Should I be using a Lifting belt?

[maldorf]

i see guys do an entire workout of triceps (on the cable off course), dips, 3" seated shoulder press (we have a machine for that which is like a t-bar for shoulders - no i don't use it!) and some DB curls wearing a belt all the while... i doubt they tighten it... they also walk around with some bad ILS
maldorf: the guys i've seen frequently use belts ARE the ones with 225 squat maxes with 5" ROM on the smith.

You do see many of those guys around, thats true. I think those of us here that say wear a belt have all agreed it is when you are lifting heavy, and only during certain lifts. There is noway in hell I would think about doing reps with 495 on the squat without wearing my powerlifting belt, and for that matter I wear it when i go as low as 405 for sets of 10.

 

[silver_shadow]

You do see many of those guys around, thats true. I think those of us here that say wear a belt have all agreed it is when you are lifting heavy, and only during certain lifts. There is noway in hell I would think about doing reps with 495 on the squat without wearing my powerlifting belt, and for that matter I wear it when i go as low as 405 for sets of 10.

i used to fall back on the belt but i'm learning to listen to my body so i can avoid it. so if i'm squatting for reps, then i always know if this rep is my last safe one. if i'm going heavy i keep the ego in check.
the "problem" in my gym is that they keep around 15 good belts for people to use... so you find alot of scrawny guys lifting dimes on the bar, put them on and walk around with puffed chest imagining they are hardcore weightlifters.
ironically when i moved to this gym a few yrs ago, i thought that having belts available was so cool compared to the previous gym which didn't have any...

 

[Illuminati]

I stopped using a lifting belt a while back because I was really into MMA and wanted to be able to lift heavy weight without any things to help me. But now I'm more into building big muscles again. Would it be a lot safer for me to be using a belt in the long run? Say in 20 years from now I don't want to have a horrible back from not using a belt, or injure it anytime soon.

belts do not prevent injuries. to get full use out of a belt, you need to push your abs against your belt. this keeps your core tighter, and can increase your chances of not getting injured.

 

[ChinkNasty]

agreed. dont overthink it.

use it if it makes you train harder.

 

[Extra_Strong]

all they do is give a false since of strength " artificial security.". and wearing one to much will cause you muscles to adapt to the belt.

There's no need for a weight belt. Your core should be strong enough to support the weight, otherwise you're not ready for it.



There is a great debate about the use of belts when squatting, some sources insist that you must wear one, while others state quite the opposite. It is worth noting that there are plusses and minuses to wearing one. Using a proper belt while squatting can serve to increase intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) which will serve to stabilize the spinal column, reducing compressive forces acting upon the spine and reducing back muscle forces. (25) However, muscle activity of the trunk appears to be significantly reduced when using a weight belt, which can lead to the muscles of the trunk receiving a less than optimal stimulus when using a belt. (26) Other proponents of belt use have shown that the use of a properly designed power belt may improve a lifter's explosive power by increasing the speed of the movement without compromising the joint range of motion or overall lifting technique. (27)

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5124176&postcount=825

 

[Quadsweeps Sister]

yea I didn't plan on using it for anything but squats and deadlifts

I would not consider using a belt all the time. Walking around in the gym with a belt on for every exercise IMO does not build a strong core. I have been around world class lifting athletes for many years and most shy away from the belt unless necessary.

I think the important thing to discuss is "How do I build a strong posterior chain?"...so you do not need to wear the belt and also avoid injury as you would have a strong core; stabilizer muscles, etc.

Shall we discuss this instead? The belt is an inanimate object and the focus should be the fitness and strength of your own body. Put the belt on the bench and it just sits there...same as a bench shirt etc. The gear doesn't lift the weight - you do.

Thoughts?

 

[Jim Ouini]

I'll never forget the guy at my gym who walked up to me while I was doing BB rows ala Madcow. This guy had his belt on of course and asks why I'm not wearing one. So I respond with 'I don't wear one except for maybe heavy squats'.

So he rolls his eyes and gives me a look like 'HOOOOOKKAAAY it's your funeral' and walks away.

Anyway, after my set I glance over and he's in the powerack. No, not squatting. He's got his belt on and he's hanging from one of the posts doing dumbell tricep kickbacks.

 

[maldorf]

use it if it makes you train harder.

I think this sums it up. If I werent using a belt now there is noway I could be doing sets of 10 with 405 on the Squat. The weight would be considerably lower and this would mean the stimulus to my legs would be much lower. In fact my legs would atrophy. In bodybuilding its not how much you lift raw, but how much hypertrophy you can induce and how you look. There is noway I am going to sell myself short of that extra stimulus a belt can provide in these basic powerlifts. How much you can lift with a belt on is always going to be higher than without, so why sell yourself short?

 

[Quadsweeps Sister]

I think this sums it up. If I werent using a belt now there is noway I could be doing sets of 10 with 405 on the Squat. The weight would be considerably lower and this would mean the stimulus to my legs would be much lower. In fact my legs would atrophy. In bodybuilding its not how much you lift raw, but how much hypertrophy you can induce and how you look. There is noway I am going to sell myself short of that extra stimulus a belt can provide in these basic powerlifts. How much you can lift with a belt on is always going to be higher than without, so why sell yourself short?

Its not selling yourself short though to build your posterior chain so you can focus more on your own strength rather than thinking the belt is the key to your set of 10 at 405. Have you tried this squat without the belt? Focusing on proper form and staying tight through the squat with a big belly of air? What about all the other exercises that focus on the posterior chain...Good mornings, hypers, pull-thrus, glute-ham, zerchers...etc, are any of these a focus of your workout?

All just questions and food for thought. Your statement about atrophy is not true. If you work your posterior chain you could most likely progress to 405 for 10 without a belt in a short amount of time. However, just because you aren't squatting 405 all the time does not mean your muscle tissue will diminish (unless squat is the only exercise you perform for legs - which I can't imagine is so. ) Something else to consider, muscle tissue enjoys the stimulus, but it also enjoys symmetry and proportion. For example, if you had injured one side (leg) and you work the other leg frequently - the body will compensate and you won't lose as much mass on the non-worked side. Also, nutrition plays a part as well. You can do all the hard work lifting, but without the proper amount of cals nothing changes.

...it just sounded so much in your statement as there was a dependence on the belt - I just wondered. No knocking you - just conversing.

 

[Guinness5.0]

I'm With QS S on this - if you HAVE to use the belt in order to hit a certain weight for reps, then there is a weakness/imbalance somewhere.