Gear review

RodgerThat

New Member
As many know here in a big workout gear guy and I've tried most and investigated the others. What I'd like to do for the ones interested is make this thread dedicated to what workout gear you have used and what did you like and not like about it and would you reccomend it to a meso bro. Also toss out some items your interested in using to see if anyone has used it and can give you some feed back.

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This is about 85% of my collection and I am not gonna bang out everything in this post but if there is something you see that you want me to comment on let me know and I'm happy to shoot the shit.

So in decending order from my favourite must haves down it goes:
1) Nike Romaleos 2, great solid shoe for squats, bench press and OHP these bad boys have withstood the test of time being 3 years old now and still look brand new. The grip is phenomenal and it's a very solid platform to lift off of. The only down side is the top meditarsal strap is too long but nothing a pair of scissors couldn't fix on day one.
2) SBD knee sleeves, I have ordered 3 pairs of them and only ordered new ones because I outgrew the previous one. They are too notch for stability and pop outa the hole compared to any number of sleeves I've tried. The downside is they take some effort to put on but hey gotta work hard if you wanna get anywhere right.
3) inzer 10mm single prong belt, this was a close tie for second but I occasionally squat without it and I'd never squat without my sleeves. The belt is solid and will last me my whole lifting career I have no doubt about it. Does what it's suppose to do and is made well. Downside is out of box it's stupidly stiff so it's going to take some time to break it in and in that time you may get some blood blisters when it pinches you.
4) mark bell full boar slingshot, this thing changed my bench game. I was stalled out for months and once I got this it helps correct form and you can overload the triceps with a ridiculous amount of weight. I went from plateauing on 275 for 3 months to lifting 315 for a paused single in 2.5 months. (Disclaimer other factors do apply here as well.... Cough cough tren cough)
5) Mark bell hip circles and compression cuff. The hip circle is amazing for dynamic warm ups as well as reinforcement of driving the knees out during the squat and activating the glutes more so I use it for my first warm up set every day as well. I have the hip circle and the 2.0 version and the original is just right I find the 2.0 to not really add much more and they increased the diameter of it so unless you have 30"+ thighs then it's not needed. As for the cuffs I use them for my elbows as a way to train through the elbow pain that constant heavy lifting produces on them in combination with my job. They are well made as is everything with mark bell but unfortunately don't come in half sizes so it's either 10" or 11" and they recommend sizing an inch down for snug fit and I'm 11.4" so I've done 11 and 10. I can wear the 11 all day but barely gives support for heavy lifts were as I can were the 10s for about 2 mins enough time to do a heavy set and then I slide them down my arm till my next set so I wish I could have a 10.5 that's my only gripe about them.

Feel free to ask any questions I've used most brands and most products as my lifting friends are also into gear and we tend to purchase opposite brands. Also take this as my .02 on the products and not a definitive guide about each one as it should be this is biased and subjective to the individual.

So let's hear it what do you got and why do you like it!
 
I have almost nothing. Some chucks I wear for squats (I do DL in socks), some harbinger wrist wraps, some gloves Ive for 10 years and hardly ever wear (Brutus made me feel like a pussy), and I just got some wrist straps today. Ive never used em before but they were on sale for nothing so I got em. Maybe they'll help my DL.

By the end of the month Ill have some shoes (I was looking at adidas powerlifts but Im thinking about the romeleos), and my own belt.

Also I need to invest in some chalk too.
 
Appreciate the informative post! I've been on the fence about the sling shot but I think that will be my next purchase. After that probably some lifting shoes but my Adidas I use for back and leg day are completely flat and get fairly tight so they work for now. I have some wrist wraps from Elite FTS I got the heavy duty longer ones which turned out to be overkill but I still like them.

Would like to hear some opinions on knee sleeves or wraps. I remember reading an article saying the compression could actually be bad for your joints when you are going through range of motion.
 
I have the Romaleos 2 as well. This is the only piece of gear I have or really need for my training, except for chalk and some straps that go unused. If you squat high bar or front squat a lot then do yourself a favor and get a pair oly shoes.
 
Appreciate the informative post! I've been on the fence about the sling shot but I think that will be my next purchase. After that probably some lifting shoes but my Adidas I use for back and leg day are completely flat and get fairly tight so they work for now. I have some wrist wraps from Elite FTS I got the heavy duty longer ones which turned out to be overkill but I still like them.

Would like to hear some opinions on knee sleeves or wraps. I remember reading an article saying the compression could actually be bad for your joints when you are going through range of motion.

So for knee sleeves the compression isn't actually tight enough to limit your petella from moving freely were it wants. Knee wraps you can put tight enough that limit the float in your petella but again if used properly and wrapped properly you'll actually be putting it in a secure position that will avoid blow outs. There is no long term study to my knowledge that suggests knee sleeves are bad your knees and many people that have bad knees buy knee sleeves to correct that.

If your interested in brands these are the ones I've used

SBD- king in the world of pop
sTrong series- best for security as they are tight in the knee and flair for larger calfs and thighs
Rehband- if your looking for warmth and comfort and nothing more
Titan- decent for the price but shell out 20 bucks more and you get an awesome product like SBD or sTrong
 
Thanks. Any opinions on wraps vs sleeves? Anyone here tried Sling Shot or Elite FTS wraps or sleeves?
 
sTrong series is slingshots lineup and they are the best for stability I've ever worn and I'm a SBD guy so it's hard for me to say that :oops:.

