Raw Powerlifting- Dumb as hell!

For the last ten years there has been a raise of guys doing "RAW" powerlifting, which is doing the three lifts: squat, bench and deadlift without supportive gear. In the early sixties when powerlifting began as a sport guys mostly lifted raw, but there were some guys who were willing to try almost anything to help increase their lifts, which included using towels for knee wraps and tennis balls duct taped behind the knees to help get out of the hole on squats, but mostly guys lifted "raw". It only took a few years before guys started using ace bandages on their knees and elbows to help give them some support. The old ace bandage wasn't much for support, but it was better than nothing.



As the lifters got stronger the injuries increased dramatically. Once a lifters approaches 2 1/2 to 3 times their body weight in the squat and 2 times their body weight in the bench the risk of major injury increases dramatically. In the seventies and early eighties pec tears, shoulder injuries, torn quads and hamstrings, as well as torn triceps were common place at major competitions. The reason for the advancement in knee wraps, bench shirts, and squats suits in the beginning was to help prevent these often career ending injuries.




Bench shirts, squat suits, and knee wraps add weight to the lifts and there is no arguing this fact, but what is wrong with that, especially when the "gear" helps prevent serious injuries. Can you image Tiger Woods using wooden shafts for his golf clubs, or how about pole vaulter's using bamboo poles again, and why not? Because its stupid pure and simple. so, why is it a good thing for golfers to continue to hit the ball farther and farther, and pole vaulters to jump higher and higher, but its not ok for powerlifters and strongmen to lift bigger weights. Notice I included strongmen with powerlifters, and that is because the "World's Strongest Men" use gear. They use squat suits under their shorts and shirts. They use straps, and knee wraps as well as elbow sleeves, yet I never hear anyone say they are not the strongest men in the world.


In my humble opinion lifting "raw" in competitive powerlifting is just plain stupid, and those who do so accept for a very small percentage will end up having a major injury, which in a lot of cases will end their careers. Five years ago I ran a small cash invitational here in Reno. I invited 25 of the best lifters in the area, one of them was one of the best in the world at the time, Big Chad Aichs. The meet allowed squat briefs because two of the main lifters had injuries to their hips, but the rest of the meet was raw. The reason for the raw lifting was so that my son and I could compete heads up, otherwise I would have destroyed him in a bench shirt and I wanted the playing field to be as fair as possible for him and I. The meet was a blast but unfortunately two of my lifters suffered pec tears. Big Chad tore his pec and my close friend Darwin English suffered a career ending pec tear. I have tore both of my pec's raw benching the left one a total detachment and the right one a partial detachment.


Raw powerlifting is not a step forward, but instead a huge step backward. I hope one day powerlifting will be run like the "World's Strongman" contest. One fed and one set of rules with limited gear, but gear allowed for the safety of the lifters to lift the biggest weights possible.


Coach George W. Phipps