[quote]johnnytang24 wrote:
I don’t know that I would get the top of the line gear for first time users. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you have to. You can get something cheap that is gentle and comfortable, which won’t give you much, but will give you a feel for what it’s like.
And if you decide you like raw lifting better, then the cheap stuff will have a greater carryover.
I have a pair of legless (Crain’s) briefs that are comfortable enough to put on before I drive to the gym. I always wear them. I can do Olympic squats with no weight with them on. But they feel good.
I also have other two ply briefs and a couple of squat suits that I wear. It’s addicting. But I always wear those briefs. It’s like training raw without the pain.[/quote]
I wouldn’t say the lighter, older gear is more comfortable.
My first shirt was an Inzer Phenomn. It was SO painful. So much so that I didn’t want to get another shirt. My next shirt was an F6 and even tho it gave me 2x the carryover, it was infinately more comfortable. I’ve now got a 44 Katana which is chest size minus one or two inches. So it’s tight. And it takes high 300’s to touch, but I can and have comfortably worn it for 30-40 minutes in the gym.
Personally if I wanted less support from a piece of equipement, I’d just get a size or two up (probably two sizes up). It’ll let you learn the groove of the gear better, but at the same time won’t give you HUGE carryover.
I’ve a pair of Centurion briefs which I’ve found grand for training in. They’re a couple of sizes bigger than my comp suit, and even tho they still provide carryover, I could still wear them for a couple of hours.
Sure, you can get a Hardcore that’s 2 sizes too large and it will be comfortable. But you could also get a Champion suit that fits for US$100 less. Either way, if you’re going to compete in the Hardcore, you’re going to have to buy a second.
I didn’t say anything about old gear; as far as I’m concerned, the F6 -is- the gentle shirt (either that or the Blast).
On a side note, there’s a meet director in WV that sells Inzer gear at his meets, everything is US$50 or less, including the RageX and TRX. Top of the line stuff is $50, everything else ranges from $15 and up. Not sure how he does it.
[quote]johnnytang24 wrote:
Sure, you can get a Hardcore that’s 2 sizes too large and it will be comfortable. But you could also get a Champion suit that fits for US$100 less. Either way, if you’re going to compete in the Hardcore, you’re going to have to buy a second.
I didn’t say anything about old gear; as far as I’m concerned, the F6 -is- the gentle shirt (either that or the Blast).
On a side note, there’s a meet director in WV that sells Inzer gear at his meets, everything is US$50 or less, including the RageX and TRX. Top of the line stuff is $50, everything else ranges from $15 and up. Not sure how he does it.[/quote]
Or you could buy a used Hardcore for the same price as a new Champion suit, or even better buy a used Champion or Z-Suit…used equipment is not hard to find at all. Lifters buy new gear and move up weight classes all the time.
I wouldn’t call the F6 the “gentle” shirt, if you mean comfortable maybe…but the F6 is still one of the most effective shirts in the IPF, I know for a fact the Japanese team uses F6’s almost exclusively.
Getting hold of 2nd hand, loose stuff is a good idea. I have a 2nd (3rd?) hand Fury I can get on and off myself. I could get a meaninfull session out of it straight aways. Still I got a 30kg carryover after 2 sessions
[quote]IainK wrote:
Stone the crows! We are in danger of having a rational, resonable debate regarding powerlifting equipment! Good stuff
As others have said there is no reall need to come up with an analogy. Gear developed for whatever reason and that is now the sport of powerlifting, or at least the majority.
Gear is hard work but fun. I personally think in general it’s more physically and mentally demanding than raw work. [/quote]
Agreed, I did think this thread would end up as a raw Vs Gear bashing thred. Good to see we don’t always have to discuss this stuff on T alpha.
[quote]Power GnP wrote:
Hanley wrote:
I wouldn’t say the lighter, older gear is more comfortable.
True, true…ever worn an Inzer EPHD Blast? Talk about biting.[/quote]
Yeah I remember trying to get my buddy into one, skinned knuckles. When one of our other guys got a Rage X it was so easy to put on I thought he’d gone two sizes too big (he hadn’t) within a week he’d got 5 reps with his raw 1RM
[quote]Power GnP wrote:
Hanley wrote:
I wouldn’t say the lighter, older gear is more comfortable.
True, true…ever worn an Inzer EPHD Blast? Talk about biting.[/quote]
I have a couple heavily modified EHPHDs- scooped, extra-reinforced neck lines- one is a 3-ply one is a 4 ply. They are really kickass shirts if they are tight enough.
[quote]tom8658 wrote:
At the risk of sounding like a complete idiot, what’s the point of gear? Once you learn to use it, you can lift more weight, but if that’s the only advantage, why doesn’t everyone just save their time and money and compete raw?
Or is it some sort of equipment arms race? [/quote]
[quote]johnnytang24 wrote:
I don’t know that I would get the top of the line gear for first time users. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you have to. You can get something cheap that is gentle and comfortable, which won’t give you much, but will give you a feel for what it’s like. And if you decide you like raw lifting better, then the cheap stuff will have a greater carryover.
[/quote]
I think alot of this depends on situation. If someone comes to my gym with a decent raw bench, a tight multiply shirt, and no idea how to put the two together, we can help/teach him to get a decent equipped bench together pretty quickly. I have seen this happen over and over. I see no downside to jumping to a real shirt or suit early on- partiularily if you have some knowledgable training partners. Look at it this way. For anyone but a novice lifter, strength usually comes slowly. You can train your raw bench for six months and only get 30 lbs, 20 lbs of PR, maybe nothing. But six months of learning a good, well-fitted piece of gear- that’s a whole other story.
That said, there are some epicly difficult shirts to master- the inzer ultimate denim, metal viking, and these new grid-stiched katanas from titan all come to mind. The same goes for some squat suits- namely the canvas and denim suits. I would not steer a gear virgin into one of these.
Really, I think the biggest mistake novices to the gear game make is that they don’t understand what “tight” is. They usually show up in a shirt or suit that fits a guy 50 lbs heavier. Great for comfort- but not so good for lifting big weights!
