How to Know If You Need a Weightlifting Belt (and How to Use One)
Belts are a useful tool for weightlifting (and I have recommendations for my favorites here ), but who should use them? And when? And How? Read on to get answers to all your belt-related questions and find out whether wearing a belt while lifting weights would benefit you personally.
What does a weightlifting belt do?
The main purpose of a belt when lifting weights is to help you become more prepared. As I wrote earlier, bracing is the contraction of the muscles around the torso. This is similar to what you would do if you were lying on your bed and saw your cat or baby run up and jump on your stomach. You tense your abs and hold your breath, trying to make your torso stiff instead of soft.
When you’re about to perform a heavy squat or deadlift, you’ll do something similar. Bracing involves tensing the muscles around your core (including your back and sides of your abdomen), and visually it may look like you are expanding your belly, pushing it outward in all directions.
When you wear a belt, you will find that bracing your torso causes you to press your stomach against the belt. The belt helps make your torso even more rigid, like a solid stone pillar. Good bracing will help you lift more than if you weren’t braced; The belt clip will help you lift even more than the strapless clip.
In other words, when you tense your core muscles and hold your breath, you create intra-abdominal pressure . Think about how a pool raft can support more weight if it is fully inflated than if it is leaking slowly. The belt helps you maintain strong and consistent pressure on your torso.
This, in turn, will help you lift more weight, whether you place it on your upper torso (as in a squat or overhead press) or tilt your torso to move the weight like a crane (as in a deadlift). In short: the purpose of a belt is to help you lift more weight . If you want to learn about the science behind this performance boost, I refer you to The Belt Bible , which details several studies on the effectiveness of training with and without a belt.
Don’t expect the belt to protect you from injury.
But the belt also protects me from injury, right? (I can read your mind. I know that’s what you’re thinking.) Unfortunately, we don’t really have evidence that a weightlifting belt will protect your back when you lift weights.
Most of the data we have about seat belts and injury risk comes from professional studies. The CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) explains why we shouldn’t expect belts to prevent back injuries. A 2005 review article confirmed that there is “no convincing evidence” that belts prevent back pain.
But if you believe that belts prevent injury, you’re not alone! A survey of fitness club members conducted in 2003 showed that 90% (!) of belt wearers said they wear a belt to prevent injury.
In fact, even though the increase in intra-abdominal pressure should help protect the spine, research does not show that people who wear belts suffer fewer injuries than people who don’t.
Additional benefits of wearing a belt
Even if they don’t actually prevent injury, many lifters feel more confident and comfortable when lifting with a belt. You often hear lifters say the following:
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They like the feeling of something they can prepare for.
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The belt provides feedback so they know when they are well prepared.
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Putting on a belt is part of their routine when they lift weights, so it is considered mental preparation (which can improve performance).
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Believing that a belt prevents injury can boost confidence, even if it doesn’t.
Since most people can lift more with a belt than without, wearing a belt is a way to reduce the difficulty of lifting. For example, if you can squat 200 pounds without a belt and 220 pounds with a belt, lifting 200 pounds without a belt is your max effort. But lifting 200 pounds with a belt is only 90% of what you can do. So, wearing a belt could mean you’re doing a slightly easier lift, which you could argue helps manage the stress on your body in a way that reduces your risk of injury overall.
I’m not going to say it reduces injuries because we don’t have direct evidence of that. But an experienced lifter who uses the belt correctly is likely to be smart about his training, which may very well keep him healthy and strong in the long run.
How much will a belt help?
As a general rule, you can probably expect to lift about 10% more with the belt than without it. (Some lifters say the expected range is 5% to 15%.) So your lift of 200 pounds will increase to, say, 220 pounds. Or to put it another way, if your best squat is 285 pounds, you can probably reach that three plate milestone (315 pounds) simply by putting on a belt and learning how to use it.
And yes, you need to learn how to use it. If you are good at holding, you will master it quickly. But trainers often recommend that beginners learn to lift weights without a belt first to ensure they have good habits and technique.
How much weight should I lift before I need a belt?
