Stan Efferding 2221 Raw PL Total at 275

[Gavin Harrison]

Pretty incredible lifts, 825/606/790. Also, a pro IFBB bodybuilder...

http://www.powerliftingwatch.com/node/12567

[Júlíus G. Magnússon]

Looks like a cool guy.

[Garrett Smith]

Crazy strong guy. And...

IFBB bodybuilder means tons of drugs (I mean, look at the guy!). That's not "raw".

Which part of raw PL includes wrist & knee wraps? A monolift?

I love the raw PL movement, but that sure don't look like it. I've got nothing against geared PL, but don't start screwing up what raw is supposed to stand for...

[Derek Simonds]

Garrett does the federation that you compete in not allow knee wraps and wrist wraps? There are so many federations with different rules I have no understanding of. I bought wrist wraps for the bench and really like the feeling in regards to my wrists.

[Garrett Smith]

100% RAW rules (probably the strictest fed out there, the only one I've done to this point) says no wrist/elbow/knee wraps AT ALL.

A 4" belt is the only "gear" allowed.

Guaranteed drug testing for anyone who sets a national or world record.

Walk the squats out.

A very different "raw" situation than what was done in that video.

[Dave Van Skike]

as with gear double single, unlimited, PL also has a Raw problem. adding wraps adds a lot of safety and some people get a big bump out of them. same with different types of gear, walked out versus mono, texas power bars versus mastadon bars etc. so it can get difficult to compare...but a belted wrapped 700+squat is f'ing strong regardless.

One oberservation WRT teh drugggzzzz. People I've met who compete in feds and orgs that put little if any restriction on gear, drug testing or otherwise seem to be having more fun and as a general rule waste very little energy being judgmental abou thow soemone got their total (this is not directed at you G, you are just echoing soem sentiments I hear out of a lot of USAPL lifters.) there's soem bench racing that goes on after the fact but rarely sour grapes or bitterness.

In strongman, it can be sort of obvious who's "on" and who's not...rarely have I met anyone in SM who gives a shit one way or the other.

[Gavin Harrison]

Garrett,

I'm just going to address your complaints:

1. Drug. I assume anyone at the top tier of both PL and BB (and a lot of other sports) are "on". You're simply not going to get there without them. You can certainly achieve great things without them, but who's going to ever ever get a 600+ raw bench, or a 900+ DL, or w/e without them. Regardless, he's still freaky strong.

2. Wraps. Some people just can't squat without pain/discomfort without knee wraps or bench without pain/discomfort without wrist wraps. And, they aren't going to add that much to your lifts in general. Why not just admit that he's freaky strong.

2b. The pain/discomfort thing is the reason some people lift geared. Hips and shoulders can be kept healthier when you're getting freaky strong by using shirts and suits.

3. Monolift. Another safety thing. If you doubt, there was an incident at a USAPL meet a while ago where someone was walking out a squat they could have made and tore their one hamstring on the way out.

In any case, the people he's trying to call out are Johnie Jackson and Ben White, who are competing for 10k$ at the Olympia contest to determine the "world's strongest pro bodybuilder", who is clearly Stan Efferding, as he's also the strongest Raw (or unequipped, whatever), lifter, not just pro bodybuilder...

[Garrett Smith]

First thing I said was he's strong. Jeez.

If anyone thought I was crying foul on the drugs or the equipment, maybe my post should be re-read. Comparing foot races to dragster races and the merits of each isn't something I was trying to do...but calling one by the other's name isn't correct IMO. For those who didn't get that last sentence, I mean calling something "raw" that is pretty obviously (by nearly all parties) not drug tested or unequipped simply isn't using the right terminology. That's all I meant. The rules I listed from 100% RAW are just that, their rules. I think NASA, for example, allows knee wraps in their "raw" division. This will only cause problems later.

Whatever gets your rocks off is cool with me. Personally, when my body is telling me it needs external (or internal) support to do things like lifting weights, that's probably when I'll say I've had enough, but that's me.

Maybe now that I'm doing what *I* consider "raw" PL, I've gotten slightly defensive around that term.

I'm not trying to start a pissing match here.

[Dave Van Skike]

your point was well taken G and it didn't seem like whining or anything, i think it's instructive to note that there's many sides to the story WRT gearwhoreishness..

drugs may be different for some people and that's fair too.. IME, none of the rawdaawg/gear debates amount to much outside of the interwebz.

[Júlíus G. Magnússon]

Garrett, I agree with you. "Raw" has a become a pretty funny term in powerlifting so I try not to read too much into it.

I thought it was funny how he wore a belt for his bench press and not his deadlift, though.