Maybe a dumb question because I know nothing about gear -
Is there a shirt on the market that would allow me to retain my raw groove instead of having to learn a new technique?
I’ve been told possibly the Inzer Blast series?
Thanks for any help you can lend.
You can buy a slingshot or ram instead of an entire shirt. Unless you plan to compete in gear.
I’m thinking of competing in gear. Just wanted to not have to alter my technique if possible.
The Blast series is a good way to get started, although I have yet to see someone use it in a meet. If you’re thinking about competing equipped I’d recommend just finding a used shirt that’s a little big on you.
Any supportive equipment will alter your ‘raw’ groove. But I’ve had the best luck with the Inzer Phenom. Stiffer shirts made by Metal & Titan never did much for me, the Phenom gave excellent carry over with out having to touch the bar down near my crotch. But seeing as though these shirts are $200+ new, this is why I’d recommend trying out a used one first just to make sure that equipped lifting is something you’re interested in.
If you bench with minimal arch, the titan fury is very straightforward to learn and has minimal effect on technique. If you have a serious arch, the titan f6 is OK but does alter groove slightly.
I don’t have any experience with any other brands but these are definitely good shirts to start with.
[quote]frankjl wrote:
The Blast series is a good way to get started, although I have yet to see someone use it in a meet. If you’re thinking about competing equipped I’d recommend just finding a used shirt that’s a little big on you.
Any supportive equipment will alter your ‘raw’ groove. But I’ve had the best luck with the Inzer Phenom. Stiffer shirts made by Metal & Titan never did much for me, the Phenom gave excellent carry over with out having to touch the bar down near my crotch. But seeing as though these shirts are $200+ new, this is why I’d recommend trying out a used one first just to make sure that equipped lifting is something you’re interested in.[/quote]
I agree with everything he said. The Phenom is relatively easy to learn, and it gives more support through the entire lift. The “stiffer” shirts give more support at the bottom, but drop off more suddenly as you get close to lock-out (IMO).
I’ve heard the Phenom wears out quickly. Any truth to that? I know it’s probably all relative on how often you use it.
[quote]osu122975 wrote:
I’ve heard the Phenom wears out quickly. Any truth to that? I know it’s probably all relative on how often you use it. [/quote]
Some of the guys I train with have the original Phenoms from several years ago and they are still hitting huge numbers in them. Like anything, you can get a defective model. But also that’s the truth of equipped powerlifting – sometimes your gear wears out and you have to replace it.
I’ve had mine for 10 months and have trained in it every 2-3 weeks since then and haven’t had any issues with it.