Crooks and Hutchinson 
in raw rower success

This was the first year the NI Powerlifting Federation have held this event and with 50 lifters competing they weren’t disappointed.

The competition requires the lifter to do three bench-presses, all of which have to be brought to the chest and paused for up to two seconds. This eliminates the use of a bounce off the chest as in a normal gym benchpress.

Then the lifter is required to do three deadlifts off the floor. The best bench and deadlifts awarded by the referees is then counted to give the lifter his total.

Cookstown’s Randall Crooks competed in the unequipped senior 93kgs bodyweight class and showed why his raw power is amongst the best in Britain.

The former British number two benchpress champion blasted up a 175kgs benchpress and then an easy 280kgs deadlift to claim first place and his 26th title. His 175kgs bench was just 2.5kgs short of that which won the British benchpress championships earlier this year.

Next up competing in the under 23 105kgs bodyweight class was the All Ireland benchpress champion Miles Hutchinson...

not at his best in the bench however miles powered up 142.5kgs and then powered up a huge 275kgs deadlift to claim 2nd place..

Randall would like to thank Darren Allen from Performance Nutrition plus for his kind sponsorship.