I used a belt on deadlifts for the first time today, and my gut kept getting pinched is it just becasue I am over weight which I am or is it something I need to adjust to or am I wearing the belt to high or low, I tend to wear it just above my hips.
With using a belt my working sets were 7 sets of 185 I warmed up to 145kgish with out a belt is that how I should warm up or should I put the belt on earlier?
I am a little confused when it comes to my body building sets if i should us a little less weight and really feel the muscle contract or hold the weight that little bit longer in the contraction or just got as heavy as i can with out that extra time under tension. I see people in the gym do both I have been focusing more on the movement and the contraction but some times I feel that I should be lifting more weight and just banging out the reps.
Can’t help you with the bodybuilding side of things.
With the belt, I get pinched all the time so I figure it’s fairly normal. I know other people who are leaner than I who have that issue too. I’ve got a bit of flab around the midsection but nothing drastic. Unless the belt is so tight it stops you getting into position, I wouldn’t loosen it. I keep my belt the same tightness for squats and deadlifts, but I tend to wear it a fraction higher and straighter for deadlifts. For squats I have it lower and pointing down from back to front. For bench I wear my old 10 mm buckle belt a bit looser than for squats or DL but in a similar position to squats.
But, where and how you wear your belt is very personal. I’m pretty sure some guys have mentioned wearing their belt a bit looser for squats than deadlifts, for example.
For the warm ups, I’d say around two sets before your main set you should the belt on.
Your training shouldn’t change and you certainly shouldn’t program around your belt. Make sure you’re breathing deep into your gut , holding your air, and bracing your abdominals tight against the belt. Use it at your discretion. I use my belt for every heavy squat, bench, or deadlift set.
Thanks for the info guys, I don’t want to be a power lifter no I enjoy doing power lifting movements at the start of my work out I like the rep range. My goal atm is weight loss and getting strong
This article has several coaches talking about when and why/why not to wear a belt.
Not sure what you mean by “bodybuilding sets”, but “going as heavy as you can and ignoring time under tension” is very much not the point of bodybuilding-focused training.
Based on the people you see doing both, what are the guys in better shape doing? Try doing that.
That’s two goals, and the most efficient way to either one is contradictory to the other. Prioritize.