question on tightness of bench shirts

[firefightertom]

I am very much a tricep bencher. I wear a titan f6 right now and will eventually move to a katana when I accomplish a goal with my titan. I noticed something watching a few lifters including myself, michael belk and others. My shirt is especially tight. It is so tight that I have to raise my head up to get the weight to touch.
I noticed michael belk had the same problem. When I raise my head up it screws me all up. It changes the angle or something.

Here is my question:
How tight should a closed back shirt be?
Even Kenelly hasnt got on an especially tight shirt in the below video
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vpu4smDMigY&eurl=

I dont think my issues aren tricep strength. I have plenty of that. I think that I may have to go to a looser shirt.

Any suggestions or experience will be appreciated.

Tom

[gopostal42]

i've noticed it has a lot to do with being able to manipulate the angle of the shirt as in pulling the chest plate down farther. atleast its that way with single ply. just ask blue he puts his shirt on like a t-shirt and gets 100+ easily

[firefightertom]

You know.....I think you are right. Having it so tight that it rides high means that you cant manipulate it down which causes the wrong angle.

Pretty good observation D.

[gopostal42]

blind DLer will find a bench tip every once in a while

[COOKE]

first off you never take bench advice from a full power guy!!!!! secondly you need to move up to a better shirt, that's what they are made for. if you are looking for bigger numbers then get the best possible. INZER has the best hands down. look at all the biggest benches. anyway, my chest plate on my phenom is 7 inches and you can't have stronger triceps than me so i say we are in the same boat. how big of an arch do you have, foot placement, do you really pull the bar to your chest or do you let the weight force it down, do you squeeze the bar like you are hanging on for life, do you hold your breath, do you take your body to where it should break? these are the questions you need to be asking yourself and then go from there. the reason kennelly wears a loose shirt is b/c he is a chest bencher, this is also the reason he is a mid 800 bencher (not knocking him we are good friends and yes i know he has hit 900). one more ? what kind of drugs do you take for this is a major part of it, (creatine, glutamine, ephedrine, caffeine, roids)? granted i'm not for any of these things but i will not judge those that do and i will still be associated with them even though i choose to not to participate in such shananigans. hope this helps

[gopostal42]

cooke said:

first off you never take bench advice from a full power guy!!!!!

that probably good advice! but i have a cute arch, that has to count for something

[firefightertom]

cooke said:

first off you never take bench advice from a full power guy!!!!! secondly you need to move up to a better shirt, that's what they are made for. if you are looking for bigger numbers then get the best possible. INZER has the best hands down. look at all the biggest benches. anyway, my chest plate on my phenom is 7 inches and you can't have stronger triceps than me so i say we are in the same boat. how big of an arch do you have, foot placement, do you really pull the bar to your chest or do you let the weight force it down, do you squeeze the bar like you are hanging on for life, do you hold your breath, do you take your body to where it should break? these are the questions you need to be asking yourself and then go from there. the reason kennelly wears a loose shirt is b/c he is a chest bencher, this is also the reason he is a mid 800 bencher (not knocking him we are good friends and yes i know he has hit 900). one more ? what kind of drugs do you take for this is a major part of it, (creatine, glutamine, ephedrine, caffeine, roids)? granted i'm not for any of these things but i will not judge those that do and i will still be associated with them even though i choose to not to participate in such shananigans. hope this helps

LOL
1) I know what you mean by the full power guys giving bench shirt advice. Derek meant well and I think he was actually right about it this time. I am going to give him some deadlift advice sometime.
2) I DONT have stronger triceps than you. Pretty good for my size but I havent worked them much equipped so I am not a monster with a shirt yet. I will be sometime in the next couple of years.
3) I do arch but it isnt particularly large arch. I need to work on my flexability. I usually bench flat footed. If I changed that I could get more arch but I feel unbalanced on my toes when I try it equipped.
4)I do get a big chest and hold my breath as I take the bar. I do squeeze it tightly as if trying to break it.
5) I am not a pec bencher. I like a low groove with elbows tucked using triceps. Being a pec bencher explains his loose shirt.
I saw michael belk with a tight shirt and he had the same issues that I had. He is also a pec bencher. I am not so your advice is good for me.
6)I dont use roids or prohormones. I have friends that have and may still use. They are still my friends and support me. I return that favor. I dont lift in apf but I will attend it to help a friend and just to see some big wgt moved. I love powerlifting and the older I get I am getting more open and less opinionated.
Everything I use increases what you have naturally. If it doesnt grow in the ground or make your body make it then I dont use it.
I am almost 40 and just dont plan to change that at this point in my life. As you can see I come on the board here and visit. I try to be open minded for the most part. I show respect when it is due. I hope everybody will be that way in the future. I mean that.
The best things used for me is protein, glutamine, creatind, multivitamins and zinc just to mention a few.
I have just in the last few months added some board work and I have had real good gains. I plan to add some shirt work to the board work and that should help me out a lot.
How often do you work out in a shirt?

Thanks for the help

Tom

[COOKE]

i really didn't mean pull it to your chest it was just a reference point to say do you pull the bar down or does the weight push you. anyway i train shirt every other week. i was doing everyweek until i figured out the groove of my phenom. now i do shirted boards every other week and raw work in the off week. this works wonders for me. on my other bench day i do no more than 60% of my raw max and then i hammer back, shoulders and such.