Inzer Blast...

hey guys, im new to the whole lifting scene… im actually getting ready to enter my first compition in about 3 months, and i just bought a Inzer blast due to its price, and because im a begginer…

i was just wondering if any of you have experience with this shirt… ive herd both good and bad things about it… ive hurd it causes caffing and is extreamly hard to put on…

if any of youy have experience with it could you tell me what results i should get???

i plan on using this for my first compition and for trainging… after this compition coming up i plan on getting either a doubl layer RageX from inzer or a single Layer Phenom from inzer… im not a big fan of titan…

so yea, any one whom is experinced with the inzer blast, i could really use some FAQ aboult the results and proper usage… thanks

Flash

I’ve use Titan to compete in in the past, but the blast shouldn’t be that big of a deal to put on, dude.

It’s not as heavy duty of a shirt, i.e. you won’t get a huge carry over either. But it’ll probably make whatever your raw max is easier to nail.

But you need to find out what your fed allows as far as plys dude, you said you might get a double or a single.

If you’re competing in a multi-ply fed then you oughta just step up to 2 when you upgrade past the Blast. If you’re comp in a single ply don’t get double, because obviously, you won’t be able to use it.

I always prefered Titan, less bullshit in the sizing. But to each his own.

Good luck in your upcoming comp.

thanks alot man,
ive benn looking at titan…
if all gos well at my comp. i might use the rage, and then step up to the Katana by titan… im not sure yet because im a begginer and i need to figure out how these shirts work exactly… my fed alows multi layers… but i didnt want to step into that without first trying the single Ply.

i already ordered the blast so theres no real turning back, but depending on the results of the shirt in the next 2-4 weeks, i might just use it as a work out shirt and then buy the high performance blast or the Phenom… i hurd that if i go to some competitons its easy to find shirts that are slightly damaged in trash, and then just get them repaired for cheap…

i know that wont work as far as finding a katana or a double layer denim, but if i could find a rage or a F6, id prolly keep it and figure out weather or not to get it repaired…

FLASH

Sigh.

I feel so negative when talking about Blast Shirts. It’s sad, as they were good for the time, but that time was long ago.

Inzer blast shirts are first generation bench shirts and are so far behind just about everything else in the market it boggles the mind. Carryover from them is minimal (I’d guess it in the 20-30 pound range depending on skill and tightness) and their discomfort level is remarkable. They are hard-backed, which makes them a bear to get on. Consider the last of that series I used (Was an EHPHD, but they are pretty similar), gave around 50lbs of carryover and took two knowledgeable people 15-20 minutes to get on me.

The stretchy material will bite your armpits into tiger-stripe bruises. You will get used to this, and be able to ignore it quickly enough, but it is unpleasant.

Essentially if the shirt is comfortable, it will not perform well, and if it performs, the experience will be disproportionately uncomfortable.

On the plus side: you should have no trouble touching weights, and the groove is dead-easy.

Please do not let your experience with this shirt colour your view of bench shirts. If you are partial to Inzer, the Phenom, RageX and any of their denims are a gigantic step forward in every way. Anything with either a soft or open back will greatly ease donning the shirt, and any of the newer shirts will give enormously better carryover.

Ghost brings up a crucial point: Check your league’s rules as to what is allowed and what isn’t. It isn’t always as clear as it should be.

FAQs:

  1. Try to get as many of the wrinkles out of the material as possible. Wrinkles make bruises under tension
  2. Three spotters: One on either side of the bar with their fingers locked under the bar. Should you miss badly or the shirt blow their job is to keep the bar from falling. Get the situation stable and then rack the weight all together. Make sure this is clear. If one side lifts hard and the other doesn’t, you can seriously injure one or more of the participants.
  3. You can open the back of a Blast. It will make it easier to get on, and you can pull it down for more pop, but this runs an extreme risk of blowouts. Every Blast, HPHD, and EHPHD I’ve seen modded this way has eventually blown. Check with your federation rules before doing this, it may not be legal.
  4. You don’t need a belt with a hardbacked shirt, but it’s a good idea. It will hold the shirt in the same place and give you more consistent support. The belt generally has to be over your singlet in competition.
  5. Use you’re raw groove. The shirt will not support you enough to use a Metal Militia type groove.

