Do you use one of these?
If so, why?
If not, why not?
I'm interested in Veeky Forums's perspective
Do you use one of these?
Jayden Reed
Jace Campbell
Tapered belts specifically? Nah. There's no advantage to them over a narrower non-tapered belt.
Regular belt? Only when going heavy. It lets you move a little more weight and use your abs a bit better but for volume work it doesn't really help.
Carter Garcia
No, belt should be same width for entire length
Dominic Morales
No. Force your back out of neutral, change core activation patterns at best, weaken core at worst. Totally pointless unless you have a back injury and need to work or you only care about the numbers for whatever reason.
Robert Hughes
Lmao you don't know what the fuck you are talking about. Don't listen to this guy op.
Lincoln Gomez
Sorry should have clarified; I just mean weight lifting belts in general.
That being said, are tapered belts like this disadvantageous?
Josiah Cook
Per Stuart McGill, kiddo.
Christopher Nguyen
t-nation.com
There is a time and a place for using a belt. Saying to never use it is stupid considering the safety reasons z At > 85%1rm.
Connor Russell
Nope. I don't think i lift heavy enough yet to warrant it.
Joshua Gutierrez
backfitpro.com
Yes, there are clear reasons not to use it unless you’re desperate, retard. Safety is not one of them. Period.
Jeremiah Reyes
Sort of. The thing about a belt is that its support is going to be limited by wherever its narrowest. So a tapered belt means you end up with a bunch of extra leather that isn't actually supportive.
Lucas Martin
Ah right, so it's not a disadvantage, simply pointless? If that's the case I'm not that concerned. I bought a simple leather one for a few bucks to try out
Ethan Green
Pretty much.
There's a degree of variety in belts, but the general consensus is that the best 'normal' type of belt is the standard 10mm thick 4inch wide single-prong leather belt. Some people on the smaller side prefer a narrower belt (if you've got a short torso then you can end up having trouble with it getting jammed into either your legs or the base of your ribcage during the lift) and there's a bunch of slight variations (single vs double prong vs ratchet, 10mm vs 13mm, etc) but they're largely irrelevant.
Nicholas Williams
Have a 4inch 10mm belt I just got. It’s amazing. I have some scoliosis and a weak core. It fixed my form and I can feel the areas I’m working out much better. The clasp type is also super bad ass to unlock after a set.
Lucas Wilson
Alright, thanks for the info
Benjamin Jones
Yes, but only if I'm doing something over 3pl8.
Luis Morgan
Yes, I use a belt for heavy sets.
It lets me push against it to keep even tighter.
There is no real downside when looking at emgs showing activation. To get a significant amount of activation from wearing a belt you have to deliberately be using incorrect form.
Gabriel Reed
I'm just from the opinion that people jump too fast on the equipment wagon when they don't really need it, specially people that really don't know how to lift correctly. It is like adding more supporting wheels to bike that already has it.
Thomas Adams
This
Easton Lewis
You should try giving this a read too.
Hudson Evans
I never lift with a belt. I dont compete and it's fun to see people who lift less than me use a belt because I'm sure they treat it as a crutch
Isaac Roberts
me in the back
Brayden White
who is she... so fuarking hot
Michael Thomas
brooke wells i think
Xavier Brooks
Did we read the same thing?
He's arguing against using a belt in place of learning to brace your trunk. He provides no real argument against using a belt properly.
Cooper Ross
Yes. I generally throw it on at about 155 for full front squats and 285 for trap bar deads.
Reason being is I've had multiple lower back injuries, all stemming from an original strain during wilderness EMT training years ago.
Switching to front squats and trap bar deads greatly reduced the frequency with which I tweeked my back. Also shattered my ankle once rock climbing so that's not the most stable.
I have to keep squats to like 175, with a belt and shoes, but I mostly do volume work with just a plate for 20-40 reps. Legs actually look great. The belt seems to negate some of my long term injury weakness.
I can pull up to 435 for 3, less torque makes a huge difference.
Ethan Allen
cheers broski
Aaron Nelson
This is the only belt I use