Why wear a belt when lifting weights?
I had an athlete ask me today why should we wear a belt when lifting heavy weights. It was a great question because I don’t think enough people really understand how, why, when or where to incorporate a weight lifting belt into their work out scheme. I could list tons of research papers about supporting inter and intra abdominal pressure, valsalva maneuvers, increasing base of supports…yadda yadda BORING. You want science, Google it. I am going to give you real world applications and common sense answers. I think that the bad rap for belts started with the whole “functional” craze and really culminated with the middle age newbie “body builders” wearing their belts all the time because they suffered a back injury back when they played D3 ball. People think back belts are bad because it makes your core muscles weak. This is true if you wear the belt all the time. However, if I can lift 400 lbs with no belt and I can lift 450 with a belt on, how does that make me weaker? Am I not handling more weight now? Do you think my core and global musculature is not working harder? If I sprint 40 meters on a flat surface and then sprint 40 meters after being launched from a rubber band (assisted running) I will run faster due to the assistance of the band. I am working harder because my body is using an external assistance to produce greater amounts of force. So running assisted with a band is ok…but squatting with a belt is not?
Right.
A belt should not be used:
- All the time. If you wear a belt while you’re doing standing barbell curls you should be beat. If you wear a belt while doing overhead presses to help “prevent hyper-extension”, stop it now. A belt does prevent hyper-extension, however, in some exercises that’s a necessity. The over head press used to be an Olympic lift. However, they took it out because in order to lift the most amount of weight you must hyper-extend your back and essentially do a standing bench press.
- To help alleviate back soreness or pain. Your body is telling you something. Listen to it.
- If you are experiencing any type of GI distress. Just trust me on this one.
A belt should be worn:
- When handling loads in the SQUAT AND DEADLIFT above 90%. If you squat 400, don’t put a belt on till you get to 360. You don’t and shouldn’t need it.
- Only in the squat and deadlift. Period. Unless you are a powerlifter and you’re wearing it to help secure a shirt.
- During your dynamic effort lower body day to get used to pushing out against the belt. The first time I did this, I used 60% of my max and my back was SORE. Figure that one out. I am supposed to be using less muscles according to doctors and certain trainers when wearing a belt but my back was sore after wearing one. Hmmmm. Make sure you push your belly into the belt HARD. Don’t put a belt on if it’s for any other reason during your DELB days other then getting used to lifting with one for maximal lifts.
One final note. When you wear a belt it should not be around your lower back. The belt should be mildly uncomfortable due to it’s tightness. You should experience no pinching at the hips. One of the main reasons you wear a belt is to help prevent flexion at the spine due to heavy loads. Your body will go through flexion ABOVE the belt. If the belt is at your lower back, then everything above it is more susceptible to flexion, so if you move the belt up it will sit higher on your body and you will have less of your body susceptible to flexion. Keep the belt high, around your lower rib cage and you will have a smaller chance of injuring your lower back. Yes, you can still hurt your lower back with a belt on. It doesn’t make you invincible. However, it does help to prevent injuries when used properly.
