How much of a difference does powerlifting gear make?

[travelingfisherman]

I have been powerlifting for over 18 years now and been doing 100% Raw powerlifting for the past couple years. I feel that it is safer for me to train unequipped since I don't lift as heavy. In my first 14 or so years of powerlifting I use to use a cheap weight belt and cheap knee wraps but don't use it anymore and wanted to know how much of a difference there is from 100% RAW squats compared to doing squats fully equipped with the best powerlifting suit, belt, knee wraps, etc? For example how much does a 550 pound 100% Raw squat equate to if someone spends a couple months learning how to train fully equipped? Would you say fully equipped squats adds 150-200 or more pounds to someones 100% Raw 550 pound squat? 

[Ryan]

Candidly, there's no way to quantify this. It's like asking "how much more delicious is one dessert than the other". Totally subjective as it depends on the gear, the lifter, technique, practice, and the list of variables can go on through eternity.

Only way to find out is to learn how to move weight raw with good technique and then do the math between numbers you achieve there and those achieved in gear. Then in hindsight, you'll have your answer. And this will take years.

For example, I once saw a 242 lifter who was able to squat into the 900s in gear who switched to raw (USAPL) and had to grind through a 620lb 3rd attempt. Someone might cite Blaine Sumner and give you examples to the contrary, saying that gaps between his raw and geared lifting are relatively small, but that's using an outlier as an example (because Sumner was an elite level football player and is an elite level lifter, so his genetics place in a category alone).

All that to say geared lifting is a different sport with different mechanics and different movement patterns from raw. Best thing to equate differences to are baseball v. softball. Very similar to the untrained observer, but lots of subtle differences that when all put together, cause them to be considered as two different sports.

I got into the sport on the geared side and I was coached by a world-record holding lifter and I can tell you that apart from a couple of philosophical things that apply in lots of areas of life, there was very little that he taught me in the geared world that carried over to raw. I had to essentially learn things from scratch when moving to raw, but I'm glad I did it.

[travelingfisherman]

Thank you for responding Ryan. It is shocking how much the powerlifting gear helped the man you mentioned. I did more research on this subject since I posted and read many other examples of how powerlifting gear adds a couple hundred pounds to a person's 3 best lifts. I rather focus on true strength ( especially functional strength ) so I will keep doing my lifts with no powerlifting gear and instead rely on my body to lift the weight. I did a 520 pound 100% raw squat earlier this week as my last set of squats and I can squat 585-600 pounds for 1 rep at this moment in time. Use to squat 700 pounds raw when I was in my late teens/early 20's and did not do so much long distance running like I do now. My current lifts might not be as heavy compared to some equipped lifters but at least I know I am lifting the weight by myself as a lifetime drug free athlete and not being assisted by powerlifting gear.