PTC NEWSLETTER
# 135
RAW AND EQUIPPED
Always a fair bit of discussion about raw and equipped powerlifting. Most know that I prefer raw powerlifting, but the reality is equipped has been around forever and will stay around forever, and so it should.
I’m not going to go into the pros and cons of each, both have their fans and their merits. I don’t want to see either disappear. Both can easily co exist, and even better, they should be able to help each other flourish.
CAPO is in the enviable position of having both forms under the one roof. Giving people options is always going to be the best way to go. Eliminating options is a great way to lose lifters. CAPO has not yet exploited the advantageous position it finds itself in.
You guys know I train lifters to get strong. I don’t have traditional gym equipment like bikes and treadmills, machines and rowers. It’s easier to get lifters to train raw in my gym, no downtime wrapping up, fitting shirts etc. That’s not to say that some aren’t curious about the effects of knee wraps, or a bench shirt.
I also believe there are some very strong equipped lifters ready to have a crack at some raw lifting, especially how there are currently more lifting raw than equipped at CAPO State Championships.
Billy from Elite in Canberra will be lifting raw at the Nats in August for one. A very strong guy. The more lifters that do this, the more credibility our raw record boards will have. I’m not stupid, I can see records on there that won’t be around next year, records that exist purely because no one has lifted in that category before.
Someone has to go first, without a target to chase, there may not be a lifter going for a particular record.
So how can CAPO use this advantage?
CAPO is an affiliate of WPC, The World Powerlifting Congress. They are a huge federation, will 30 plus countries competing at its World Championships.
They hold their raw WC in September, and their equipped in November. Here in lies the problem at the moment.
CAPO hold their raw and equipped titles in mid August. There are 4 boys going to the raw Worlds this year, less than 3 weeks after the Nationals.
To qualify for the Worlds you need to finish top 3 in your Nats, but the entries close BEFORE our Nats. This isn’t the biggest hurdle though. Timing your training cycle is. You need to peak for your Nats, and then lift as near to your best 3 weeks later, an incredibly difficult task.
The equipped lifters get another 12 weeks to prepare for their Worlds.
So how do we fix this? I reckon the fix is so good, that it will skyrocket PL in Australia.
In 2011, CAPO should run the raw and equipped Nats at different times, just like WPC run their Worlds at different times.
The first issue most will bring up is that we will be halving a not too large contingent of lifters. But will we?
Using this year’s States Titles, we had 71 raw lifters and 23 equipped. Some of those that lifted raw will be lifting equipped in August though, not many, but some. We will have more accurate numbers come August.
Here is where CAPO can really expand. I know for a fact, that plenty of raw lifters are curious about equipped lifting. At the moment, they can’t do both, they need to decide. We don’t have enough comps either. If you want to qualify for the Nats equipped, you need to set a total in a 3 lift comp. We don’t have many, usually only the States. That leaves us ZERO comps we can lift raw in.
But what if the States and Nats ran both raw and equipped comps, three months apart, like the Worlds. In fact, we need to take notice of the dates set by WPC for their Worlds, which are separate, and run our Nats three months prior, and our States three months prior to that.
As an example, this year in Victoria, we could’ve run the raw States in March, the raw Nats in June, then the raw Worlds would be in September.
The equipped States in June, the Nats in August and the Worlds in November.
That would give us 4 big comps per year. Lifters no longer have to choose, we can easily compete in both.
Logistical nightmare? Maybe, but holding our dicks won’t get us anywhere. All the best powerlifters from overseas compete far more often than we do. Bigger population, more lifters, more states, more feds, more everything. I read a recent article by an Elite PL coach, Rick Hussey, who claims anyone competing only once a year stays a novice for life, lifting only 10 times in a decade. His lifters compete 6-8 times per year. We can’t do that yet, but we can certainly try for 3-4 times a year.
My son Max will be competing for the 3rd time this year in August, then a 4th time in September at the Worlds. I have lifters at PTC who would love to have a go with some knee wraps, or a bench shirt. Kelly, who benches 160kg @ 81kg raw, would be very curious how much he could bench in a shirt once he mastered it, big Simon is blown away when I point to lifters who gain 70kg by mastering a shirt, going by their raw/equipped records on the CAPO site. He’s benched 180kg @ 110kg raw. Nick squats 220kg ATG raw, he’d love a crack in wraps and a suit.
With the current calendar, these guys are lost to equipped lifting, just the same as how the elite equipped lifters are lost to the raw record boards. I would love the strong guys to take their suits off and give the raw guys something to chase. Neither group would hamper their year in their preferred area, it would simply provide them with more competition.
These thoughts and ideas are mine. I have not spoken to anyone officially connected with CAPO about this. Ultimately, it’s the lifters who decide. I can’t speak for lifters not connected to PTC, but I can tell you there would be quite a few PTC lifters having a crack in equipment. We pay for a year’s membership, lifting once or twice a year is not good value. Being able to lift 4 times a year in your own state, throw in the Deadlift comp in November, maybe a Bench comp in February, next thing you know we have comps coming out are ass, with lifters queuing up to have a crack. It doesn’t mean you have to compete at every one, but it gives you options. CAPO is not going to get smaller, it’s only going to get bigger. Let’s give everyone a reason to join and compete.
With the ability to travel to Sydney, Albury and Canberra from Melbourne relatively easily, it gives CAPO lifters more comps than they could possibly compete in. Being spoilt for choice has never been a situation PL in Australia has been faced with.
One of my best lifters is going to be in New Zealand during our Nats, a wasted year so to speak. Not if we had 2 Nats per year, one raw and one equipped.
If you have an opinion on this, shoot of an email to the Prez, or your state rep.
Remember, it’s just me thinking aloud.
Regardless, next year, due consideration will need to be given to raw lifters in regards to the timing of our Nats in comparison to the Raw Worlds, three weeks apart is wrong, I know the equipped guys wouldn’t stand for it.
And to all those out there that think I’m anti equipped, I’m pro choice.
Thanks for reading
Markos
) . 10 lifts in a decade when you think of it like that it's ridiculous.
