Cutting My Bench Shirt, Need Some Advice

Bigger Stronger Leaner Powerlifting & Strength Sports
1

Ok folks, gotta question. After lifting as a raw lifter over the past two years, i am making a “if you can’t beat um, join em leap” into the world of bench shirts. I have never really used one before, other than one from a larger friend of mine.

The Inzer shirt he has given me fit him at 5’9’’ and 308 or so. i am 25 yrs old, 5’8’’ and 280 give or take an extra snack. the shirt he has allowed me to use a few times in the weight room he has given to me.

he says the shirt is “loose” apperntly becasue i can still breathe in it, because to me it feels tight as hell.

any way. anyway i am strict form about 430-460 bencher raw. he has suggested i take his bench shirt, cut it down to mid back and pull the shirt to the top of my titty line. he says because it is loose on me it is the only real way i will feel a “shirt advantage”

i am six and a half to seven weeks out from my meet and wondering if i could get some more advice from anyone with experience cutting their shirt or if i should even cut it. or if you think i should continue raw only.

any help from my T-Nation family would be greatly appreciated

2

I’ve cut the necks on three shirts(Inzer EHPHD, Double Titan Fury, Karin’s DD) and had good luck with the technique, however there are some caveats:

  1. Will an open back shirt be allowed at the meet you are lifting in? Check the rules carefully!
  2. What kind of shirt are you cutting?
  3. Shirts take time to learn, and the stronger the shirt the more time it takes to learn. Six weeks is a fairly compressed timeline to learn a modern shirt(DD/RageX/Fury) .

To your question:
Generally I have been opening the back on the shirt completely. The EHPHD, which was already pretty tight, blew out on the forth lift in it. The double Fury is a size larger than I wear in a single, and is great, but takes an obscene amount of weight to get a good touch. The DD is also great, and I get a lot more pop out of it post cutting, but it is a bit loose, and I find my lifting in the DD is sloppier since I cut it.

The basic theory is that it allows it to catch the triceps lower, giving more leverage on the arms, and consequently more pop. As well it moves the reinforced collar lower on your chest, allowing you to stretch a stronger, shorter, piece of material over a longer path (over your pecs, rather than up around your neck).

Obviously, if you choose to go equipped, buying a shirt that fits both you, and your style is the best solution, but that can be an expensive proposition.

As to whether or not you should cut the loose shirt you have, it boils down to performance: If you are getting ten pounds out of it, then yes, cut the shirt, why wouldn’t you? If you are getting 50 pounds out of it, then no don’t cut the shirt, you won’t have time to learn a new, stronger groove in six weeks, and bombing meets sucks.

3

what inzer shirt is it…open back shirts are by far the best its just you need to be around some one who knows what there doing…its a step up the learning curve from a closed back shirt…rb

4

the meet is Ken Lain’s non-affiliated bench contest (good thing he isn’t lifting) their will be one judge (pass or fail) and a touch pause and go lifting approach.

any and all shirts are allowed.

the shirt itself is a “HDHP Blast”

i have gotten a little out of it but 10+ at most.

if i do cut it what is the diffrence from cutting it all the way down the back and half way down the back.

should i stop raw lifting these last 6 weeks and go with lifting with a shirt only?

any other advice will be appreciated on to cut or not to cut

5

Hands down if its an HPHD Blast shirt cut it. Pull it down low on your chest and you may get about 30 lbs. out of it. With that shirt there should not be a huge issue with learning the groove.

6

I agree with TTewell; if it is an HPHD, cut the shirt. You will get a little more out of it, and should have no trouble learning the groove.

There is very little difference between cutting just the neck, and opening the whole back of the shirt. I find it easier to position the shirt with the whole back open, but some people find it easier to belt the shirt down if only the neck is open.

Oh Yeah: If you open the neck, make sure you wear a belt to keep the shirt from slipping around.

7

thanks for all the help so far. anything else would be greatly appreiciated.

is a HPHD shirt a bad shirt? or just for rookies?

8

lol the HPHD shirt was for rookies about at least 5 years back. After you use this shirt look into maybe getting a Rage X poly or making the jump to a double denim, it’s a preference thing usually. But you will get a much greater carryover with those shirts.

9

Its only really good for very inexperienced lifters.

Cutting that shirt will make it work a little better, but if you pull it down too far, the neck will rip. That shirt really is not made to work as an open back.

It will be fine for your first meet, but I would definitely recommend upgrading to something much better if you want to really compete equipped. For a beginner with a little experience, I would recommend an Inzer Rage sinlge ply. When you have 3 or more meets under you belt, you might then want to upgrade to a Rage X, or even go toward a double denim shirt.