Hi guys, I know this should probably go in the sticky but its very much an individual problem so I said I’d put it here. I tried on a 46" single ply katana the other day and this was the first time I ever had a bench shirt on. I’m a 45/46" chest, 16.5" bicep, 220lbs but the shirt was extremely tight and kept my arms WAY too close together, to the point that it was narrower than a close grip bench stance.
I tried on a 48" and this was a little better. Considering I was thinking of originally ordering a 44" I was glad I had the chance to fit the shirt but I’m worried a 48" is too big for me and wont give a very good carryover. I ended up not buying anything as the guy said he would have the Super Katana in a few weeks and I should wait for that. Now my mind is all over the place regarding which shirt to get. Regular or Super? 44", 46" or 48"?
Will a smaller shirt stretch and allow me to widen my grip? Will the super Katana 46" fit be better that the regular because of the lower neck line? Should I go for double ply as my fed allows it? I’m really confused here and would really appreciate the help of someone who has a bit of experience with either shirt.
In my opinion a Katana is way too much shirt for a first-timer. You are going to end up extremely frustrated that you can press tons off of boards but can’t touch to save your life. Get an F6 instead.
[quote]Steel Nation wrote:
In my opinion a Katana is way too much shirt for a first-timer. You are going to end up extremely frustrated that you can press tons off of boards but can’t touch to save your life. Get an F6 instead.[/quote]
I would agree. I have been competing in a shirt for 10 yrs and still have not mastered the Katana. I get more out of my F6. I would also say that the newer materials are the same, newer and stronger does not necessarily mean better for you.
[quote]Steel Nation wrote:
In my opinion a Katana is way too much shirt for a first-timer. You are going to end up extremely frustrated that you can press tons off of boards but can’t touch to save your life. Get an F6 instead.[/quote]
I would agree. I have been competing in a shirt for 10 yrs and still have not mastered the Katana. I get more out of my F6. I would also say that the newer materials are the same, newer and stronger does not necessarily mean better for you.
Yeah, the problem with the Katana is it is not very forgiving and how it is set up makes a huge differece.
I started to post some things to take a look at with your current shirt but without any knowledge of your background, experience, who you have to help you, it is very hard.
As it stands, it sounds like you bit off more than you can chew. I would definitely go to a looser fit.
It’s gonna be frustrating if its your first shirt. From your measurements really you should be wearing a 50 Super Katana if you want everything to work out, and then move down in sizing once you’ve got technique perfect, can jack it and are getting around 80-100lbs out of it.
Like it’s been said, a F6 is a better shirt if your starting out, and you can wear them tighter than the Katana’s and still touch. Your life will be a lot easier if you get good in a tightish F6 before moving to a loose Super Katana, and then a tight one. The grooves are similar, you’ve got an easy way to make a comparison between shirts, and if it all doesn’t work out you can always fall back on the shirt you were using before.
Thanks for the helps. I forgot to mention that in the 48" I was well able to get down and touch the ground with a push up which is 60/70% bodyweight? Surely this would mean I could touch a semi-heavy weight? Also, isn’t the F6 for arched benchers? I have no real arch to speak of.