I know that gear use is one of the most controversial issues on this site.
If you use it, good for you. If you hate it, good for you.
I wanted to see what you muscleheads thought of this concept: You must be able to complete a full range lift with the gear on to perform the lift. For example, wear what you want, BUT, you MUST do the bar in the warmup room FIRST before performing the lift.
7 out of 10 of the “best” benchers at a meet couldn’t get the bar to their chest, I don’t know what that is doing to our wonderful sport.
Please give me your comments, thank you.
Something like blast shirts and Z-suits? I like it. Although, outside of the approval from lifters with a non-committed interest (such as me) and ususal flock of gym-only lifters that are some of the most vitriolic critics of extreme gear, will this concept really attract lifters (i.e. lifters who actually compete) to a meet?
I think that the key to making it work, is that it’s going to have to be fun for the lifters. While a lot of internet purists seem to tout the light gear feds- USAPL, AAU, USPF, these feds lose a lot of lifters to APF, WPC and IPA. While gear and drug testing issues are part of it, the multi-ply feds tend to places where minor rule infractions don’t get lifts turned down (especially at state meets or for non-record attempts) and there is a loud, rowdy vibe and a pro-lifter mentality. It don’t matter what your principles are as far true powerlifting and all that, if most of the lifters leave pissed, they won’t come back and you have failed.
Good points, but is the idea to be “likable” so that peopple come back to your federation -OR- is the goal very strict, equal judging to see who is the strongest?
I have seen “local favorites” squat 5" high and get passed, but that’s another issue for another day.
[quote]Pinto wrote:
Something like blast shirts and Z-suits? I like it. Although, outside of the approval from lifters with a non-committed interest (such as me) and ususal flock of gym-only lifters that are some of the most vitriolic critics of extreme gear, will this concept really attract lifters (i.e. lifters who actually compete) to a meet?
I think that the key to making it work, is that it’s going to have to be fun for the lifters. While a lot of internet purists seem to tout the light gear feds- USAPL, AAU, USPF, these feds lose a lot of lifters to APF, WPC and IPA. While gear and drug testing issues are part of it, the multi-ply feds tend to places where minor rule infractions don’t get lifts turned down (especially at state meets or for non-record attempts) and there is a loud, rowdy vibe and a pro-lifter mentality. It don’t matter what your principles are as far true powerlifting and all that, if most of the lifters leave pissed, they won’t come back and you have failed.[/quote]
The way I see it is that if all the feds gathered for a conference to review absolutely everything about the sport of PLing. Then there would be some serious changes made. This may have already happened and I did’nt know bout it. I’m new to the sport. Yes I do use gear, but nothing above single ply thread. I use pieces of my gear in my training to overload my system and muslces. This has worked well for me because although I keep track of my comp. lifts I also keep up with my raw lifts. Both have raised dramaticly from this type of training. If one man/woman decides they want to go raw or geared thats their choose. There are pro/cons to both forms of the sport. Either way things should become more uniform, but deciding on which form of PLing is better really isnt for anyone to say.
[quote]moonjumper wrote:
I know that gear use is one of the most controversial issues on this site.
If you use it, good for you. If you hate it, good for you.
I wanted to see what you muscleheads thought of this concept: You must be able to complete a full range lift with the gear on to perform the lift. For example, wear what you want, BUT, you MUST do the bar in the warmup room FIRST before performing the lift.
7 out of 10 of the “best” benchers at a meet couldn’t get the bar to their chest, I don’t know what that is doing to our wonderful sport.
Please give me your comments, thank you.[/quote]
If you mean so that the bar will just go to the chest without any pulling from the lats then i agree with you.
If you don’t then the guys with the strongest lats will get the most from their suits because they will be able to pull tighter suits to their chest. Hope you know what i mean.
Good point, but I will allow lat pull since it is still them, not anything artifical like gear.
[quote]superscience wrote:
moonjumper wrote:
I know that gear use is one of the most controversial issues on this site.
If you use it, good for you. If you hate it, good for you.
