USAPL CON-CRET Raw Nationals Draws Big Turnout

Great news!

I hope this will set the tone for other member feds of the IPF.

Congratulations and good luck to all of the competitors.

Add to that, a total number of 166 lifters from 33 states. Now, that's a real NATIONAL championship

and some people say the raw movement is 'fledgling'

www.biolayne.com

I hope its not too late for Siders to sign up. Since its right next door to where he lives and we will not see him compete at the IPF championships I hope he goes

I will be there watching Becky Rich and the deadlift machine Eli Burks kill it!

i thought he was going to the world games in china.

He bombed in the bench at last years worlds(just like he did with this years Senior nationals) so he is not eligible to to the world games in China

Personally I am looking forward to Joe McAuliffe's performance-the man is a beast in gear and has had a great training cycle and will be a force to be reckoned with in the 198's-open and master. I also am looking forward to seeing my friend Andrey Grebenetsky 18-19 181 class in his 2nd full meet. He has been training under Joe's watchful eye and has been setting PR's in training every week.
Oh and FYI, Jennifer Thompson is going to kick my ass! Glad to see Natty Freed finally competing in a USAPL meet-look for her to do well and maybe win Best Lifter by formula!
I am also happy to see my training partner Sabre lifting after his terrible bench mishap earlier this year-he did an easy 475 in our gym.

Can someone make sure Elie Burks doesn't make it to the lift this year, I can't compete with that 600+ pull!!!!!!!!!

The raw meets are drawing more lifters this year than some of the equipped meets. The USAPL meet w/over 100 lifers as mentioned above and The ADAU Nationals in PA next week w/ 85 lifters.

with the success of the usapl raw nationals is there any chance of the ipf hosting a raw world championship?

Good luck to you Ellen. You are a very strong lifter and I wish you big lifts at the raw nationals.Harriet

John & Will put on great meets. The lifters will really have a good time

Where is the venue for the meet, in VA? Is it a 2 day meet or 1 day?

2 day event, not sure where in Charlottesville though

Bigger, Stronger, Wilder

Micheal Mastrean added to 242, he is the first big equipped lifter to support the usapl's raw movement. Besides Jason Beck who withdrew due to a torn bicep.

Mastrean's name popped out to me too. good to see some of the elite geared lifters are taking an interest in raw nats too. should be exciting

This nationals will be awesome and hopefully the other main North American federations will start running Raw/Classic Nationals too if they aren't already.

Jenn Thompson's current raw bench of 285 @ 132...it would be awesome to see a 300lbs. raw bench press at her weight!!!

I wonder what Mike Mastrean will do? That is awesome that he will be going raw as he is the top 242er.

Jesse Betzinger, 242, is another top-end competitior who most recently went 804, 485, 650ish. I know he maxs out his equipment and I haven't seen him lift raw in a few years so looking forward to the progress he's made.

To Mr. Ketterle's comment: AAU has been running RAW for a long time and has had the longest raw (unequipped/unassisted) record set. Really raw - Just a belt and of course, singlet lol. I believe they would still count as a main federation, in the tested anyway lol. Perhaps the reluctance of the untested feds has something to do with the use of the multiply assistance by a good many people? Perhaps there's some question as to whether their big names in the bench especially would want to compete without their shirts? Just a thought, not thinking of anyone in particular there...

The USAPL rules allow knee supports and I believe also wrist wraps still, plus the belt. (I think it would have been easier to regulate had they allowed just regular knee wraps, within their current rules by the way - and made a sort of "old school" sense rather than inventing a new support?) Without IPF support for a true worlds for USAPL raw event champions and the higher record set of international records, I think it is interesting that raw nationals are supported by some of the tested federations already before this and usapl is now joining a trend not currently embraced by IPF.

Then again, there's no law preventing people from lifting raw in regular meets and i've known many to do so by choice over the years....and in some instances, beat those in shirts and suits as well.

Very best of lifting luck to the ageless Ellen Stein and I'm sure we'll lift together again someday soon!

Jason Beck was preparing to lift as well, until he tore his bicep recently.

