wraps actually contribute to knee pain and deterioration by pushing the kneecap inward. Also, I've experienced more tracking problems when wrapping for long periods than when not. There's a term for roughening of the underside of the kneecap - I think it's chondromalacia - and while I have no scientific study to point to, I believe that wraps potentially contribute to this problem.

Today lifting suits and bench shirts are commonplace in the world of powerlifting. But remember there was a day when they didn't exist. Sure other, more crude, devices were used. Go Heavy posters talk about the introduction of the Marathon Supersuit in the mid 1970's. It was the first squat suit made and marketed to the powerlifting community. Fast forward to today to witness the changes in powerlifting from this one introduction.

do deadlift lockouts ...strengthen your back , start doin gm's if u dont already.....work on ur speed and use that momentum to help

Rack lockouts are ok... If you really want to bang up your lockout use reverse band.

the pressure on the spine itself doesn't change. There is no compressive force applied to the spine. Regardless of flat back or not, you still have the same surface area directly under the bar load, specifically your upper back. When benching flat backed, only the center portion of your back takes the load, so less of your body is distributing the weight. When properly set up with the arch, shoulderblades pinched, traps retracted, you have much more body mass under the bar, which distributes the pressure of the bar over more tissues and bones. Remember, your body is 3-dimensional, you are talking about a flat plane here. Therefore, if your back is healthy, there is no danger from benching with an arch, regardless of the popular "personal trainer" advice.

I was surfing on another forum and man it gets brutal at some of the slams guys throw around at each other... I mean we are all powerlifters and we all put in the hard work and sweat to do a sport we enjoy. We go through the good times and the hard times and keep lifting and doing the best we all can. The goal for all of us should just be to lift more weight than we have done before. It might be a one lift bench or a full 3 lift total. Does not matter the goal is to lift more and get the weights up! Some of us will do diffrent things to get better. Some of us might want to use better gear, mono lifts,diffrent feds where the judging is not super strict as others feds. Some may even use Strength enhancemening drugs. The point is this board is the best because we all lift in diffrent feds in all kinds of various gear and we all encourage one another while doing it... If we are powerlifters and do not support one another who will support us.

• There is the time savings of not having to travel back and forth to the gym.
• being able to workout anytime, 24/7
• you do not have to put up with the (how do I say this nicely?), heck, the idiots at the gym. People screwing around or yapping away on a cell phone while you’re trying to concentrate and prepare for a heavy lift. Or someone walking right in front of you while you’re going down on a heavy squat, causing you to lose your concentration and get buried. Or someone tying up the power rack doing curls while you’re waiting to do heavy squats.
• being able to play whatever music you want.
• I can put my chains where I want
• I can also change into my powerlifting gear right in my workout area.

Deepsquatter is taking a survey of who is, pound for pound, the best powerlifter of all time. Lots of votes so far for Ed Coan. Others tallying votes include Steve Goggins, Chuck Vogelpohl, Garry Frank, Brian Siders, Oleksander Kutcher, Arnold Coleman, Ron Palmer, Phil Harrington, Jesse Kellum, Brad Gillingham and Tony Conyers. Head on over there and offer your opinion.

Who told you that the europeans were better than us? Because they can beat our 2nd tier lifters that compete in usapl.There are at best 3 lifters that would be able to compete with the wpo guys off of this years usapl team.And by compete,I mean being able to total within 100 lbs. of the winners.