I’ve been experimenting wearing my belt for benching recently. Do people think it makes a difference? If so any tips on positioning of the belt and bracing.
You need to experiment whether or not it helps you and what position helps you the most. Some people put it higher on their backside and lower in front of them but I find that makes it harder to get a big arch and my back ends up cramping. There’s no one right way of using a belt while benching.
You need to remember what a belt is for…its a compression device for the abdominals to push against.
I bench with a belt. It doesn’t make much difference really, I just find that it helps me keep a tight arch and not lift my ass off the bench. It’s almost like a pressure gauge to make me aware of how tight my back and abs are. If it reduces my chances of failing a lift by 5% I will take it. That said, it does NOT help me lift more weight and I still do all non-comp. bench variations (such as Spoto press and 3 second pause bench) without a belt.
As far as positioning, that’s up to you. I put it right over my navel and tilted slightly up at the back, whereas for squat and deadlift I would have it higher in the front. Just experiment and see what works for you. If you can’t arch properly with the belt then either it’s too tight, in the wrong place, or it just doesn’t work for you.
I wear it when I max out as a safety thing. I tend to arch too hard under max weights and bother my lower back and that’s not good when the deadlift is up next.
I get absolutely nothing out of it performance wise. But, as with many things in lifting, that doesn’t mean you won’t. Just work at it and find out if the belt helps you. There is no point in debating someone else because they only know what works for them.
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