I pretty much always wear a belt on work sets of squats, regardless of whether or not it's a heavy weight or the volume. I think it's better to learn to use a belt before you need one, because it is a different experience to lifting without a belt, and can be pretty awkward at first. Once you get used to it, it allows more progression than beltless lifting seems to, at least in my experience.
Not according to this guy:No. It is a good idea to learn a belt but using it in every work set just turns it into a crutch. You will become a far stronger lifter by remaining beltless during most of your working volume. This will allow a greater development of core strength and will allow you to gain even more out of the belt when you put it on.
Gary Gibson11-22-2009, 07:42 PM
I am so sick of the belt-bashing.
Belts are a legitimate training tool that help you get stronger faster.
A couple days ago I was heading to the water fountain after a set of squats. An acquaintance at the gym stopped me and asked "Gary, what's happened to your stomach? It didn't used to bulge out like that."
What he was witnessing was my powerlifter "mono-ab." I'd been using a belt and squatting increasingly heavier loads and--gasp!--my abs were growing!
Yet according to all the internet chatter, the midsection "goes to sleep because of reliance on the belt."
Wake up call to all the internet geniuses out there: The belt allows one to squat more weight NOT because it provides rebound...and not because the belt itself increases the necessary intra-abdominal pressure. The belt gives the abs something to push against so that the ABS THEMSELVES can provide more pressure. The belt just allows the abs to generate more tension by providing external resistance...just like a freaking weighted barbell on your back allows you to generate more tension than just flexing your lower body muscles really hard without the barbell as you stand up.
I repeat: a belt allows the midsection to work HARDER.
A belt is not a crutch; it is a training tool, much like proper footwear in the squat.
Weighted sit ups will build up abs, but so will strapping on a belt and doing heavy low bar squats. The belt gives you the additional benefit of training the abs as they will be used in the movement.
No, you will not be able to use as much weight in the low bar/bent over squat without the belt. But your beltless squat WILL improve even if you train with the belt all the time. It's easy to forget to pressurize the midsection properly if you're used to the tactile cue that the belt provides and are suddenly without it...but a couple of reps should be sufficient to remind you that you have to push OUT your abs and stay tight through the midsection.
You still won't be able to squat as much without the belt because it's just not possible to build up as much tension without something pushing back. Just remember that even with the belt, it is YOUR abs providing the tension, not the belt. Just like it is YOUR muscles providing the tension, not the bar against which they're pushing.
Feel free to disregard this little post and still poo-poo the belt as a crutch. But you won't get as strong in the low bar squat without the belt as quickly as you could with it.
the belt makes me fart loudly and it bruises my pubis.
Sometimes i poop a little.
I don't recommend a belt for conventional deadlifts.
Can I please have the reasoning behind this?
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