So what does a bench shirt do for you

[natural-mike]

This question can be answered by anyone but typically applies to the great gentlemen who have been answering all my questions and show the true brotherhood of the sport, PowerlifterJay, The Mann, 1-Dawg

What do you bench without your shirts on as compared to what you bench with your shirt. Now most of you guys never max out int he GYM, Iknow that and have heard you say you save that for the meet, if thats the case then I heard you say you only practice your opener with the shirt in the GYM, if thats the case would that opener with the shirt on that you are doing in the GYM, would that be your max raw or above your max raw or do you feel you could press it raw but it is almost effortless with the shirt. I'm trying to get the feel for a shirt as opposed to raw.

Lastly, as you guys now from my anal ability to ask tons of questions, I ordered a shirt and will be getting in about a month from know, how do I work it into my training to learn to use it, how do I practice with it, how often? what lifts just bench or other ME exercises also?
I ordered the single ply denim with rad cut and velcro and I do not have any competitions coming up at all.

Just want to know when and how to learn it and practice with it?

Thanks again,
Mike

 

[brianmincher]

reply to bench shirt question

Hey there,

I am not one of the people that you specifically asked the question of, but I hope that I can help you out just the same.

How much you get out of the shirt is dependent on a number of factors, for example shirt tightness, material, layers, where you are particularly strong or weak in the press (off the chest vs. lockout).

I have two shirts, both Inzer double denims with the back split all the way up. I ordered both with velcro, and after using them with the velcro strapped up, and left loose, I tore the velcro off and threw it away. In the future I will just order shirts split up the back with no velcro, and buy cheeseburgers with the extra $.

I don't ever do a true max out on a flat bench raw. I do however in take a heavier weight raw to test out my speed following speed day, and I do declines and inclines raw to a max. I am pretty confident that I can do a 360 bench raw. I recently hit a 440 paused bench with my shirt on. That is an 80 lb carry over for me. I did not get that much of a carry over when using the poly shirt, but I have pretty good lockout strength and the denim works better for someone with good lockout strength.

As for what exercises to do with a shirt. I have never done anything but flat bench paused singles with a shirt. I don't know if it would even be possible to do any other exercises with my particular shirts.

I max out in the gym every two months or so on max effort day if there are no contests on the horizon to recalculatate my speed day percentage, and guage how I am doing.

Incidentally, I cannot get my raw max to my chest with my shirt on. When you get your shirt in, I seriously doubt that you will be able to go very long without trying it out. Whenever I get a shirt in, I am like a kid with a new toy, and I have to use it on my next max effort day. I don't think it hurts to throw in shirt presses once every month or two to get the feel of a new shirt, and check how your contest max is coming along.

Good luck, hope this helps.

B.

 

[natural-mike]

Bro solid reply, I'm fucking sycked up now, but I'll have to keep this pump for a while until the shirt comes in, the reason why I asked this question and it applies to anyone not just the guys I mentioned is becausd I am the same way also, once I get that shit I absolutely have to try it. I cant believe you got 80 more form the shirt that shit has got me all psyched up for the shirt.

Peace and thankjs,
Mike

 

[frknhuge]

well

i hit 450 raw
put on a frantz dbl denim and hit 505 like it was air, im goin for 540 on mon, and possibly 560 in my meet
good luck bro

frk

 

[The mann]

i have also done raw bench meets and i did 360 @ 181,but that was before i learnd shirts or even had a decent shirt.i don't know what i do raw now,i would do say at least the same as that or more.my shirted bench has jumped alot so i would imagine my raw max has went up.i really gauge everything on my ME days. with me,if my floor presses,4 boards are going up,i go to the meet and hit a PR. when you get your shirt you are going to have to see what will touch your chest.you will have to get the feel of it .do your usual warm ups,then thow some weight on and bringthe bar down,make sure you have good spotters cause if the denim is tight it's going to pull at the bottom.force it down and get an idea what will come all the way to your chest.you are only going to use it on regular bench,some do board presses with it but i see no point.1 dawg will explain better.....when you push the weight up remember to push up fast with the shirt,or the weight will stop dead in it's tracks.you can take acouple workouts and try to get used to it to see if you need any alterations.but mainly,think about your form,don't let the shirt get you out of your groove,do a couple singles,not max attempts ,but rather get used to where to bring the bar .....i'm shitty at explaining but hope i helped a litttle man.... powerlifterjay,wher ya at......Master of DENIM.........

