I train for athletics (baseball), and have always felt like a belt was unnecessary and undesired.
As my poundages continue to climb, especially in the deadlift, I’m curious what anyone’s thoughts are on investing in a belt?
I pulled 425lbs at 175lb BW completely raw a couple days ago. I don’t think there’s a magic number for when to add a belt, but when did anyone around here add one in and did it become a crutch in any way, shape or form?
I would like to compete in powerlifting at some point in the future, so I’m thinking it’s a worthwhile investment, but I’m not sure.
Also, if I go ahead and get one, there’s the different buckles and thicknesses. Can I get recommendations for that? I typically train alone, I feel like people have mentioned different buckles are harder to get in and out of then others.
I think the Prime Cut is a little thicker than the Retro.
I have the 13mm Power Belt from Elite and it’s probably more belt than most people will ever need. It also takes forever to break it in.
To the OP, I use my belt for Squat only. I’ve tried using a couple of different belts, and I just don’t like the feel of it when I Deadlift. I pull a little over 600 without one, so I don’t think there is a magic number where you should use one.
I’d say borrow one from someone first, and see if it helps your lift, or gives you more confidence. If you like it then get one. 10mm should be plenty.
I think the Prime Cut is a little thicker than the Retro.
I have the 13mm Power Belt from Elite and it’s probably more belt than most people will ever need. It also takes forever to break it in.
To the OP, I use my belt for Squat only. I’ve tried using a couple of different belts, and I just don’t like the feel of it when I Deadlift. I pull a little over 600 without one, so I don’t think there is a magic number where you should use one.
I’d say borrow one from someone first, and see if it helps your lift, or gives you more confidence. If you like it then get one. 10mm should be plenty.[/quote]
I have the Prime Cut belt and think it is worth every penny. It is stiff as anything though. That’s the truth!
I don’t use a belt except when I use a weight that only permits me to do 3 reps or less. Just a personal preference. I have 2 belts, both are 13mm thick. The oldest one is a single prong I bought in 1990. It’s been through a lot and is still stiff as hell.
About 8 years ago, I bought a lever belt from Inzer and really like how quick and easy it it buckles. I would suggest a 13mm lever belt for competition.
I have a 13mm power belt and I love the damn thing. I also have a little tool that helps me get it on and off which is obviously a big help. It did take a while (like a year) to break in.
Lever belts are easy to use but the overlap bothers me.
For the record, I never touched a belt until I started powerlifting 18 months ago. It helped my squat a lot more than it helped my deadlift.
i do use a belt but only to get pass my later sets. like if i’m doing 6x4, and i don’t feel confident enough to take my last couple of sets raw, then i put on my belt. its part psychology. my belt’s a powerlifting belt from bodybuilding.com, cheap and good enough.
[quote]weib wrote:
i’m just wondering if you really need the belt.
not to sound like a troll, but i’ve seen people pulled 572 @264 BW without a belt raw.
I’m leaning towards the paul chek concept of beltlessness.
Whats the maximum you guys seen raw and without a belt?[/quote]
I’ve pulled 573 @ 238, and 605 @ 260 without at belt. If I could get any help out of wearing a belt on DL, trust me, I would. For me it’s a hinderance. For the record, I pretty much use all back when I DL.
But I get a ton of help on my Squat. I wouldn’t Squat heavy without one.
I have had good and bad experiences with using belts, hopefully you can learn from them.
Using a belt helped me hide my dysfunctions in my core area, and ended up holding me back. Dropping the belt, working back up to my old weights without a belt and doing a lot of Ian Kings stuff (12 weeks to awesome abs) helped me a ton.
Now I slap on the belt for my really heavy work. Like repping out on squats or max attempts (rare), otherwise I go beltless because it teaches me to keep tightness in my core without any help. That means I get even more out of a belt when I slap it on.
Mike Robertson also wrote a Piece here on 21’st century core training, where he outlines a few tests. The test i Ian Kings articles is also really good to find common core deficiencies.
Sure it is boring work to correct your dysfunctions, but your lower back and lifts will thank you for it in the long run.
And the lever belt from Inzer. I only use the inzer belt for competitions and when working in gear. Sure it is stiff an bruises my hips, but I donøt mind in that context. A lever belt is crap for regular training, adjusting the tightness requires a screwdriver, pretty annoying.
If you live in Europe, buy your belt from Wahlanders.se, everything is hand made, it works perfectly, holds up perfectly, is made by the Swedish record holde rin the deadlift and is simply the best quality and best looking belts i have ever seen.