How tight is a belt meant to be?
I have trained without any gear and have been using a fairly basic Toro training belt (2.5" in the front).
I have to suck in a bit to get it on but it’s not super tight - should it be?
[quote]BigMike wrote:
im thinkin about buying the convict apt wrist and knee wraps , my squat is 450 and bench is 350. i was also thinking about buying the all black metal wraps .which would be better ? [/quote]
I’m picking up my Convicts tomorrow, so I’ll have a bit more info in a week or so.
Currently I can tell you categorically that the Strangulators are better knee wraps than the All Blacks. They give more carryover, are more comfortable, give decent carryover when not cranked to the max, and best of all are cheaper.
The Metal’s do stretch further to give more wraps and are thinner.
Hey Hey.
I think I’m ready to venture into gear land. I wont be able to compete until this summer so I just want to start learning the gear. I doubt I’ll be able to learn a bench shirt on my own, so I got my eye on some of them super multi-ply briefs.
All I’ve seen so far reviewed in the way of Multi-Ply Briefs is the Metal ACE Briefs.
I’ve heard the carry-over is great, but I’ve also heard that they’re too big and thick to allow you to put on a properly fitting squat suit.
As far as I’m aware, the most powerful briefs are the:
- Metal ACE Briefs
- Inzer Predators Briefs
- Titan Boss Briefs
I’ve heard that the Titan Boss Briefs and the Inzer Predators give a lot of rebound but are still pretty thin and allow you to get in a suit that will give you the best carryover.
So, does anyone have any suggestions? Is what I’ve heard right or wrong? Which Brief should I get?
[quote]FightingScott wrote:
Hey Hey.
I think I’m ready to venture into gear land. I wont be able to compete until this summer so I just want to start learning the gear. I doubt I’ll be able to learn a bench shirt on my own, so I got my eye on some of them super multi-ply briefs.
All I’ve seen so far reviewed in the way of Multi-Ply Briefs is the Metal ACE Briefs.
I’ve heard the carry-over is great, but I’ve also heard that they’re too big and thick to allow you to put on a properly fitting squat suit.
As far as I’m aware, the most powerful briefs are the:
- Metal ACE Briefs
- Inzer Predators Briefs
- Titan Boss Briefs
I’ve heard that the Titan Boss Briefs and the Inzer Predators give a lot of rebound but are still pretty thin and allow you to get in a suit that will give you the best carryover.
So, does anyone have any suggestions? Is what I’ve heard right or wrong? Which Brief should I get?[/quote]
I have not tried the ACE’s nor the Boss’s, but my Predators are THE SHIT. I cannot think of a bad thing to say about them. They aren’t very thick, but it still takes ~2.5xBW to hit depth.
Also, the pressure seems pretty evenly distributed, unlike my Centurion suit(where all the pressure seems to be on the seams.) But, as I said, I have never used the others…
[quote]masonator wrote:
They aren’t very thick, but it still takes ~2.5xBW to hit depth.
[/quote]
Really? you need 2.5XBW to hit depth? I was hoping I could have something to wear that would give me a good carry-over but would be something that I could wear doing DE Box Squats.
Maybe there’s something I’m missing. I don’t know jack about powerlifting gear, but I find it hard to believe that it takes 500 pounds to hit depth in them when a lot of strong lifters aren’t doing their DE Squats with Briefs with weights above 500 pounds.
Masonator, do you do DE Box Squats? If you do, do you have to do them raw or with different equipment?
[quote]FightingScott wrote:
Hey Hey.
I think I’m ready to venture into gear land. I wont be able to compete until this summer so I just want to start learning the gear. I doubt I’ll be able to learn a bench shirt on my own, so I got my eye on some of them super multi-ply briefs.
All I’ve seen so far reviewed in the way of Multi-Ply Briefs is the Metal ACE Briefs.
I’ve heard the carry-over is great, but I’ve also heard that they’re too big and thick to allow you to put on a properly fitting squat suit.
