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karachi183
New member
I always use one for back days.....
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Should I be using a Lifting belt?
- Thread starter tommboy
- Start date
AhMadKooL
New member
precision said:
Where do you get your info? have you done your research?
Read this link:
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/strengthening/a/aa060201a.htm
It says:
"A weightlifting belt has two main purposes. It reduces stress on the lower back while the person is lifting in an upright position and prevents back hyperextension during overhead lifts. A belt reduces low back stress by compressing the contents of the abdominal cavity. This increases the intra-abdominal pressure (IAP), providing more support in front of the bones of the lower back. This allows the spinal erector muscles, which would normally provide this support of the lower back, to produce less force during the lift. Another benefit of increased IAP is a reduction in the amount of spinal shrinkage (lower back compression) a lifter may experience during circuit weight training. Some belts have a wide back and a narrow front. Therefore, it would be advisable to wear the belt backwards if increased IAP is desired, as the area gives the contents of the abdominal cavity more surface area to push against."
Also it says:
"belts should only be used on two primary occasions. The first is when performing maximal or submaximal lifts in exercises such as the squat or deadlift, in which the weight is supported by the lifter's back. The second is while performing exercises, such as the military press, which may cause the back to hyperextend."
bignate73
New member
awesome! so we have a bunch of votes for belts!
1. it does increase IAP. artificially. sounds like a nice recipe for injury in the future. false strength=false confidence.
2. it does give proprioceptive feedback, but it also inhibits neural contraction of the TVA via pressure to the sensory nerves surrounding your spine. basically giving off a false signal that your TVA is working. (see below article)
3. pushing out against it does give more support to your internal organs. via gross stability. but does nothing for segmental stability and hoop tension. (if you don't know, you better learn the differences and how they relate to each other) here or same article on one page
4. it does keep it warm, does anyone have a problem maintaining body temperature? maybe in joints where bloodflow is less but a heavily muscled area?
5. if you are getting back pains, check your form. is it bad? check your routine. are you overworked and not recovering fully? check your weaknesses. are you missing some strength in your "chain"? do you have a pre existing condition?
6. Mental crutch. I'll use this analogy again: if you are comfortable lifting 300 lbs with your belt, and you normally put it on at 250 (just to be safe), now you increase your lift to 325. Proud of yourself you still put on that belt at 250. the progress continues. one day you leave your belt at home....what can you lift? mentally....you can lift 250 "safely". you keep increasing the mental gap between what you can lift with and without a belt.
7. The whole point of training is to condition your body to handle particular loads, on a repeated basis. just like when you can't do more than 50 crunches would you like someone to come hold your hands and lift you up for another 10?
8. Where do you stop? First a belt, then wrist wraps so you can "focus more on your back". Then knee wraps to give you some spring. Then orthotics and ankle braces because your knees cave in. pretty soon you look like a Roman Warrior wrapped up for battle. each weak point on your body reinforced, while the gap further increases from your "strength" to your actual stabilized strength. But you are strong...maybe.
I don't knock those that train with equipment as their sport and know the help they get from it, because they basically know what their shirted max and raw max is and train accordingly. or in bfold's case where he knows what he needs for competition and trains his body accordingly with minimal equipment. He is intimately aware of when weakpoints crop up and how to fix them. His equipment just helps him on game day.
I'm tired now.
edit: links fixed.
1. it does increase IAP. artificially. sounds like a nice recipe for injury in the future. false strength=false confidence.
2. it does give proprioceptive feedback, but it also inhibits neural contraction of the TVA via pressure to the sensory nerves surrounding your spine. basically giving off a false signal that your TVA is working. (see below article)
3. pushing out against it does give more support to your internal organs. via gross stability. but does nothing for segmental stability and hoop tension. (if you don't know, you better learn the differences and how they relate to each other) here or same article on one page
4. it does keep it warm, does anyone have a problem maintaining body temperature? maybe in joints where bloodflow is less but a heavily muscled area?
5. if you are getting back pains, check your form. is it bad? check your routine. are you overworked and not recovering fully? check your weaknesses. are you missing some strength in your "chain"? do you have a pre existing condition?
6. Mental crutch. I'll use this analogy again: if you are comfortable lifting 300 lbs with your belt, and you normally put it on at 250 (just to be safe), now you increase your lift to 325. Proud of yourself you still put on that belt at 250. the progress continues. one day you leave your belt at home....what can you lift? mentally....you can lift 250 "safely". you keep increasing the mental gap between what you can lift with and without a belt.
7. The whole point of training is to condition your body to handle particular loads, on a repeated basis. just like when you can't do more than 50 crunches would you like someone to come hold your hands and lift you up for another 10?
8. Where do you stop? First a belt, then wrist wraps so you can "focus more on your back". Then knee wraps to give you some spring. Then orthotics and ankle braces because your knees cave in. pretty soon you look like a Roman Warrior wrapped up for battle. each weak point on your body reinforced, while the gap further increases from your "strength" to your actual stabilized strength. But you are strong...maybe.
I don't knock those that train with equipment as their sport and know the help they get from it, because they basically know what their shirted max and raw max is and train accordingly. or in bfold's case where he knows what he needs for competition and trains his body accordingly with minimal equipment. He is intimately aware of when weakpoints crop up and how to fix them. His equipment just helps him on game day.
I'm tired now.
edit: links fixed.
Last edited:
Guinness5.0
New member
I don't own a belt. I usually train for a max single/triple in some sort of squat/deadlift variant weekly. I highly doubt that adding support equipment on a regular basis has any benefit to long term development. I believe that becoming reliant on such equipment is asking for injury.
I have often had low back pain in the past - since abandoning the belt entirely and practicing a few technique improvements (Vasalva technique, mostly) I have experienced a tremendous reduction in back pain while simultaneously improving my strength by a large margin.
I have often had low back pain in the past - since abandoning the belt entirely and practicing a few technique improvements (Vasalva technique, mostly) I have experienced a tremendous reduction in back pain while simultaneously improving my strength by a large margin.
blut wump
New member
I agree 100% with Bignate and Guinness on this. To be totally confident with your lifts in terms of real-world strength a lifting aid should be viewed as either an assist or as a crutch.
Use as a crutch is probably a bad idea in general since it leads to unexpected weaknesses. Use as an assist is a conscious decision one makes for one's sport or whatever other reason.
Use as a crutch is probably a bad idea in general since it leads to unexpected weaknesses. Use as an assist is a conscious decision one makes for one's sport or whatever other reason.
blut wump
New member
Bignate didn't dispute the conclusions you drew merely their validity.
It's not a good thing to permit muscles an easy ride during a heavy lift. We've done this merry-go-round numerous times when discussing the Smith or any movement where one has artificial stabilisers. On competition day, do whatever you must. Prior to that you should differentiate between training for competition day and training for functional growth and strength.
It's not a good thing to permit muscles an easy ride during a heavy lift. We've done this merry-go-round numerous times when discussing the Smith or any movement where one has artificial stabilisers. On competition day, do whatever you must. Prior to that you should differentiate between training for competition day and training for functional growth and strength.
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