So you’ve established that you finally graduated past your first pair of Harbinger lifting gloves and are now ready to focus on building some serious strength and power in your routine. You’ve seen countless members in the gym using and wearing a variety of lifting belts for a variety of uses, but somehow are still unsure about whether you even need one, what kind to get if you did, and how to use it properly. This article aims to provide some clear insight towards lifting belts and whether it’s a tool that you should soon add to your gym bag.
Why?
In the simplest explanation possible, a lifting belt is used to provide an athlete with support of the vertebrae during a heavy lift ultimately increasing safety, core tightness, and power output. Now, I know that there are many other benefits of utilizing a belt during training, but first you need to understand the importance of proper breathing and bracing of the core.
When you think of your core, you should be thinking of all the muscles within your torso on the anterior and posterior sides of the body. I like to coach my clients to think that the core isn’t simply the abdominal muscles, but more like an oversized belt of muscles surrounding your torso from the pelvis to the sternum.
Bracing
The lifting belt in and of itself is completely useless if the wearer isn’t properly breathing and bracing the core throughout the lift. The body is equipped with its own “natural lifting belt”, created by activating the core and using intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) to protect the spine. In order to create IAP, you want to draw in air through your diaphragm and begin to brace your abdominal wall outward as if you are preparing to absorb a punch from a skilled fighter.
Properly executing this bracing technique will prevent the abdominal wall collapsing under load, leaving the spine susceptible to injury. So, why use a belt if our bodies are fully capable of doing the task already? Well, there comes a point in time where a lifter’s core strength isn’t as strong as the primary muscles used in a specific lift, so the belt provides additional support towards the core under heavier loads.
So you want to wear a belt on your heavier lifts where extra support is necessary. First place the belt evenly over your lumbar spine, above the pelvis and below the ribcage. Tighten the belt so that it is snug while breathing normally, but will get tight as soon as you apply the bracing technique. You’re now ready to rock and set some personal records.
Types
Now that you know how to use the belt and why you would need to, it’s time to decide which style is best for you. There are 2 main types of belts which I will discuss: Powerlifting belts and Weightlifting belts.
Powerlifting:
Inzer Prong Belt (Pictured Left)
Inzer Lever Belt (Pictured Right)
These belts are typically thicker, wider, and stiffer than traditional weightlifting belts. They are made to be this way in order to provide a greater amount of support for heavier lifts and lower reps. Usually these belts come either with a lever action or a pronged locking mechanism. I prefer the lever due to the ease of usage and application. Both are great options, but I’d rather not fight to get a pronged belt off after a max effort set. These belts usually run around $50-100 and have a little bit of a break in period to get comfortable.
Weightlifting:
These belts are typically used for Bodybuilding, Olympic lifting, or general weight training. They will be thinner, narrower, and more flexible than powerlifting belts due to the amount of range of motion needed to perform the tasks and amount of volume being performed. To allow greater movement, some weightlifting belts are tapered in the front, which can also increase the user’s comfort. These belts are typically made with soft leather, nylon, or polyester with a pronged or Velcro locking mechanism. They are definitely less supportive than the powerlifting belts, but cost around $20-50 with little to no break in period.
Recommendations
First, learn how to breathe and brace your core properly during your lifts if you haven’t been doing so already. Train this way and build up your technique before reaching for a belt. When it’s time to strap up, think about what you will mainly be using the belt for and decide then on which style you’d prefer. Don’t become reliant on using your belt and ignore training your body’s core strength. Remember that what you’re really using during the lift is your own core. The belt is just there to provide additional support to what you already have, so build up what you’ve got first in order to maximize the belt’s usage.
Hopefully now you have a better understanding of what a lifting belt is used for, how to properly use one, and how to decide on which one best suits you!
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