Planning on doing a USPF Div 1 meet in a couple of months. None of the gear I have is approved. I could go at it raw but I’ve considered having single ply equipment on hand just for this reason.
Any recommendations here? I’ve heard alot of good things about the Titan line.
For squats and pulls- titan super centurion.
For bench- Depends on your arm length. If you have long arms and are fairly strong, then go with an f-6 made with katana material.You can only get this from ken anderson. If you would rather have a weaker shirt then an F-6 would be good for long arms, but I would still have an improved collar added.
If you have shorter arms then go with a super katana.
Titan > any other single ply
Titan Single ply > some multi-ply
If you need it fast to learn it for the meet, then I would order from Ken, you will have it in a week.
Years ago a friend of mine needed a shirt quick and went through Ken Anderson…the guy is ridiculous.
I’d guess that I have fairly long arms, I was working off of the 5 board yesterday if that says anything…I wouldn’t say I’m fairly strong either. I’m guessing I’m probably good for 350+ raw. The best I’ve done in a shirt is 415 though (KK DD). I’ve heard of guys getting alot out of the Titan’s. I’m not really scared of an aggressive shirt, unless it’s stupid tight, I should be able to touch…I know some of the tricks there.
I would go with the f-6 made from Katana material. Its awesome. Mine came with the super collar and everything.
First shirt I got in and instantly loved it.
Awesome for long arm benchers. Groove is kind of low though but seems to be semi-forgiving in the groove. Much more so than katanas.
I cannot imagine why anyone would buy single ply gear from anyone but titan
I contacted Ken, he said that shirt is not a stock item but he has a few. Gave him my measurements, waiting to see if he has it in stock and whether I can afford it or not.
If I’m benching raw, most of my reps hit me around the sternum, but when I get in a shirt, I’ll bench a little lower if I need to touch.
We’ll see what happens but thanks for the info…I’ll post back and let you know.
I would definitely go with the Super Katana on bench, although if you have time to spare, I’d see about getting one with a larger back to give you room to move it around. Hell, I still get 140 lb out of an 8 year old Fury with a bunch of runners. Titan bench shirts are great for single ply. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Super Centurion. I love the Metal multi-ply suits, but have never tried a single.
I know people with metal single ply… if they say they like them, they most likely have not used a good single ply suit lol. They suck.
I got almost as much from a super centurion as an ACE.
Super katana is single ply?
What’s the difference between the katana and the super?
If Ken doesn’t have the F6…I’m probably going to just go katana /super katana.
Unless the bubble on these shirts are huge, I doubt I’d get 140…have had a power rack in a year and I haven’t been hitting the boards too diligently. Wonder what a couple of months of hard training would do? Hahaha. I’d be real happy to get 140# out of a shirt.
Not sure if I’m going to get a suit. I’d love to… But $$$ is a factor…my bench needs more help than my other lifts.
Ordered 48 Super F6. Will let you guys know what I think when I get her in.
Is the super F6 what he calls the one I suggested? I don’t think he ever gave me a name for it, just described it then I ordered.
Here’s what he wrote:
He pretty much recommended the same shirt as you did based on my current max and the shirt I’ve been wearing. From what he said, this shirt is a custom deal but he happened to have my size in stock…so SCORE! I’m obviously psyched because I’m a complete gear whore and I’d love to jump in this thing and set a new PR. <3 <3 <3
Its a great shirt. With my long arms my katana sucked. This shirt is far better. I get shitty carryover and even I can get like 175ish from this shirt.
Skwatta-
I hate alot of these posts where people are asking about “how much does a good bar add” or “how much will a suit give me?” or wraps or any other kind of equipment…
But I’m kind of wondering the relationship between board presses and what you can nail in the shirt. As I said earlier, I don’t have a power rack and I have NOT been hitting the boards too diligently so my lockout isn’t great. I did 425 or 435 off of a 5 board last Friday for 2 and then 1…yesterday I dropped down to a 4 board and got 405 for a double. My best bench is 415 in the KKDD, I may have been good for 425 or more that day.
