Which bench shirt would be good for a beginner. I am 6’2 255lbs. and I have a raw max of 320. I have very long arms and don’t have a high arch and I bench with more of an elbow out style bench.
So my question is which one of these shirts would be best to start with.
Fury was my first shirt and is an easy shirt to learn…no experience with the single ply phenoms though…
Scott-
I am a little taller than you and I have the wingspan of a fucking California condor. I have spent the last 3 and half years messing with shirts. In that time, I have bought 9 bench shirts in this time trying fight my shitty bench leverages and tried several other as well.
I terms of the best shirts for me, my faves have been the Phenoms. I have a 2 ply with a superneck. It is a pretty forgiving shirt in terms of touching. I benched 551 in it in a meet and I could still touch 405 in it if I had to. It also has good mid-to-top end support. The key to this shirt is to lower the bar with a high groove and almost flaired elbows and then a slight tuck at the bottom to touch.
The SuperPhenom is very similar in terms of groove. But it is much harder to touch. Accordingly, the pop off you chest is a lot stronger. I would probably not recommend this as a first shirt.
In terms of sizing, the arms need to be TIGHT or else you will not get much carryover at the top.
I have tried the shitty blast shirts and the sizing according to inzer is the same for the phenom. I was able to slip on a size 52 in about 3 minutes by myself and it was tight. With some help I might be able to get into a 50 phenom single ply.
Do you think a single ply would be good or go straight into double. I plan on lifting in my first meet in july which is APF sanctioned so 2ply is legal.
[quote]Scott B. wrote:
I have tried the shitty blast shirts and the sizing according to inzer is the same for the phenom. I was able to slip on a size 52 in about 3 minutes by myself and it was tight. With some help I might be able to get into a 50 phenom single ply.
Do you think a single ply would be good or go straight into double. I plan on lifting in my first meet in july which is APF sanctioned so 2ply is legal. [/quote]
Just my $.02, but don’t lift double-ply just to say that you lift in a double-ply fed, if that makes sense.
A Fury, from my experience, is exactly the shirt for you.
The Fury is meant for guys who have problems arching and don’t really tuck the elbows all that hard. It’s a great shirt to learn in.
Haven’t used a Fury, but have used an F6. Really comfortable and easy to use shirts in my exp.
The single ply phenomn however, SUCKS in comparison. It’s so uncomfortable and gives FA carryover compared to the F6.
[quote]Scott B. wrote:
I have tried the shitty blast shirts and the sizing according to inzer is the same for the phenom. I was able to slip on a size 52 in about 3 minutes by myself and it was tight. With some help I might be able to get into a 50 phenom single ply.
Do you think a single ply would be good or go straight into double. I plan on lifting in my first meet in july which is APF sanctioned so 2ply is legal. [/quote]
IMO, a double phenom is probably not that much harder to touch in. Unlike the Rage X or Titan material, this stuff is relatively strechy. I would spend the extra $50 for superneck and a 2 inch scoop. They come open back for no charge but velcro is extra as I recall. Honestly, you can probably get by without velcro. I always found it just got in the way.
The down side is that this all makes for a $200 shirt. However, to me, this shirt was a 100 bucks better than a single fury/f6.
Sizing is tricky. I think you are on the right track in your thinking. Remember that these shirts stretch a lot. As such, a shirt that is just right out of the box will be too loose on meet day after 8 or 10 workouts. On the same token, a shirt that is so tight out of the box you can’t bring 500 to a two board may be loose enouch to touch 455 in after a number workouts. I would almost guarantee you will need to send the shirt back at some point to get the arms and/or chest taken in.
Well I have talked to ken anderson and he recomended a size 48 fury. ($100). He said that if the shirt doesn’t work out I can always return it or he can alter it to fit me the right way. Great guy. I told him I would get back to him if I decide to go with that shirt.
Theres a guy I know who uses the phenom and loves it, but he did say that the material does stretch rather quick. With the scooped neck, would that make the touch spot lower on the chest then?? Whats the best dealer to buy a Phenom from besides Inzer? And can the shirts be returned even with the added belles and whistles (scoop neck, Superneck)?
[quote]Hanley wrote:
Haven’t used a Fury, but have used an F6. Really comfortable and easy to use shirts in my exp.[/quote]
F6 is a good shirt too, just has a lower groove than the Fury and probably favors belly benchers and big archers.
My only beef with the F6 is the neck which always seems to choke me out.
[quote]Scott B. wrote:
Well I have talked to ken anderson and he recomended a size 48 fury. ($100). He said that if the shirt doesn’t work out I can always return it or he can alter it to fit me the right way. Great guy. I told him I would get back to him if I decide to go with that shirt.
Theres a guy I know who uses the phenom and loves it, but he did say that the material does stretch rather quick. With the scooped neck, would that make the touch spot lower on the chest then?? Whats the best dealer to buy a Phenom from besides Inzer? And can the shirts be returned even with the added belles and whistles (scoop neck, Superneck)?[/quote]
I have bought some stuff from Ken in the past. Terrific service, fast delivery- he certainly beats the hell out of buying from Titan directly. As for customized Inzer shit- I would call Inzer direct. I doubt Inzer will refund you or exchange on custom gear. But you get one free alteration on any shirt on or suit.
