I am transitioning into lifting in gear and I was wondering how to train , how other geared lifters train, what are some good systems for geared lifters, any information would be appreciated thank you.
You should message Arramzy about that or maybe he will post, hes quite an accomplished single ply lifter I believe.
Hey man. Indeed I compete in IPF single ply. Always happy to give some advice to a new man jumping into the intense experience that is putting on a squat suit.
You certainly pose a broad question. To start, what are your PRs? Training history? What routine do you follow now? Any prior exposure to any gear?
I personally train high frequency and train largely belt/wrap in the squat, raw in the bench + boards, and raw in the deadlift. Geared training should be done with sparing intensity IMO. For example, a high effort suited squat yields a brutal fatigue and will thus impair your ability to train with sufficient volume and frequency. Anyways, lets hear about where you are at in your journey thus far and perhaps I could give some more concrete advice on gear choices, training planning, etc.
When DO you throw the gear on? x# of weeks out from a meet? How long does it take to transition from raw lifting to geared with consistent training? I would assume lifters that are new to gear have to use it more frequently to get used to it and home in the technique?
Just a curious raw lifter.
[quote]Haldor wrote:
@arramzy
When DO you throw the gear on? x# of weeks out from a meet? How long does it take to transition from raw lifting to geared with consistent training? I would assume lifters that are new to gear have to use it more frequently to get used to it and home in the technique?
Just a curious raw lifter.[/quote]
I don’t lift in gear, but just to give you an idea of different philosophies on this I can tell you that Sheiko recommends equipped lifters use light gear for lifts around something like 70-85% and comp. gear for lifts over 90%. The idea is to practice the way you compete. Of course that isn’t necessarily the best option for everyone, particularly for multi-ply lifters as the gear makes a much bigger difference.
[quote]chris_ottawa wrote:
[quote]Haldor wrote:
@arramzy
When DO you throw the gear on? x# of weeks out from a meet? How long does it take to transition from raw lifting to geared with consistent training? I would assume lifters that are new to gear have to use it more frequently to get used to it and home in the technique?
Just a curious raw lifter.[/quote]
I don’t lift in gear, but just to give you an idea of different philosophies on this I can tell you that Sheiko recommends equipped lifters use light gear for lifts around something like 70-85% and comp. gear for lifts over 90%. The idea is to practice the way you compete. Of course that isn’t necessarily the best option for everyone, particularly for multi-ply lifters as the gear makes a much bigger difference.[/quote]
Good points. So this is my philosophy - you want to get sufficient practice and you want it to be close to competition form. But, putting on tightest suit and wraps and hitting high RPE sets is very fatiguing. So, we need a balance. This is where I have had a lot of success with belt/wrap squatting and looser suit bottoms. I think that the strength curves and technique of this amount of gear is similar enough to a competition lift. So, in keeping with the general principle of high frequency practice, I think that barring some major reasons, gear should be worn every week at times when a meet is within 4 months. If there is a long break between meets, getting in some raw training blocks can be utilized.
To clarify, in the more distant competition period (>8 weeks out), I would do 3 squat sessions per week - 1 suited, 1 belt/wrap, and the third session beltless (not a total rule, but a common pattern). These sessions would all be in the range of prelipins tables, focusing in on 70-85% 4-7x2-5. These are calculated based on the respective maxes for that lift (i.e. calculate the % for belt/wrap based on your best belt/wrap squat, or best estimate based on training).
Deadlift, suit only put on twice before the meet - maybe 7 and 4 weeks out. Otherwise, training comes from same intensity range at frequency of 2-4x per week.
Bench press is mostly done raw, shirt is put on varying number of times before the meet. Maybe 8, 6, 4, 3, and 2 weeks out. Competition shirt might be worn only twice if the lifter is confident in his form. Again, bench is done at high frequency of 3-6x per week and focuses on the same intensities.
Breaking into gear can be scary. Start with the lowest level gear you can buy, even picking up used stuff if possible. Nobody should have the first shirt be a double Super Katana with grid stitching or the first squat suit be a Boss. Start off with single ply gear.
If you arch on the bench, get an F6. If not, go with a Fury.
Start with a Superior or Spartan suit. You can squat and deadlift both in either of those.
Obviously, I’m partial to Titan gear, but for good reason. Best performing single ply gear on the market and an unmatched warranty on blowouts & runners.
Most importantly, get with an experienced crew who competes in gear and learn from them. You can’t do it alone.