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Powerlifting Gear / How to Use a Squat Suit

By Alan Best

Ok powerlifting boys and girls this will be a quick introduction to single ply geared powerlifting squatting.  As many of you know trying to lift in any gear can pose its own challenges.  I only wish it was a matter of putting on a suit or shirt and hitting 150 lbs more than your raw numbers, but in actuality it takes lot of practice and patience. In my opinion there are 2 ways of lifting in powerlifting gear; the first being able to live in the gear you’re using, and getting strong with it.   The 2nd is getting stronger outside the gear and only wearing snug powerlifting gear that complements your style rather than making you conform to it.  This article will focus on the latter of the two, because that is how I have always treated gear and I spend as little time in it as possible.

So how do you choose the right powerlifting suit for you?  I have worn suits from the three major brands and over the years I have noticed that most gear manufactures have their own feel which will work best for some lifters and not others.  Inzer suits have been very springy for me with little to no stopping power, these suits are very easy to squat through and don’t require you to change your form much from raw to geared. Metal offers some spring and some stopping power but I have never been able to get one of these suits to work well.  Titan, (which is my suit of choice) offers good stopping power with the newer suits, while the older material can be very springy.  So what I’m getting at is if you’re a big time box squatter then give Titan a try, but if you have been nothing but a free squatter and looking for your first powerlifting squat suit Inzer is more than likely the best way to go.

Now when tailoring the suits there should be a few things to keep in mind as well.  There are different ways of getting the same suit with the same material to act differently.  In my powerlifting career I have gravitated towards snug hips and legs while maintaining loose straps, and by loose I mean a strap that I can put on by myself, but just barely.  I tailor my suits like this because I’m looking for spring and less stopping power.  What this allows me to do is take my normal stance, wear the bar low and almost squat as if I didn’t have a suit on.  The straps tailored like this will only kick in during the bottom 4 inches of the squat where most of us need the most help, but shouldn’t stop you from getting to depth with whatever you’re working with.  So what happens if you snug up the straps?  Well you get a whole lot more stopping power out of the suit, which should slow down the squat and thus decrease the rebound, but on the other hand the suit will be taking more weight and also make it more difficult to hit depth.  When squatting with tight straps I have noticed you need to have a little higher bar position and squat more upright.  Lastly, I’ve noticed that having a slightly longer leg (1-2 inches) will allow me to have my gear a little looser making depth easier while maintaining most of the spring I would typically get from a slightly tighter suit.

When using your squat suit you will notice a few things:   1st when getting into position under the bar it will be harder to get the bar set and a big breath for your walk out.  There is a trick to help you with this that I almost never see people do, and that is to bend at the knees.  I’m sure your knee wraps aren’t that tight, and I know that it takes a lot less effort to get under the bar and set up correctly if you just remember to bend your knees.  2nd Maintaining your form throughout a squat is a MUST, this is coming from someone that has been struggling with this over the years and understands the importance of getting and maintaining correct form.  So don’t let the powerlifting suit push you around, you tell it what to do and where to go (although with tight suits there will be small adjustments that need to be made).

It’s important to remember that you have a suit on now and therefore capable of another 50-200 lbs over your  raw squat, so what this means is your core (abs in particular) needs to be trained up and ready for that weight because if you can’t walk it you will never get the chance to squat it.  So to be ready for these bigger weights train your abs just like you train everything else.  Lastly, I have noticed the hardest part about geared squatting is getting to depth.  Because you have a suit on, which is doing more and more the lower you go, we have to stop fighting against the suit and start mashing it.  I am by no means a pro at this aspect of geared squatting but I can tell you that sitting back and into the suit while maintaining a level of patience is extremely important.  I know this thing is going to hurt, and I want to get out from under it as soon as possible but I just remember its meet day. I’ve been training for this for 4 months, blown off girl friends or dates, woke up early to eat, spent almost as much time at the gym as I do work, so I think I can suck it up for just a few seconds.  In the past I have rushed the decent in my powerlifting squats and often turned them around too fast which caused me to miss depth but the previous statement has been great at keeping me focused and patient when trying to get to depth.

So what did you learn?  With  any luck at least you know what to expect and have a couple of tips on how to get by.  Just remember if you’re starting out, error on the side of getting stronger and wearing loose powerlifting gear, because I don’t know about you but I set out to get strong and did this sport because it promoted strength gain.  I didn’t set out to be the best geared squatter (and by no means am I talking down to those that have put a huge focus on gear, it’s just not the way I have approached powerlifting) I just wanted to get stronger.  It’s only after getting your raw squat up and good with your medium tight gear that I would suggest tweaking it a little tighter and tighter until you are able to have tremendous strength under the suit and then max out a suit to hit some crazy numbers.  So good luck and have fun, because we sure as hell aren’t getting paid to do this.