I get outrageous carryover out of gear, but humbly look forward to giving RAW a try at my next meet. As a teenager, I can remember military pressing 205 for reps with a raw bench under 350. Years of board and shirt training later, with plenty of shoulder-training neglect surprised me the other day. Now, with a single-ply 529 bench, I am good for a whopping 170x3 military press and 335x3 paused raw bench. Haha, I suck. Hell, I was even getting 80-pounds out of my DL suit (conventional) and my 715 single ply squat is a whopping 525 RAW :(

Wow, 170 lifters. That is a true nationals, I mean, how much competition do you really have when you attend a "national championship" meet that has 30 lifters?

I recall reading on Powerlifting Watch several months ago, that the IPF was looking at the inclusion of unequipped lifting at future events. Perhaps this will be discussed in more detail at the next IPF Meeting?

I believe it would be a tremendous boon to lifting in 2nd and 3rd world countries, as it would be so much cheaper to truly compete. I've always felt that the WDFPF should've gone raw-only years ago. The ADFPF could've let a number of tested feds bring lifters to a raw National Championship.

Now, with the advent of this USAPL meet, it would seem that that window has passed. (Eric's RUM and Sean's meets don't figure in, as the WDFPF or IPF World meets would be tested.)

if the IPF doesn't offer a RAW international, how about the USAPL open up the Arnold raw event to international lifters, to make an unofficial international raw event?
I'd love to do a big raw event but there's no options in Australia or even Oceania

How come none of the top dogs from USAPL lift?

I doubt we'll see anyone total 900+ and that my friend is NOT worth the price of admission.

Seeing a bunch of people total between 600-800kgs is dull:)

Iv'e been competeing in meets w/ Mike Mastrean since the early 90's and he's done several raw meets before. So, this is not the first raw meet for Mike.

It is at the Doubletree right next to Sam's club.

We have turned down about 35 lifters who called us after the dead line for entries and they are still calling us,i got 3 more calls today.This meet could have easily went over 200 lifters.Next
year this meet will top out well over 225 lifters
and it may have to go to a four day meet or go to
to a 2 platform 3 day meet,the response is mind blowing,AND LASTLY WE WANT TO THANK OUR MAIN SPONSOR CON-CRET FOR THEIR VERY GENEROUS SUPPORT,THEY ARE THE GREATEST, WILL MORRIS

Will,

Are you hosting the meet again next year, or will it be out west again? Like the AAU meets East Coast one year West the next year?

U need to be commended for working hard to get that kinda carryover....Its not easy and i am FAR FAR more impressed with that than your raw lifts..

I fear that you may be part of the reason for the raw movement--Lifters are jealous they can't/won't work as hard to get that carry over!

The sport of powerlifting was started with raw lifting. The lifters of the first era are much stronger than the lifters now. There are already advances in the sport with different bars, thinner plates, wider benches, thicker belts, better wraps.
I think what somebody can do raw, really defines how strong they are.

Best wishes to Scottie Layman! Team Hawaii is rooting for you remember, "Eat Pig, Squat Big", but don't eat so much that you don't fit in your squat suit! lol. Thanks for all your help in Cali. this past weekend.

Leo

Mana/Island Power

Also, best wishes to Becky Rich her numbers are solid!

Leo

Mana/Island Power

Serious question, mind my ignorance:

What do thinner plates do in terms of the weight lifted?

Less gravity

seeing you hitting 550 would be even worse

That is plain stupidity from a bunch of beginners,
No one can tell the difference in the weight regardless of the thickness of the plates, no one.

Thinner plates are used only of they can get more weight on the bar the ones that actually need it.

Less gravity, that is a myth and extremely funny.
Who in the world has ever put a machine on the weights to measure gravity and exactly how much difference in pull is on each type of plate. LOL

People actually think they can tell the difference
because they heard this somewhere. lol.

What a great turnout, Will! Congratulations on what should be an incredible meet!

I hope to make it down there to watch everyone compete.

