Squat Briefs- Pros/Cons, fitment, and brands/material

[Big o Boy]

Let me start by saying this would be my first purchase of "equipment" for powerlifting. I just received my bands a few weeks ago and I am loving them. I'm hooked on this powerlifting thing now, and I'd like to dig a little deeper into the sport.

Pros/Cons:
So first of all, I'd like to know some pros and cons of getting a pair of briefs for squatting. I've heard they're good hip savers if you do a lot of box squatting (which is something I've been leaning towards more and more). Will they help increase my raw strength while training with them? Is it worth it to go ahead with the briefs, or should I hold out and get a suit?

I'd like to start small with the briefs and work myself into equipment that way. Is this a good idea?

Fitment:
My waist is around 33 inches, but my squatter's ass is growing at a pretty good rate... lol. What size should I be looking at? I know it's good to have a tight fit, but at what point is too tight = too much?

Brands/Material:
And finally, what brands to choose from. I've looked on www.elitefts.com and I know they have the "Metal" line-up. There's also Titan and Inzer that I know of.
And to add to my confusion, there seem to be a variety of materials that briefs are made of also. Denim, NXG+, and other very sturdy "mystery" material.

AHHH... My head's going to explode!

Thankyou in advance for your help. :cool:

[Paul Stagg]

I wear mine for box squatting, otherwise my hips get beat up. Some people use a loose suit.

I lift USAPL, so briefs are illegal, I use them only for training

The fit will vary by manufacturer.

I have Inzer power pants, they work just fine. The Metal stuff is a little pricey - if you are just going to use them for training, I don't know that metal is the way to go. However, if you are going to lift APF or elsewhere that allows briefs, I would get the best ones you can.

[TommyBoy]

In my honest opinion, Metal is king. I use the Metal Viking briefs and they can't be beat. If you're gonna compete in APF or any multi-ply fed, go with Metal....worth every penny! But, like Paul said, the IPF affiliate's don't allow briefs or anything multi-ply so I would either use a single ply brief strictly for training (such as the Inzer Power pants) or just use a single-ply suit with the straps down.

As far as the pro's and con's, they definitely help protect the hips. Believe me, if you're using a super wide stance like I use and you're handling anything over 600lbs, your hips will thank you. The only con's I can see are that like any piece of powerlifting equipment, they're tough to get on. But thats normal.

As for sizing, call EFS and tell them your measurements and it'll be a perfect fit. The customer service @ EFS is outstanding!

As for the briefs increasing your raw strength....um....not really. If you're training for raw strength, don't use gear. If you want big lifts, use the gear and don't think about raw anything. Either you're a raw lifter or you're not; take your pick.

Hope this helps. Peace.

[Sensei]

I'd like to start small with the briefs and work myself into equipment that way. Is this a good idea?
If you are starting small, start w. a single-ply polyester suit and train w. the straps down. It will provide the same support a brief would and you could use it any meet you decide to enter in the future.


Brands/Material:
And finally, what brands to choose from. I've looked on www.elitefts.com and I know they have the "Metal" line-up. There's also Titan and Inzer that I know of.
And to add to my confusion, there seem to be a variety of materials that briefs are made of also. Denim, NXG+, and other very sturdy "mystery" material.
Thankyou in advance for your help. :cool:
Again, IMHO you'd do better to start w. a single-ply poly suit. Inzer, Titan, and Metal all have squat suit models that are IPF-approved, so it's more a matter of how much you want to spend.

[HeavyBomber]

It's nice to see a thread that's actually worth reading. Thanks for all the information so far.

[Big o Boy]

Thankyou everyone for the detailed and informative replies.

I went ahead and went with the Inzer Power Pants to start off with. These will get me used to using equipment without breaking my bank. This will also give me time to scope out suits/rules and get more opinions if I choose to compete in a specific organization when I get back from Iraq.

Thanks again. It really blew me away to get such great answers. :thumbup: