Powerlifting has the "big 3"
-Deadlift
-Squat
-Benchpress
(See thread on best exercises for mass/strength to look at these exercises)
Shirts are used to lift a maximal load thus creating controvesy
as quoted from wikipedia
"One of the greatest controversies is over the use of assistance clothing/gear. Many purists believe that assistance equipment reduces powerlifting as a pure limit strength sport. Others feel equipment companies bring money into the sport in the form of sponsorship of lifters and events plus equipment use reduces injuries. Furthering the complication is not only the use of gear itself, but the stance the main powerlifting organizations take on its use. For example, some federations such as the IPF allow the use of single ply polyester squat and deadlift suits, and single ply polyester bench shirts, while the WPO allows multi ply squat and deadlift suits and multi ply bench shirts made from anything from canvas to denim. Another is over the growing use of performance enhancing drugs and the inconsistencies between federations testing for them. At the 2000 Summer Paralympics nine powerlifters were ejected from the Games after positive tests in one of the worst cases of cheating at the Paralympic Games. In addition to these larger problems are small issues with technique such as how long the bar should pause at the bottom of the bench press or the depth that a lifter must squat a weight."
Bench press shirt
http://www.hickoksports.com/rules/rpowerlift.shtml#costumePowerlifting rules- too long to be listed here
