To Belt Or Tot To Belt?

Sometimes I get asked "Should I be wearing a belt?" The answer depends on what your goal is.

Lets look your first priority (pressurizing the torso)  then adding the belt to the movement. When moving weight with the barbell we teach people to "stay tight" through the movement and breathe when the joints are all stacked in a safe position.

For example when you pull the bar from the rack for a back squat you brace your torso by taking a breath and driving up under the bar, take a few steps back, exhale and inhale when in position to start your squat and hold your breath on the way down to the bottom and back up to the top. You might let out a noise (and I don't mean a fart) or grunt on the way up or exhale slightly when you get closer to the top to release some pressure. Once you reach the top you will exhale and inhale to re-pressurize then start your next rep (unless you were aiming for one repetition).

Taking that breath, pressurizing your torso, and firing your deep and superficial abdominals will help to create a pressurized and more rigid torso throughout your lifts. Pressurizing the torso works with heavy loads in front, back, and overhead squats, deadlifts, cleans, snatches, & heavy presses to name a few of my favourites.

Adding a belt to your heavy lifts will help to compress the abdominal musculature and cavity (as you expand into it) to create a more rigid torso and provide more stability for the spine. When you wear a belt during your lifts it will help to contain that musculature in a smaller space rather then letting it spill out which allows slightly less rigidity of the spine.

You might be thinking "This all sounds great, Should I wear a belt all the time when training?" Unless your name is Hans or Franz you shouldn't be relying on a belt unless you need that extra bit of support. Save it for your heavy lifts when you need that support or when you are doing higher reps with challenging loads and there is a chance that your core musculature will fail before you are going to stop. I use a belt on heavy lifts having broken vertebrae in my lumbar spine rock climbing almost 10 years ago and it helps a lot when I get to the heavier loads. It also helped me in the CrossFit Open workout 14.3 with the deadlifts & box jumps.

Using a belt all the time can lead to less core development and false sense of security if you rely on it all the time. Use it as a tool to help you move more weight and not as a crutch so you can be slack with your form and awareness.

If you plan on belting it up make sure you try it at a sub maximal load to make sure you understand how to fill it out and feel supported in it rather than trowing it on just to try for a new PR.

Posted by Paul