How much can powerlifting gear contribute?

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2014-04-02

The question is highly controversial! Equipment varies significantly. Moreover, the same equipment can add a completely different amount of weight for different people. But I'll try to answer this question somehow. To start, let's look at the types of equipment used in powerlifting.

• Squat Bands. They come in 2 and 2.5 meters.
• Bench Press Shirt. It can be single-layer or multi-layer.
• Deadlift Suit. It can be single-layer or multi-layer.
• Squat Suit. It can also be single-layer or multi-layer.
• Belt, wrist wraps, and elastic knee sleeves are not considered equipment. They can be used in non-equipped competitions.

Depending on the federation (there are 7 in Russia: IPF, WPC, AWPC, IPA, IPA-A, WDFPF, GPC), shirts and suits are allowed with varying numbers of layers, mainly 1, 2, and 3 layers, as well as bands of different lengths. This is where such discrepancies come from.

Before I start mentioning specific figures, I want to note that these numbers are calculated for those who already have experience using equipment. It takes several months to get used to any equipment before it starts working well.

Bench Press

How much can a bench press shirt provide? Let's start with a single-layer shirt. It is generally considered that it can add approximately 20 – 30 kg. And the standards for equipped bench press (in a single-layer shirt) differ from un-equipped by about the same amount. However, I want to share an observation from the WDFPF Championships.

According to the regulations of these competitions, the morning session included the un-equipped bench press, and the evening session featured shirts (single-layer). There was a guy in the under 100 kg category who bench pressed 200 kg in the morning without a shirt. I must say, it was quite a struggle. I saw it with my own eyes. But how amazed was I when this same guy came out in the evening for the bench press in an INZER single-layer shirt and bench pressed 250 kg on his third attempt! And this was after he had already exerted himself during the morning session!

Based on this experiment/observation, I can say that, under certain conditions, a single-layer shirt can provide up to 50 kg of support.

As for multi-layer shirts? Currently, the absolute record for the bench press without equipment is approximately 330 kg (Eric Spoto and Scott Mendelson). With equipment, it’s 488 kg (Tiny Mike). That’s nearly a 160 kg difference! However, this is more of an exception. In reality, a multi-layer shirt can provide 70 – 100 kg of support. Personally, I witnessed a guy who struggled with 160 kg without a shirt during training. But with a multi-layer shirt (on the same training session), he successfully bench pressed 240 kg. That’s an 80 kg difference!

Squats

Squat Bands

Standard 2-meter bands of high stiffness (brands like INZER, TITAN, METAL) add approximately 15 – 25 kg. Personally, I found they provided a boost of 20 kg. Much depends on how you wrap them, as well as how strong your back is. If your back lags behind your legs, the bands will not help. The legs may be pushed, but you won't be able to straighten up. Therefore, for the bands to be most effective, your back needs to be a little stronger than your legs.

As for 2.5-meter bands, I believe this can add an extra 5 kg. Not more.

Squat Suit

If bands help you straighten your knees, the squat suit helps you extend at the hip joints and supports your back. For the suit to work effectively, usually, the squat technique needs to differ slightly from the technique used without it. But each type of suit has its own technique because they can vary in design, cut, stiffness, etc. On average, a single-layer suit provides an increase of about 30 – 40 kg.

Multi-layer suits can provide an increase of 50 – 80 kg, and in rare cases, up to 100 kg. The main difference here is in the stiffness of the suit. The more layers, the greater the stiffness and the pushing force it provides.

Deadlifts

The deadlift is an exercise where equipment plays the least role. Until recently, most athletes used squat suits for deadlifts, which makes sense as the principle of action is similar. The purpose of the deadlift suit is the same as that of the squat suit: to maintain a flat back position and assist in extending (pushing) at the hip joints.

However, these suits only function well at the start, specifically in the first phase of lifting the barbell (up to the knees). As you extend your legs and torso, the assistance from the suit diminishes. Therefore, it's common to see a picture of an athlete who can pull quite powerfully up to the knees wearing a suit (whether it’s a deadlift suit or a squat suit), but then they struggle to finish the lift.

Thus, the increase from a suit in the deadlift amounts to approximately 20 - 30 kg. And this is assuming that you have a weak start but no issues in the final phase of the deadlift. If you already have a strong start but struggle with “finishing,” the suit may not add any benefit at all.

By the way, knee wraps are rarely used for deadlifts. The primary issue here is to straighten the back, not the legs.

Conclusions:

1. A single-layer bench shirt adds 20 – 30 kg, and in rare cases, up to 50 kg.

2. A multi-layer shirt can add up to 70 – 100 kg. In rare cases, even more.

3. 2-meter knee wraps provide an increase of 15 – 25 kg, while 2.5-meter wraps add 20 – 30 kg. This is provided that you are using high-stiffness wraps and your back is stronger than your legs.

4. A single-layer squat suit can provide 30 – 40 kg.

5. A multi-layer squat suit provides an increase of 50 – 80 kg, sometimes up to 100 kg.

6. A deadlift suit provides an increase of 20 – 30 kg. This is for single-layer suits. Multi-layer ones only add about 10 kg more. This is assuming that you have a weak start, and no problems with the final pulling phase.

7. If, for example, you lift a total of 600 kg in the three lifts combined, a full set of single-layer equipment can improve your total to 700 – 720 kg. Multi-layer equipment can take it up to 720 – 750 kg.

8. All the numbers in this article represent average values. No one can say for sure how much a particular piece of equipment can add. Good luck!