The sport of powerlifting has become a complete slave to ego mentality, delusions and refusal to admit that something is wrong.

Just look at the wide stance monolift squats, and you will understand what I am talking about. Similar performance and rituals show that the main goal of modern powerlifting is not to get stronger but to lift more weight by any means necessary. As a result, people come up with various ways to increase the weight without getting stronger.

Why are powerlifters using the monolift?

Different people will give you different answers, but there’s only one truth – the monolift is used widely because it allows the lifters to squat heavier weights.

Thanks to the monolift, you can assume a wider stance without breaking your legs. In addition, the monolift set-up saves a lot of energy because you are not walking out the weight. When you add the squat suit, the knee wraps and the steroids, you have a recipe for unbeatable records. Yet many of the 1000lbs squatters can’t squat 800lbs raw and to depth. If you drug test them, many won’t full squat even 600lbs.

Here’s the full list of tricks on which modern powerlifters rely to reach ridiculous numbers such as over 1000lbs squats and bench presses.

1. Equipment 

– very wide weightlifting belts

– long wrist wraps

– squat suits (sometimes more than one)

– squatting briefs

– deadlift suits

– tight bench shirts (sometimes more than one)

Example:

– extra long knee wraps

– monolifts

Example:

2. Drugs

– all kinds of steroids

– growth hormone

– insulin

– ammonia

– recreational drugs to get “in the zone”

– diuretics (to lose water weight and compete in a higher weight class thanks to the 24-hour weigh-in)

– pain killers

3. Tricks

– squatting to parallel or above {very often even parallel is not reached}

Note: The rule says that in order for a squat to be “legal”, the “hip crease” of the lifter must descend below the knee.

By that standard, the squats below are not really “legal”.

– belly bench presses {the lifter lowers the bar to his fat belly to shorten the range of motion and lift more weight}

– excessive lower back arching

– monolifts

– a very short bench press pause {the judges are to blame}

– shady deadlift lockouts – a very high percentage of the deadlifts done even at the highest level are not completely locked out {the judges are to blame}

In conclusion

For some reason, people refuse to see that the emperor has no clothes, but sooner or later – the magic will go away.

Many are already tired of the gimmicks, and the interest in raw powerlifting is growing. One could only hope that all gear will be history eventually.