Ben Brand doesn’t buy into the “raw vs. equipped” argument. He’s sick of the trash talking between raw and geared lifters. Rather than choose to be a geared lifter or a raw lifter, Ben chooses to be both. At the beginning of the interview, I was under the assumption that Ben was a raw lifter, because that’s what he’s been concentrating on lately. When I asked if he had always lifted raw, his response was, “I’ve always just considered myself a powerlifter; I feel that a powerlifter should be able to lift raw as well as geared.” Too many lifters pigeonhole themselves into one discipline. There’s nothing worse for a sport than a schism that leads to arguing and disrespect.
Ben, who is 29 and competes as a super heavyweight, has impressive numbers in either case. It seems that while other folks were arguing about whether or not it’s “cheating” to squat in a suit, Ben was grinding it out in the power rack. His raw squat is 820, his raw bench 630. Equipped, he squats 1,075 and benches 775. As for deadlift, he always pulls raw and his best is 720. His best geared total is 2,570. Ben has no plans to stick with one discipline. Currently, he has raw goals he wants to accomplish but he’s also planning on competing in next year’s fully-equipped Pro-Am.
A pipe fitter living in Maryland, Ben’s life and interests revolve around his wife and new baby girl Gemma, as well as sports. As a kid, he played football (he was a three-time all-state defensive tackle), baseball, and wrestled, eventually winning a state wrestling championship. He was always a strong, competitive, athletic kid, so when a friend invited him to a powerlifting meet in Ocean City back in 1998 it was almost inevitable that Ben would be hooked for life.
He currently trains at Dynamo Barbell Club in Rising Sun, Maryland, using a slightly modified Westside template consisting of two dynamic effort days per week, two max effort days per week, and one day per week for heavy back and bicep work. Ben is constantly evaluating and training his weaknesses, which explains why the deadlift is his favorite lift despite it being the most difficult for him. One of his immediate goals is to hit a top-5 all-time raw bench press, something he hopes to accomplish at IPA Senior Nationals on November 21st. In the long term, he has his sights set on a 2300-pound raw total and a 2700-pound equipped total.
When asked to reflect on his best and worst moments in the sport, it didn’t take long for Ben to share his best moment: totaling 2400 as a junior in Shamokin Dam, Pennsylvania in 2004. He squatted 1000lbs, benched 700, and pulled 700, at an age when most people are doing nothing but 12 oz. curls. On the subject of his worst moment, Ben couldn’t think of anything. He’s never dealt with any major injuries and although he’s seen a few gruesome leg breaks at meets, he has nothing but good memories related to powerlifting.
On any given day, Ben is probably following some variation of the following routine: Wake up at 5:30 in the morning, work from 7-5:30, come home and spend a few hours with the family, and then go train. His workouts usually last around 90 minutes, after which he returns home, gives his baby girl a bath, and goes to bed to rest up for the next day. Diet-wise, Ben proudly says he’s on the “see food” diet. He doesn’t count calories or watch what he eats, other than making sure he gets enough protein. He has a couple protein shakes per day and takes creatine monohydrate, flax seed oil, a multivitamin, and fiber supplements. He has a weakness for chocolate, and one time during his teenage years he swallowed a whole goldfish.
Ben is quick to tell you how much he admires his training partners at Dynamo Barbell Club. “They’re the most supportive group of guys I could ask for, they make me want to train every day, they make lifting fun for me, and they’ve helped me reach my goals.”
We are definitely looking forward to having Ben’s training log on the site, as well as having him be a part of our Q&A team. Ben’s log will be a great resource for both geared and raw lifters, because his training will alternate between equipped and raw, something that you don’t see very often. Ben is a well-rounded athlete and a very well-rounded lifter. He’s extremely excited to be a part of EFS, and we are pumped to have him on board.
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Beast
Sick with it!!! Looking to see more from him!
I am very excited to see someone with the same views about equipped and not. your training logs are awesome and an inspiration to myself just starting out, and your numbers are proof of your hard work. looking forward to hearing more from you
I have been training as a raw lifter for the last 2 years. I love this sport. I have competed once and plan to compete again and again. I hate wasted potential. I have never been in gear before but would be all for the exprience. Looking forward to the Log and Q&A
Awesome. Can’t wait to follow his log.
Ben,
You are a strong guy and seem very disciplined. I am very interested in your training mehods especially with you being a former football player. Maybe, I am just partial to those that have been in the trenches. Thanks for sharing.
Badass