To belt or not to belt

[F4iGuy]

I use the weight belt on two occasiong, squats or deads at 6 reps or less. A friend at the gym says you should never use the belt cause its a crutch. He feels you'll build a stronger core by avoiding it. I feel more confident wearing the thing on my heavy squats/deads so I'm torn. What do you guys think?

I could care less about big numbers, I'm more interested in size. Belt or no?

[jnewton86]

I went heavy on squats one day and hurt my back severely. could barely get out of bed for a week, not to mention work out. Whenever i go heavy or just want to be on the safe side i wear it, of course mainly on squats and deadlift. haven't had any problems since. i would advise you to wear it not all the time, but when u feel its necessary.

[FireGuy]

I wear a belt in the gym 100% of the time. It has become somewhat of a security blanket for me, and in addition to helping with stabilization, it keeps my shirt down when I do anything with arms overhead.

[DSM4Life]

There is truth to what your buddies telling you but on the flip side without the belt and really heavy weight your chances of injury are high which i feel gives the green light to belt up. There is nothing wrong with using the belt for your really heavy lifts ONLY. You just don't want to be that guy who wears the belt for everything: chest press, shoulder press , getting a drink of water.

[Mike Anderson]

I only use a belt when less then 8 reps. If your going for high raw lifts I would slowly train without.

[Jfew44]

I feel like a belt is ok when you're squatting or deadlifting over 400. Any less than that, your core should be able to take. If it cant then back the weight down because its too heavy for you.

[F4iGuy]

I'm sticking to the current protocol. In addition to the injury prevention you guys mention I like if for the mental boost. I just feel more confident and we all know this is a mind game

[DCI]

Never use a belt myself really. I have learned to use back without it.

[MuscleScience]

A belt is nothing more than a false sense of security.

[DCI]

A belt is nothing more than a false sense of security.

What makes you say that?? I don't mean to sound like as if I am attacking you just want to know to learn for myself.

[MuscleScience]

What makes you say that?? I don't mean to sound like as if I am attacking you just want to know to learn for myself.

No its cool, I dont get pissed by criticism.

The reason I say that is because basically every study that has ever been done on the use of weight belts and injury prevention have shown little to no benefit at all with a some exceptions of course.

There are actually a few biomechanicist namely some out of Ball State U if I remember right that have shown that over use of weight belts can actually increase the risk of injury, due to de-conditioning of the abdominal belt muscles (internal,external obl, transverse and rectus abdominus).

However most exercise organizations still recommend the use of weight belts namely the NSCA. But they also recommend the use of valsalva maneuver to assist in maintaining structural alignment as they say.

[xlxBigSexyxlx]

A belt is nothing more than a false sense of security.

yep. **** the belt

[TR'05]

No its cool, I dont get pissed by criticism.

The reason I say that is because basically every study that has ever been done on the use of weight belts and injury prevention have shown little to no benefit at all with a some exceptions of course.

There are actually a few biomechanicist namely some out of Ball State U if I remember right that have shown that over use of weight belts can actually increase the risk of injury, due to de-conditioning of the abdominal belt muscles (internal,external obl, transverse and rectus abdominus).

However most exercise organizations still recommend the use of weight belts namely the NSCA. But they also recommend the use of valsalva maneuver to assist in maintaining structural alignment as they say.

Nice post, MS!

[DCI]

No its cool, I dont get pissed by criticism.

The reason I say that is because basically every study that has ever been done on the use of weight belts and injury prevention have shown little to no benefit at all with a some exceptions of course.

There are actually a few biomechanicist namely some out of Ball State U if I remember right that have shown that over use of weight belts can actually increase the risk of injury, due to de-conditioning of the abdominal belt muscles (internal,external obl, transverse and rectus abdominus).

However most exercise organizations still recommend the use of weight belts namely the NSCA. But they also recommend the use of valsalva maneuver to assist in maintaining structural alignment as they say.

Ahh cool, thanks for that Clears it all up. Didn't mean to sound like as if I was critising just wanted to know the reasoning behind it.

[MuscleScience]

Ahh cool, thanks for that Clears it all up. Didn't mean to sound like as if I was critising just wanted to know the reasoning behind it.

No problem, I didnt take it that way....

[CMPD213]

I see the guys that walk around the gym with the belt on at all time and when they take it off there belly is pushing out so much, i actually noticed this when i used to wear a belt. I get so used to pushing my stomach up against that belt that when i take it off my stomach is still pushing out instead of staying in tight, therefore i no longer wear a belt because i felt as if my stomach and lower back were getting sloppy and expanding

[DeputyLoneWolf]

I wear a belt in the gym 100% of the time. It has become somewhat of a security blanket for me, and in addition to helping with stabilization, it keeps my shirt down when I do anything with arms overhead.

