Should You Use A Weight Lifting Belt?
The main function of a weight lifting belt is to offer your body support and protection when lifting super heavy weights. It helps to engage your core more effectively during a lift by pushing in your abdominal muscles and preventing your back from hyper extending.
It can also assist with maintaining proper form during an exercise as the belt allows the spine to remain lengthened, avoiding spinal compression from repeated heavy lifts. The way a power lifting belt sits while performing an exercise can also help to remind the lifter of their body positioning and whether or not adjustments need to be made. A good example is when performing squats, if the front of the weight lifting belt is sitting on the thighs this is a good indicator that the lifter needs to straighten their back to avoid this.
Some power lifting belts often have a larger band in the back with a smaller one in the front to offer additional back support, making hyper extending your back during upward lifts virtually impossible.
When to use it?
Although weight training belts can help you maintain correct form and technique it should only be used when lifting heavy weights. When lifting lighter weights your body is usually able to realign itself and correct any lifting mistakes. However with an extremely heavy weight there is much more chance of injury occurring if your technique is compromised and you are unable to correct it.
How to use it?
The weight lifting belt should be secured around your lower stomach, tight enough to feel the insides of the stomach being pushed in. It is not the most comfortable experience but it is far better than sustaining an injury from not wearing one.
It is important the weight training belt isn’t worn for long periods of time as it may cause the weight lifters blood pressure to raise. The other main concern is the more you rely on the belt the less you will be relying on your abdominal muscles to support yourself. This is why you need to maintain your core strength through proper training.
Weight lifting belts are a great piece of equipment when used for competition and training when lifting very heavy weights. Remember not relying on it all the time and maintaining proper core strength is the key.
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Posted in Weight Training Equipment