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What is a bench press shirt and how to get one [Article]

Posted by Pascal Landshoeft

Jul 25, 2017 10:00:00 AM

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What is a bench press shirt and how to get one

The first time I heard the word; “Bench press shirt”, I immediately began to wonder what it could be and what exactly it could be doing for lifters. Until I saw and used the shirt myself, I erroneously concluded it is perhaps a magic suit to enhance the effectiveness of benchers, kingly members of the powerlifting, weightlifting, squat, deadlifting community at the gym. I might have been wrong with that, but it’s clear now that my conclusion was entirely incorrect. Anyway, you don’t need to laugh at me; it was a long time ago, and there is always a first time for everything. I know better now.

Bench press calculator

So, for the sake of those that still wonder what a bench press shirt is, or perhaps, thinking you will just throw a bench shirt on and turn to a Superman and magically add 300lbs to your bench press, am sorry to disappoint you that it doesn’t happen like that. However, I am going to show you everything you need to know about bench press shirts and how you could get one to tremendously improve your performance and start training with 600, 700 or maybe even 800 pounds.

What exactly is a “Bench Press Shirt” and how does it work?

A bench press shirt is a stiff supportive shirt you can use to improve your performances for the bench press. It is most often used in powerlifting competitions to increase the 1 rep max. The shirt is basically an artificial shoulder and pectoral (chest) for weight lifters. What the shirt does is to help resist the bench press movement (like a powerful compression spring), thereby giving a boost off the chest and also provide optimum protection to the shoulders. The weightlifter's shoulders and deltoid muscles are supported by the extremely tight fit of a bench shirt.

What can a shirt do for your Lifts?

If a shirt is carefully chosen that correctly fits your lifting technique, and you learn how to use the shirt well, it’s capable of improving your bench lifts as much as 10-15% for a low-quality shirt or 30%+ for a  good quality one. However, it is important to carefully choose your shirt. Choosing a badly fitting shirt, choosing one that does not fit your technique, or failure to learn how to use the shirt correctly could do more harm than good to your 1 rep max.

However, you don't have to worry; there are places out there in the market where you can get a good technique-fitting, quality shirt; and am going to explain some different options.

Types of Bench Shirts

Bench press shirts can be a single- or multi-ply thickness. They are usually made of polyester, denim, or canvas. These shirts do also come in different styles and fitting types which is why it’s important you train and practice in a particular brand of the shirt before you can conclusively decide which one will fit well with your lifting technique. The brand type of the bench press shirt you wear goes a long way as to determine the way you lift weights in them.

Single Ply and Multiple Ply Bench press shirts

Bench press shirts, as earlier said, come in different layers sewn into them, and that’s what determines if they are going to be a single ply, double ply, triple ply or more.

In a single ply bench press shirt, only one layer of polyester or denim is sewed into it, while double has two layers in critical areas;  triple ply shirts have three layers of material sewed in critical areas. One thing about a number of materials sewed into these shirts is that the thicker the shirts are, the more resistance they are able to give and thus translate more additional power for the bencher. However, most bench press shirts have no more than double ply in order to provide more protection to the shirt when facing extreme loads which could cause triple ply shirts to rip.

 Polyester (Poly) Shirts 

This is the first design which has been brought to market and so they are the most popular type of bench press shirts used by benchers today. Few things you should know about the Poly shirts are:

  • They are made with one or two layers of polyester
  • They provide a good resistance and power to the shirt
  • Usually fit tightly to the bencher that it may be extremely uncomfortable
  • Getting them on or removing them could be very difficult
  • Not recommended for beginners
  • Your armpits are likely to bleed with poly shirts

Denim Shirts

The denim shirts also are similar to the poly shirts, but a bit more comfortable

  • more flexible than polyesters and therefore provides more support
  • Denim shirts exact a lot of pressure on benchers and are therefore not suitable for every bencher
  • It is more flexible than the poly bench press shirts and so do not need to be worn as tightly as the polyester shirt
  • Wearing and removing is much more convenient
  • It can support much more weight


Whichever shirt you choose to bench, one important thing you shouldn’t forget is that it’s important you practice in the shirts before deciding on which to choose because your lifting skill and convenience in those shirts will determine if you will be able to handle it.

How to get a bench Press shirt

Bench shirts are being sold today by several companies. They offer their shirts in different designs with various materials, plys, and of course, in varying prices.

Further reading

 
 

Topics: Lift stronger, Bench Press, Powerlifting, Bench