If you’re training for a meet how important is using the proper equipment i.e:
Powerbar, Combo rack/monolift (depending on which fed.) KG plates, etc.
Or does it not make any difference.
It’s definitely better if you can use the exact same equipment. You want a decent power bar for sure, and if you are going to use a deadlift bar in the meet you should probably use one in training. There are stories of people never using a deadlift bar until they get to the meet and pulling big PRs, but in my case it took me several months to get used to the deadlift bar and to be able to pull the same weight. I think certain technique will transfer better to a deadlift bar, I’m just not sure what it is though. If anyone thinks this is bullshit, at my last meet there was a guy who had done a few IPF meets and was like “oh I hear they let you use a bar that bends before the weights leave the ground, what a joke!”. I explained to him that it wasn’t as simple as that but he didn’t take me seriously. Later that day I watched him grind out his last warmup - which was supposed to be his second last. He had to drop his opener, I’m not sure if he even got his planned opener on his second attempt and he failed his third.
If there is a monolift at the meet and you are not used to squatting out of one then walk the weight out, it will fuck you up if you don’t know what you are doing.
Kg plates will make a slight difference, but probably only significant if you pull 700+ or train with bumper plates. Bench height can fuck you up if you train on some weird kind of bench.
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This really affected me at my last meet. It was my first time squatting from a monolift. Because there are straps around the bar, my brain was tracking the straps in my peripheral vision and my body followed them coming out of the hole with an exaggerated forward lean that resulted in collapsing just out of the hole. The rest of the attempts were fine once I was aware of what I’d done.
I’m impressed with your ability to overcome that so quickly. I did APF World’s in 2012. They used “reverse monolifts” (not sure what they’re really called, but the apparatus is behind the lifter except for the arms only). It gives the audience a MUCH better view, but it messed a LOT of lifters up. I missed my opener twice, then luckily the blasted thing broke. They brought a “regular” monolift from the warm-up area, and my opener then went … like an opener.
That definitely sounds like a bad idea. I could just imagine how awkward it would feel to be standing there with 90% of you max on your back and nothing but air between you and the audience.
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I think it helps a lot, but I don’t think it’s critical. I’ve personally only competed in two meets, one APA and one USAPL.
For the APA meet, I trained out of a commercial gym and on meet day, I walked the weight out of the monolift, and estimated high on my opener for deadlift because the deadlift bar helped me do a lil more.
For the USAPL meet, I trained at a powerlifting gym, but used a stiff bar for all lifts. It was nice knowing what my combo rack height was ahead of time.
My current gym has a monolift, multiple combo racks, kilo plates, and different bars including kabuki bars and eleiko bars. I know plenty of athletes who succeed with far less, but these are nice features to have at a gym, and training like you compete is always nice.
It’s all pretty much been said. It’s nice to have comp spec equipment but how much it’ll affect you can vary.
For IPF lifters it’s a bit easier with the one kind of bar for all three lifts so many lifters but deadlift bars, monolifts and the transition between big fat bumper plates and calibrated plates can throw some lifters off.
For the IPF masterrace I think a IPF spec bar is plenty given you already have access to the other basics e.g. squat rack and bench. I don’t even have that tho sadface
Another idea is in the weeks leading up to a meet you can sign up short term or take a few casual sessions e.g. once a week at a gym that has whatever equipment you need.
You misspelled “snobs”.
IPF bars aren’t all the same, one meet I did used a real whippy bar, it bent almost as much as a deadlift bar. Krzysztof Wierzbicki missed his DL opener at the European championships last year because of a whippy bar. You really can’t know until you get there and small things that you don’t expect can fuck you up, but that’s how it goes in life. Look what happened at the US open with the Kabuki bars. Basically any 20kg power bar (not some bullshit commercial gym bar that can only handle 350lbs) will do the job as far as power bars go. I have never used a squat bar, from what I hear there isn’t really any downside to it and it will be more stable than a power bar but if you are going to use one in the meet then training with one is a good idea if you have the option.
Deadlifting with bumper plates is no good. Unless you really have no other option, I do not recommend it. Especially if you are going to use a deadlift bar at the meet.
Do you recall which kind of bar this was or was it really old and beat up
It definitely matters, but varies depending what you’re using and what fed.
barbell and plates: completely changes your deadlift. If you are used to pulling on a deadlift bar or really whippy bar, you can pull waaaay more weight than if you had to use a stiff barbell. Depending on your deadlift style, you could even bomb out if you are used to a deadlift bar with wide plates and have to switch to a stiff bar with competition plates. Heck, if you’re used to using the wrong rings (87cm apart vs 81cm apart), then it can completely throw off your bench grip, squat grip, or deadlift setup depending what you use to guide your grip or stance.
bench: width and height varies from gym to gym. If you’re someone that gets a lot out of a big arch, but are used to setting up on a bench that is a completely different height, you may not even be able to achieve the same setup on competition day.
rack: This one doesn’t matter so much as long as you aren’t going from rack to monolift or vice versa, and as long as the rack spacing doesn’t interfere with your squat grip.
All that being said, you don’t HAVE to train on super specific equipment as long as you know what to expect when it comes to your gym equipment vs competition equipment. Some people know how much switching to competition plates takes off of their deadlift, so you can definitely still prepare for competition without competition equipment. But, I still think it’s best to use equipment that is as specific to the competition as possible.
Do you happen to know the height of a comp bench? I tried searching online but couldnt find it…
Look up M&K Wierzbiccy on facebook if you really want to know, I really couldn’t tell you the brand but not all IPF approved bars are equal, they just meet certain specifications and the manufacturers give the IPF money. I doubt it was old, it was the European championships. And still, I have never heard of bars becoming more flexible with age.
I think it’s 18 inches but I could be wrong. Some federation rule books have equipment specs, I know the IPF one does so you might as well check that one. As far as I know all feds use the same height benches.
By the way, I have heard a few people say they got fucked up at the meet because they were training on a different height bench so that is definitely something to consider. Some feds allow you to use plates or some kind of blocks to put your feet on, that would fix the problem if you know what height you need.
I never get it, I don’t always have the same equipment as in comp but seem to lift about the same (within 10lbs of what I planned and with a cut most times) and dead wasnt as effected training with thicker plates. now I have the calibrated ones for training anyway. I always tell myself (meet day) if I put everything i have into the lift it’ll move and it always does
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your federation should have the specs listed in the lifter’s handbook somewhere, but I think the height is the same from fed to fed. USAPL is like 17" I think off the top of my head.
For squats I find that using ER stands at a meet vs the power rack at my gym really only effects my grip width a little bit. I have to either pull my hands in slightly or go a little wider using the tip in feature. For bench I find that the pad height difference is more than made up for with the wider and just generally superior padding that doesn’t let you slip like a commercial gym bench. For me it’s much easier to get a solid arch on a comp bench and if the height is noticeably different I’ll just switch shoes. At meets I usually bench in my adidas Olympic shoes. I train deadlift with an OK commercial gym bar and bumpers 98% of the time. Occasionally when traveling I’ll use regular iron plates. So far at meets I’ve pulled huge PRs on IPF bars and kg plates, like over 50# more than my gym lifts. I think it’s because of the thinner bar and the way better knurling.
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How does the gif god lift then?
For me its either bumpers, or 4cm deficit deadlifts with metal plates.
I doubt im deadlifting enough to really notice that much when i use KG plates…
Are you using a deadlift bar?
Nah. Just a offbrand powerbar