As far as I’m aware, the most powerful briefs are the:
- Metal ACE Briefs
- Inzer Predators Briefs
- Titan Boss Briefs
I’ve heard that the Titan Boss Briefs and the Inzer Predators give a lot of rebound but are still pretty thin and allow you to get in a suit that will give you the best carryover.
So, does anyone have any suggestions? Is what I’ve heard right or wrong? Which Brief should I get?[/quote]
The Boss is the best brief out there, check that, the old Boss fit is the best brief out there. They can say what they want that they didn’t change the cut, but the legs are tighter than before. That said, the material is really good and they last for a good long time. Great choice for a training brief, but you may have to buy a size big and take the hips in depending on your quad size.
I have both Metal Ace and Pro briefs. I like both. They’re easy to get on without too much help, and the carryover is pretty good. They seem to last a fair amount too. Overall, my preference is to the Ace cut. I like the support and how they help keep my legs out. That said, I wouldn’t choose it to wear under a suit because the material is a bit on the thick side, so if you plan to wear these under a suit, I think the Pro might be a touch thinner.
I wish I could comment on the Predator. I hear good things from them, even the single-ply is supposed to be pretty good.
If it was me, I’d probably see if you can buy a suit used and use that to train in. The benefit here is that you can put the straps down and it’s basically a brief, but you also gain the benefit of getting used to the straps up for maxing. From my experience, you should be able to find a like new, used suit for about the same price of a new brief.
[quote]Dominator wrote:
The Boss is the best brief out there, check that, the old Boss fit is the best brief out there. They can say what they want that they didn’t change the cut, but the legs are tighter than before. That said, the material is really good and they last for a good long time. Great choice for a training brief, but you may have to buy a size big and take the hips in depending on your quad size.
I have both Metal Ace and Pro briefs. I like both. They’re easy to get on without too much help, and the carryover is pretty good. They seem to last a fair amount too. Overall, my preference is to the Ace cut. I like the support and how they help keep my legs out. That said, I wouldn’t choose it to wear under a suit because the material is a bit on the thick side, so if you plan to wear these under a suit, I think the Pro might be a touch thinner.
[/quote]
Thanks for the input.
What are your lifts like? What do you get out of the Boss Briefs compared to Raw?
To be clear, would you say the Boss Brief gives you better carryover than either Metal Brief?
Im hesitant to post here since Im a gear newb, but Iv got a pair of ACE’s that I love. Like I said, I am new to gear, so I cant give much input in comparison to other briefs, but my ace briefs are gangster as fuck. They are a pair of hand me downs from the owner of my gym and I got lucky that they fit me perfectly. They really force my stance out, and having recently made the transition from raw to equipped lifting, it took me a while to learn how to squat back and let my gear stop me rather than squatting down.
Once I figured that out, I stopped having issues with getting to parallel in them (before, 400+ lbs would be harder to get to a high box than it was to get off). As far as carryover, I would say I got a nearly instant 50 lbs out of them and that number keeps climbing as I learn how to use the gear. My coach/training partner thinks that a 500 squat in them is feasible for me within the next couple of months (at my last meet, I squatted 365 raw and probably had another 20 lbs in me).
[quote]FightingScott wrote:
Thanks for the input.
What are your lifts like? What do you get out of the Boss Briefs compared to Raw?
To be clear, would you say the Boss Brief gives you better carryover than either Metal Brief?[/quote]
Hard to say how much carryover I get because I never train without some type of brief or suit any more and I haven’t done anything raw for at least a year and a half. I’d say you probably get 50-100 lbs with them on your first ME day.
The Boss is a stiffer material and has more pop out of the hole than either Metal. It feels like it has more carryover, but really, they just seem to be quicker feeling than the Metals. I know plenty of guys that can make those Metals work just as well though.
The thing with carryover is what works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another. Finding what works for you is going to be the trick. Some guys need something really jacked, others need it loose, wide stance, tight quad, etc.
Buy your gear used and try out as much as you can afford so that you can get an idea of what fit and material works best for you.
[quote]Dominator wrote:
Buy your gear used and try out as much as you can afford so that you can get an idea of what fit and material works best for you.
