Huge advantage seeing the earlier flights imo but mad props to CC.
No idea with the men yet.
I think instead of an invitational i would like to see qualifying comps to slim the field and get the prizes down to 1 flight…strictly from a competition standpoint.
my summary of Ben Pollack’s deadlifts
Opener: missed
332.5kg, 733lbs
barley broke off ground Hook grip , hands looked hurt
Second: good lift
332.5kg, 733lbs
mixed grip (haven’t seen him pull mixed in a while, probably because of biceps surgery)
third: missed
372.5kg, 821lbs
hate to say hit but the bar didn’t move very far off the ground.
Ross Petkov with the lightweight win?
Everyone else crash and burned lol
Its because he digs his thumbs in like a moron.
( I have told him this buuuutt he ignored the random bro on social media lol)
He successfully pulled 815 for the 198 record hook grip and looked fine. I’m guessing his shift in focus to bodybuilding had a small negative effect on his performance, and he has said before that he never has problems with hook grip, so wasn’t expecting anything to go wrong. Also, I figure if Yuri can get away with 970 hook grip, mid 800’s can be done, but it obviously takes practice. I haven’t actually noticed much of a difference between his hook grip position and Yuri’s or Cailer. After checking Cailer’s instagram, I realize that he trains without straps 90+% of the time, where Ben usually uses straps on 700+ it looks like. Putting all of this aside, if he shifts his focus back to powerlifting in the next 6 months, Ben could probably break his world record and win next years us open
He injured his thumb right before last years US Open.
And to say he hasnt had a problem YET doesnt mean it isnt wrong.
And different people can get away with different things for longer or maybe even forever.
Some people can Bench ultra wide grip elbows flared crashing the bar into their chest for a lifetime but I cant even bench with a wide grip with out destroying my shoulders.
This could definitely play a role in grip strength, or maybe he was training around a (thumb) injury.
Hook Grip is the superior grip. Mixed grip is like Squatting in running shoes.
Time will tell and I am rooting for him (to fix his hook grip LOL)
EDIT: I am very sure about Ben’s thumbs because I had the same issue before I adjusted my Hook Grip technique.
Makes me wonder why mixed grip is so much more popular, anyways I’m also rooting for him, he’s the first powerlifter I started following on social media, and is partially responsible for my love of the sport
Right now i think mixed grip is more popular for being more popular like it’s what you’re likely to be exposed to in any given gym.
Also I think it’s more of a recent thing so like Belkin switched relatively recently because he saw Cailer pull heavy and before he was under the impression that heavy weight couldn’t be pulled with hook. I think in the past that was the thinking it’s only more recently that there has been a shift
Also painful, learning curve and other stuff
Everything Guineapig said 
Anybody have official results yet?
Hook grip isn’t very popular outside of weightlifting, a lot of people probably don’t even know about it much less how to do it properly. Also if you pull even 405 it will hurt a lot when you start using hook grip.
I also think some people just aren’t able to get hook grip to work for them (maybe short thumbs or fingers?). I remember Duffin trying for a while as he had issues using mixed grip but didn’t seem to be able to hook grip anything heavy so went back to mixed.
Also, anyone have any idea why so many less 308+ lifters seem to use hook? I was wondering if maybe their hand thickness means it isnt really possible
That’s a really good question
Hand size would definitely be an issue but past a certain point it seems that increased bodyweight does not benefit the deadlift and may even reduce performance, a lot of SHWs focus more on their squat and bench. I can only think of two SHWs that use hook grip and they are two of the best, Blaine Sumner and Brad Gillingham, the latter of which has set multiple deadlift records.
Also, it seems to me that hook grip seems more comfortable for sumo because otherwise the bar can be unbalanced but doesn’t feel so great for conventional. And as you can see, most of the bigger guys pull conventional.
@khangles Yury Belkin is lifting in the livestream right now
I think oak pulled out. Missed squat opener, didnt show up for second.
Opener: The Kern US Open USPA Powerlifting Competition | Day 2 - YouTube
Second: The Kern US Open USPA Powerlifting Competition | Day 2 - YouTube
missed first at 832, was supposed to retake for second but didn’t. He cut all the way down to 110.1kg, for wilks i guess.
Andrew Herbert tried 910lbs squat, almost falling twice on second attempt. He will try again for third attempt.
Second: The Kern US Open USPA Powerlifting Competition | Day 2 - YouTube
third: will take place in a few minutes
Yuri squatted 837lbs for second, and doesnt look like hes taking a third
The Kern US Open USPA Powerlifting Competition | Day 2 - YouTube
maybe we should make a new thread for us open updates
I made a thread for US Open updates
Larry’s meet so far:
third squat (good lift): The Kern US Open USPA Powerlifting Competition | Day 2 - YouTube
second bench (good lift): The Kern US Open USPA Powerlifting Competition | Day 2 - YouTube
third bench (three reds): The Kern US Open USPA Powerlifting Competition | Day 2 - YouTube
unfortunately, this means he needs a 959 deadlift to tie the record 
An 83kg male lifter would have to total 990kg+ before hitting 664 wilks lol