. In the mid 1980s, he started competing in powerlifting contests. He did this mainly as a change of pace. Something different. Some change of pace! He placed in every contest he ever entered, even though he competed in the ultra-competitive 100kg class, and, since he was primarily an Olympic lifter, he rarely trained the Bench Press. Plus, he rarely wore supportive equipment. And, like every member of Bruno’s Tommy’s lifting was Lifetime Drug-Free. His Best Lifts are as follows:
Snatch-120kg
Clean and Jerk-155kg
Squat-575 Lbs
Bench Press-290 Lbs
Deadlift-620 Lbs
One of the most impressive things I’ve ever witnessed was a dual contest he did in the Spring of 1992. It was actually two different contests on the same day: an Olympic weightlifting meet, followed by a powerlifting contest. Tommy entered BOTH contests and literally had a perfect day. He went 15 for 15! He didn’t miss a lift! I doubt there are many people who can make a similar claim.
Over the last few days, after I learned of his untimely passing, I have reminisced about what an incredible lifter and person he was. In addition to his lifting, he was also a student of martial arts during his lifting years. As a journalism major in the 1970s, he traveled to York and spent time with Bob Hoffman, John Terpak, and other members of the “York Gang.” He was also an accomplished musician, having spent a good deal of his fifties and sixties playing bass for a local band, Ophelia’s Pain. I remember one particular Bruno’s reunion where he showed us pictures of when he spent a weekend playing and performing with Roger Daltrey! If ever there was a Renaissance Man among strength athletes, Tommy certainly qualified.
When I look back to those days when I would see “TNT” written on the sign-in sheet among all those colorful nicknames, I realize that Thomas Neil Tedesco was probably the most colorful, as well as the most compelling member of that gym.
Rest in Power, Tommy Thunder!
Bruno’s Barbarians Forever.
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