There’s no hard and fast rule about how many pounds your exercises should be (or how heavy in relation to your body weight) before you start shopping for a belt. In my opinion, if you squat and deadlift regularly and can already train effectively, it’s worth purchasing a belt and starting training with it for at least a while.
What exercises are best to use a belt for?
Squats and deadlifts will benefit the most from using a belt. When performing standing exercises such as overhead presses, most people also find that a belt helps. Olympic weightlifters often use a belt for the clean and jerk, but not for the snatch.
For the bench press this is less clear. Some lifters find that a belt helps; others do without. (Note that people wearing a bench press belt for this purpose are wearing a regular belt, the same one they use for squats and deadlifts. Narrow ” bench belts ” are a different beast entirely to the equipped lift. to hold the shirt down, and have nothing to do with what we’re talking about here.)
Unless you are supporting a lot of weight on your body, you won’t need a belt for this lift. People generally don’t need a belt for pull-ups, curls, rows, or most dumbbell exercises. However, you can always try doing the lift with or without a belt and see if you feel stronger when you put it on.
Should I always use a belt when lifting weights or only occasionally?
It’s a matter of preference and coaching philosophy. I can’t give a one-size-fits-all answer, but I will say that the typical way to wear a belt is to wear it during your heaviest “regular” squats, deadlifts, and bench presses.
I say “regular” because it is quite common for a program to use belted squats as the main squat type, and then additional squats (such as tempo squats or pause squats) without a belt. You won’t be able to lift that much weight without a belt, so this is a smart way to reduce the stress on your body while forcing your muscles to work harder.
You may also be advised to occasionally lift weights without a belt to strengthen your core. Whether this is true is debatable (your core gets very active whether you’re wearing a belt or not), but regardless of the reason, some trainers like to program exercises without a belt. Beltless exercises can also boost your confidence: if you can now lift that weight without a belt that you previously could only lift with a belt, it’s a clear sign that you’re getting stronger. Definitely celebrate your PR without the belt.
Finally, the question arises, which exercises in training should be performed with and without a belt. If you need a rule of thumb, many lifters wear a belt when the lift exceeds 85% of their maximum (for example, when lifting more than 191 pounds if their maximum weight is 225 pounds). However, many lifters wear a belt for any heavy lifting.
Is it harmful to lift weights without a belt?
No, because the belt doesn’t protect against injury, remember? You can lift weights without a belt. Just remember that if you forget to put a belt in your gym bag, you won’t be able to lift the same weights without a belt as you can with a belt. So if you’re used to lifting weights with a belt but find yourself doing without one, be sure to reduce the weight by about 10%.
On the other hand, if you don’t usually exercise with a belt, you can continue walking without a belt. Just keep in mind that you’ll be able to lift more—thus giving your muscles more work to do—if you start using a belt.
How should a weightlifting belt fit?
The weightlifting belt should fit tightly enough that you will want to take it off after the exercise. You don’t wear a belt throughout your entire workout at the gym; you tighten it, lift it, then take it off or loosen it. (I like to leave mine clipped to the loosest hole between sets, just so I don’t put it down and forget where I put it.)
When the belt is fastened, it should feel snug. You’ll be able to get a few fingers under the strap, but holding it for that long will be awkward.
When you perform squats or deadlifts, the belt should be in a place where it will not press against your skin. You may want to wear the belt higher on your torso when deadlifting than when squatting; Try different positions for each exercise and see what works best for you.
It is okay for the belt to cover your lower ribs as long as it does not cause discomfort. Most lifting straps are four inches wide. Some people, especially those with shorter torsos, may prefer a three-inch belt. In general, almost everyone likes a four-inch belt for squats, but some prefer a three-inch belt for deadlifts.
What kind of belt do I need?
You’re in luck: I have a whole guide for buying your first lifting belt. For most people, a three- or four-inch wide belt (and the same width all the way around) with Velcro or leather will do the job. If it’s leather, 10 millimeters is a good thickness for most people. And for the clasp, if it’s a leather belt, you’ll probably need either a single-prong buckle or a lever. Read my recommendations here .