When it comes to putting up serious numbers on the bench, there are two main ways lifters do it: raw and equipped. While some in the gym world like to pick sides, the truth is this — both have value, and if you know how to learn from each, your bench will benefit.
Let’s break it down.
What is Equipped Bench Pressing?
Equipped bench pressing is done using supportive gear — specifically, a bench shirt. This ultra-tight, high-tension shirt stores energy during the descent and helps explode the bar off your chest. Sounds like cheating? Not quite.
These shirts require skill, strength, and precision to use effectively. Just because you throw on a shirt doesn’t mean you’ll instantly bench 100 pounds more. In fact, without proper technique, you might not even get the bar to your chest — or lock it out.
Raw Bench Pressing: The Foundation
Raw pressing is the base. It’s you vs. gravity. No supportive gear, just wrists wraps and maybe a belt. Your muscle, your technique, your grind. It’s the foundation of any serious strength program and the benchmark (pun intended) for true upper-body power.
So, What Can Raw Lifters Learn from Equipped Bench Pressers?
Here’s where it gets interesting.
1. Mastering Bar Path and Control
Equipped lifters are obsessed with bar path. Because the gear is so tight, even a slight deviation ruins the lift. Raw lifters can benefit massively from that same focus — consistent bar path = stronger presses = less risk of injury.
2. Emphasis on Triceps and Lockout Strength
Bench shirts overload the top end of the lift. As a result, equipped lifters build insane triceps and lockout power. Raw lifters who struggle at the top can steal this approach: focus on heavy board presses, close-grip bench, and dips.
3. Learning Tightness and Setup Discipline
Getting into a bench shirt is a process — and it forces lifters to set up with extreme tightness and precision. Raw lifters often neglect this. Borrow that discipline. Your setup should feel like a loaded spring, not a casual layback on the bench.
4. Mental Fortitude Under Big Weight
Equipped lifters regularly handle weights well above their raw max. That kind of exposure builds serious mental grit. Raw lifters who train with heavy overloads (safely — think slingshot work or heavy eccentrics) learn to stay calm under pressure.
Don’t Pick a Side — Learn From Both
You don’t have to be a powerlifting purist to benefit from equipped techniques. Even if you never plan to compete in gear, studying the methods of equipped lifters will make you a better raw bencher — period.
How This Ties Back to You
At Raw Strength Apparel, we’re all about the grind — whether you’re pressing raw in your garage gym or chasing PRs in a shirt on the platform. Our gear is made for those who put in the work, respect the process, and never stop learning.
Because strength isn’t about categories. It’s about commitment.
Got experience with equipped benching? Raw PRs you’re chasing?Drop a comment and share your journey — we want to hear from the raw and the geared warriors alike.