I’m about to start powerlifting. What bands and boards should i buy. should i buy all of them or are there just a couple of essential ones to get me started?
Start with boards as they are super cheap and easy. Get a 2x6 or 2x8 and cut it into 18 inch or so pieces. Then you can easily make your own 1 board, 2 board, 3 board and so on. Wood Glue, Screws, Duct tape, I’ve seen it all done. Shoot you could even keep the pieces separate and use a mini band to bungee it all together.
Well, if you are just starting out, you probably don’t actually need boards or bands. You will probably get better training effect if you use straight bar weight for loading.
That being said, and remembering that these things are fun to play with: Make yourself a 3 and a 4 board and if you are going to buy a band go for an “Average” (Jumpstretch Green) band.
Boards are dead easy to make from 2 by 4. As for bands they are not essential. It really depends hwo long you have been lifting etc etc. Most people just need to get better at the basic lifts with some extra work thrwon in.
[quote]W.E.C wrote:
Well, if you are just starting out, you probably don’t actually need boards or bands. You will probably get better training effect if you use straight bar weight for loading.
That being said, and remembering that these things are fun to play with: Make yourself a 3 and a 4 board and if you are going to buy a band go for an “Average” (Jumpstretch Green) band. [/quote]
A green band is waaaay too strong for a beginner. Just stick with strait weight for a few months and then think about bands again. I am all for the boards though. Just make them its way cheaper. Home depot will cut a board into 18ins piece for you. ( I think that I cut mine to 13in though cause I stick them under my shirt) I used Velcro to attach mine, so I have whatever number of boards that I want.
not to hijack this thread but im not so much of a beginner my have decent lifts and want to start incorperating bands into my training.
my current stats are
benc-360
sq- 455-
d/l-525
ive been looking at bands on elitefts but im not sure what bands or combonations of bands to get. and i also just finished making boards with velcro up to a 4 board like the other psoter suggested.
“max” = “tension at bottom”/“tension at top”
Squat
200-400 = 40/150
400-500 = 60/175
500-600 = 80/290
700-800 = 100/335
800-900 = 120/375
Bench
200-300 = 20/40
300-400 = 30/60
400 + = 45/90
I either got this from WS or elitefts.com. If you can’t afford all of them I would go for the mini and Monster mini. You can adjust band tension by altering the way you attach them. I would also invest in a cheap hanging scale. I got one off of amazon that’s good for 300lbs.
[quote]W.E.C wrote:
Well, if you are just starting out, you probably don’t actually need boards or bands. You will probably get better training effect if you use straight bar weight for loading.
[/quote]
My thoughts exactly, just go straight weight. Find a group of lifters in your area to teach you how to powerlift and have fun.
However, if you are going to go with bands, I would say get a set of mini bands for Bench and light bands for Squats.
You’ll double the mini’s when benching, so there will be plenty of tension. The light bands should be plenty to start with on Squats, and you can always add the minis once the lights aren’t enough.
If you are just getting started I would advise against getting bands. More than likely your body isn’t to a point where it needs the amount of variation bands provide. You should probably just stick to the basics for a while.
[quote]All2ez wrote:
not to hijack this thread but im not so much of a beginner my have decent lifts and want to start incorperating bands into my training.
my current stats are
benc-360
sq- 455-
d/l-525
ive been looking at bands on elitefts but im not sure what bands or combonations of bands to get. and i also just finished making boards with velcro up to a 4 board like the other psoter suggested.[/quote]
For the bench you can go with either minis or monster minis. Since this is your first use with bands, i’d say go with the minis
FOr the squat you’re at the upper end of the purple band. Unless your progress is stalled, I say keep pushing your squat and once youre over 500 then maybe think about bands
To help you give you some perspective, I’m 5’10" and have my green bands set up to start giving resistance when the bars an inch or so off the ground when deadlifting. I lift conventional and at the top they give me 70 extra pounds of resistance.