[/quote]
I’m sort of under the impression that gear, especially briefs that people train frequently in, have quite a bit of ‘funk’ to them if you know what I’m saying.
And I don’t really know any geared powerlifters who don’t outweigh me by a signifigant margin. So where would I buy used gear anyway?
[quote]Stronghold wrote:
Im hesitant to post here since Im a gear newb, but Iv got a pair of ACE’s that I love. Like I said, I am new to gear, so I cant give much input in comparison to other briefs, but my ace briefs are gangster as fuck. [/quote]
That’s sweet. What does it take to hit depth in them?
[quote]FightingScott wrote:
Stronghold wrote:
Im hesitant to post here since Im a gear newb, but Iv got a pair of ACE’s that I love. Like I said, I am new to gear, so I cant give much input in comparison to other briefs, but my ace briefs are gangster as fuck.
That’s sweet. What does it take to hit depth in them?[/quote]
They dont seem to be too bad once you figure them out. It took a little while for me to get the hang of squatting in gear since I essentially had to re-learn how to squat.
Actually got to the parallel box fairly easily with 230+purples last night during my warm ups.
[video]1059[/video]
This video is me struggling to get to a 15" box with 420 in them several weeks ago…but as I said earlier, this was before I had gotten the hang of them.
[quote]Stronghold wrote:
Actually got to the parallel box fairly easily with 230+purples last night during my warm ups.
[/quote]
I guess your video will load to the site in an hour or so.
How is it putting a suit over Ace Briefs? What suit do you use?
I remember one point at Elite they said with the Ace Briefs
“These are GREAT when paired with the Ace Suit”
but now in the product description it cautions against getting both an Ace Suit and Ace Briefs because it might be “too much support for some.”
So I just wanna know if there are any compatibility problems. It doesn’t sound like there would be if you can get to parallel with under 300 after learning them.
I havent tried to put a suit on over them yet. Ill let you know when I get around to that, haha.
[quote]FightingScott wrote:
How is it putting a suit over Ace Briefs? What suit do you use?
I remember one point at Elite they said with the Ace Briefs
“These are GREAT when paired with the Ace Suit”
but now in the product description it cautions against getting both an Ace Suit and Ace Briefs because it might be “too much support for some.”
So I just wanna know if there are any compatibility problems. It doesn’t sound like there would be if you can get to parallel with under 300 after learning them. [/quote]
I have the Ace Briefs too. As someone had already mentioned, they’re noticeably thicker than most other double ply briefs.
I went from single ply suit + single ply legless briefs to single ply suit + Ace briefs. I personally had some fit/sizing issues because the briefs were so much thicker and my suit was already very tight. If you already have a tight suit, you might have trouble adding Aces underneath, or at least they could make putting a suit on that much more difficult. Just something to keep in mind…
For me, a single ply suit plus Aces is plenty of gear, but I’m also maxing out around 300, not warming up with 300, like many of you guys. Of course, it’s not unusual to put a double ply poly suit, or canvas over the briefs…I certainly couldn’t recommend one though.
FS, it sounds like you want to wear multi ply briefs and a multi suit just to say you’re wearing a multi ply suit and brief combo…
If you get proper fitting gear (ie TIGHT) then there’s not a hope in hell of hitting depth in a a suit and brief combo. There’s no point in buying looser briefs and a loose suit just to say you wore them.
You’re be much better just getting a pair of jacked briefs and wearing a singlet over them if competing this summer’s the goal.
If you want a pair of briefs for DE squats etc, then by all means get a looser pair, but just be aware you’re shortchanging your carryover when you do that!
[quote]Hanley wrote:
FS, it sounds like you want to wear multi ply briefs and a multi suit just to say you’re wearing a multi ply suit and brief combo…
If you get proper fitting gear (ie TIGHT) then there’s not a hope in hell of hitting depth in a a suit and brief combo. There’s no point in buying looser briefs and a loose suit just to say you wore them.
You’re be much better just getting a pair of jacked briefs and wearing a singlet over them if competing this summer’s the goal.
