As part of my ongoing series of posts on the topic of Powerlifting (a competitive weightlifting sport) I have decided to include a post on the topic of Powerlifting Equipment.
I want to note however that people wanting to use such equipment can also sometimes just make their own equipment. The DIY approach is often just as rewarding as anything you can buy in a store.
I am also approaching this from the perspective of someone who has a casual interest in Powerlifting and as someone who wants to use the various Powerlifting techniques as part of someone's weightlifting routine, and not because they want to compete in the sport.
Bench Press Shirt - Designed to store kinetic energy and help the lifter lift more.
Deadlift Socks - Thick socks designed to protect the lifter's shins while performing a deadlift.
Deadlift Suit - Provides compression, but also stores kinetic energy to help the lifter lift more.
Elbow Sleeves - Supports the elbow joint, reduces inflammation and provides compression.
Gum Sheilds / Mouth Guards - Protects the teeth while the lifter is clenching their jaw.
Gym Chalk - Used to absorb moisture, improve grip and reduce friction.
Knee Sleeves - Similar to Knee Wraps, but provide compression and reduce inflammation of the knee joints.
Knee Wraps - Strips of elastic wrapped around the knees which protect the knee joints.
Knee Wrap Rollers - Used to make Knee Wraps tighter and provide more tension.
Lifting Straps - Loops around the wrists and the barbell, allowing the user to lift with their forearms and not have to use their hands so much. Some lifters consider them to be cheating, but you could say that about a lot of the things on this list.
Singlet/Leotard - Really only worn during competitions so that a referee can easily see whether someone properly completed a squat or succeeded in performing a lift properly.
Smelling Salts - Contains ammonia, but can be used as a stimulant to trigger a short but intense burst of adrenaline, which can boost performance.
Squat Suit - A supportive aid designed to help prevent injury while lifting more.
Weightlifting Belt - Works similar to a back brace, providing rigid support and stability to the lower back and core muscles.
Weightlifting Shoes - Two Types: Deadlift shoes (flat with ankle support) and Squat shoes (rigid with elevated heel). Both are designed to help prevent injuries while lifting.
Wrist Wraps - Elastic strips wrapped around the wrist joint to help reduce movement and prevent injury.
As you may have guessed, most of the things on the above list are basically designed for two things:
To prevent injury.
To help the Powerlifter lift more weight.
How many of these things do you consider to be necessary? Well, it depends on how much value you place on preventing sports injuries.
I personally think that preventing sports injuries is very important. Some competitions prefer that the competitors lift without any equipment, what is known as Raw or Classic, while some competitions favour all the competitors being equipped so that lifters aren't injuring themselves. How much equipment someone uses is basically up to the user.
What you decide to use is up to you. My one piece of advice is that if you're not going to get anything to protect your joints that you at least take it easy and don't push yourself too hard.
Also sometimes you may have no choice but to use some types of equipment, but that shouldn't stop you from exercising. Use whatever you consider to be necessary and important to you.
Okay, so many years now I have been using the same design for Cardio Trek's Gift Vouchers with respect to archery lessons.
And it occurred to me recently that perhaps it was time to make a new design.
So here are the old designs. First up the Regular design:
And the Valentines Day version.
I still like the concept of the gift box in the image, but I felt it was time for something new. Plus I wanted to use the same font used for the Cardio Trek logo.
Voila!
Now immediately I know some people are going to prefer the old versions... But whatever. It doesn't matter which version people want to use. What really matters is the Gift Voucher Number when people contact me to book their archery lessons in Toronto.
Want to give a friend, loved one or coworker a gift? Why not archery lessons?! Just contact me via cardiotrek@gmail.com to get started.
Powerlifting Tip #1: Bench Press - Squeeze your Scapula/Shoulder Blades
By squeezing your scapula during bench pressing it will help will keep your shoulders on the bench (where they should be) and help to reduce the range of motion. You don't need to squeeze them super hard, just enough to help keep your shoulders on the bench. Keep your shoulders tight throughout the movement and then lock out the elbows at the top of the exercise. This will ensure better form and improved stability. Squeezing the scapula a bit will also engage more of your triceps and help with your overall lift.
