Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below I only use to use a belt for squats but then I stopped doing squats because I was afraid of doing more weight and messing up my knees and I did leg press which i know isn't the same but I never felt the pressure on my knees so it was a comfort thing. Now that I am doing dead lifts I was wondering how importat it is to use a belt? Also when do you guys use belts as in what excercises? What brand do you use? I have a crappy leather everlast i think.
weight belt question
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wnt2bBeast
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I never use a belt for anything..Yes i squat and yes i DL..Ive heard needsize say that a Dr. explained to him that when using a belt and heavy weights the pressure looks for a way to release when u take the belt off causing problems..i've never used one even before that but once i heard that explanation ive never had the urge to put one on..now watch ronnie coleman's video and he wears a belt for just about everything lol so go figure!!!
bran987
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GEEK2FREAK
New member
ive heard of guys getting hernias because of belts...so much tension on the abdominal wall and the belt applying pressure and that so much pressure is built up that it has to be released somewhere and the ab wall is is weaker than the leather belt....a reason im skeptical to use one...but i reckon i probably should...i dunno
I really dont see the need for a belt, as anyone who has seen my vids can attest to, not using one hasnt hurt my strength at all, so whats the point. By keeping stabilizing muscles from growing at the same rate as everything else, you are avoiding injury???how???
Its like saying I cant bench without elbow wraps as my elbows need the support....bull
And when you make the muscles do the work that the belt normally does, your body looks that much better for it. I train abs once a week, maybe, and have NEVER train obliques and serratus. But when I dieted down for the show, mine blew everyone off the stage, why, because I make them do all the work
Its like saying I cant bench without elbow wraps as my elbows need the support....bull
And when you make the muscles do the work that the belt normally does, your body looks that much better for it. I train abs once a week, maybe, and have NEVER train obliques and serratus. But when I dieted down for the show, mine blew everyone off the stage, why, because I make them do all the work
I wear a belt when I do events only...or when I'm doing a contest. I've done some decent things in the strength field both with and without one.
I also have abs. I train them 2-4x per week as well.
B True
I also have abs. I train them 2-4x per week as well.
B True
needsize said:
You are right man, that is what I was trying to say. You just put it so that it made sense...lol.
With the strongman events, the spine and other joints are all moving and twisting. I used to go raw on events to. Used to.
I train in the gym to give me better performance for strongman, so I need to fry my weaknesses. The core seems to always be a major weakness for so many people. I say that they need to strengthem from N to K. Nipples to Knees.
I don't think that I've been told that I'm weak from N to K yet.
B True
bran987
New member
Another little blurb from a John Berardi article:
Myth #3: It Is Unsafe To Squat, Deadlift, Bench Press, Or Pick Your Nose Without A Lifting Belt
It has been brought to my attention that certain companies require their employees with labor-intensive positions to wear back braces/lifting belts.
When I run a company some day, whether we do labor intensive work or not, I plan to have my employees use standard issue bone files to grind away at each other’s spines.
Am I a monster? Maybe. But I’m being facetious in order to make a point. The point is that two scenarios above are about equally beneficial to overall back health!
You see, every man, woman and child on this planet has been given a lifting belt. That’s right; you arrived on this planet with one that was factory installed! It’s called a transversus abdominus or TVA. Unfortunately, most people haven’t used theirs since they were on the merry-go-round as a child. This muscle, the TVA, wraps all the way around your midsection like a corset, attaching to the thoracolumbar fascia, which then connects to your lumbar vertebrae or “lower back”. When contracted, it pulls at both sides of your spine creating something called hoop tension, which then sets off a waterfall effect of contracting the deep musculature of your torso. Once this has happened, your spine is rigid and fully protected, and your pelvic floor muscles contract, transferring stability to your lower body. Simply by contracting this muscle, you go from a noodle to a tank.
Now, since our TVA likes its very important job, it takes great offense to our silly attempts at replacing it. Therefore when we put on some sort of brace or lifting belt, our TVA decides to relax, robbing us of stability and spinal rigidity. (This has to do with the relaxation of our abdominals). Therefore, not only is wearing a belt unecessary, it can cause your nervous system to chronically inhibit your built in protective musculature. This can lead to spinal degeneration!
There, I said it! Wearing a belt can be worse for your back than not wearing one! So, if you take heed and decide that I may know a thing or two about back health, get rid of your belt. Or better yet, give it to one of your enemies. But do so gradually. If you’ve been wearing a belt for years, gradually taper yourself off of it, and get used to using your own muscles. Have someone knowledgeable teach you how to contract your TVA and you will be significantly better off.
Myth #3: It Is Unsafe To Squat, Deadlift, Bench Press, Or Pick Your Nose Without A Lifting Belt
It has been brought to my attention that certain companies require their employees with labor-intensive positions to wear back braces/lifting belts.
When I run a company some day, whether we do labor intensive work or not, I plan to have my employees use standard issue bone files to grind away at each other’s spines.
Am I a monster? Maybe. But I’m being facetious in order to make a point. The point is that two scenarios above are about equally beneficial to overall back health!
You see, every man, woman and child on this planet has been given a lifting belt. That’s right; you arrived on this planet with one that was factory installed! It’s called a transversus abdominus or TVA. Unfortunately, most people haven’t used theirs since they were on the merry-go-round as a child. This muscle, the TVA, wraps all the way around your midsection like a corset, attaching to the thoracolumbar fascia, which then connects to your lumbar vertebrae or “lower back”. When contracted, it pulls at both sides of your spine creating something called hoop tension, which then sets off a waterfall effect of contracting the deep musculature of your torso. Once this has happened, your spine is rigid and fully protected, and your pelvic floor muscles contract, transferring stability to your lower body. Simply by contracting this muscle, you go from a noodle to a tank.
Now, since our TVA likes its very important job, it takes great offense to our silly attempts at replacing it. Therefore when we put on some sort of brace or lifting belt, our TVA decides to relax, robbing us of stability and spinal rigidity. (This has to do with the relaxation of our abdominals). Therefore, not only is wearing a belt unecessary, it can cause your nervous system to chronically inhibit your built in protective musculature. This can lead to spinal degeneration!
There, I said it! Wearing a belt can be worse for your back than not wearing one! So, if you take heed and decide that I may know a thing or two about back health, get rid of your belt. Or better yet, give it to one of your enemies. But do so gradually. If you’ve been wearing a belt for years, gradually taper yourself off of it, and get used to using your own muscles. Have someone knowledgeable teach you how to contract your TVA and you will be significantly better off.
needsize said:
I think that doing a lot of the events where I'm moving and my hips are twisting (yoke, farmers, wheel) it is actually where I get most of my ab work in. I feel it in my obliques and intercostals quite a bit.
B True
