I’m looking to buy a belt and knee sleeves. Maybe wrist wraps too.
Obviously I don’t want to spend more than I have to, but I’m more than willing to pay a fair price for a quality belt and knee sleeves that’ll last me at least a few years if possible.
I’m thinking of going with a Pioneer or Inzer belt; I believe that both belts are within the guidelines set by a majority of PL feds (correct me if I’m wrong please). I’ve heard great things about both brands.
As for knee sleeves, I have no idea. Now that I’m getting up to weights for squats that I’ve never squatted for reps before (I squatted 310x8 today, beat my old PR of 305x8 ), it makes me a bit nervous. I’m not sure if I’m correct in saying this, but I believe that knee sleeves assist with knee stabilization. Again, correct me if I’m wrong.
Any recommendations you guys have are fantastic. One of my friends from I gym I worked at for a year and a half opened his own gym a few months ago; he’s very strong and I take questions to him if I feel that they’re too dumb to ask on T-Nation. So, I asked him if there was a certain point that I should get to (PR-wise) before I started using knee sleeves/wrist wraps/belt (I assumed there was a certain point that people tried to get to before using assistance from gear, say, a 405 squat). He actually told me there’s no set point for which I need to wait to start using weightlifting gear to help me. I trust him, because he’s about 220 with a 385 bench and a squat/dead in the mid 600s.
I know a lot of you guys are that strong, and your opinions are therefore extremely valid, and while I do trust my buddy, I’m curious what you guys think.
So: recommendations for a belt and knee sleeves? should I wait until I can squat 405 and deadlift 495 with no belt before I get one?
In case you want to compete in the USAPL/IPF, Pioneer belts are not IPF-approved. I use an Inzer single prong belt and have only good things to say about it.
As for knee sleeves, it depends on what you’re looking for. If you just want them for everyday training to keep your knees warm and make them feel a little more comfortable, Rehbands will do. The ones by Titan are pretty much the same. If you want them to add pounds to your squat, the go-to would be SBD. Check out their sizing table and get the competition fit.
There’s no reason to put off getting a belt until you’ve hit certain numbers.
You’re wrong. Except for a tight pair of SBDs or Titan Yellow Jackets (not the other Titan sleeves) which can give you a slight rebound out of the bottom, knee sleeves only really keep your knees warm. If you are going to compete then it would make sense to wear SBDs or Yellow Jackets since it can add a couple pounds, but otherwise I don’t really see the big deal.
Pioneer is not on the IPF approved list, in case you were planning on competing in an IPF-affiliated fed. I don’t know anything about their belts either. I have an Inzer 13mm lever belt, I’m happy with it. The SBD belt might be better because you can adjust it more easily and it has a lever too, but I also hear they stain people’s clothes red and you have to wear them tight or the lever won’t stay closed. Other than that, I don’t see anything better than Inzer although some others might be equal.
No. I don’t see why. I know of other people who lifted for years before getting a belt and then found that it didn’t help them at all, there is a bit of technique to lifting with a belt. Might as well start now, you can always do some beltless lifts too.
Fuck your bank account and buy SBD everything from head to toe, two sleeves one for training one for comp and don’t forget the SBD belt for anywhere from $200-300. Keep in mind SBD stuff in limited edition colours also adds weight to your lift.
120 Euros I think. I think you can get them for less in the US though.
Not really, but depends on how tight you wear them. The SBDs material is less stretchy then the Rehband’s for example. The tighter you wear the sleeves, the more support they offer and it just wouldn’t make sense to wear super tight Rehbands since they won’t offer much support anyway and stretch out quickly, so keeping your knees warm and comfy is really all they’ll ever do, qhich is fine for training.
About the Titans: Note I was talking about the old Titan sleeves, which are pretty much an exact copy of the Rehbands. I’ve never worn the newer Yellow Jackets,
), it makes me a bit nervous. I’m not sure if I’m correct in saying this, but I believe that knee sleeves assist with knee stabilization. Again, correct me if I’m wrong.