Do not squeeze your scapula as hard as possible. That is completely unnecessary and counterproductive.
Powerlifting Tip #2: Squat - Keep Your Chest Up and Facing Forward
You want to keep your chest up and facing forward at the bottom of the movement and throughout the entire lift. By doing this you will prevent your torso from folding when you reach the concentric part of the squat (at the bottom) and reduce the potential for injury and improve your stability, which is especially vital during a heavy squat.
Powerlifting Tip #3: Deadlift - Do Not Bend Your Arms, Think Hooks
Never bend your arms while performing a deadlift. Instead keep your elbows locked and arms straight throughout the movement and think of your arms like fishhooks that don't bend or move. If you try and pull the bar up with your biceps you’ll likely tear a tendon, which will keep you out of the gym for a long time. Just think of your arms as hooks, you are simply using them to hold on to the weight and nothing more. The main muscles that will be used during a deadlift will be your quads, glutes, hamstrings and spinal erectors.
Powerlifting Tip #4: Split Up Your Training
You should practice split system training, which means you have to focus on a specific body area and training until you get fatigued. This allows for intensive training, when compared to a full body workout, with ample recovery time before training that section again.
Unlike some weightlifters who might alternate upper body and lower body, you want to be more specific than that. Thus a typical week for a powerlifter could end up looking like this:
Monday: Back
Tuesday: Chest
Wednesday: Shoulders / Traps
Thursday: Biceps / Triceps
Friday: Legs
Saturday and Sunday are rest days.
So for example I am currently doing a simple Weightlifting Routine wherein Mondays and Thursdays are Leg Days and Tuesdays and Fridays are Upper Body. Wednesday/Saturday/Sunday are my rest days. If I wanted to start doing Powerlifting then I would need to make significant changes to my exercise routine.
Powerlifting Tip #5: Don't Over Train
3 to 5 days a week is a good rule of thumb for the maximum number of days per week a Powerlifter should be training. You will have to discover the hard way whether you should be exercising 3, 4 or 5 days per week. But you will know you are Over Training if get any of the following side effects:
Increased Muscle Soreness due to not enough rest/recovery time.
Poor sleep.
Recurring Sports Injuries.
Powerlifters generally do not train as much as bodybuilders (who are often exercise addicts) and because they're lifting a lot more they need to pace themselves more and allow for ample rest periods. Part of this is because powerlifting causes strain on their CNS (Central Nervous System) and that needs more time to recover.
Powerlifting Tip #6: Ample Rest Period
This is obviously connected to the previous point above. If you give your body a large enough rest period it will help you to recover more efficiently from an intense session. Allowing for ample muscle recovery time (and CNS recovery) means you will see better results the next time you train. This will result in increased muscle and strength gains.
This also means that you should be wary about certain activities. Eg. If you had an intense session on Friday you should avoid helping a friend to move a piano on Saturday. If you get a sports injury while moving that piano you could set back your training significantly.
Instead on your days of rest you should focus on lighter activities and avoid anything that could put strain on your recovery.
Well, not exactly. There's a lot more things you need. See my Archery Equipment Checklist. But I don't go into a lot of details on that Checklist, but today I am going to do so. Here's what you really need... and Why!
Traditional Recurve Archery Equipment Guide
Recurve Bow
You want to start with a bow with a fairly low poundage so that you can focus on form first and build strength gradually over time. Generally someone new to archery should start with a 20 to 25 lb bow, depending upon their strength and size. Even people who are very strong should start with a maximum of 25 lbs and then as they progress they can purchase higher poundage limbs or more powerful bows.
This is similar to a person at the gym doing weightlifting: You don't start with the 50 lb dumbbells and start doing bicep curls. You start with the 15s or 20s and work your way up gradually. Someone who starts with a bow that is too powerful will get tired very quickly and their form will suffer as a result, causing a lot of inaccuracy.