All the Best,

Eric

www.rawunitymeet.com

www.erictalmant.com

CITIUS,ALTIUS,FORTIUS
Proudly Sponsored By:
BMF Sports
Ultra Life, Inc.
Critical Bench
Titan Support Systems

I think he was being sarcastic. At least I really hope he was.....

The USPF should capitalize on this and do a raw invitational matching the best against the best. Siders, Konstantine, Bolten, Tuchscherer, etc. If ever there was a chance to get powerlifting televised nationally, it would be at something like that. Legit judging, big numbers, no equipment.

Best of luck to all the lifters...especially BERNIE T. (Masters 132) She won he weight class last year with a torn rotator cuff, and now that it's fixed, she'll do even better.

YOU GO GIRL!

Thinner plates allow the weight to be closer to the collars so the bar whips less than one loaded all the way out to the ends.

Siders would touch too low on his raw bench to do it

THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN THE USPF HATES RAW LIFTING

The USPF does not hate raw lifting. One of its major sponsors hates raw lifting. There's lots of USPF lifters who are also up for competing raw (Scott Smith for example.)

Don't bash the USPF because they don't yet have a raw division. They used to be the model for federations that don't allow multi ply gear and now that's changed. If they want their numbers to grow even faster then they'll add a raw division in the future as well.

mr. Know it all they do not have raw lifting and said many times they can not have a raw division, so the aparantly do not like it, they being the People who run it.

I know people like Scott Smith lifts in your meet he is a icon in this sport, and a great lifter, I know people like HORNSTAR AND Coan set records lifting raw.

I simply stated the uspf does not like raw, and they must not, if they do not have a division for it. because if they did they would be a huge influx in there membership so either they are stupid which I doubt or they do not like raw lifting, wich one is it

Mr. sean ?

by the way I have respect for you and your meet also but I can see how you get on peoples nerves

Well, it's possible that the USPF could be in the same boat as the WABDL.

Gus has commented many times about those "dang bench shirts" on the mic but it's my understanding that he signed a contract years ago, with a company that WABDL would never have a raw/classic division.

Just look at who used to be the USPF President. It's very possible that a similar, road blocking type of contract was signed during his Presidency too. So, that doesn't mean that that USPF doesn't like raw/classic powerlifting. They may just have their hands legally tied until the contract runs out (if it ever does.)

My brain hurts trying to read that. Try learning proper english before posting next time.

Is this because you'd total 500 kg raw and that makes you jealous???

Larry Dyles at 165 is going to be a tough competitior to beat.

As the director of the 2011 USAPL Raw Nationals, my plan is to be two platforms for three days, to accommodate for this expansion.

This event is planned for late July 2011 in North East Pennsylvania.

Good luck to all this year's lifters!

Thanks,
Steve Mann
http://www.purepowerlifting.com
http://www.mannofsteel.com

Such a great turnout because seeing people lift something with there own strength is marketable to the public. No regular person wants to see some guy that takes three men put a shirt on them then they can't even put there arms down with all their might? Explain that to the general public and ask them if the lifter actually lifted it lol. and the strongest lifters are the strongest if they are able to lift more then others in there weight class raw.....why do u think a lot of the best lifters ever to live aren't even top ten in all time total? Not because they aren't the strongest my friends in power, but because in many cases a weaker lifter put on a thicker suit:)

Good luck to the USAPL with this meet.
The USPF does not have anything against Raw lifting. We have enough on our hands trying to perfect and build upon what we do have...we are not about to go of Willy-Nilly in all directions just for membership. Quality not Quantity is preferable.

We are currently involved in many aspects of Powerlifting that frankly are taxing our administrative resources. We will focus on things like improving Judges training, Building our State Chair Nework, Developing the Multi-Ply side of our sport...and networking with our WPF Brethren.

Adding Raw at this time would be overwhelming. We wish those Federations competing with a Raw division good luck...

"USPF....the Legend continues......"

That's definitely a respectable reasonable stance for the USPF to take.

Just a belt, chalk and drugs!!!

how about belt chalk ...maybe some sleeves no drugs? lol