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to belt up or not to belt up?

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  • to belt up or not to belt up?

    Ok, so today I hit a personal landmark in my training; bodyweight x 2 in my deadlift for reps.

    Some bloke that was watching commented after my set. He liked my form and was impressed with the weight, but he was absolutely shocked and upset I wasn't wearing a belt. A long conversation regarding hernias, thrown backs and slipped discs ensued.

    Anyways, you can see where I'm going;

    to belt up or not to belt up... discuss...

  • #2
    Thx Blap for opening up a thread on le question i want to know too...

    i can now do 348 pounds for 1 very very hard rep...

    that is double my bodyweight...

    so i was also wondering how much a belt could help/protect me...


    rofl thats so funny

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    • #3
      Personally I belt up for squats, and deads at 315, after 315 on bench, and never on leg press. And I belt up at 135 on standing military BB presses. I also belt up on shugs.

      It may not be needed, but I know on bench and squats having that extra tightness and support helps me feel more comfortable and has prevented lots of possible injuries.

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      • #4
        I never belt. it takes the stress off of your body, thus making the lift easier. if your going to get a hernia, fck your body up; you shouldnt be lifting that much weight anyway.

        I'd rather go beltless and force my core and other stabilizing muscles to be recruited and function as a 'natural belt' so to speak and sacrifice lifting alot of weight (its more work to load it on the bar neways)

        PS: the only time I wear belts is when my jeans/shorts don't fit cos im gettin RIPPED

        edit: i mean if your goals are more power lifting, you should def wear a belt. some guys want to deadlift 900lb and squat 750 some.. theres a ton of guys at my gym that lift like that.. and most have huge guts cos they no jack about diet.. but they can lift insane weight for whats that worth ~~ (imo not much outside the gym)
        Last edited by jiritt0; 06-09-2006, 12:46 PM.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by jdiritto
          I never belt. it takes the stress off of your body, thus making the lift easier. if your going to get a hernia, fck your body up; you shouldnt be lifting that much weight anyway.

          I'd rather go beltless and force my core and other stabilizing muscles to be recruited and function as a 'natural belt' so to speak and sacrifice lifting alot of weight (its more work to load it on the bar neways)

          PS: the only time I wear belts is when my jeans/shorts don't fit cos im gettin RIPPED

          edit: i mean if your goals are more power lifting, you should def wear a belt. some guys want to deadlift 900lb and squat 750 some.. theres a ton of guys at my gym that lift like that.. and most have huge guts cos they no jack about diet.. but they can lift insane weight for whats that worth ~~ (imo not much outside the gym)
          That was pretty much exactly my stance on it up until this morning. Now I'm thinking it may not be worth the risk- especially since my deadlift and squats have both been improving 'dramatically' over the past few months. I'm thinking of maybe going with ddawg's plan of attack and only using a belt for the higher weights as a precaution.

          It may be an exaggeration but, as the guy said to me today; throwing your back out = game over.

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          • #6
            Interesting info from an article I found.

            When to use them and when not to use them:

            They are only possibly needed for exercises such as squats, deadlifts, power cleans, overhead pressing, bent-over rows, etc. that use a lot of weight and put your back in a vulnerable position.
            Even then, they should not be used for anything less than maximum lifting attempts.
            Do not use a belt for bench press, pushdowns, laterals, etc. If you need a belt for those, you're doing them wrong.
            If you do use a weight belt for heavy work, be sure to remove it immediately after your set.
            Do not wear belts too tight as they can reduce blood flow in your abdomen and lower back if they are excessively constricting.


            I disagree on the bench press one but for only doing maximum lifts.
            Last edited by ddawg91; 06-09-2006, 01:42 PM.

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            • #7
              I've seen dudes strapped into their belts for an entire hour ...

              but i'm sort of with jd on this one .... i'm only 185/190 and am approaching being able to squat and dead nearly double my bodyweight ... no belts, and I can assure you that my lower back is the strongest it's ever been ... don't know if I'd be as proud of my PR's with a belt as I am w/out a belt


              in my opinion (and that's all it is- MY opinion) using a belt is cheating yourself from doing what your body can do on its own, and possibly sacrificing some muscle strength in the "core" area as well


              just my $.02 on the issue ... and it's probably not even worth that much
              jdouchebag for president

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              • #8
                Originally posted by strester
                I've seen dudes strapped into their belts for an entire hour ...
                Yeah its funny watching out of shape middle aged guys doing DB Curls with a belt strapped on, I just glance and think WTF?
                -Supplement Addict-

                "You're going to tell me what I want to know, it's just a just a matter of how much you want it to hurt."
                -Jack Bauer

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by ddawg91
                  Interesting info from an article I found.

                  When to use them and when not to use them:

                  They are only possibly needed for exercises such as squats, deadlifts, power cleans, overhead pressing, bent-over rows, etc. that use a lot of weight and put your back in a vulnerable position.
                  Even then, they should not be used for anything less than maximum lifting attempts.
                  Do not use a belt for bench press, pushdowns, laterals, etc. If you need a belt for those, you're doing them wrong.
                  If you do use a weight belt for heavy work, be sure to remove it immediately after your set.
                  Do not wear belts too tight as they can reduce blood flow in your abdomen and lower back if they are excessively constricting.


                  I disagree on the bench press one but for only doing maximum lifts.
                  Thanks for the info. That's pretty much the direction I was going in.

                  Whilst I agree with strester and jd to an extent- in the end a big part of the reason I left is for my health- both long and short term. I don't think a gung-ho machismo attitude is the way to go when I'm pushing my core to its limits.

                  Time to buy's me a belt methink...

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