hey guys i need some help with what i’m allowed to wear for my first powerlifting competition. It is an AAPF meet. I don’t have any experience with lifting suits but i have a few months to prepare for it. Here are the rules for the suit i can wear…
Lifting Suit
A lifting suit of the basic design illustrated shall be worn. It must be an individual full
length article of cloth fabric. Its construction may consist of multiple plies to any
thickness but must, as a whole, be a singular component. The straps must be worn
over the shoulders at all times while lifting in
competition. It may be of any color or colors. The
length of the leg, when worn, must not extend beyond
mid-thigh (medial point between crotch and top of knee
cap). Women may wear a one-piece suit of comparable
design to the lifting suit. Leotards with sleeves or high
cut leg lines are not permitted.
Can someone link me to a suit that would fit this criteria?
[quote]bears wrote:
hey guys i need some help with what i’m allowed to wear for my first powerlifting competition. It is an AAPF meet. I don’t have any experience with lifting suits but i have a few months to prepare for it. Here are the rules for the suit i can wear…
Lifting Suit
A lifting suit of the basic design illustrated shall be worn. It must be an individual full
length article of cloth fabric. Its construction may consist of multiple plies to any
thickness but must, as a whole, be a singular component. The straps must be worn
over the shoulders at all times while lifting in
competition. It may be of any color or colors. The
length of the leg, when worn, must not extend beyond
mid-thigh (medial point between crotch and top of knee
cap). Women may wear a one-piece suit of comparable
design to the lifting suit. Leotards with sleeves or high
cut leg lines are not permitted.
Can someone link me to a suit that would fit this criteria?
[/quote]
Pretty much any multi-ply suit, single-ply, or singlet would work, it sounds like. When is the meet? Have you ever lifted in a suit before?
Check on www.elitefts.com, www.plgearonline.com, or any other PL gear site. You probably won’t want to try to bench in a squat or deadlift suit, so you will need a singlet for that.
they have Metal brand ones for something like $30. these are non supportive. if you are thinking about supportive gear… that’s a whole other discussion that i know next to nothing about. I compete in my fruit of the looms.
I would really advise looking for a raw meet maybe?
That meet sounds like it is a multi-ply, and 2 months is a very short amount of time to select the right gear for you, get it, and train enough to be efficient in it.
You can lift raw in aapf so just go raw (just a singlet). If you don’t have any experience (or don’t even know about) powerlifting gear I really don’t think you should try to get into some for this meet.
yeah i agree with you guys about pickin a raw meet first. its frustrating cuz i want to start competing and this one is pretty close. i guess i gotta keep lookin. what if I just used a single ply? could i get used to that in 8 weeks if i have NO experience with suits? i just wanna get a meet under my belt.
buy a non supportive singlet and compete. you don’t have to use equipment to compete in an equipped meet. competing should be about your goals anyway. don’t worry about what other poeple are doing. go, compete, get a total and hopefully learn a ton while you are there.
it’s my opinion that if you have plans to go the gear route that you should first get your raw strength up. it’s always sad to see that bean poll in a multiply shirt struggling with 200lbs.
[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
buy a non supportive singlet and compete. you don’t have to use equipment to compete in an equipped meet. competing should be about your goals anyway. don’t worry about what other poeple are doing. go, compete, get a total and hopefully learn a ton while you are there.
it’s my opinion that if you have plans to go the gear route that you should first get your raw strength up. it’s always sad to see that bean poll in a multiply shirt struggling with 200lbs. [/quote]
I agree. I know some women in my weight class or higher who have competed with gear as long as I’ve been competing, and I have a higher raw total. It makes no sense.
[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
buy a non supportive singlet and compete. you don’t have to use equipment to compete in an equipped meet. competing should be about your goals anyway. don’t worry about what other poeple are doing. go, compete, get a total and hopefully learn a ton while you are there.
it’s my opinion that if you have plans to go the gear route that you should first get your raw strength up. it’s always sad to see that bean poll in a multiply shirt struggling with 200lbs. [/quote]
yeah screw it. im just gonna do what you said and go. i have my numbers that id like to hit and ill just try and hit those. thanks guys.
yeah screw it. im just gonna do what you said and go. i have my numbers that id like to hit and ill just try and hit those. thanks guys.
