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At the risk of being hammered for being a contrarian, I think that their only benefit at most is psychological. Having said that, I admit that I did very little squatting, preferring to use the hack squat machine. Ditto for deadlifts. However, the relatively few times I did squat or deadlift, performance was not enhanced by the belt.
Did a lot of heavy overhead lifting, including snatch, clean and jerk, and military press. Performance not enhanced by the belt. Same thing with power cleans and bent over barbell rows.
At the risk of being hammered for being a contrarian, I think that their only benefit at most is psychological. Having said that, I admit that I did very little squatting, preferring to use the hack squat machine. Ditto for deadlifts. However, the relatively few times I did squat or deadlift, performance was not enhanced by the belt.
Did a lot of heavy overhead lifting, including snatch, clean and jerk, and military press. Performance not enhanced by the belt. Same thing with power cleans and bent over barbell rows.
Unlike yourself, I do deadlift and squat heavy. It's a fact that a weight belt helps stabilize the spine by increasing intra-abdominal pressure. Before you perform the lift, inhale and press your abdominal muscles against the belt. It's tailor made for heavy squatting and deadlifting. I did some high bar squat sets in the 405-445 lb range this week and the belt does make a difference. It allows you to lift more weight with greater stability. More weight equals more strength. Even more importantly, my lower back feels considerably better when I use the belt on my heavy sets(80% plus of 1RM).
I would imagine that the belt would help with the overhead press or really heavy barbell rows. Not sure about the other lifts. I don't practice those.
Unlike yourself, I do deadlift and squat heavy. It's a fact that a weight belt helps stabilize the spine by increasing intra-abdominal pressure. Before you perform the lift, inhale and press your abdominal muscles against the belt. It's tailor made for heavy squatting and deadlifting. I did some high bar squat sets in the 405-445 lb range this week and the belt does make a difference. It allows you to lift more weight with greater stability. More weight equals more strength. Even more importantly, my lower back feels considerably better when I use the belt on my heavy sets(80% plus of 1RM).
I would imagine that the belt would help with the overhead press or really heavy barbell rows. Not sure about the other lifts. I don't practice those.
At the risk of being hammered for being a contrarian, I think that their only benefit at most is psychological. Having said that, I admit that I did very little squatting, preferring to use the hack squat machine. Ditto for deadlifts. However, the relatively few times I did squat or deadlift, performance was not enhanced by the belt.
Did a lot of heavy overhead lifting, including snatch, clean and jerk, and military press. Performance not enhanced by the belt. Same thing with power cleans and bent over barbell rows.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chicago South Sider
Unlike yourself, I do deadlift and squat heavy. It's a fact that a weight belt helps stabilize the spine by increasing intra-abdominal pressure. Before you perform the lift, inhale and press your abdominal muscles against the belt. It's tailor made for heavy squatting and deadlifting. I did some high bar squat sets in the 405-445 lb range this week and the belt does make a difference. It allows you to lift more weight with greater stability. More weight equals more strength. Even more importantly, my lower back feels considerably better when I use the belt on my heavy sets(80% plus of 1RM).
I would imagine that the belt would help with the overhead press or really heavy barbell rows. Not sure about the other lifts. I don't practice those.
The ironic thing about my opinion is that I went into lifting with a history of lumbar spine instability stemming from previous military service. Nevertheless, I saw no benefit to the belt. Flare ups occurred regardless of whether the belt was used. Fortunately, and surprisingly, that condition resolved as I aged. Who can figure?
The ironic thing about my opinion is that I went into lifting with a history of lumbar spine instability stemming from previous military service. Nevertheless, I saw no benefit to the belt. Flare ups occurred regardless of whether the belt was used. Fortunately, and surprisingly, that condition resolved as I aged. Who can figure?
Perhaps the lifting is what helped the condition resolve. Most physical therapists will tell you pain is sometimes a symptom of weakness or a strength imbalance. Maybe you fixed this when you started lifting. As for the belt helping or not helping, everyone's different. I think I put myself at unnecessary risk by not using one at some pretty heavy weight totals and would recommend one to anyone starting out.
I am another contrarian on this. I used to have back pain so would use the belt. Let it go and started doing squats and deadlifts without the belt. Obviously dropped the weights a bit and worked my way up and now generally my back feels better. I think having no belts gives my core the job of stabilizing and strengthens it.
The ironic thing about my opinion is that I went into lifting with a history of lumbar spine instability stemming from previous military service. Nevertheless, I saw no benefit to the belt. Flare ups occurred regardless of whether the belt was used. Fortunately, and surprisingly, that condition resolved as I aged. Who can figure?
Quote:
Originally Posted by iknowftbll
Perhaps the lifting is what helped the condition resolve. Most physical therapists will tell you pain is sometimes a symptom of weakness or a strength imbalance. Maybe you fixed this when you started lifting. As for the belt helping or not helping, everyone's different. I think I put myself at unnecessary risk by not using one at some pretty heavy weight totals and would recommend one to anyone starting out.
The lifting may indeed have helped the lumbar instability resolve although it took several years to do so. I do not believe the belt had anything to do with improving the back. Also agree with your observation that everyone's mileage varies.
I am another contrarian on this. I used to have back pain so would use the belt. Let it go and started doing squats and deadlifts without the belt. Obviously dropped the weights a bit and worked my way up and now generally my back feels better. I think having no belts gives my core the job of stabilizing and strengthens it.
Just out of curiosity, how much do you squat/deadlift?
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