I've questioned Justin's lift since I read about it in PLUSA last month. It was high.... Thats all there is about it, but the judges gave him two white lights, so it counts.
As far as the gear goes, I really, really think we are getting close to the limit you will see because of gear. The simple fact is that the back can only take so much compression. You can put on a multi layer suit and briefs and what not to support the hips and knees, but you are not going to be able to support/counteract the compressive forces on the backbone. We are just a stones throw away from seeing people blow out disks becuase of the compressive forces on their backs. Its going to happen because no matter how much gear is used, the back is still putting up with the compressive forces of 1000, 1100, 1200+ lbs.
My personal opinion is that the support gear used is not a big deal--as long as what is used is consistant in the specific competition. If one person has a canvas suit, they better all be wearing one or if one person is in a poly suit, they better all be wearing one. I watch the guys using double layered briefs and canvas suits for the "Holy cow" factor. I watch single layer squatters like Kirk K. for respect of what he's able to do and I watch the raw lifters because they impress the hell out of me. Its really that simple.
My personal belief is that federations that allows for more than one layer gear and squatting out of monolifts and "parallell" lifts, they're making a joke out of powerlifting.
Why?
For one: Fat people get more from lifting gear. Meaning if you find a real fatass, and train him into reasonable shape, he'll be able to squat some serious poundage within a year if he can use a monolift, briefs, canvas, the clown squatting depth, and everything else that these feds puts up out.
Nobody would be happier than me if everything except a belt would be banned in powerlifting.
Sure, it will take some serious poundage of the squats and the benchpresses. But all lifts will be legit lifts.
And no more of these lardasses like Rychlak being hailed as a world class lifter.
troponin mentioned that it was unjust to call Graalfs a tool. I don't see it that way.
How anyone could compete in a high-squat, multi-ply fed is beyond my comprehension.
Graalfs could compete in a single-ply fed, with legit squat depth. He doesn't.
-Hedge