The Novice Raw Lifter’s Guide to Supportive Gear

Not all wearable accessories are created equal. Some are purely fashionable, others are strictly functional. Some are functional and fashionable, like a fanny pack.

Wait, what?

Well, lucky for you accessory dorks, powerlifting is all about the gear. Powerlifters wear more gadgets than a phony Batman, so you’ll never get criticized at a meet for being decked out head to toe in wearables.

I often hear novice lifters ask, “When should I start wearing [insert accessory gear item]?”

My answer is whenever the piece of gear will enhance your performance without hiding a technique flaw. In other words, if you were to take the gear off, your technique wouldn’t go to shit.

In this article, I’ll break down seven pieces of wearable equipment that can improve your training and keep you healthy in the long run.

***NOTE*** I don’t have any stock in any of the items I recommend in this post. They’re simply what I use when I lift. Also, we’re talking “RAW” gear here, not squat suits and bench shirts.

1. LIFTING BELT

First things first: belts aren’t used to “protect your back” nor will they “make your abs weak”.

Second things second: belts will let you lift more if used correctly.

But that’s simply because belts teach you how to use your abs to brace hard and stay tight, which equals more weight lifted.

To use a belt properly, wear it right around your natural waist and cinch it just short of as tight as possible. You want a little bit of room to fill your belly with air and not so tight that you have to suck it your gut just to fasten the prongs.

Once you’re strapped in, exhale a bit to pull your ribs down. Then, take a huge gulp of air into your belly and lower back, trying to press out against the belt from all sides. Hold onto this tightness through the entire rep. If you’re doing multiple reps in a set, exhale after the sticking point and take another breath between each rep.

Here’s an awesome video by Mike Robertson explaining how to breathe with a belt:

What I Use: Inzer Forever 10mm Single Prong
When I Use It: Squat and Deadlift over 80 percent of 1-rep max, Bench and Overhead Press heavy singles
Why I Use It: Inzers hold up better than any other belt I’ve ever tried. Some belts have multiple layers (sometimes even plastic glued between two strips of leather) but Inzers are one piece of continuous leather that’s ultra sturdy. I’ll always favor single prong over double prong simply because the more prongs you have, the harder it is to take the damn thing on and off. Plus you don’t get any extra advantage from an extra prong.

2. WRIST WRAPS

Wrist wraps help support the wrists during heavy pressing by locking the wrist into place and preventing any unwanted extension of the wrist. They’re also great for heavy low-bar squats, as most people have a tough time keeping the wrists locked when the bar sits on the lower traps.

EliteFTS lifter Joey Smith demonstrates how to put on a pair of wrist wraps in this video:

What I Use: Inzer Iron Wrist Wraps Z
When I Use It: Any Bench Press over 300 pounds, Squats over 365 or so, any accessory pressing (Overhead Press, dumbbell bench, etc.) for sets of 5 reps or less
Why I Use It: I’ve tried tons of different wrist wraps and honestly, the Inzers aren’t my favorite, but they’re pretty durable. They’re not super stiff, which isn’t ideal for heavy benching, but at least the Velcro hasn’t torn off like so many other wraps do after a few months of use. I’ve also borrowed the Sling Shot Gangsta wrist wraps from Greg Robins on occasion and will likely buy a pair soon.

3. ELBOW SLEEVES

Elbow sleeves are legal in competition for the squat and deadlift but not the bench press. They come in different lengths and thickness, as well as different degrees of “spring”.

Some sleeves simply keep the elbows warm. Others provide gentle compression to relieve aches and pains, while others are even springy-er and assist in locking out the lift (hence why all elbow protection is outlawed for competition benching).

What I Use: Sling Shot Compression Cuff
When I Use It: Squats over 405 or so, some heavy Deadlifts
Why I Use It: My elbows bother me when I squat. These cuffs give a solid amount of compression to ease the discomfort. I spent way too long squatting with a lower bar position and narrow grip, which chewed up my elbows over time. Now, I’ve widened my grip and wear the cuffs once I hit my heavy sets, which keeps me pain-free most of the time.

4. KNEE SLEEVES

Much like elbow sleeves, knee sleeves provide warmth and support for the knees. Sleeves are legal for all three lifts in competition, but many federations put sleeved lifters in the same division as knee wraps.