Right: Samick Sage Recurve Bow.
There are many different brands and models of Traditional Recurve Bows to choose from. A very popular model is the Samick Sage (which my wife uses), but there are lots to choose from. When buying your first bow however try to get one that is the desired poundage. Don't worry so much about brand and model, poundage is much more important. You can always get a fancy bow later after your skill has improved significantly.
12 Arrows
So... Funny thing. Beginners have a tendency to lose arrows or break arrows quite often. So if you start with 6 arrows, you're probably going to lose/break half of them during the first month. This is why I recommend starting with 12, because if you break/lose 3 of them then you still have 9 left.
You also want to make certain that the arrows you purchase are spined correctly for the bow you are shooting. If they're too stiff then it reduces accuracy, but if they're too weak then it increases the chances of the arrows spontaneously breaking (and possibly hurting the archer).
A fairly simple device used for stringing your bow easily and without damaging the bow. If you string a recurve bow using the leg method (or the knee method) then you void the warranty. So you really want to string it properly using a bowstringer.
If you are getting archery lessons then your instructor can show you how to use a bowstringer properly, otherwise you can also ask someone in an archery store to demonstrate how to use it. Failing that there are also YouTube videos on how to use a bowstringer.
During a student's first archery lesson I often tell a story during the demonstration of how to use a bowstringer. The story is about Ulysses (Odysseus) and his return to Ithaca and how he strung his bow after being gone for 20 years and returning to Ithaca an old man. Or you can watch the 1954 version starring Kirk Douglas.
Archery Glove or Tab or Thumbring
Protects your fingers. Traditionally archers wore leather gloves of various styles to protect their fingers while shooting. If you shoot regularly without protection it will hurt your fingers and damage the nerve endings.
In the image on the right you can see the character Bran (from A Game of Thrones) wearing an archery glove. The glove in question is actually just a Neet Archery Glove that has had the label removed and the image has been tinted so it appears to be darker.
I saw someone about a decade ago shooting with zero protection. He was insisting on "doing it the traditional way", even though people traditionally used some kind of hand protection. His fingers during the summer turned black and blue because of all the damage he did to the nerve endings. We never saw him again after that summer. I am guessing his fingers had to be amputated. So yes, definitely wear protection. Wearing a glove, tab or thumbring is very traditional.
Below: An example of someone using a thumb draw with a thumbring. Thumbrings are usually used by people shooting horsebows (shortbows), but I have also experimented with using them to shoot longbows and flatbows.
Arrow Rest
Most bows (unless you buy a kit) don't come with an arrow rest. My biggest piece of advice on this topic is: DO NOT BUY THE CHEAP PLASTIC ARROW RESTS.
They break very easily.
Instead I recommend getting a steel or fur arrow rest. See my older post Five Styles of Arrow Rests for more on that topic.
For beginners what I generally ask is: Do you want something more traditional or more modern?
If the new archer says traditional I point them at the fur arrow rest (which isn't made of real fur), which you can see to the right.
And if they want something more modern then I point them at either a Flipper style arrow rest or a spring loaded arrow rest. I particularly like the QuikTune by NAP and I use it when teaching beginners because the arrow doesn't fall off easily when they cant the bow to the left. Beginner archers have a habit of canting the bow left and right and then the arrow slides off the arrow rest.
Nock Bead
The nock bead is a tiny brass bead that goes on the bowstring and acts as a guide for wear to nock the arrow on the bowstring, and prevents the arrow from sliding around on the bowstring.
Some archers will even put two nock beads on there, one above the arrow and below it, so it is even less likely to slide around.
Arrowheads
So yeah... Arrows don't usually come with arrowheads. Some do, but not all.
Also there are many different kinds of arrowheads, and they're measured in grains. (There are 7000 grains in 1 lb.)
I generally recommend that beginners start with 125 grain field point arrowheads, and if they want to shoot longer distances they can get 100 grain field points for shooting medium distances (30 to 50 yards) and 75 grain field points for shooting long distances (60 yards or further). You swap out the arrowheads for shooting longer distances so you can save on weight/increase arrow speed, but at medium or close distances you want a heavier arrowhead because it increases accuracy.
