15 Dumb Things Powerlifters Must Stop Doing

Methyl mike

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This is a big bench. Unassisted. Raw. This dude is the fucking man. If you are a powerlifter this is imo powerlifting.
[YouTube]
 

Trendkill

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Do I want to look like a moron? Um, no....
Why would you look like a moron? The bench shirt has been around since the mid 80s. They are “somewhat“ difficult to use and the guys that bench big in them are true masters of their craft. They are also insanely strong. Go check out footage of Ryan Kennelly benching raw and shirted. Look at George Halbert and what he could do both in and out of the shirt. Ever see the vid of Dave Hoff doing 615 raw in the floor press? I personally saw Scot Mendelson bench 710 raw in a contest and a year later I saw him hit 810 in a shirt. As he learned the shirt he eventually went over 1000lbs. It’s a skill but you absolutely must have the strength to use it.

This is a big bench. Unassisted. Raw. This dude is the fucking man. If you are a powerlifter this is imo powerlifting.
[YouTube]
Assuming the weights are all real then yes this is a superhuman lift. It was done in a gym, not in a contest so calling it a world record is a bit premature. If this is your idea of powerlifting that’s cool. I like all versions of the sport and have respect for anyone willing to get on a platform and compete. I get blown away by what raw, single ply and multi ply lifters put up.
 

Methyl mike

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Why would you look like a moron? The bench shirt has been around since the mid 80s. They are “somewhat“ difficult to use and the guys that bench big in them are true masters of their craft. They are also insanely strong. Go check out footage of Ryan Kennelly benching raw and shirted. Look at George Halbert and what he could do both in and out of the shirt. Ever see the vid of Dave Hoff doing 615 raw in the floor press? I personally saw Scot Mendelson bench 710 raw in a contest and a year later I saw him hit 810 in a shirt. As he learned the shirt he eventually went over 1000lbs. It’s a skill but you absolutely must have the strength to use it.


Assuming the weights are all real then yes this is a superhuman lift. It was done in a gym, not in a contest so calling it a world record is a bit premature. If this is your idea of powerlifting that’s cool. I like all versions of the sport and have respect for anyone willing to get on a platform and compete. I get blown away by what raw, single ply and multi ply lifters put up.
I do not recognize that bench as anything official as far as.records go because benching st the gym where you are comfortable is of course much easier than at a sanctioned event etc. But all the same it's very inspiring. I will never, ever get anywhere close to that but it's really cool to see. I personally always resented how powerlifting never gained much publicity and powerlifters have never made the money that they should so I see this dude and I think I see potential to get media buzz going for powerlifting.

As for shirted benching yes, the top guys are strong without them. But to me it means nothing how much you can lift assisted. I see powerlifters deadlifting inhuman amounts of weight without straps or anything and that blows me away. I think assisted lifting only detracts from the sport but that is my personal opinion.

Like this was a record set recently, I don't get it. [YouTube]
 

Joliver

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Man wanted to throw rocks farther. Invented black powder and went full send.

Man wanted to dig faster...tractor.

Man wanted to cut more tree... chainsaw.

Swim faster...fins.

Hit baseball farther....carbon fiber bats.

Hell, my golf clubs are made out of some weird ass unobtainium alloy of doom that makes it possible to slice the ball behind where I usually tee off.

Some crazy son of a bench wanted to hold 1,000lbs in his two hands....and made an open back bench shirt.

People that don't like bench shirts and squat suits but wear athletic shoes entertain me. It's really an argument over degrees of difference.
 

silentlemon1011

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Man wanted to throw rocks farther. Invented black powder and went full send.

Man wanted to dig faster...tractor.

Man wanted to cut more tree... chainsaw.

Swim faster...fins.

Hit baseball farther....carbon fiber bats.

Hell, my golf clubs are made out of some weird ass unobtainium alloy of doom that makes it possible to slice the ball behind where I usually tee off.

Some crazy son of a bench wanted to hold 1,000lbs in his two hands....and made an open back bench shirt.

People that don't like bench shirts and squat suits but wear athletic shoes entertain me. It's really an argument over degrees of difference.

Fucking genius comment.

A persons preference for how they lift, has zero to someith equipment being "Stupid" or not etc.

Dont like it?
Dont lift like that!

People are dumb as fuck

I've heard comments because I bench in sleeves
"damn, look at that bench"
"Hes wearing sleeves though...doesnt count"

Both my triceps are torn and swollen with fluid buildup
I only bench without sleeves around 3 times per year and it hurts like hell.
Maybe there is a reason for me doing it?

I lift raw
But I have a tonne of respect for anyone who lifts, period.
Some guys enjoy equipped and there is nothing wrong with that whatsoever.

I'd even go as far to say that even raw lifters should have equipment on standby in their arsenal to really overload your CNS

I was having a hard time increasing my squat,
@Worf suggested some knee wraps to push my CNS and overload the weight, after a few months/wrapped sessions, my squat started to go up again

Snubbing your nose at any technique or method for getting stronger is just crazy
 

Methyl mike

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Man wanted to throw rocks farther. Invented black powder and went full send.

Man wanted to dig faster...tractor.

Man wanted to cut more tree... chainsaw.

Swim faster...fins.

Hit baseball farther....carbon fiber bats.

