How is pausing at the chest and locking out completely prior to racking bad form?
It isn't.
But belly lifts aren't allowed in any federation (check Brad Heck).
Rob Luyando lowered his bar when pressing, that's not allowed in any fed I know of either.
Luyando also didn't get a complete lockout.
Of course, Ryan Kennelly had impeccable form: Flat foot to the floor, ass glued to the bench, lowering the bar to the chest and not the belly.
The judges could learn a thing or two by watching his lifts. With less funky lifts allowed, Kennelly would be even more dominant.
Check out the Shawn Frankl clip. He clearly doesn't lock out. He even holds it at near-lock out, until the judge decides to get it racked, and for some reason reward him the lift.
One could argue that it's cool to see big numbers posted.
But this lax judging, or rather non-existent judging, hurts the legacy of the lifters who have put up weights under strict conditions.
