weight lifting/belts

H

hawkpatriot

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Jul 20, 2004
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I have a weight bench with a squat rack and some other stuff here at home, and I've gotten myself into a weight training program. I do squats in my lower body workout (along with other exercises), with gradually increasing weight. This has brought me to my question: Is it necessary to wear a lifting belt while doing squats? What is their purpose and do they help or not help (as I've heard) you get the proper form. I want to be careful while doing this to avoid injury.
 
Some wear them, and some don't. They add extra support/rigidity in the middle spine area. Most strength athletes wear them. Put on the widest leather belt you currently own, and cinch it up tight when you squat. Then try it without.
 
I never use weight belts while squatting. This is how I was taught to do squats. Look straight ahead when executing the squat, keep the feet approximately at shoulder width with the toes pointing straight ahead, breathe out on the way up, breath in on the way down, NEVER lock your knees at the end of the push(going up). If you're using heavy free wieghts without a safety bar have two spotters assist you.
 
You don't use a belt & you are asking for tbl. Love these guys who say naaa,builds strength! Yeah right,then they come to me asking why they are having back pain & can hardly move.Oh yeah,tried it once much younger,pro asked me what I was doing,told me to get a belt.
Jim
 
i reccomend them, used one myself, now lotsa back probs so it didnt help me in that regard, lol, but i think its prob a good idea to wear them, i know all the guys i have seen that have a pretty heavy squat/deadlift wear them FWIW, and all the powerlifter guys do too. i guess if ya are doing like 95 lbs or something, it dont matter, get 400 lbs or so on it and i cant imagine lifting that w/out a belt. imho its mostly pshycological probably, although i know when ya wear lifting suits it will give ya a few pounds no doubt.

i used to wear the belt and wrap my knees too w/the heavy wraps when squatting/deadlifting, at least no knee probs!!

all in all i say wear it, it certainly wont hurt anything and might just help ya.

greg
 
I think it's sorta like swimming in a nasty lake without a life jacket. The more experience you have the less chance there is you'll hurt yourself, but do you really want to risk it?? What harm does it do?
 
Necessary? Probably not. A good idea? D@mn straight.

I've been lifting weights for a long time (29 years and counting) and I'm a firm believer in using a lifting belt when squatting.
 
Thanks for the info. I don't wear a belt while squatting but wanted to see if it was a good thing to do. Dont want to start having back problems 30 years from now just because I didn't play it safe. Because in weightlifting if you arent sfae, you're screwed.
 
I'm not as old as Dvirsky or Jim Clifton :D but I heartily recommend using a belt for squatting when going over about 65-70% of your max.
It is also advisable to create your own natural "lifting belt" by doing plenty crunches,leg raises,twists,side bends with dumbells, good mornings, and either hyperextensions or reverse hypers. These sort of exercises can also prevent hernias.
I dont recommend those flimsy single layer old style leather belts that are wider in the back than the front. Check out the powerlifting style belts that are double thick and just under 4" all around.
I pretty much agree with KW's advice for form except for the toes, most find pointing toes out rotates the hips and allows one to squat deeper comfortably. Keep your head in line with your spine(i.e. look straight ahead) and if you stick out your chest and butt at the same time, this will lock your back in a nice arc that will prevent back injuries.
For bodybuilders, keep the bar high on the shoulders, what us old timers call olympic or high bar squats,to put more emphasis on your quads. For strength lower the bar on your back(though no more than 2" below the tops of your delts) to involve the much stronger hip and glute muscles.
Last point-when changing squat form, bar placement, or just starting to squat-put your ego in check for at least the first few weeks and use very light weights until you have your form perfected. You will have a much longer career and less future back problems.
 
You should listen to Dave, hawkpatriot, he has more than a just a little knowledge of power lifting.
 
I'm not a power lifter (yet) but I'll listen to Dave.

Another question. I've been making good progressions in shrugs, now at 75 lbs (I'm 180 lbs). I started out with dumbells, but with 75 lbs theres not enough space on the bars to secure the weights (I should get a bigger variety of weight). So despite the bad position and awkwardness of it, I put the weight on a barbell. First time 150 lbs no problem (75 on each side) then 160 lbs (added 10) then 170 (10 more lbs). 3 sets of shrugs, 13, 12, and 11 reps. I never started the last set, because I grabbed the bar and in bad form, I lifted it but strained a small part of my back. That obviously screwed it up and I'm out for a few days. Aside from altering my workout (sets and reps), what else can I do to make shrugs more convienient? I've heard about a "trap bar" a bar with a diamond-shaped center that you step into to make shrugs with heavy weight easier. Last time I checked my local Sports Authoriity doesn't sell these, so does anyone know where I can get a quality one? And any more tips or input? Thanks very much.