Hell, my golf clubs are made out of some weird ass unobtainium alloy of doom that makes it possible to slice the ball behind where I usually tee off.

Some crazy son of a bench wanted to hold 1,000lbs in his two hands....and made an open back bench shirt.

People that don't like bench shirts and squat suits but wear athletic shoes entertain me. It's really an argument over degrees of difference.
Wearing athletic shoes does not add 400 lbs to my squat.
 

Methyl mike

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Fucking genius comment.

A persons preference for how they lift, has zero to someith equipment being "Stupid" or not etc.

Dont like it?
Dont lift like that!

People are dumb as fuck

I've heard comments because I bench in sleeves
"damn, look at that bench"
"Hes wearing sleeves though...doesnt count"

Both my triceps are torn and swollen with fluid buildup
I only bench without sleeves around 3 times per year and it hurts like hell.
Maybe there is a reason for me doing it?

I lift raw
But I have a tonne of respect for anyone who lifts, period.
Some guys enjoy equipped and there is nothing wrong with that whatsoever.

I'd even go as far to say that even raw lifters should have equipment on standby in their arsenal to really overload your CNS

I was having a hard time increasing my squat,
@Worf suggested some knee wraps to push my CNS and overload the weight, after a few months/wrapped sessions, my squat started to go up again

Snubbing your nose at any technique or method for getting stronger is just crazy
Genius comment???
 

Joliver

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Wearing athletic shoes does not add 400 lbs to my squat.

So why do you wear athletic shoes? Why not wear cowboy boots to the gym? Or those wooden dutch clogs? Perhaps....maybe.... possibly...it increases your performance?

One just happens to be a social norm. The other is an extreme example of performance enhancing attire. Degrees of difference. That's all this is.
 

Methyl mike

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So why do you wear athletic shoes? Why not wear cowboy boots to the gym? Or those wooden dutch clogs? Perhaps....maybe.... possibly...it increases your performance?

One just happens to be a social norm. The other is an extreme example of performance enhancing attire. Degrees of difference. That's all this is.
I deadlift in socks when I can. Shirted benchers like Meeker who I posted above are adding hundreds of pounds to their bench. Hundreds! There is no comparison to athletic shoes. I'm not Michael Jordan.
 

Methyl mike

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Now in fairness watching the vid of Meeker again it's INSANE that he would try to bench that much with a shirt or not. The strain on hands and wrist and shoulders I cannot imagine. That's a painful sport.
 

Trendkill

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I do not recognize that bench as anything official as far as.records go because benching st the gym where you are comfortable is of course much easier than at a sanctioned event etc. But all the same it's very inspiring. I will never, ever get anywhere close to that but it's really cool to see. I personally always resented how powerlifting never gained much publicity and powerlifters have never made the money that they should so I see this dude and I think I see potential to get media buzz going for powerlifting.

As for shirted benching yes, the top guys are strong without them. But to me it means nothing how much you can lift assisted. I see powerlifters deadlifting inhuman amounts of weight without straps or anything and that blows me away. I think assisted lifting only detracts from the sport but that is my personal opinion.

Like this was a record set recently, I don't get it. [YouTube]
The point that I'm not getting across is that benching in a shirt is a skill. It is a high level skill. It must be practiced and perfected. Guys like Meeker who are masters of the bench shirt make it look easy. For those that haven't tried it it may seem like all you have to do is throw on the shirt and voila get a huge bench. That's just not how it works. Meeker has been in the game for 25 years. He is a master of his craft.

For all of powerlifting's existence lifting equipment has played a major role. The belt helps you lift more weight as do knee sleeves and knee wraps. Specialty bars help you lift more weight. Specialty hardware like monolifts help you lift more weight. Wearing a bench shirt or squat suit helps you lift more weight. Lifters have been trying to discover ways to lift more since the dawn of the sport. Wrapping tennis balls behind their knees with ace bandages. Wearing extra tight singlets to get a few more pounds. Fred Hatfield making the spotters pull the squat stands out of the way so he didn't have to walk out his 1014 squat. It's all part of the game.

In pro bodybuilding they take an insane amount of AAS, GH, insulin, diuretics, etc. to achieve the look they want. That look isn't possible without those enhancements and years if not decades of hard work. How is powerlifting any different?
 

Fvckinashman

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I'd respect this a lot more if it didn't come from a guy who sponsors lifters who do EXACTLY that
 

Rot-Iron66

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Geared powerlifting is a different version of the sport.
I like raw. I have nothing against geared. It takes a lot of work getting the groove right.
They (shirts) hurt like hell.
It takes guts (or lack of brains (o_O) to get under some of those insane weights.
I give those guys props. I however like raw-powerlifting much better.
Just a preference.
My only thing is when you hear folks say (I bench 600 lbs) but they can only do 300-raw and the shirt adds 300. But it is what is is. Experienced people know better...
 

snake

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Come again?
MM, this was an old thread that was unearthed. X, TFL and TS were just busting my balls. We all have been on a platform, and together sometimes. All are top notch lifters and guys I miss here as much as the fun we had bustin' balls.
 

Methyl mike

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MM, this was an old thread that was unearthed. X, TFL and TS were just busting my balls. We all have been on a platform, and together sometimes. All are top notch lifters and guys I miss here as much as the fun we had bustin' balls.
I know its old that's why I resurrected it. Sometimes I get posters to come out of retirement.
 

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