Breaking in a Squat Suit/Briefs

Training Powerlifting
1

Disclaimer: I have never ever used gear!

I recently purchased a pair of Inzer Power Pants and used their sizing chart for the size to buy for my bodyweights. When they arrived they were tight as hell, but I figured that’s the way it goes and no wonder there are 5 guys helping someone put on a squat suit at a meet.

I tried putting them on as much as I could in the evening for a couple of days, of course they were sitting too down on my thighs and I could barely open my legs to the side, let alone squat.

This week I had the genius idea of putting the one leg through a barbell and letting them hang in the powerrack with a loaded barbell off the other leg. I did this for 2 days and today, ME Lower Day, I managed to fit in, somehow, and they were sitting pretty high up on me. I worked up to some not too heavy weight just to test the waters and its hard as hell to reach parallel. I didn’t have a camera but my estimation is the crease of my hips was 1-2" above the top of my knee cap. I changed my stance around and went wider, opened my legs up more nad pointed the toes out and tried sitting back in them more (think - Sumo pulls) and that felt a little more natural and I think helped with depth more.

Am I onto something and I need to just keep working that in? Or do i need to do something else? I’m pretty sure they are supposed to feel tight.

As I said I am a gear noob and have never tried anything outside my slingshot.

Thanks!

2

A follow up question - is it feasible to consider pulling in those guys as well? From my experience so far in them - they have a great STOPPING power, but not much rebound, so dunno if that would be helpful at all with a deadlift.

Cheers!

3

I squat and pull in power pants. Its doable.

4

Stretching with a hanging barbell is not my favourite idea personally. It stretches the material in a non functional way - what I mean, is you want it to stretching for your squat so that it ‘forms’ to you. This will help develop the groove.

Honestly though, just get suit slippers and you can get most suits on. Mine is most likely tighter than yours as there is no way in hell it could get past my knees without slippers, yet I can get it on myself with slippers.

As far as breaking in a suit… I think it sounds like you hve it right. Really focus on controlling the suit with moderate weights (IE something you can perform the concentric with good speed but the eccentric is the hard part) and in time slowly add weight and get deeper. Be careful about changing things around too much because you may have weaknesses/stiffness etc that hinder a dramatically different squat style.