BTW, I'll be getting a lifting-belt tomorrow. I don't want to gurt myself anymore.
 
Thanks for the good words guys, the respect is mutual.
The trap bar is ok for what it is, but definitely not a necessity. What it does is put the weight directly inline with your hips, which as I said previously, are the strongest muscles in the body. If you've never seen one, it is diamond shaped and you actually stand inside the bar. The only place I know that carries them off the top of my head is www.crainsmuscleworld.com I think they are about $130.
When shrugging, it's not necessary to lift the bar from the floor. The best is a power rack but if you dont have access to one, you can sit the bar on the end of a bench and lift it from there. Just be careful loading and unloading because the bar will flip off the bench very easily.
The same back position for squatting will protect you when deadlifting or shrugging. Head in line with spine, chest out, butt out, back arched. And again, those "natural belt" exercises I mentioned above will help. Also bentover rows,lat pulldowns, and upright rows will help your shrugs. I'm not a bodybuilder(thank God:D) but those reps seem high to me for shrugging. After warming up I like to keep the reps about 6-8 in a conditioning cycle and 3-5 during a strength building cycle.
Straps can help your last few heavy sets but if used too much will become dependent and not build grip strength.
Try some ice(I like those blue freezer pacs) on that injury 2-3 times a day and never more than 20 minutes at a time to speed up healing.
If you really like shrugs or just want huge,dense, brobdingnagian like traps, check out the shrug book by Paul Kelso. He lists many different types of shrugs, my favorite of which is lying face down on an incline bench and shrugging rearward. Do a google search for Paul Kelso to find where you can get it, the website listed above probably has it too.
 
For the last 2 months, I've been trying to minimize my use of a belt. I used to use it on every set, even the warmups (I'm old and beat up). On the first day without the belt, I could only get 4 reps comfortably. Now I'm up to 10 reps at 47% of my one rep max. I doubt if I'll ever completely eliminate the belt but Dave's recommendation of 65-70% sounds like a reasonable goal for me.

My belt is an Inzer lever that I paid $75 for in 2000. It was expensive but, in my opinion, was well worth it. It replaced a similar belt with buckle instead of lever that I bought in, I think, 1984.
 
Dave, do you make belts as well as sheaths? I read the question on shrugs. Reminds me of a young man I used to work out with. Friendly young guy, I think he came to the gym to hang out. My young friend did only 1 exersicse, shrugs. This boy could shrug close to 300 lbs!
Also another exersice to consider is the leg press if you have back problems. I am getting back into the wieght pile after a long time off and am starting my leg routine with leg presses, then going back into squats myself.
 
Hi Doom,
no I dont, no belts.
I use an Inzer like Frank mentioned though mine was bought before the levers came out. I'd probably still be using my first belt if it hadnt shrunk:D
There are many different types of shrugs, and of course your goals should determine which kind you do. I have always liked doing olympic lifter type shrugs for building explosive strength that will transfer to my deadlift. These are done by:
-stand straight with the bar with an overhand grip(use straps if needed)
-slowly lower the bar to just about the top of the knees(remember to keep back flat or
arched and head straight)
-at the same time in one explosive motion shrug the bar up as high as you can while
going up on your toes. Visualize touching your ears with your traps. You cant but
it's a good focus.
-lower the bar slowly again and repeat
Cautions:
-make sure not to bend your arms, they should actually hang and be relaxed as is
possible while shrugging a heavy weight. At the 1987 YMCA Nationals in
Columbus,Ohio I tore my right bicep muscle in half bending my arm with a relatively light
opening deadlift attempt of 710. It was not a fun time.
-if you try this style please practice form very light for at least the first few weeks.
I really dont want to be responsible for someone hurting their back.
-warm up thoroughly before your heavy sets. I can shrug more than I can deadlift
but I always start with 135 or 225 and work my way up. It will prevent
injuries and help you find your groove and form for the exercise.
-if you wear sweatpants, this one will wear holes in them very quickly.

Cant stress enough how important it is to strengthen the stabilizer muscles, abs,obliques,low back to prevent shrug injuries. Ice on the lower back after a deadlift or shrug workout for no longer than 15-20 minutes will promote faster healing.
Being a competitive powerlifter every exercise I do is geared towards improving the 3 powerlifts but the same ideas and precautions should work whatever your goals are.

BTW, if you could only do one exercise to help improve your deadlift, shrugs are not the best choice. Heavy power style bentover rows will yield much better results if done right.
 
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