 

[powerlifterjay]

The master of denim is here! Whats up the mann? Good to see your knowledge put to good use. For you natural mike, me and my denim is different from everyone else here. You see my ability to lockout is way more then i can bench. My raw bench touch ngo with ok form (ass down) is 545lbs. I dont pause raw. Not good for ya. I dont care what anyone says dont do it. If you do, you wont for long cause that is how you get hurt. Now with my shirts i dont touch ngo i only do long pauses with them in the gym. With the shirt i open in, well my last meet i opened with 565lbs @220lbs And it took 5 seconds plus for it to go the last 3 inches down. I have hit 615 with it in the gym with a good pause. With my newest shirt which i was going to use at the bench bash but didnt cause of injury i did 635 and smoked it 2 weeks out from the meet. On mon i bench flat and raw. I use boards in shit but that is on thursday. I dont do do speed. I do press very fast though. But i will max but i only max with weight i feel i can get. May have to work for it but i know i will get it. I dont lift over my head. But if i had to pause i would say probably somewhere between 480 and 500lbs. So as you seei get over 100lbs out of my shirt, actually more. But to stress the importance of a strong lockout i have done the following going to the bench bash. 4 brd press with green bands double looped at the bottom with 545 loaded on the bar. So i had well over 650 or so at the top. With green bands suspended from the top i have loaded the bar to 700plus which would be 550 or so at the bottom and probably 685 at the top and lock it out easily. And right now i am hitting 585 for 3 reps on the 4 brd raw no bands no chains. I am getting weaker since i moved here but i am reppin now so i will up the tempo in late nov. Hope i helpedyou some buddy i would use your shirt on ME day if your westside, or on heavy tri day if your not. Use it for 4 weeks or so then take a big max. Go light, go kinda heavy, play with it and feel it good before you go big in it. That way you will no what it is going to do when you load the hell out of the bar.

 

[The mann]

There ya' go.........

 

[dirtydawg]

hey guys been reading all the boards on the shirts. i had no idea they helped that much. i mean a 50lb to 80 lb increase that is some serious weight. i know the increases are not written in stone but maybe i should pick up one. they just look painful as hell to put on. and since i have been training WS style for 8 weeks i have been pain free in my shoulder i do not want to go back to those days. on the other hand i have had a 35lb increase on my bench on ws program in this short time sounds like a shirt would get me too my new years eve goal!!??

dd

 

[powerlifterjay]

If your goal is to bench alot in a shirt. I mean i bench alot in mine but most of the time i am raw and my goals i make are done raw. Except contest. Igf you get a shirt and bench alot just seperate your raw from your assisted. And definitly dont compare your assisted to someones raw. You see what i am saying. If someones askes me what i bench i say contest or gym. Shirt or no shirt.

 

[natural-mike]

Mann, Powerlifter Jay thanks for all your input, I still have some questions but they are probably hard to describe and now matter how well you explain it will really become clear when I strap that friggin shirt on. For example:

How do I know if the shirt is sized correct? IS this based on what I get out of it or whether aI can touoch anything to my chest, I mean if I have load doofy amounts of weight on the bar well above my max to get soemthing to touch my chest yet its too heavy to lock out, do I blame the shirt or keep the shirt and bring up my tri's I mean thats confusing, Or if the shirt does nothing and I can easily bring weight within my max range to my chest but feel the shirt is not doing anything doews that mean I need a tighter shirt? See I'm confused as to how to judge whether my shirt is too big or too small for me?

Also, I know I have to find this out myself but what will that denim shirt feel like when It gets to the bottom everybody says I will feeling pulling like an inner explosion what the hell is that about?

And lastly, I assume I better blast the weight off my chest while the shirt helps the first few inches to get momentum or when the shirt cuts off helping midway I am a dead man, that I can figure myself.

Guess I am really concernedabotu judging if the shirt is sized correctly since Inzer only gives ya 2 weeks to send back and re-size,...any input here fellas?