From: smitht@swosu.edu (Tim C. Smith) Subject: Raw Lifting Date: Mon, 9 Jun 1997 13:43:50 -0500 Fellow Gymrats, (Sheesh this is long...sorry.) There's been some discussion about raw lifting. (Lifting without wraps, suits, and bench shirts.) I agree with the people who feel you can do it even in a meet where others are wearing gear. I've lifted in competitions (on and off) for about 15 years. I've worn all the gear (well, never tried those groovy briefs, actually). But in my last two meets I decided to go raw. The gear can be a pain in the butt and I have never particularly liked using it. Reasons to go raw: Gear costs lots of money, it a real pain to put it on, you look like a complete dork, you have no idea how much you can really do in competition, and it makes powerlifting, shall we say, look a bit silly. Yes, I think it does detract from the sport as a whole. Some have compared gear to "fancy basketball shoes" or improvements in poles (pole vault) but it's way beyond that. When the NBA players start wearing shoes with springs inside that allow them to jump 8 feet, then they have reached the level that powerlifting has today. It's the equivalent of corking a baseball bat, or throwing a spitball. And there is no way that the gear is safer. That's total BS. I've worn the gear. It's definitely more dangerous to wear gear. Harder on the joints (and the spine because a supersuit helps you lift more, but does nothing to make your spine stronger). The wraps downright pinch your knees in a bad way. Lovely blood blisters all over your body too, although that's a minor thing. Yet, and to kinda contradict myself, I have no *real* problem with others wearing gear. At my last two contests I went raw while others wore gear. So? So I didn't place as high as I would have with the gear. So what? As someone said, I was out a silly trophy, probably worth about $2. It's so easy to get trophies in powerlifting. Normally you get one for showing up. They aren't worth much. (Two years ago I sold some of my trophies at a yard sale.) What's *really* important is how much you can improve from meet to meet. I compete against me. Don't get me wrong. I like to compete against others, and I'm looking for raw meets, but there just aren't any in Oklahoma yet. And, as much as the next person, I love winning. When I enter a meet, I go for as high of a placing as possible, like most anyone. But always I'm more interested in lifting more than I did last time. If I *always* can do that, eventually I'll start winning *important* titles. Some of you who would *like* to lift raw but think you can't because there isn't a raw meet around should try what I did. By the way, no one hassled me or made fun of me (in both cases I was the only raw lifter). In fact, at the last meet the announcer saw what I was doing and made an comment about it, making me feel kinda cool. People in the crowd were really complimentary to me and were impressed that I had the guts to lift raw, I think. In the other meet I don't even think anyone noticed. Bottom line: go for it. Toss the gear if you want and lift raw. If many of us do this, more raw meets will appear. It was so much fun just sitting there relaxing watching everyone else sweat to death, grunting and groaning to get into their suits and shirts. I had more fun than I have when I wear the gear. It was also much easier to time your warmups since you weren't fretting with that stuff. And at the end of the day my fingers weren't worn raw from getting in the suits. Another thing: no fear of blowing a suit. Yet another: no problem with timing out at the platform since I didn't have to wrap. Yet another: I didn't need 4 people to help me get dressed. Yet another: after each lift I could think clearly about my next lift, and not about "get these wraps and straps off me!" The reasons to go raw are many. Only reason to wear the gear: everyone lifts more, but that gives *you* no advantage, does it? So what's the point, if you really think about it? Having said all this, and to seemingly continue to contradict myself, I may put the gear on again for fun if I cannot find any raw meets in the area (if raw meets really take off, I may never wear gear again). It *is* an ego boost to see your squat and bench improve 'instantaneously' and I like watching the big dogs squat 900+ as much as anyone. (Maybe that is the point to all the gear: it is simply entertaining and an ego boost. Nothing necessarily wrong with that.) But the raw lifting is really fun too and it really feels good to know what *I* can lift. There's room for both platforms in the sport. Tim +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tim C. Smith SmithT@swosu.edu http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/1881/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 21:25:59 -0400 From: "Jeffry Deigan" Subject: Strength_List: Re: intent of RAW lifting Big Daddy B wrote: >People who have a problem with the equipment would >have no problem if they could lift in the first place. Gary, I like your posts and generally agree with what you say, but I think you are wrong here. Most of the lifters I train with were very acccomplished assisted lifters. You may rember the examples of the guy who went from a 550 squat and 450 bench to 375 and 340 (at 165, no sloucher). Another guy I lift with has done 755 squat and 507 bench down to 600 and 380. A third went from 800 and 446 to 600 and 355. A fourth went from 644 and 461 to 475 and 380. These are lifters quite accustomed to "first place" and usually placed high up at the ADFPA Nationals. The first lifter usually won best lifter at the ADFPA NY States. Now he is lucky if he wins his weight class at a local meet. They did not stop wearing gear so they could complain about the others wearing it. The did for a few reasons: 1) It is expensive. I was speaking recently with a regional director of the USPF recently (I forget his name, but I met him in Buffalo, NY). He told me that the reason he did not want to go raw was because he had already spent thousands of dollars on equipment. I question his logic. He will not lose any money by going raw and will only have to spend more when he buys new equipment. 2) It is a purer test of strength. It is really YOU lifting the weight. When you are wearing gear it is some combination of you and gear and how you utilize the gear. When we got in to powerlifting I think most of us wanted to get strong and compete in feats of strength. I doubt if anyone said, "I want to get strong and demonstrate this by lifting heavy weights while supported by rebounding fabric." I think lifting with gear is almost like weight lifting+weight balancing. ie. getting into the groove that the fabric will rebound out of while simultaneously pushing. 3) The equipment arms race. When we started talking about, "would the new inzer-xxx help my bench," instead of, "will exercise xxx help my bench," the focus was on the wrong part of training. 4) Equipment is unhealthy! Now I know that many people will disagree with this one, but since I stopped wearing knee wraps my knees have never been healthier. My knees always used to be sore and I blame the super tight knee wraps from grinding my bones together. And the semi-permanent line on my leg from the z-locks are finally gone too. On another aside I had the opportunity to watch a high school team lift recently at a meet (in January). They all wore suits and wraps and shirts and it was scary. They were all over the place -- knees coming way forward and backs rounding in the squat and benches coming over the throat. There is no way this could have been safe for teenagers. Incidentally in March I saw another high school team lift, all raw, and they had much better and safer looking form. 5) Lifting raw is fun. "Oh, is it my turn to squat. Well I guess I will get on the platform and squat then." Instead of, "How far out am I! Three! Help me wrap! Now pull up my straps! Wait, a misload, now my legs are falling asleep!" 6) My own opersonal catalyst: I can lift raw by myself if I have to. In October 1996 I finally qualified for the ADFPA Nationals, but the guy who wrapped my knees was not going. So I had a choice-go and not lift as well as I could because I would not have a good knee wrap, or forget about knee wraps. I chose the latter and have never looked back. Now do not get me wrong, I respect what assisted lifters can do regardless of federation and number of plys, but do not tell me that raw lifters lift raw because they cannot hang with the assisted. My $.02, Jeff Deigan