Just remember the Blast is a shirt out of the Dark Ages, and things are much, much better now. Upgrade soon!

yea, after i learn about the shirt i plan to purchess the RageX and then later on the Phenom…

can some one tell me, for future purpouses, what are the normal results on the RageX?

[quote]gtbigxxl wrote:
yea, after i learn about the shirt i plan to purchess the RageX and then later on the Phenom…

can some one tell me, for future purpouses, what are the normal results on the RageX?[/quote]

Why would you get a phenom after a Ragex? That’s like trading in a ferrari for a toyota!

My gym recently ran a PL meet and I only decided to enter at the last minute, so I got a lend of one of the lifters phenomns. Got 2 workouts in it, I had NEVER used a shirt before and I got a 40lbs carry over. I reckon I would easily got another 20 but I missed my first 2 attmepts. I’ve head of people getting 100+lbs outta RageX’s.

If you’re competing in the APF just cut your blast shirt up the back, you’ll be able to put in on in about a minute. I’ve done this and experienced no loss in performance. Keep in mind, you’re only going to get ~20 to 40 pounds extra out of the shirt.

Good luck!

[quote]unearth wrote:
If you’re competing in the APF just cut your blast shirt up the back, you’ll be able to put in on in about a minute. I’ve done this and experienced no loss in performance. Keep in mind, you’re only going to get ~20 to 40 pounds extra out of the shirt.

Good luck![/quote]

so if i cut the shirt on the back, i should still get my normal results?

20-40 pounds is fine for right now… im just trying to figure out exactly how the shirt works before moving up to better shirts…

i was actually looking at the Katana yesterday… nice shirt, but im still more parcial to Inzer brands…

so the RageX actually has better results then the Phenom? ive always hurd it the other way around…

also i just thought about it due to price… which would u suggest…

the Rage x single Ply

ot the Rage double ply??

my league will alow me to use double layers, but i dont want to spend over 140 bucks on a shirt…

If you’ve got the triceps for it go with demin. The pop off the chest is awesome. If you have a good demin you will bench more than your raw 3 board press

What fed are you competing in? your shirt selections are all over the map – blast, then a double ply ragex, then a single ply phenom. Why the hell would you buy all that crap. That’s like going out buying a black ad white tv, then upgrading to an HD plasma, then dropping back down to rear projection trinitron. Focus dude. The blast isn’t going to do much for you at all. As W.E.C. pointed out, the blast used to be a great shirt. At this point it’s a relic, like 8 track tapes. Spend your money wisely and step up to the plate. Both the single ply phenom and single ply ragex are great shirts for beginners and probably where you want to start. They are pricey but they will last for a while and there’s no need to buy both, just pick 1 and go with it. personally I prefer the rage material over the phenom. For a beginner you may like the forgiveness of the phenom a bit better. Either way you can use them in any equipped fed. They are easier to get on and off than a blast. And even a newbie can learn the basics of the shirt in a couple of workouts. a properly fitted shirt will give you at least 75 pounds on the low end compared with 30 pounds or so with a blast. and with enough practice and modifications you can easily squeeze out well over 120-150lbs of carryover.

The difference between a Phenom and a RageX is in the strength curve needed to run them. A Phenom uses a more elastic material, so that it supports you less at any point, but actually gives support through a longer range of the motion. A RageX uses a stiffer material that will give you more support, but it is focused on the lower half of the movement. Denim is stiffer yet than PGX, gives you even more support at the bottom, and leaves you even harder at the top.

Basically if you can lock out a lot more than you can bench you should use a RageX. If you need more support at lockout, then a Phenom may make more sense.

Common wisdom has it that with proper training (boards, bands and lockouts) most people will lift more in a Rage than a Phenom, but there are notable and significant exceptions like Mr. Rychlak.

The problem here is that when you go to upgrade, you are going to have to try some reps in a few different shirts and see which one suits you. Finding a shirt that suits your style, fits well without too many alterations, and provides support where you need it is really the hard part. When you put the ?Right? shirt on, you?ll know.