If the arrow itself is heavier than normal then you might even want a heavier arrowhead in order to change the FOC balancing point of the arrow. See my old article on the subject: What the eff is FOC Weight?
So yes...
That is everything that you "NEED".
You may have noticed that having an arm guard (arm bracer) or a quiver isn't actually a necessity. Those are really more optional. Below is a list of Optional Archery Equipment or you can browse Optional Archery Equipment for more details.
Arm guard or Bracer - arguably a necessity for some people, but not everyone needs one.
A spare bowstring. (In case the first one breaks.)
Spare Parts for Arrows - spare nocks, spare fletching, fletching
glue, spare arrowheads, spare inserts. This is in case you ever need to
repair arrows.
A quiver of some kind - possibly a back quiver, side quiver, hip quiver, ground quiver - or you can just make your own.
Dampeners - puffy balls that make your bowstring quieter.
Archery Backpack - to carry your gear in.
Bow Sock - for storing a longbow or one-piece recurve in.
3D Targets - for shooting at fake rabbits and such.
Portable Archery Targets - for when you don't have anything else to shoot at.
Stabilizer - a gadget to help prevent people from canting the bow.
Decorative Limbs Skins - purely for decoration.
Wrist Strap - so you don't accidentally drop your bow.
Bow Racks / Bow Stands - for storing your bow when you are not shooting it.
Strange Arrowheads - Whistling arrowheads, Tibetan howling arrowheads,
blunt arrowheads, glass arrowheads, flint, obsidian - there are quite a
variety available.
Below are two examples of some whistling arrowheads.
Is it possible to become an Experienced Archer in just 10 Weeks?
Well, yes, but it depends upon how you define "Experienced".
Experienced doesn't necessarily mean that are good at something. You can be experienced at rowing a canoe, but that doesn't mean you are very good at it.
Using that definition a toddler could be "experienced at archery", but that doesn't mean they're good at it. [Photo on the right is my son Arthur, who is 11 months old in this picture. It is going to be many years before he is an "experienced archer". My older son Richard (currently 5) meanwhile can shoot moving bubbles in the backyard while barely trying.]
But for the purpose of exploring hypotheticals, how do you go from just starting archery as a complete beginner to becoming an experienced archer in just 10 weeks?
Well, it is certainly possible to do it with a lot of practice, but I believe it is easiest when you have an archery instructor. Becoming "good" at archery is many times slower if a person is trying to do it by being self-taught, but you speed the process up significantly by having an instructor who can help you avoid common mistakes that many beginners get stuck on and they don't know what they're doing wrong.
A good book on the subject can also help, but a book cannot spot your errors when you make them and if you don't know what errors you are making then it cannot teach you how to avoid those bad habits while reinforcing good habits.
One of the biggest factors, in my opinion, is how serious the student is about learning archery. A child who is more interested in staring at their phone isn't going to get as much out of 10 archery lessons than a similar child who pays attention and is excited/enthusiastic about learning archery. Same goes with an adult who is similarly addicted to their phone versus an adult who really wants to learn archery. This isn't so much an age issue as it is a maturity issue.
Speaking on behalf of myself and my archery lessons you can learn quite a bit in 10 lessons, however just because I offer 10 lessons doesn't necesssarily mean that you cannot learn more. I have had some students who keep coming back for more lessons. 20? 50? More than that?
It happens. One of my students (Adam) just keeps coming back for more lessons every year. He was a teenager when he started, now he's in his 20s.
Some archers just want to be challenged constantly and they yearn to learn more things as they progress, possibly learning other styles of archery, other techniques, and more obscure topics that aren't covered in my normal block of 10 lessons.
Looking to sign up for archery lessons, boxing lessons, swimming lessons, ice skating lessons or personal training sessions? Start by emailing cardiotrek@gmail.com and lets talk fitness!