[/quote]
and that shouldn’t change even when you are more experienced. you should always have your lifts planned out. don’t worry about what others are putting up. this great sport that we love is an individual one. compete for yourself… no one else.
IMHO…Do this one with just a belt and wraps. Learn to use wraps to their fullest. Get accustomed to how you would really lift in a meet- i.e. waiting for commands, learn to bench with something like a pause, squating to depth, etc.
Then, jump into 2-ply gear. Single ply gear is kind of a waste in my mind. Good 1-ply shit is still expensive and it stretches out pretty fast. Start out with a good pair of briefs (Boss, Metal, Predators) and then add a suit.
[quote]Pinto wrote:
IMHO…Do this one with just a belt and wraps. Learn to use wraps to their fullest. Get accustomed to how you would really lift in a meet- i.e. waiting for commands, learn to bench with something like a pause, squating to depth, etc.
Then, jump into 2-ply gear. Single ply gear is kind of a waste in my mind. Good 1-ply shit is still expensive and it stretches out pretty fast. Start out with a good pair of briefs (Boss, Metal, Predators) and then add a suit.
BTW- which meet are you doing- the AL state meet?[/quote]
the meet i’m doin is in Willowbrook IL on March 14-15. I’ve never even used wraps before. only a belt. im fairly confident i can get the commands down in eight weeks. i’ve been practicing in my head when i train. for my bench i’ve been using a highly exaggerated pause so I dont get thrown out of whack at the meet. you think i can get used to wraps in 8 weeks? i wasnt even goin to get those. thanks for all the replies everyone.
[quote]pushmepullme wrote:
I had edited my post to take out the questions that you’d already answered, and asked instead if you had anyone to help you learn how to use a suit.
And I agree re: looking for a raw meet first. I didn’t lift in single ply until I’d already competed raw for almost a year. [/quote]
yeah thats the other thing. i train alone. thank god for power racks. i dont have anyone to teach me how to lift in a suit.
[quote]jpuck wrote:
You can lift raw in aapf so just go raw.[/quote]
jpuck is right. The AAPF is the amatuer division of the APF. It is drug tested and has a separate Raw division. Whereas the APF is untested and allows pretty much unlimited gear.
All you need to compete raw in the AAPF is a singlet. Although you can use a belt and wraps as well.
[quote]bears wrote:
so using wraps is still considered raw?[/quote]
it really doesn’t matter for your meet. you are going to be lifting in a geared meet without a raw division.
In other federations that have raw divisions it all depends. some feds consider the use of wraps as still being raw and others you can only use a belt. you just have to read up on all the different feds. go to www.powerliftingwatch.com and pull up all the different feds in your area and read.
[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
it’s my opinion that if you have plans to go the gear route that you should first get your raw strength up. it’s always sad to see that bean poll in a multiply shirt struggling with 200lbs. [/quote]
agreed
I’d be that beanpole…which is why I gave up the shirt/suit (single ply) .
the meet i’m doin is in Willowbrook IL on March 14-15. I’ve never even used wraps before. only a belt. im fairly confident i can get the commands down in eight weeks. i’ve been practicing in my head when i train. for my bench i’ve been using a highly exaggerated pause so I dont get thrown out of whack at the meet. you think i can get used to wraps in 8 weeks? i wasnt even goin to get those. thanks for all the replies everyone.
[/quote]
Oh OK. I think that’s an Eric Stone thing. I hear he puts on great meets.
The bench pause was a big shocker for me at my first meet. Even when you get a quick “press” command, it still sometimes seems like the bar has been on your chest forever.
Wraps are personal choice- just like any other gear. The learning curve is pretty short. But if you are going use wraps in competition, use them in training. Having your knees wrapped effects how fast you drop into the hole and how fast you come out. It may change your set-up- especially on walked out squats- not so much in a monolift. If you have been squatting raw until now, wraps will make you feel like a rocket coming out of the hole.
However, if you are wrapped tight, they are pretty damn uncomfortable- that takes a little getting used to. If you can use wraps for a few heavy squat session for a few sets each time, you should be fine. In a meet, I usually start wrapping my knees when the guy before me is walking up to the platform. That means i’m usually only waiting with tight wrap on for 1-2 minutes at most.