Just wear a longer shirt...

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Anyway, Just wear it when you dead. I learned how to put the bar lower on my back when i squat so as I sit into the lift, no pressure is on my back, create a shelf by putting it on ur lower traps instead of high up. One lift for sure though Ill stick with is floor deads.

[Scott78]

I wear belt for squats, deadlifts and bent over rows (feel helps keep my back from bending too much a lot also).

But may try what ironaddict said and move bar down a bit also see how feels next time squatting

[Bigzrs01]

I use a belt anytime I go above 400 on squats. I had a back injury in 2005 while lifting...and I regret not using a belt at that time. So after that incident, I feel like I need a belt when I go heavy on squats and deads (just some psychological thing I guess).

It's better to be safe than sorry I guess, but everybody has their opinions which is fine.

Lack of proper form may also be a good reason to use a belt. Granted, proper form should be practiced at all times. But I know the further into a workout I go, the more exhausted I get. The more exhausted one is, the less discipline they have and thus, their lifting form tends to fall off and become sloppy (All this assuming you are an intense and serious lifter). That's the main reason why I do squats first in my leg workout, and deadlifts first in my back workout.

Nonetheless, happy and safe lifting!

[gymnerd]

I hurt my back doing squats with my belt on. The belt helps but I like to work my core muscles so they can stabilize me. Then wear the belt when I go heavy.

[DSM4Life]

Just got a new lifting belt. Got it in sale, woohoo

[F4iGuy]

I lol'd.

[Spyder360]

Being a new member, I want to be cautious how I approach this but feel I can offer some form of advice.

In my opinion (and yes I've used a belt before) a belt is a crutch, like a knee brace or an ankle brace to provide extra support. I was once told and fully believe this that high top football shoes - which were originally produced to provide extra support only makes an injury worse when it happens because the failing body part must fail at a higher level.

Bottom line is belts / braces will help you so much, but your body has a breaking point whether its there or not. You will only hurt yourself worse if its on. I personally only use them as part of my rehab - once I am full strength again I ditch the belts / braces.

[xXthehulkXx]

i also used to wear a belt with squats and deads. i stopped using it when a friend told me it hinders core strength. ever since i feel i lift heavier weight and am more confident with my strength. example 385lb squat for 3 sets of 4. 500lb dead for 1 set of 4

[StritationOrBust]

Anyone who says never use a belt probably doesn't do a lot of heavy deads and squats. They may think they do, but really don't. For normal squats and deads I never use it.

I do a lot of push press too. I find I need belt most with this lift. All this and I think I have a preatty well developed back. Steel cables baby!

[flanker6]

No belt for me. If I can't lift it, I just figure that I need to strengthen my core to reach the next level.

[covert025]

I was told that not using a belt will give you better core strength but will also make your waist line bigger (more muscle growth there). Now this is fine for strength and athletics but if you want to keep your waist line small, putting on a belt is not a terrible idea.. Thoughts??

[DSM4Life]

I use a belt for everything now, even when i take a piss.

[baseline_9]

I think wearing a belt when squating and deadlifting can help to overload the muscles you intend to work.

eg. if you can squat 100kg with no belt for 10 reps, but when you put a belt on you can get 15 reps i feel that the belt is helping you work the target muscle harder and more effectivley.

eg. if you squat 100 kg for 10 reps with no belt, then put knee wraps on and can get 15 reps then there is no advantage to the target muscle, only a EGO problem. If your a powerlifter it will improve total!

[baseline_9]

so i say wear a belt when doing heavy squats and deadlifts to help hit target muscles harder.

Dont wear it too tight an use it 7/10 times, this way you can add some core work!

[thomaskstewart]

Blown SC

I've caught more **** over this than any other aspect of training. But the truth is that every big squatter I know has learned how to use his abdominals while squatting. You must learn how to breathe into your belly. You want to pull as much air as you can into your belly, then flex and force your abdominals out.

Walk over to a mirror. Take a look at your shoulders and take a deep breath. Did they rise? If they did, then you're pulling all the air into your chest, not your belly. You need to learn how to breath into your belly. This is how we teach everyone to squat. For the squat, we advise the use of a weight belt worn one notch loose. This is to teach you to pull air into your belly then push out into the belt. The belt acts as a great training aid to push against.

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