Powerlifting Gear Pointers and Tips

Article by Ian Smalley

Usually people who are new to powerlifting take a while to pick up the techniques do to the three lifts well. In fact some new beginners are simply interested in learing how to do the lifts. However, there will come a day when you want to lift more weight and you become passionate about powerlifting, thus you are pasionate about powerlifting gear. That and the fact that about 80% of all poewrlifting federations use gear, Whatever reason powerlifting gear has taken over the sport I don’t really care. the truth is simply that if you watn to compete in a major federation outside of RAW then you had better learn how to use poewrlifting gear..

If you are totally new to poewrlifting competitions then chances are that you will simply lift in what ever federation has the most pull in your city, or just compete in whatever federation your friends at the gym lift in…and that’s just fine. Most guys start training and competing in single or multi ply because of that. So whatever ply you choose to lift in here are some pointers.

#1 – Powerlifting Gear makes you move more weight because you are more stablized-… we can throw all of that “support system” nonsense out the window and leave that in the ads where it belongs. The point of gear is to help take advantage of your body’s strengths and minimize its structural weaknesses, and result is that you move more weight. This is what poewrlifting has become about and if you aren’t interested in lifting a ton of weight you can keep on lifting RAW and no one will blame you. But for those of you who are okay with the support method keep on reading.

#2 – The Numbers Game- Single ply gear will add about 50 to 150lbs to your squat, 30 to 150lbs to your bench, and 50lbs or so to your deadlift. These are generalizations, as powerlifter bodies are different so different lifting styles will get different amounts out of the weight. Most single ply feds require a “walked out” squat so usually the rule is that whatever you can walk out you should be able to squat in a suit. Bench numbers will vary depending on mastery of the shirt and the rules for set up of the fed but expect to get AT LEAST 50 lbs over your raw. Squat suits don’t really help your over all lifting total but what they do do is help you get out of the sitting position and gain more momentum on the way up. But if you couldn’t pick up the weight before then you probably wont be able to now. Suits and shirts really just help you out of the bottom of the lift. In Multi ply gear you can basically just add another 100lbs to each lift. An added advantage to lifting multi ply is that most feds use a monolift to squat out of, so the walk out is eliminated. If you have 2 ply briefs and a 2 ply canvas suit on (4 plys of material), then 200 to 300lbs over your raw is not out of the question. Same on the bench. When I first started training in gear I bought a 2 ply Phenom and hit 500 at 185lbs bodyweight after 4 months of training with a 360 raw bench…so there you go.

#3- Powerlifting Gear Sucks- So I’m sure the beginners are salivating now and are pulling out there credit cards to order one of everything…BUT…the rest of the story is that gear only works because it is tight. Not tight like some underarmor shit you wear under your football pads, tight like your limbs go numb. Powerlifting Gear is extremely uncomfortable…it hurts to wear. It’s really hard to get into and out of, often requiring help from your training partners yanking and pulling on you, ripping your arm hair out. Your legs and arms get huge cuts in them which turn to scars. Your balls get smashed. If you’re reading this and calling bullshit then your gear is loose and you’re a poser. If you’re reading this and laughing because you are covered in scars and know it’s true then you are a powerlifter. If you’re reading this and are scared then you are a newb, and have lots of fun to look forward to.

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