If you can find some other lifters near you, around your size, ask if you can try a few reps in some of their gear. You will be surprised at the number of shirts most of us have tried, and have kicking around, and most are more than happy to see our Big Box of Unused Shirts get used to avoid the stumbling around that we had to do.
This clumsy, trial and error, process is why you can often find good, used, equipment, cheap.

If it is legal in your federation, I highly recommend using an open-back shirt, with a belt. It is really that much better. Just be careful with an open-back blast, as they are vulnerable to blowouts.

thanks alot guys… i really appreciate all of your help… im deff. gunna look into the RageX… i figure ill give the blast a try and then head over to the rageX

To all new geared lifters:

  1. Every shirt I and my training partners have ever used have caused chaffing, bruising, and have taken a while to put on.
    2)You are new to lifting, thats great. I encourage anyone who lifts to enter competition, it builds character like any other sport, but you have no need for gear yet. Build a solid base, don’t get too far ahead of yourself.
  2. Shirts take a while to learn, I’d guess about 30-40 training sessions with a shirt. So, for me thats 3 shirt days every 9 weeks. So per shirt thats 90 weeks. Take your time, once you are ready, to learn your equipment. This is a sport that requires patience. As far as double ply shirts, we were breaking in a Metal double last saturday. He couldn’t touch until we had 485lbs on the bar. Unless you can lock out 500lbs on a 4 board you have no business to be in a double ply. Thats a right you have to earn.
  3. Welcome to powerlifting, find some experienced training partners and concentrate on all your lifts. With a bench shirt ask about what shirt suits your benching style. That’ll come with time. I started off with an Inzer HPHD, then got a Rage X, now I’m using a Metal Viking X type. Its taken me a few yrs to figure out my style enough to understand what gear works, and how it works.
  4. Read the Q&A on elitefts.com, westside-barbell.com, and criticalbench.com about bench shirt technique and training.

Good luck at your competition, train hard and train smart.

[quote]gtbigxxl wrote:
thanks alot guys… i really appreciate all of your help… im deff. gunna look into the RageX… i figure ill give the blast a try and then head over to the rageX[/quote]

The problem with that is the two shirts have different grooves, different rebounds, etc. You might actually be hindering potential progress in the RageX. Again, as mentioned above it pays to know your groove, style and weakpoint. I choose demin because of the pop off the chest and I have the triceps to lock out what my denim can pop up.
I do definitely recommend open back whenever possible for every reason from comfort to ease into and out of the shirt as well as arching

[quote]sapasion wrote:
gtbigxxl wrote:
thanks alot guys… i really appreciate all of your help… im deff. gunna look into the RageX… i figure ill give the blast a try and then head over to the rageX

The problem with that is the two shirts have different grooves, different rebounds, etc. You might actually be hindering potential progress in the RageX. Again, as mentioned above it pays to know your groove, style and weakpoint. I choose demin because of the pop off the chest and I have the triceps to lock out what my denim can pop up.
I do definitely recommend open back whenever possible for every reason from comfort to ease into and out of the shirt as well as arching[/quote]

well, the shirt i order is closed back… so im most likly going to cut the back open after my first few weeks with it… also, im not an arched bencher, i stay flat just because i get more power from my feet being prefectly flat, and my back agains somthing strong…

could you explain exactly how arched benching works and if it will help me with my lifts? if so how?

FLASH

arching shortens your ROM plain and simple. You’ve also able to use your lower pec and triceps at their stronger angles

so arched back benching is better?

[quote]gtbigxxl wrote:
so arched back benching is better?
[/quote]

Once you get used to the arch you will be able to move more weight.

It’s uncomfortable to learn, but it works.

If you are having trouble keeping the arch make sure your feet are planted and chalk either your back or the bench.

i was in the weight room on friday, and i remembered what you said about arched back so i gave it a try, and half way threw my bench my back went flat again…

my coach suggested that if im going to arch bench i should put a pipe under my back, just to get use to the way my body has to sit… is this a good idea?