Question

3.74K viewsJuly 30, 2017

Eric Bowman (anonymous) July 19, 2017 0 Comments

Hello again PRS friends

Still slogging through a loooong offseason.

If you’re a raw guy (w/ belt, sleeves, wraps etc) doing a long offseason would you recommend alternating cycles with and without the supportive equipment? I’m just on the fence as I do feel I need to improve my strength without the equipment (particularly in the squat) but also don’t want to lose my technique in the equipment.

Thanks again

Eric

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4 Answers

Answer 1 · 2017-07-19T10:52:00+00:00

I have also been working my way through a long off-season. I start adding in gear the last half of my off-season block when I am scheduled to start contest prep after the current off-season block is completed. This allows you to get plenty of raw work in during your off-season, but it also gives you a few weeks to work on getting the kinks out of your equipped work before starting contest prep. I’ve done it that way for the last two summers and it’s worked for me.

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Dain Soppelsa

Dain comes to the PowerRackStrength Team with many years of competitive experience. He started competing in southwest Michigan in 2001 and has primarily lifted multi-ply since then. He has totaled pro in 3 weight classes; 2304@275, 2435@308 and 2500@SHW. His best lifts include a 1060 squat, 800 bench and 715 deadlift.

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Answer 2 · 2017-07-25T13:11:20+00:00

Since the equipment is very very minimal, I’d say training without it, then jumping back in it should take very very little time to adjust. I’d def avoid training in knee wraps year round, with that said.

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Brian Carroll

Owner and Founder at PowerRackStrength.com

Brian Carroll is committed to helping people overcome back pain and optimizing lifts and movement. After years of suffering, he met back specialist Prof. McGill in 2013, which led to a life-changing transformation. In 2017, they co-authored the best-selling book "Gift of Injury." On October 3, 2020, Carroll made history in powerlifting by squatting 1306 lbs, becoming the first person to break this record. He retired with a secure legacy and a life free from back pain.

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Answer 3 · 2017-07-28T01:21:39+00:00

I typically don’t use knee wraps in my raw offseasons. I focus primarily on my weak points and building strength with minimal equipment. With raw there really isn’t a whole lot of technique change from knee sleeves to wraps. I use knee sleeves and belt primarily as a protective measure (to help tighten core, and keep knees warm) and focus on form which will transfer over when you throw your wraps on.

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Lisa Guggisberg

A self-proclaimed former high school band nerd turned meathead nerd, Lisa has been coached and mentored by Brian Carroll using 10/20/Life principals for 3 years. She started CrossFiting in 2006 but gave that up after realizing all she wanted to do was squat, bench and deadlift heavy. She now competes as a raw and multi-ply powerlifter in the 114 and 123 weight classes. Lisa has All-Time top 10 totals in both raw and multi-ply in her respective weight classes with a raw pro total of 936 lbs at 114 and a pro 1118 lb multi-ply pro total at 123 and 1090 lb multi-ply total at 114. She is currently ranked the #1 female multi-ply lifter at 123, #2 at 114 multi-ply female and #3 raw with wraps. Lisa has a B.A. in Political Science and a Masters in Public Administration, but hates politics and political debates. She is a mom of two, a firefighter wife and has worked as a full time litigation paralegal for almost 20 years.

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Answer 4 · 2017-07-29T23:23:03+00:00

I do a few 3 week mini-cycle sans belt after every meet. I also only use knee wraps during meet prep. I never train without sleeves because I am a big baby.

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Paul Oneid

Paul is an elite level raw Powerlifter with personal bests of an 805lbs squat, 440lbs bench, 725lbs deadlift and a 1960lbs total in the 242lbs class, as well as an 800lbs squat, 430lbs bench, 700lbs deadlift and 1930lbs total in the 220lbs class. Paul brings a deep educational background to the team as he has earned Master’s degrees in both Sports Management and Exercise Science. He is a former D1 Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coach, who now works as a Functional Rehabilitation Specialist in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Paul provides coaching services in the areas of training and nutrition through his company Master Athletic Performance and is also the co-founder of a technology company, 1-Life Inc. Stay tuned for more information on that in the future!

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