User:Big Judy/sandbox

Equipped Lifting

Equipped lifters compete separately from raw lifters. Equipped lifters will wear a squat suit, knee wraps, a bench shirt, and a deadlift suit. These four things are the things that separate equipped lifters and raw lifters. A squat suit is comprised of an elastic like material, and a single-ply polyester layer. This allows pop out of the hole of a squat, the bottom, and rigidity for the lifter to keep him, or her, upright during the squat allowing the lifters hips to stay underneath them. This allows lifters to lift more weight than they normally could without the suit. There are also multi-ply suits giving the lifter even more rigidity, like that of a traditional canvas suit, and the same pop as a single-ply suit or briefs. During the squat, lifters also tend to wear knee wraps. Even though knee wraps will be a sub-classification of raw lifting it will still be worn by equipped lifters. A raw lifter who would squat in knee wraps will have the weight lifted noted as "in wraps" to distinguish this from the other raw lifters. Knee wraps are made out of the same, or very similar, elastic material as wrist wraps are made out of. They are wrapped around the lifters knees very tightly with the lifter usually not being able to do it himself and needing someone to assist them in doing so. The knee wraps are wrapped in a spiral or diagonal method. The knee wraps build elastic energy during the eccentric part of the squat and once the lifter has hit proper depth the lifter will start the concentric part of the movement releasing this elastic energy and using it to help them move the weight upwards. It gives the lifter more spring, or pop out of the hole of the squat resulting in a heavier and faster squat. For the bench press, there are also single-ply and multi-ply shirts that work similarly to a squat suit. It acts as artificial pectoral muscles and shoulder muscles for the lifter. It resists the movement of the bench press by compressing and building elastic energy. When the bar is still and the official gives the command to press the compression and elastic energy of the suit aids in the speed of the lift, and support of the weight that the lifter would not be able to provide for himself without the bench shirt. In order to achieve proper tightness and fitting the lifter must be assisted when putting the bench shirt on for it is not possible to be done alone. For the deadlift suit, there is single-play and multi-ply as well. The elastic energy is built when the lifter goes down to set up and place their grip on the bar before lifting even starts. The deadlift suit aids in getting the weight off the floor, considered to be the first part of the movement, but not very helpful on the lockout portion of the deadlift, known as the second part of the movement.