The squat is a lift that responds well to lots of volume. You’ll see many elite lifters squatting three or four times per week. With all this volume, you need a little support for your joints, which is where sleeves come in. They won’t make you lift more, but they’ll help keep you healthy.

What I Use: EliteFTS Heavy Knee Sleeves
When I Use It: Any and all Squats
Why I Use It: Makes my knees feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Beware if you buy the EliteFTS sleeves I use – they run extremely tight. I wear XXL sleeves and they’re still a hassle to take on and off by myself.

5. KNEE WRAPS

Knee wraps are looped super tightly around the knees to give extra “pop” out of the bottom of the squat. As mentioned, in competition, lifters wearing knee wraps compete in a separate division than lifters who don’t wear wraps during the squat.

Most high level lifters have a partner wrap their knees to ensure an extremely tight fit. It’s simply too hard to wrap one’s own knees as tight as possible, especially if you’re trying to save energy for a heavy-ass squat.

Knee wraps help a significant amount, as noted by the difference between the all-time world record squats with wraps (1,014 pounds) and without wraps (934 pounds).

What I Use: Honestly, I’ve never used knee wraps
When I Use It: N/A
Why I Use (Don’t) It: Using knee wraps would violate the rule I outlined earlier. My squat technique is somewhat inconsistent and I’ve spent a fair amount of time retooling it recently. I’ve hit 515 in competition and want to hit 550 before I even think about adding wraps.

6. SHOES

I delved into the importance of lifting footwear in my popular blog post, Training Footwear 101. It’s best to select footwear that will allow for the most mechanically-efficient execution of each lift.

For the squat, most lifters use either a flat-soled shoe like Converse Chuck Taylors or a heel-elevated Olympic lifting shoe. It depends on the technique they use. To grossly oversimplify, wide-stance squatters tend to have more success with a flat sole, while medium- to narrow-stance squatters favor a heel-elevated shoe.

Shoes don’t play a huge role in the bench press, but I prefer something fairly heavy to help me dig my feet into the floor and drive my heels down. I used to wear my Olympic shoes because the heel is so heavy, but now I wear New Balance baseball turfs because the sole is extra sticky. Some people even wear work boots because there’s almost no chance your feet will slide around.

For the deadlift, flat soles are the way to go. Chuck Taylors are popular, as are wrestling shoes or even bare feet. Simply put, you need to be able to screw your feet into the ground and drive your heels into the floor. While some lifters can deadlift with a slight heel lift, most people feel best with completely flat soles.

What I Use: Adidas Adipower (squats), New Balance 4040v2 turfs (bench), Converse Chuck Taylors (deadlift)
When I Use It: See above
Why I Use It: Adipowers because the elevated heel helps me reach depth with my lower back, hips and knees in a good position. New Balance turfs because I can really dig my toes into the floor when I bench. And Chuck Taylors because if they’re good enough for Dr. J, they’re good enough for me.

7. WRIST STRAPS

Wrist straps are somewhat controversial in the powerlifting world. Some say they ruin your grip strength. Others say it’s more important to train the target muscle – you can always do direct grip training on the side.

I’m more inclined to go with the latter statement. While straps aren’t allowed at powerlifting meets, they are a valuable training tool.

I’m firmly against using straps when training your competition-style deadlift, as you won’t be able to use straps at the meet. However, if you’re doing assistance lifts such as Romanian Deadlifts or Barbell Rows, especially for high reps, I’m all in favor of using straps.

Why take away from an exercise simply because your grip gives out? If you could do RDLs with 315 pounds for 10 reps with straps but your grip failed at 5 reps without straps, you’re leaving a lot of potential hamstring and glute gains on the table. I say strap up for assistance lifts so you can drive the competition lift further.

What I Use: EliteFTS Old School Orange wrist straps
When I Use It: RDLs, Barbell Rows, Dumbbell Rows
Why I Use It: Lets me train these lifts for higher reps than I could hold onto without the straps. This lets me strengthen my upper back, hamstrings and glutes with a lift that closely resembles the competition lift. These straps in particular are shorter than other straps, so you don’t have to wrap them as many times over the bar, making for a quicker setup.

GET YOUR GEAR ON

There you have it – a crash course in all things powerlifting gear. I hope this clears up some questions you might have had and helped you decide what gear is best for you.

Are you new to gear? Wondering what to get? Or are you a seasoned lifter looking to try a different product? Ask away in the comments section below!