What irks me a little is, I was watching videos of Brian Scwabb prepping for a raw meet…and he was doing raw work off the chest in the mid-300’s but he’s nailing, what? something like 6 in a shirt? HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE? hahahaha. I can hit mid-300’s raw and I get jack shit out of a double denim shirt. Granted I don’t jack the shirt down and try to push it to the limits…I know I have a comparatively weak upper back because for the longest time I never “GOT” how it helped with the bench or any of the other lifts so I grouped it with BICEPS and figured upper back training was bullshit…
Multi-ply shirt, perfect groove, strong lockout, ect. Knowing how to set the shirt. There are tons of tricks.
and if you are going to be in gear, IMO if you aren’t getting all you can from it, you are wasting your time. lol
Last training cycle I didn’t jack the F6 at all, because I wouldn’t be able to touch if I did. I will this time though and hopefully get more from it.
I’ve received some one-on-one time with a bench specialist years ago and that helped out tremendously. I guess I was a little in awe of everything so I didn’t ask everything that I should have/could have at the time. I might even make a road trip out to see Shawn Lattimer sometime in the near future and pick his brain…But for now-
As far as grooving the shirt-how do you work this? I wouldn’t expect someone to really change where they are touching, but I DO see the advantage of letting the bar drift back towards the uprights and flaring the elbows. The elbow flare is something I need to work on for sure.
So with the groove, do you find that the bar path changes to accomodate the groove? Do you adjust the shirt so that the groove is more in line with your natural pressing pattern? etc. etc. Any insight you can provide would be helpful. Despite beginning powerlifting in 1995 or so, I’ve been in and out of the game so much that I don’t know half of what I should.
The bar path is lower in a shirt. About 1.5-2 inches lower for me. You want a shirt that allows you to press in your natural pattern as much as possible, but if you bench of the groove, you will lose support or dump. You always have to change a little.
The groove for your shirt that you just ordered is pretty low. I would say 1.5-2 inches below your nipples, if it’s fit is similar to mine.
Is this shirt IPF approved?
Received shirt yesterday…didn’t see it until this morning.
@Jonatan-
I know Titan’s other shirts have “IPF APPROVED” marked on them, this one does not…So I don’t know if it’s IPF approved.
@Big Skwatta-
I forgot how much of a pain in the ass poly shirts are. I thought I was going to throw the shirt on here at the house and see where it locked up at, but I couldn’t even get it past my forearms. Took it off and worked one sleeve up my arm, she’s going to be tight.
I bench below my nipples anyways, probably at about my sternum and when I get in a denim I usually aim for whatever is sticking up highest so I can touch…hahaha. I’ll have to look at the schedule and see when I’m supposed to bench again, it’s probably Monday. Blah, poly. =/ but if it works, it works…right?
I had a chance to get the shirt semi-fitted last night. Had alot of trouble getting the sleeves up over my forearms. I’m not entirely sure that the shirt was seated up into my shoulder/armpits right, but either way, the bubble on this thing is enormous. The shirt locks up at about a 5 board for me!!! I tried on my KK DD as a comparison and that’s more like a 3 board.
I would guess it would take a ridiculous amount of weight to get this thing to touch. I worked with Dizenzo before with the KK DD and he had me touching light weights, but even with technique, this just seems insane. I’m going to consult with Ken Anderson and I might move to a 50 if he has it available. thoughts?
[quote]unstable wrote:
I had a chance to get the shirt semi-fitted last night. Had alot of trouble getting the sleeves up over my forearms. I’m not entirely sure that the shirt was seated up into my shoulder/armpits right, but either way, the bubble on this thing is enormous. The shirt locks up at about a 5 board for me!!! I tried on my KK DD as a comparison and that’s more like a 3 board.
I would guess it would take a ridiculous amount of weight to get this thing to touch. I worked with Dizenzo before with the KK DD and he had me touching light weights, but even with technique, this just seems insane. I’m going to consult with Ken Anderson and I might move to a 50 if he has it available. thoughts?[/quote]
Give it some time to break in. The first time I had my current meet shirt on (Katana), I couldn’t touch 515 in it. At the time, my pr was in the high 400s. With some work in the shirt and allowing it to break in, I can now touch in the mid to high 400s. I’ve had the same experience with every Titan shirt I’ve used the first time out – thinking that it is too tight. Each time, they break in and I get to the point where I can touch weights that are appropriate for an opener.