Way back when I started competing equipped lifting was the King, but the past few years I’ve been wondering, is Multi Ply Powerlifting dead? I never considered lifting RAW because almost no one did.  Back then we didn’t have the gear we have today, only single ply stuff like the old Marathon suits and shirts, but that evolved quickly.

Pretty soon we saw multiple layers of gear being used, new materials like denim and canvas and before you knew it, Multi Ply was here to stay.

All the big lifts were set in Multi Ply, but it seems over the past 5-10 years or so, it has taken a back seat to RAW lifting. Now before you go and get your panties in a bunch, this is not a RAW bashing article, I give RAW lifters the same respect as equipped lifters.

But.

If you’ve never lifted in gear, don’t bash it. A few years ago it seemed to be the thing to bash equipped lifters saying things like:

• The gear does all the work
• They didn’t really lift that weight
• That’s not a real lift

From no one who lifted in equipment and no one with a huge total either. The inexperienced should not comment until they’ve tried it. I’ve even seen a team of lifters from a flash in the pan crew wearing shirts that said “If you didn’t lift it RAW it doesn’t count” at a meet full of mostly equipped lifters.

Thankfully they didn’t stay on the scene too long.

I’ll let you in on a secret or two:

• Equipped lifting is harder and much more technical than RAW
• Equipped lifters train RAW most of the time

Let’s look at the first statement, Equipped lifting is harder and much more technical than RAW.

Equipped lifting is much more technical than RAW, period.

Again, if you haven’t done it please reserve your comments.

In order to complete a successful lift with properly fitted gear, you have to be strong enough to control the gear and technically proficient enough to NOT make a mistake.

A mistake in RAW lifting is easier to recover from and save a lift because there is no gear trying to kill you if you miss a groove. Technical mistakes or mis-grooves in Multi Ply cause the bar to crash down on the lifter about 10000 times faster than RAW. And if you don’t have good spotter the miss can be catastrophic.

I’ve seen misses in a tight bench shirt almost behead a lifter. Liann Blyn comes to mind.

Lian is one of the best lifters I have ever seen.

Strong, perfect technique and a true professional. Many years ago I was sitting with Kevin Nee at a meet watching her bench, I don’t recall what was on the bar, but I’m pretty sure it was over 400 pounds. She brought the weight down well, but missed the groove and the bar went from being ok, to a 2000 MPH guillotine about to behead her.

Luckily she had outstanding spotters and they caught it just before it hit her face. Kevin and I shit our pants! We thought she was going to be severely injured or dead. Now, this is in no way a negative statement about Lian. On the contrary, it is to illustrate that even in the most skilled hands, a miss can be catastrophic, and Lian is a master of the sport.

On Squats I’ve seen 1000 pounds come down unexpectedly and blow both knees out of more than one highly skilled lifter.

Mistakes in Multi Ply are faster and more dangerous than RAW. It’s just a fact.

This backs up my statement that Multi Ply requires a higher level of skill and strength.

Next statement: Equipped lifters train RAW most of the time.

This is also true.

Training in gear requires a lot of recovery time, in my opinion, more than RAW.

Why?

I believe it is due to a higher neurological demand along with the added weight used in gear.

A basic rule of coaching and training is that periods of high intensity must be balanced with periods of lower intensity to prevent burn out.

This is why we lift RAW more often than not.

Another reason is that we need to lift RAW most of the time to promote hypertrophy. RAW lifting for reps builds muscle and strength.

So, with that all laid out, and Multi Ply starting to go the way of the Dodo Bird, is Multi Ply Powerlifting Dead?

Well, it seemed it was and I think it was due to the explosion of new lifters coming into the sport. People wanted to compete and that is great. They also probably didn’t want to make the investment in all of the gear. Many of them came and left, but many stayed.

And, I am seeing more and more coming to the Darkside and using equipment.

So, I’ll say right here, right now, Multi Ply isn’t dead. It may be on life support, but it seems to be on the come up.  And that makes me happy.

I am seeing more Multi Ply lifters at meets lately than we have in a few years!

We’ve even got a few here at TPS that made the transition with no prodding from anyone. They wanted to see how far they can go, how much they can really lift. Multi Ply is the way to go if that is what you want.

So, are you thinking about giving it a shot?

My answer is just do it.

Jump in, the water is fine.

Find a coach and a crew and get your feet wet. You’ll be happy that you did.

Keep Multi Ply alive!

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Vincere vel mori

C.J. Murphy

November 18, 2021