I was wondering how good these suits are and say you can pull 535 with out one,,,,what could you expect with one?
3 big questions that will determine your answer...
1) do you pull conventional or sumo? I pull conventional and my suit ( which is a top of the line 2-ply overkill) gives me 50-75lbs on top of a 705 raw pull. Sumo pullers can wear the suits tighter and load the suit more when pulling so they get a higher % out of theirs.
2) What kind of suit are you getting? A single-ply Z-suit won't give you as much carryover as a top end single ply suit, neither will give you as much as a multi ply suit ***
3) and that's the big *** to the above question.... is how good you are at working gear. My wife and I both wear all Overkill gear, which is notorious for being the most extreme gear out there... she can work a super tight 2-ply shirt hard enough to be able to touch with 185#.... but there are lots of guys who can't deal with the pressure from the same shirt and can't get 600 to touch.... it's the same for suits. Some people just don't have the stones to work a suit that is really tight. The suits don't magically add weight to your lifts. Some guys get as much out of a single ply suit as a double because the double is just too much for them to work, their form goes to shit and they start missing lifts......
Most guys, once they learn the gear, can get 50-100 out of a deadlift suit depending on these three things......
I pull conventional and am not a competitor just trying to break down some mental barriers,
I was thinking about getting a max dl from inzer
If you aren't going to compete I'd look for something with velcro straps as they are really easy to adjust ( way easier than sewing a fixed strap), and definitely get on a few powerlifting-specific boards to look for something used.... maybe PLWatch's classifieds' section. That and if you are just buying one suit, why not get something that you can also squat in? The gear I use would be too extreme, but a metal pro ( not ACE or Jack) would be a good start, so would a super centurion from Titan.
You could also try just doing reverse band deadlifts in a power rack to lighten the load at the bottom and help you build momentum off of the floor. No suit needed, no learning curve, and since it doesn't sound like you train in a powerlifting specific gym you also won't be walking around a commercial gym in a squat suit..... the only bright side to that is if you wear it under clothes like the strongman guys do, then you will blow peoples' minds. I had to get a training session in on the road and ended up wearing my squat briefs under sweatpants and a sweatshirt ( for modesty and so I don't get 100 questions from everyone while I'm trying to work out).... I walked out and squatted 765 ( all that would fit on the bar) for a few sets of 3.... you would have thought that I was on fire from the looks people gave me...
Elite FTS
this one?
No place for bands at my gym and I'm the only one that does dead lifts there
squat briefs? do you wear these under a dead lift suit? will this work for both dl and squats
That suit would work.... I'd go for the squat suit version as it will work better for squatting and about the same for deadlift, but at $100 more it might not be worth it to you.
As for the bands, you can get them from iron woody or EliteFTS and just choke them off on the top of any power rack.... You could get 3 or 4 different sets of bands ( different tensions) for 1/3 the cost of a suit and they will be more useful to you..... don't get me wrong, if you are set on getting in to a suit then go for it. I'd just hate to see someone spend $150 for something that they only want to use as a training tool when $50 of bands will do the trick.
As for briefs, they are worn under a squat suit and basically are just a suit without straps..... they just add even more support for the hips without restricting the torso. That and when I squat in a canvas suit, the suit stops me cold in the bottom but doesn't offer much rebound, so you pair that suit with a stretchier brief that gives carryover throughout the lift but has no stopping power.
Most guys train a lot in them ( or the single ply guys do similar work with just the suit bottoms) because in gear most guys squat using different form than raw.
My raw squat ( and I never max out on this) is well over 650... as in, I have hit 650 in training just for fun, didn't struggle and then just got my briefs on... I'm probably somewhere in the mid-700's.
But the raw squat is rarely worked in my training cycle because to squat raw you need a narrower stance so you can use more quad drive. My competition stance is wider than most power racks, about 2" away from the base of the monolift. If I tried this raw I'd rip my groin or just miss the weight badly.... so in training I do most of my squatting in briefs. This allows me to still do more work with lighter weights than I'd use in my suit, while still using my competition stance. In just the briefs I've gone over 900, then up to 1100 with reverse medium bands. My full squat in a suit has gone as high as 1060 in the gym, and just under 1000 in a full meet. Not tryng to brag, just giving you an idea of what sort of carryover every bit of gear provides and how we train in it.
Im a weak squatter...I'm 6 ft 3 and its just dam awkward for me...My max is only 385
my squat rack at the gym is not made for dead lifting in. it has the adjustable safety bars and on the very bottom its still about 3 inches too high to deadlift...more like rack pulls.
maybe the squat suit is what I need to get to be a better squatter and dead lifter
Great thread and PLK thanks for all the info I'm eating it up brother!
Originally Posted by tkrex
Good luck with the suit then... it's a lot of fun. The best thing you can do when that suit comes in the mail is to find some guys in your area who train in similar gear and make a few trips out to learn it. You can look up gyms on plwatch or if you are comfortable pm me with your general location and I might know someone within an hour or two who would be really good to train with.....
oh, and don't let your height hold you back, I'm 6'4"
thanks for all the great advice and inspiration on 6 ft 4 and massive squats! I'm way out in the middle of nowhere and the peeps at my gym are candyasses... Only 1 other guy squats and nobody deadlifts.
need some advice I just bought a Fusion DL from inzer my raw max is 565 will the suit help me pull over 600?
It depends on a lot of different factors. Like I mentioned in my above post... you might pull 100# more or 100# less..... it all depends on how you work the suit and where your sticking point is.
If you are pulling sumo, I'd guess that it could get you over 6.... conventional is a maybe...... at first.
With continued work in the suit you'll eventually learn it ( or get better with it), so even if you don't hit it right away you might get there sooner. It can also help condition your nervous system to handle heavier weights more often... handle 6+ in the suit enough while keeping up your raw work and you'll pull 6 raw....
All you can do is give it a shot and see how it does for you...... let me know how it goes and good luck.
I really couldnt give u a complete answer to this question....The true factor about wearing gear is the more u work with it the more u will get results....U cant expect to put something on and expect that much...All i can say the more u wear the suit and lift with it the more your lift will increase.dw
I get 50 maybe 60 conventional in a Metal Pro King
I know some that sumo that get 100 plus
I hate sumo!
Last edited by SFGiants; 08-21-2012 at 08:32 PM.
I have the Metal Pro King, too, but am still breaking it in (can barely reach the bar). Just love the way it shoves my nuts behind my belly button. Do you wear briefs under yours?
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