I wanted to see what you muscleheads thought of this concept: You must be able to complete a full range lift with the gear on to perform the lift. For example, wear what you want, BUT, you MUST do the bar in the warmup room FIRST before performing the lift.
7 out of 10 of the “best” benchers at a meet couldn’t get the bar to their chest, I don’t know what that is doing to our wonderful sport.
Please give me your comments, thank you.
If you mean so that the bar will just go to the chest without any pulling from the lats then i agree with you.
If you don’t then the guys with the strongest lats will get the most from their suits because they will be able to pull tighter suits to their chest. Hope you know what i mean.
I think the shirts have gotten insane. I’ve tried the Metals, the Rages and DD inzers and hate em all. I can’t get anything under 500 to touch in those.
I really like the Titans because rather than having to pull the bar down with my back I can just float it out and it drops perfectly w/ my own form. I hate having to compromise my own form for a shirt.
The guys who aren’t touching in the meets are only screwing themselves while the guys like me who aren’t shattering records still beat them w/ my over all total. I recently bought a New model of Frantz canvas and I think it’s great. It will allow you adjust the shoulders and there are new straps that wrap up from the inner rear thigh to the outter hip to make it tight or loose. So breaking paralell shouldn’t be an issue anymore.
I do hate to see guys bomb in meets, knowing they trained there asses off just to show up totally fuck themselves out of a number. I think too many guys are trying to hit PR’s every lift to hurry to the top of there class. You just have to be patient and get stronger all together. I’ve seen a guy who never benched over 500 in training, train in a shirt he could have done well in a meet w/, go buy a new Metal and try it in a meet w/ I think it was 525 w/ the Metal. Not happening. When you try to help him out he says the shirts suck. No, your just not strong enough to wear it or be the man right now. Then he quits PL’ing all together out of frustration. Waste of money. Metals are like 200 bucks. So I don’t know if these guys are thinking they’re gonna be in the WPO next week or what but something needs to be regulated as far as gear uniformity. But until then I’ll keep using my used Titan shirts and keep getting little PR’s here and there and be happy for me.
What would prevent me from wearing a loose enough shirt to touch the bar when the judges are checking gear in warmups, and switching to the exact same shirt two sizes smaller before I hit the platform?
I say fuck it, let gear get as outta control as we all know it will (and kinda already has). Eventually there comes a point of diminishing returns or even regression. Remember triple-ply denims that were seen everywhere for a year or two? They kinda went the way of the dinosaur. Why? It simply took way too much for lifters to touch and they weren’t getting any more benefit than a double. This is a fringe sport, at best, and the majority of the world couldn’t give a rat’s ass what the biggest bench in history is anyway.
Lift for yourself. Compete for however long you want to and then retire. Tell your grandkids what you benched back in the day and they will still think you were Superman no matter what the number…
Great attitude and I feel he same way as you, except for the “switch the shirt when the judges aren’t looking” thing. I also think that you need to perform the bar only lift right before you attempt your lift.
Do you think that your grandkids will have super space age lifting gear, or will it go back to how strong you really are?
What’s next? mendelson getting a boob job to decrease bar travel?
Wait I know, take a leafspring off a chevy suburban, strap it to your chest and wrists, that’s gotta give you 500 lbs, quick call INZER.
[quote]Antman517 wrote:
What would prevent me from wearing a loose enough shirt to touch the bar when the judges are checking gear in warmups, and switching to the exact same shirt two sizes smaller before I hit the platform?
I say fuck it, let gear get as outta control as we all know it will (and kinda already has). Eventually there comes a point of diminishing returns or even regression. Remember triple-ply denims that were seen everywhere for a year or two? They kinda went the way of the dinosaur. Why? It simply took way too much for lifters to touch and they weren’t getting any more benefit than a double. This is a fringe sport, at best, and the majority of the world couldn’t give a rat’s ass what the biggest bench in history is anyway.
Lift for yourself. Compete for however long you want to and then retire. Tell your grandkids what you benched back in the day and they will still think you were Superman no matter what the number…[/quote]