Review of types of weightlifting belts. Weightlifting belt for girls High belt

Intensive training can lead to serious injury if some exercises are performed incorrectly. And some professional and amateur athletes use various devices to avoid injury. One of them is a weightlifting belt. Is it really needed? And how to choose it?

What it is?

A weightlifting belt looks like a regular belt, but has more impressive dimensions. This device is actively used by bodybuilders, as well as ordinary people who perform strength exercises with weights. It is believed that such belts began to be used in ancient times, but there is no exact evidence of this.

Why do you need a weightlifting belt?

What is a weightlifting belt for? The fact is that when performing strength exercises with weights, a huge load falls on the spine, and this may well lead to injury. But the spinal column has natural support provided by muscles.

At the back it is supported and fixed by the muscles of the back, and at the front - by the abdominal cavity, or rather by the pressure inside it. This pressure increases sharply with muscle contraction. But often when lifting heavy objects (the same barbell), a person directs all his strength to completing the task and forgets about everything else.

As a result, the stomach and along with it the abdominal muscles relax, the pressure drops, and the spine remains without support from the front. So, the weightlifting belt is designed precisely to artificially create increased pressure inside the abdominal cavity and thereby maintain the spinal column in a normal position.

Who needs it and in what cases?

A weightlifting belt is required for beginners seeking quick results. If you increase the weight of the weight too quickly, the muscles and spine will not have time to get used to such loads, which can lead to injury. And in this case, a belt will come to the rescue.

A weightlifting belt will come in handy when performing exercises that involve lifting weights, such as deadlifts, squats, and so on. It is these exercises that require full support of the spine and tension of the abdominal muscles.

Another case in which it would be appropriate to use a belt is training with maximum weight. A large mass places a huge load on the spine, and therefore it requires additional support. It is worth wearing a belt when you are working with a mass that is approximately 85-90% of the maximum (that is, the one that you can lift).

Those who do not pay due attention to working out their abdominal muscles should also pay attention to such a device. If the press is weak, then it simply will not cope with its tasks. If your muscles are well developed and can handle the load, then you won’t need a belt.

How to wear it correctly?

How to use a weightlifting belt? It’s worth noting right away that you definitely shouldn’t put it on constantly and wear it throughout the entire workout; this will negatively affect muscle function. Firstly, they will stop working normally and, with constant wearing of the belt, can gradually atrophy.

In this case, if you suddenly abandon the belt, you will certainly get a spinal injury. Secondly, the muscles work differently in the waist. If without it they contract to pull in the stomach, then in the belt you, on the contrary, will tend to stick out the stomach. As a result, after abandoning the device, you will not be able to perform exercises with weights correctly.

A few rules for using a belt:

Wear the belt before performing exercises that involve holding weights overhead or those that involve standing with weights.
After the exercise, be sure to remove the belt.
When using such a device, pay special attention to additional training of the abdominal muscles.
You should not perform more than 5-10 repetitions in the belt. You can perform one set of the belt with the maximum weight, then remove it and reduce the weight.
Once you can lift heavy weights and get used to it, begin to gradually abandon the belt, reducing the number of repetitions performed in it.

Which belt to choose?

How to choose a weightlifting belt? The most important points to pay attention to when purchasing:

As for gender differences, there are no belts for women or men; they are all universal.
Pay attention to the shape of the belt and its width. The belt, narrow in the front and wide in the back, will provide additional support to the lower back and will reliably protect against injuries. In addition, it is very convenient to use when performing exercises that involve bending forward. Such devices are widely used in bodybuilding. But a belt that has the same width along its entire length is usually more durable, massive and strong. It should be placed in the lower abdomen, closer to the pelvis. This device is usually used in powerlifting. But bending exercises in this belt are inconvenient to perform.
Be sure to check the belt clasp when purchasing. There are several options: a regular buckle, Velcro or a carabiner. Velcro is the most unreliable option, which is only suitable for lifting a minimum weight. But such a fastener is quick and easy to unfasten and fasten. But over time it will certainly become unusable. The classic buckle is quite strong, but if it is heavily weighted, the holes can stretch, become damaged and tear. It will be better if such holes are equipped with metal rivets. The most reliable, strong and durable option is a belt with a carabiner. It is quite easy to fasten and unfasten, it cannot unfasten on its own and will last a long time.
The material from which the weightlifting belt is made is important. Today in sports equipment stores you can find belts made of leather, leatherette and various synthetic materials. The best option is leather. It is strong, but at the same time flexible and therefore stretches and adapts to changes in the volume of the abdomen. Synthetic materials, as a rule, are not flexible, although they are often durable.
Pay attention to the sewing of the belt. A multilayer product, additionally reinforced with zigzag or figured stitching, will be more durable.
It is important to determine your size. When purchasing in a store, it is better to try it on. When purchasing a belt in an online store, carefully study the manufacturer’s size chart. But remember that the volume of the abdomen can change, so choose models with the ability to change the position of the clasp.
The price of a quality weightlifting belt cannot be too low. The cost usually varies from 1 to 3-5 thousand rubles.

