wtf is a bench shirt?

fog

fog

futile amnesiac
i keep reading about people speaking of benching "shirted" or "suited". what exactly are these and how could they help someone lift a more significant amount of weight vs. not being "shirted". thanks.
 
I kind of know what it is, but I will let one of the experienced power lifters explian it to you better.

If something does not help build muscle, I dont really concern myself with it. Maybe it does though, im just guessing that it does not.
 
Bench shirt or suit is a tight outfit that enables you to push more weight because it's so tight and thick, but it's main purpose is to prevent injury. With heavy weight, you are prone to injury. This will prevent major shoulder damage, pec tears, etc.

I think that sums it up, but I'm not too familiar with suits.

Also, they're expensive, and look cool
 
Just do a search bro. It's a piece of equiptment now used in competition to prevent injury and allow you to lift more than you really can. It's not cheating thought because everyone can use them. I just think it's ridiculous that say Scott Mendelson couldn't make like 1000 and change touch his chest which means that at the bottom that shirt alone was holding more than 1000 lbs.
 
a bench shirt is made of a special denim. it's really tight and elasticy (i made up that word lol). as the other guys pointed out it can enable you to move greater loads and prevent injury (especially to the delts and RCs) too. mendelson has a 1008 lb shirted bench press which is the world record (held jointly with gene rychlak) but he also has the raw record (unshirted) of 725lbs but by and last, raw benching and shirted benching are 2 different animals because of the difference in grips required. typically shirted benching requires a much wider grip and bringing the bar down lower on the torso.
 
other than rocco everyone who posted is lost as hell on this one.

yes even you silver shadow. nice training log you got posted too. :D
 
fog said:
i keep reading about people speaking of benching "shirted" or "suited".

what exactly are these and how could they help someone lift a more significant amount of weight vs. not being "shirted". thanks.
Click to expand...

Shirted and unshirted means either wearing a bench shirt or wearing say a tee shirt.

Bench shirts are a form of protection for the lifter but technology has alowed them to give support to the degree that they actually allow you to lift more. THere is however a technique to using them. When I first got into a banch shirt I was getting about 20 pounds out of it. Now I get almost 200.
 
Jusee said:
I kind of know what it is, but I will let one of the experienced power lifters explian it to you better.

If something does not help build muscle, I dont really concern myself with it. Maybe it does though, im just guessing that it does not.
Click to expand...

I feel it is very hard if not impossible to have a god idea about what one ifs or how it works without having used one.

If you think that a bench shirt does all the work and doesn't make you build muscle than you clearly know noting about bench shirts. Take Scott Mendelson for example. He can do 715 raw and 1008 in his shirt. If shirts do all the work than why can I only get about 185 out of mine? I wear the samw shirt as mendy does?

A shirt gives less and less support from bottom to top and it transitions the load to different muscles thoughout the lift. THere is also a difference in the support you get based on the type of shirt you use. POlys are alittle more ruber bandinsh while denims are more rigid. THey do give you tricep support as well.
 
\m/ MANOWAR \m/ said:
Bench shirt or suit is a tight outfit that enables you to push more weight because it's so tight and thick, but it's main purpose is to prevent injury. With heavy weight, you are prone to injury. This will prevent major shoulder damage, pec tears, etc.

I think that sums it up, but I'm not too familiar with suits.

Also, they're expensive, and look cool
Click to expand...

THe help prevent injury in theory and I do belive they do help a bit but with the added supprt comes more weight so where does that leave us?

you can tear pecs, (Janet Faroane) tries (joell Teranzo) or shoulders in a bench shirt.

I feel it gives me some protection against injury but don't expect too much.

THey are expensive and they can look cool.
 
roccodart440 said:
He can do 715 raw and 1008 in his shirt. If shirts do all the work than why can I only get about 185 out of mine?
Click to expand...

Maybe he has better technique with it. Maybe if you knew what he did, you could have the same percent gain using it?
 
Basically it sounds like weather you can take full advantage of the shirt or not, it still helps you lift more.
 
Last edited:
02gixxersix said:
Just do a search bro. It's a piece of equiptment now used in competition to prevent injury and allow you to lift more than you really can.

Well, sort of but not really. If it was that simple anyone could do it. There is technique and you have to have alot of strength. Perhaps more in more ares such as tries. A shirt bencher wil have very strong tries.

It's not cheating thought because everyone can use them. I just think it's ridiculous that say Scott Mendelson couldn't make like 1000 and change touch his chest which means that at the bottom that shirt alone was holding more than 1000 lbs.\/
Click to expand...

And what was holding the shirt? What was holding the 1000 pounds when it wasn't at the bottom?
 
silver_shadow said:
a bench shirt is made of a special denim. it's really tight and elasticy (i made up that word lol). as the other guys pointed out it can enable you to move greater loads and prevent injury (especially to the delts and RCs) too. mendelson has a 1008 lb shirted bench press which is the world record (held jointly with gene rychlak) but he also has the raw record (unshirted) of 725lbs but by and last, raw benching and shirted benching are 2 different animals because of the difference in grips required. typically shirted benching requires a much wider grip and bringing the bar down lower on the torso.
Click to expand...

What about the poly shirts? THe denims aren't elastic. That's a poly and even then it varies. Tell me a rage x is elasticy.

Mendy and rychlak do not jointly hold any record. Mendy out raw benches him by a long shot and genes best shirted bench was 1005. Correct me if i'm wrong.

Mendy did 715 raw if i'm not mistaken.

There is no different grips required for shirted vs. Raw. In actuallity there is only one legal grip limit for both classes.

Typically, especially with an open back shirt you wil touch lower than raw.
 
I will give my opinion, i don't think it helps build muscle, or any muscle that a bodybuilder would care about. But it is extremely difficult and technical to use. Almost rediculously technical, and it si a alot of hard work. I also think injuries are probably more likely in a bench shirt, but that is just an opinion, you are probably not as likely though to tear a pec. Just some observations by me.
 
I just typed out a huge response and deleted it by accident. I just think that there should be some limit on what can be used and called a world record. I think they have their place but when mendelson couldn't touch with I think it was 1035 and he was opulling down with all his might, something is not right. That means that at the bottom that shirt was holding over 1000 lbs. Not saying he doesnt have to do any work just saying that a raw bench means a lot more to me. For instance Rocco I know guys that could outbench you by 100 or more lbs raw but you would win a comp over them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

appleton111
How Many Calories in a Pound?
Replies
1
Views
925
juandohh
J
B
Question about training with injury
Replies
5
Views
2K
timmothysmith01
T
S
Cardarine AKA GW-501516/50156, a review of day 1
2 3
Replies
42
Views
6K
casanovaaa
casanovaaa
G
Help me with a "set" workout routine?
Replies
13
Views
2K
Milton
Milton
G
Is this a bad idea?? What would happen?
2
Replies
26
Views
3K
casanovaaa
casanovaaa
Back
Top