Beta

This is a new service. Spotted a problem? Email us.

Equipped lifting kit

This is a plain-English guide. The official IPF Technical Rules and the Approved Kit List are the final word.

Equipped lifting lets you wear a stiff, supportive suit, and knee wraps for the squat. All of it must come from the IPF Approved List, and only at competitions marked as equipped.

The supportive suit

The straps go over your shoulders at all times. You can wear a plain singlet instead if you prefer.

The supportive shirt

For the bench press only. It must be on the approved list, and any change from its original design makes it illegal.

You cannot wear a t-shirt and a supportive shirt together. You wear one or the other.

Altering your kit

You can take a suit in with pleats, but only along the maker's original seams and only on the inside. No more than 3 cm of spare material should show outside the suit. Any other change makes it illegal.

Next: belts, wraps and sleeves