Wraps and sleeves are two different games in my opinion. Are you looking to compete raw or eqquiped or is it just for training? Are you looking for stability for longevity in the knees for the squat or are you looking for more weight out of your squat and doing overload training?
 
As many know here in a big workout gear guy and I've tried most and investigated the others. What I'd like to do for the ones interested is make this thread dedicated to what workout gear you have used and what did you like and not like about it and would you reccomend it to a meso bro. Also toss out some items your interested in using to see if anyone has used it and can give you some feed back.

View attachment 33034

This is about 85% of my collection and I am not gonna bang out everything in this post but if there is something you see that you want me to comment on let me know and I'm happy to shoot the shit.

So in decending order from my favourite must haves down it goes:
1) Nike Romaleos 2, great solid shoe for squats, bench press and OHP these bad boys have withstood the test of time being 3 years old now and still look brand new. The grip is phenomenal and it's a very solid platform to lift off of. The only down side is the top meditarsal strap is too long but nothing a pair of scissors couldn't fix on day one.
2) SBD knee sleeves, I have ordered 3 pairs of them and only ordered new ones because I outgrew the previous one. They are too notch for stability and pop outa the hole compared to any number of sleeves I've tried. The downside is they take some effort to put on but hey gotta work hard if you wanna get anywhere right.
3) inzer 10mm single prong belt, this was a close tie for second but I occasionally squat without it and I'd never squat without my sleeves. The belt is solid and will last me my whole lifting career I have no doubt about it. Does what it's suppose to do and is made well. Downside is out of box it's stupidly stiff so it's going to take some time to break it in and in that time you may get some blood blisters when it pinches you.
4) mark bell full boar slingshot, this thing changed my bench game. I was stalled out for months and once I got this it helps correct form and you can overload the triceps with a ridiculous amount of weight. I went from plateauing on 275 for 3 months to lifting 315 for a paused single in 2.5 months. (Disclaimer other factors do apply here as well.... Cough cough tren cough)
5) Mark bell hip circles and compression cuff. The hip circle is amazing for dynamic warm ups as well as reinforcement of driving the knees out during the squat and activating the glutes more so I use it for my first warm up set every day as well. I have the hip circle and the 2.0 version and the original is just right I find the 2.0 to not really add much more and they increased the diameter of it so unless you have 30"+ thighs then it's not needed. As for the cuffs I use them for my elbows as a way to train through the elbow pain that constant heavy lifting produces on them in combination with my job. They are well made as is everything with mark bell but unfortunately don't come in half sizes so it's either 10" or 11" and they recommend sizing an inch down for snug fit and I'm 11.4" so I've done 11 and 10. I can wear the 11 all day but barely gives support for heavy lifts were as I can were the 10s for about 2 mins enough time to do a heavy set and then I slide them down my arm till my next set so I wish I could have a 10.5 that's my only gripe about them.

Feel free to ask any questions I've used most brands and most products as my lifting friends are also into gear and we tend to purchase opposite brands. Also take this as my .02 on the products and not a definitive guide about each one as it should be this is biased and subjective to the individual.

So let's hear it what do you got and why do you like it!
Looking to purchase a durable dip belt. Was about to purchase harbinger polypro dip belt until I saw this theard. Maybe I can get some others options before I purchase.
 
Mines a WSF universal dip belt it's pretty good quality I've put 135 on it and dipped without any issues besides the fact that I'm doing 135+BW dips.
 
Mines a WSF universal dip belt it's pretty good quality I've put 135 on it and dipped without any issues besides the fact that I'm doing 135+BW dips.
Thx I'll look that one up. Must be pretty decent quality. That's some pretty strong dips.
 
Thx I'll look that one up. Must be pretty decent quality. That's some pretty strong dips.

I'm just a lightweight so when I say +BW it's not like it's another 250 pounds lol. It is pretty good and it's the belt I used for squats before I got my inzer, no comparing it to inzer for stability in the squats though.
 
sTrong series is slingshots lineup and they are the best for stability I've ever worn and I'm a SBD guy so it's hard for me to say that :oops:.

Wraps and sleeves are two different games in my opinion. Are you looking to compete raw or eqquiped or is it just for training? Are you looking for stability for longevity in the knees for the squat or are you looking for more weight out of your squat and doing overload training?

I don't compete just like to add things in to my training that will either help protect from injury or keep from hitting plateau.
 
I don't compete just like to add things in to my training that will either help protect from injury or keep from hitting plateau.

If you don't compete and your not at a point were you can utilize overload training I'd go knee sleeves cause it makes squatting more comfortable for the knees and therefore you'll squat more
 
I haven't used my wraps enough to say whether they help with anything or not. The only reason I have them is because the nearest fed to me is raw with wraps. Outside of practicing with them leading up to a meet I think I've only used them one other time. Huge hassle to get on and you want them right off after your set. Not so simple like throwing on the bench slingshot.

I just did five sets using them, rolling them and wrapping them myself this morning and I was hating them.
 
I have the Inzer lever lock belt in 13mm. Best belt I've ever used. 2 green 65lb resistance bands and a grey 200lb resistance band from rogue fitness.

Inzer true black wrist wraps for training and my sister just got me the Titan THP wrist wraps for competition. Can't wait to try them out.

2 foam rollers, 3 lacrosse balls, 1 tennis ball, wrist straps, chalk, micro plates, elbow sleeve, and a bunch more.
 
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