? for Powerlifters (especially the ladies)

[K James]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new here, I've been lurking for a while and thought this was most likely one of the best places to get some solid information. Thanks for the board Jesse & Callie.

I have been lifting for about a year and doing well with continued solid gains. For competitions I wondered at what point did you start training with Bench Press Shirts and DL Suits etc?

I haven't maxed out yet on my lifts but wondered at what time should I start training with the other equipment, once I max out?

Also for those ladies who have competed with suits and shirts any recommendations for suits that seem to fit a womans body better?

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Paul Sazy]

Welcome to the board. For PL equipment I like Metal Gear. Bench shirts are all about how you deal with the pain. If you are well endowed you won't be able to use a really tight shirt. There is no good time to start using equipment as it will take some time to learn how to use it. Kara could probably help more with the womens PL equipment.

Paul

[Jamie T]

just a note i believe that the more you can practice with gear the better.. of course the argument goes that you can "weaken" a shirt or suit with to many attempts.. my advice is if you can swing it is to get two suits and two or more shirts .. that way you can keep one set for meets and the other for training.. also if youuse any sort of mail order company.. allow a lot of time.. i had a situation a few years back where i had allowed 14 weeks for my gear to come to me and I literally stopped the courier at the side of the street a few blocks from my house as i was driving to the ferries to go to my meet!!! hope this helps...

[rob meulenberg]

wow, this is a touchy subject among powerlifters. I am personally in the school of thought of in the beginning, the less gear, the better. The top of the line single ply (and multi-ply) gear is so good and extreme, that it seems that novice lifters are throwing this stuff on and lifting way more than their body can handle. They do not build up a solid base, and therefore are setting themselves up for injury.

If someone weighs 250 lbs and can only bench 315 raw, one does not need a double denim bench shirt. That person's time, IMO, is better spent building up some raw strength, and playing with some less extreme powerlifting gear, say the Inzer Champion suit and Blast shirts. That is all you should need in the beginning.

As you get better (and stronger), buy the better gear. Inzer makes the Hardcore, Titan the Centurion, Metal, etc. And they all make good bench shirts.

I did not touch a good suit until i could squat 650 lbs in my Champion (weighing 240 lbs).

As far as which gear is best for a woman's body, i will also have to defer to kara or someone like that.

[Callie Marunde]

Yikes !! Have you ever seen anyone get into one of those things?? You may want to reconsider (i think they squoosh the girls) hahaaha

Kara will help you out as soon as she reads this thread!

Callie

[K James]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I look forward to hearing from Kara on the topic. For me I have competed raw at all of my events, and will continue to do so until I max out, however to remain competitive I know that I will have to suit up eventually.

I am just hoping to get the maximum effort for my training time. I like the idea of having two suits to practice and compete in makes a lot of sense and appreciate the advice.

I am not to big of a girl, and compete in the under 148lb group, and I have my eye on a few records only they tend to be about 200lbs over my body weight :)


Thanks again for the advice and insight, I truly appreciate it!

Callie, I think it all gets sqooshed, singlets aren't the most flattering outfits (for men or women) the things you do, for the love of the sport!

[Gene Getman]

Dont they make shirt and suits with holes cut out or something? :D :p J/K
Seriously though, rob had some real good points. Im not a big fan of gear but some simple, single ply, not too tight fitting equiptment will do wonders for your lifts, your joints, and in no way will hinder you from building a solid strenth base. Ive competed equipped in the past but compete raw only now and I use the equiptment as a tool during my training just like bands, or a squat box, as long as you think of it that way, you'll be on your way to smash those records, with or without gear!

[K James]

Thanks Gene,

I am still building my technique and working toward my max lifts, my next comp isn't until July so I want to do that raw as well and go for broke so to say with my final lifts. I've had a chance to review some of the Titan and Inzer products, I like the idea of the Titan shirt as it's a little easier to get on with the lighter material on the back.

I'd like to start training with a dead suit after that for the next comp in October...hopefully that will give me enough time to practice.

Jaime

[kara]

please forgive me for just now responding. i've been out of town for most of the last month! rob is dead on about the less the better...i have still to this day done all of my pr squats in an inzer champion suit! i know there's bigger and better out there but easy to learn, doesn't change your technique much, not too painful and about $40! you can also deadlift in it.

for bench...a good ole single ply poly is a great place to start. the inzer rage x shirt is unbelievable. slides on easy and adds a TON!

also get some "z" knee wraps and wrist wraps as well as suit slippers to pull your suit on. that's all you really need to start and it won't be super expensive. do you have good squat shoes?

aslo...i've never had a problem wearing stock size gear...fits most women just fine since the material eventually conforms to your body. please feel free to ask any questions though!

[kara]

oh yea...timing. i like to do everything raw and then throw on a suit 2 weeks out...this is NOT the optimal way to do it though. i'd say about 8 weeks out start practicing in the gear. but still get your raw work in!

[K James]

Hi Kara,

Thanks for the great information. I'm good on all of my other gear such as shoes and wraps. In fact I just got my new pink wraps from the folks over at Apt Wrist straps. They are incredibly amazing! (And quite stylish I might add LOL)

I have been doing some research on what type of gear to go with for the fem figure but couldn't really find that much information.

Thanks so much for your advice.

[kara]

my pleasure! pink wraps...uh oh! this is the first i'm hearing of them...MUST HAVE ASAP!