If you want a pair of briefs for DE squats etc, then by all means get a looser pair, but just be aware you’re shortchanging your carryover when you do that![/quote]
I did NOT know that “If you get proper fitting gear (ie TIGHT) then there’s not a hope in hell of hitting depth in a a suit and brief combo. There’s no point in buying looser briefs and a loose suit just to say you wore them.” But I totally believe you.
What would you recommend? I just assumed I would get the briefs first so I’d have something to train in and get the feel for geared squatting, then I’d learn the suit at the beginning of the summer once I wasn’t training by myself and compete late in the summer.
I’m open to the idea of getting a suit first and using that for ME work and doing DE work raw, or just doing whatever makes the most sense.
What makes sense for someone whose around a 450lb Raw Squat?
Should I just hold off on gear till I get stronger?
You say I’m much better off getting a pair of jacked briefs and a singlet. Would I be better off getting a suit and no singlet?
[quote]FightingScott wrote:
I’m sort of under the impression that gear, especially briefs that people train frequently in, have quite a bit of ‘funk’ to them if you know what I’m saying.
And I don’t really know any geared powerlifters who don’t outweigh me by a signifigant margin. So where would I buy used gear anyway?[/quote]
Typically, when I’m looking for something used, I try to find an item that has maybe been worn a handful of times and simply wasn’t a good fit or just didn’t work right for that lifter.
I’d say I’ve bought 3 suits and a either 2 or 3 shirts this way. All of these items were worn less than 3 times and I bought them at more than 50% off of the normal selling price just to give you an idea.
As far as the “funk” factor, it you get one that wasn’t really used much, it won’t be an issue, but you buy a bottle of power wash from Ken Anderson that will cost about $10 or less and that will take care of any worries for you.
[quote]Hanley wrote:
FS, it sounds like you want to wear multi ply briefs and a multi suit just to say you’re wearing a multi ply suit and brief combo…
If you get proper fitting gear (ie TIGHT) then there’s not a hope in hell of hitting depth in a a suit and brief combo. There’s no point in buying looser briefs and a loose suit just to say you wore them.
You’re be much better just getting a pair of jacked briefs and wearing a singlet over them if competing this summer’s the goal.
If you want a pair of briefs for DE squats etc, then by all means get a looser pair, but just be aware you’re shortchanging your carryover when you do that![/quote]
There’s some really good advice here…
If the plan is to compete, you can go a long ways with just a set of tight briefs. I’d steer you into the suit, that way you can train with the straps down like a brief, and when you’re ready to compete, the straps are there and ready.
What fed do you plan on lifting in?
[quote]Dominator wrote:
Hanley wrote:
FS, it sounds like you want to wear multi ply briefs and a multi suit just to say you’re wearing a multi ply suit and brief combo…
If you get proper fitting gear (ie TIGHT) then there’s not a hope in hell of hitting depth in a a suit and brief combo. There’s no point in buying looser briefs and a loose suit just to say you wore them.
You’re be much better just getting a pair of jacked briefs and wearing a singlet over them if competing this summer’s the goal.
If you want a pair of briefs for DE squats etc, then by all means get a looser pair, but just be aware you’re shortchanging your carryover when you do that!
There’s some really good advice here…
If the plan is to compete, you can go a long ways with just a set of tight briefs. I’d steer you into the suit, that way you can train with the straps down like a brief, and when you’re ready to compete, the straps are there and ready.
What fed do you plan on lifting in?
[/quote]
I plan on competing in the APA, the IPA and probably Iron Boy Powerlfiting (a smaller, southern fed). Really I’d be open to anything that would pop up in NC.
I’d also like to compete at the 2010 IPA Pro/AM since I’ll be in Ohio at the time at it would be really cool just to go back to NC and say I stood on the same platform as the big guys and watched them break records the next day.
I’m real grateful for what Hanley said, otherwise I wouldn’t have known.
So what would be a good choice for me if I just wanted a suit? Metal Pro Squatter? A Frantz Canvas? A Sweaty Old Z-Suit and some tight long johns?