Your career will last longer assisted. Also, learn your gear and you can do some great things. No matter what gear you use or get you will at one point in the lift have to have the sheer power to move it, usually its lockouts. But a tight inzer z suit 3 sizes too small will not really help ya if your only squattin 300. Same with bench shirt if it needs 400 to go all the way down and get passed those last six inches then it will assist you 6 inches off you rchest but you then better have 400 lbs of lockout in the reserve for the finish. But lifting assisted helps in those areas were injury could most likely occur. But use your gear and train your weaknesses and then it will come together for you. Or compete raw thats fine too just be carefull. We all train raw. Except the last 4 weeks or so. Mainly its the bench you need to be carefull on.