Joe Mazza Interviewed on House of Pain's BLOG

Joe is a great guy. Hes a freak!

Joe is a great guy, I really enjoyed getting to meet him at the first Kings of the Bench!

Didn't know there was a 175 class...

wasn't his bench 655?

Yes, at our pro shows we only have 4 weight divisions.

175 and Under
176-225
226-275
276 and Over

This helps to add real competition to a competition (people actually getting something other than a 1st place trophy despite what they lift.) It also makes building the prize money up for the winners easier. If we had 12 or 13 weight classes, then the prize money would become really watered down because we usually only raise $5,000 - $10,000 per event.

joe is a great guy.

mazza is a beast for 165....looks like he has 20 inch arms... damn! joe i love the fact u compete in every way... raw single and double... really shows u are the best at what you do... keep it up man!

I trained with a young lad for 2 years that was 20 and did 390 raw for 4 reps at the end of a huge workout. Was 445 enough to win that class i am curious?? unfortunately he lost interest in competing... being at that age to go out and party it up lol.

Yeah, he has a huge upper body----but the skinniest legs I have ever seen!! A true bench specialist...LOL.

Yes, 445lbs is the biggest raw bench we've had in the 175lb division and it's also our 181 traditional class record. Joe Luther holds the 165 pound record with a 425lb raw bench at 165lbs. In 2006, the Kings of the Bench prior to the lifts listed in this paragraph, both Mazza and Luther benched 420lbs at 165 to tie for 1st place. Ray Hickman's also posted a 435 @ 175 and Chase Martin got a 405 @ 175 and I can't recall off hand but Adam Zehr's also getting close to triple bodyweight but under 165 pounds bwt.

He was around 180 lbs at the time i should have mentioned..he will be interested that he can run raw with the big boys out there. Today he only farts around and can still raw 410 touch and go.Lifted IPF and was regularly tested for our records.

Well, our next pro classic bench contest will be in April and it will take place at The Ronnie Coleman Classic Expo just outside of Dallas, Texas. If your lifter wants to get serious again, he's still got over 8 months to train and I'm sure that he can make the 175lb division bodyweight limit.

Stay Strong,
Sean
www.hardcorepowerlifting.com

Very cool, if he was interested what would be a qualifying weight he would have to hit to compete?? this could be the thing to get him interested and motivated again... many thx.

whats the cash prize at this meet?

Joe Mazza is the man I would love to see him lift at the arnold, go single ply at the usapl bench nationals to qualify.

Sean can i get your e mail please.

Joe is really one of the nicest guys I've met. Truely top notch

We're going to be using the "rounds" system instead of the "attempts" system. For the Lwt. Division we'll start with 225lbs on the bar and then raise the weight 10lbs per round. Athletes can choose to skip a round or they can choose to bench on any given round and post a lift. If they miss an attempt they can jump in again 10lbs later but 3 misses = out of the competition (and stuck with the heaviest weight that you got.) So, the weight will start at 225lbs and the winner will probably top out somewhere between 445-505lbs for the 175lb Division.

We don't post up the prize money until it's guaranteed (meaning the cash is deposited in our bank account.) That helps us avoid writing bounced checks, changing the prize money after someone signed up, and the embarrasement of having to cancel due to no prize money, ect.

The moment we get the money secured, we post a contest ad online and we send it in to the magazines (so the first official contest ad you'll see will list the guaranteed prize money and that will be months before the event itself.)

In the past we've paid out between $5,000 and $10,000 per competition.

Sean Katterle
www.HardcorePowerlifting.com
seanzilla@hardcorepowerlifting.com
1(503)221-2238 (office voicemail)

GOD WORK MAN.
CASEY REECE

The reason Joe is a great bencher has to be the hair. Super perfect all the time. Sorry Joe, I couldn't help myself but you know what, at least we have hair unlike that Priest guy.