The scoop might lower the touch spot somewhat. But mainly the logic of the superneck with the scoop is that it works like a big rubber band running across your pecs. You still touch pretty high in this shirt- even with the scoop.
When you touch low in a phenom or super phenom- even with the neck jacked down- you really don’t as get much out of it. I have a vid from my last meet linked below- the bench is about 30 seconds into it. This was is in a super phenom with a big scoop. I hit the groove right on this one. If you watch my arms, they barely tucked on the way down.
^^Dude that’s some sick lifting.
The squat was seriously impressive.
[quote]Pinto wrote:
Scott B. wrote:
Well I have talked to ken anderson and he recomended a size 48 fury. ($100). He said that if the shirt doesn’t work out I can always return it or he can alter it to fit me the right way. Great guy. I told him I would get back to him if I decide to go with that shirt.
Theres a guy I know who uses the phenom and loves it, but he did say that the material does stretch rather quick. With the scooped neck, would that make the touch spot lower on the chest then?? Whats the best dealer to buy a Phenom from besides Inzer? And can the shirts be returned even with the added belles and whistles (scoop neck, Superneck)?
I have bought some stuff from Ken in the past. Terrific service, fast delivery- he certainly beats the hell out of buying from Titan directly. As for customized Inzer shit- I would call Inzer direct. I doubt Inzer will refund you or exchange on custom gear. But you get one free alteration on any shirt on or suit.
The scoop might lower the touch spot somewhat. But mainly the logic of the superneck with the scoop is that it works like a big rubber band running across your pecs. You still touch pretty high in this shirt- even with the scoop.
When you touch low in a phenom or super phenom- even with the neck jacked down- you really don’t as get much out of it. I have a vid from my last meet linked below- the bench is about 30 seconds into it. This was is in a super phenom with a big scoop. I hit the groove right on this one. If you watch my arms, they barely tucked on the way down.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3JSQVCepb8[/quote]
(Hijack) Pinto, I didn’t know you lifted at NGBB. Do you know Curt Dennis? I train with him down in T-town.
[quote]masonator wrote:
(Hijack) Pinto, I didn’t know you lifted at NGBB. Do you know Curt Dennis? I train with him down in T-town.
[/quote]
Yup- he was coming up to bench on friday nights with us pretty regularly for a while there. We haven’t seen Curtis in a while though. Tell him Zak says hey.
[quote]Scott B. wrote:
Well I have talked to ken anderson and he recomended a size 48 fury. ($100). He said that if the shirt doesn’t work out I can always return it or he can alter it to fit me the right way. Great guy. I told him I would get back to him if I decide to go with that shirt.
Theres a guy I know who uses the phenom and loves it, but he did say that the material does stretch rather quick. With the scooped neck, would that make the touch spot lower on the chest then?? Whats the best dealer to buy a Phenom from besides Inzer? And can the shirts be returned even with the added belles and whistles (scoop neck, Superneck)?[/quote]
Ken is a fantastic guy. Everyone from my gym gets their gear almost exclusively from him. The best service you will get from a powerlifting gear supplier, bar none.
[quote]Pinto wrote:
masonator wrote:
(Hijack) Pinto, I didn’t know you lifted at NGBB. Do you know Curt Dennis? I train with him down in T-town.
Yup- he was coming up to bench on friday nights with us pretty regularly for a while there. We haven’t seen Curtis in a while though. Tell him Zak says hey.
[/quote]
Ok I will. He’s been in contact with Jon Grove and I think some of us are coming over to train the 8th, actually.
Nice Pinto!! 3 great lifts, no question marks there.
Was that an ace suit? Breifs on underneath? Congrats in any event.
Monopoly
[quote]Monopoly19 wrote:
Nice Pinto!! 3 great lifts, no question marks there.
Was that an ace suit? Breifs on underneath? Congrats in any event.
Monopoly[/quote]
Thanks man. Yeah, it’s an Ace suit with a pair Boss briefs underneath.
[quote]Pinto wrote:
Monopoly19 wrote:
Nice Pinto!! 3 great lifts, no question marks there.
Was that an ace suit? Breifs on underneath? Congrats in any event.
Monopoly
Thanks man. Yeah, it’s an Ace suit with a pair Boss briefs underneath.[/quote]
Good to see someone in multiply gear take a squat to depth!
To the OP, I’d go with a single ply Titan Katana. That seems to be the shirt of choice for single ply. I found a used Tity Fury on ebay, have not played with it much so I can’t offer much help. We are about the same dimensions however, I’m 6"4 and have very long arms. The fury I have is 1 or 2 sizes bigger that a “meet fit”, so it’s loose. Even with a big shirt, it took close to 400 to touch. Seems to be some pop in it. Good luck, hope that helps.
Monopoly
+1 to Pinto. For an APF meet, go with the dbl Phenom with a superneck and a 2" scoop. They are surprisingly easy to touch with while still giving good pop.
Don’t bother with the single phenoms. By the time you get them tight enough to give good support they tend to blow out.
If you are restricted to single ply (say you want to lift in USPF or UASPL as well) the Fury is a good choice, but I would personally go with a looser s/s Katana. The new supers aren’t nearly so bad at the choking as the old furies. Be careful to get the sleeves all the way on with the Katana though, if the shirt is not well seated you’ll have a hard time touching.