Happy and safe training to you!

Lord of the entire site and fitness trainer | more details >>

Genus. 1984 Trained since 1999 Trained since 2007. Candidate of Masters in powerlifting. Champion of Russia and South Russia according to AWPC. Champion of the Krasnodar region according to IPF. 1st category in weightlifting. 2-time winner of the Krasnodar Territory championship in t/a. Author of more than 700 articles on fitness and amateur athletics. Author and co-author of 5 books.

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Date of: 2012-04-12 Views: 51 994 Do you know this saying: the strong don’t need a belt, but it won’t help the weak? So, there is more truth here than jokes. I'll try to explain why. First you need to figure out what function the weightlifting belt performs. It prevents your lumbar vertebrae from moving to the side under load. How does this happen? The fact is that the spinal column is surrounded by a muscular frame, which includes the spinal extensor muscles and smaller internal muscles adjacent directly to the vertebrae. So, when performing an exercise with a load on your back, these muscles naturally tense and compress your vertebrae from all sides, preventing them from moving both to the sides and around their axis. The better developed these muscles are, the stronger they hold your vertebrae. The belt creates additional pressure both in the muscles (pressing them more tightly to the spine) and intra-abdominal pressure, which holds your vertebrae from the abdominal side. And the tighter the belt is tightened, the more it presses the muscles against the spine, thus strengthening the muscle corset. It turns out that a weightlifting belt is a very necessary thing? Not certainly in that way. The belt, like any artificial device, cannot 100% take over the work of the muscles. By constantly wearing a belt and not properly training your lower back muscles, you are only delaying the moment of injury. That’s why I said at the beginning that it won’t help the weak. In addition, constant use of a weightlifting belt can even cause psychological dependence on it. Even when you lift warm-up weights with a belt. If you have a good muscle corset, then a belt can add little to it. So it turns out that the strong do not need him. But in everything it is necessary to adhere to the golden mean. It seems to me that it is better to wear a belt only for maximum weights. Approximately starting from 85% - 90% of the maximum. In all other cases, try to do without it. But this is only true if you have already strengthened your back well. Otherwise you’ll say later that I’m hurting people here with my advice)). If your back is not yet ready enough for heavy weights, then there is no point in climbing them. It turns out that it is better for beginners to do without it altogether. If only because there is no need for them to lift maximum weights at first. I hope that now you understand why and when you need a weightlifting belt. Good luck!

By the way, you can order yourself from Timko Ilya - the author of this article and this site.

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An athletic belt is an important element of equipment for a serious athlete. Such devices are often used in bodybuilding, weightlifting and powerlifting. Such belts are used to protect the back muscles when working with impressive weight. Let's figure out how to choose an athletic belt and consider issues related to its operation.

Features of application

By wearing an athletic belt, the athlete reliably fixes the intervertebral discs due to the effective distribution of intra-abdominal pressure. When performing approaches to sports equipment, the abdominal muscles are activated. The latter, in the presence of a belt, create reliable support to provide optimal load on the back.

How correct is it to constantly use an athletic belt? Reviews from professional athletes show that the oblique and transverse abdominal muscles become noticeably weaker over time. Therefore, using a belt during every workout is not recommended.

For an amateur athlete, a belt can do more harm than good. To avoid problems in the future, you should train your back and abdominal muscles as you use the belt. Also, you should not chase high results by adding several weights to the barbell from workout to workout.

Varieties

The following types of belts for weightlifters are distinguished:

Belt for bodybuilding - characterized by uneven width along its entire length. The wide part is applied in the back area, the narrow part is fastened in the front. This design provides reliable support for the spine and does not interfere with torso movement.
Athletic belt for powerlifting - equally wide along the entire length. It is the optimal solution for performing deadlifts with a straight back.

Athletic belt - dimensions

An eternal problem for weightlifters is choosing the optimal belt length. The waist size of a professional athlete can change quite dramatically in one direction or another throughout the year. In addition, the complexity is created by the variety of standard sizes of belts from different manufacturers.

In order not to be mistaken with the parameters, you should definitely try on such equipment before purchasing. If this is not possible, for example if you purchase an athletic belt on the Internet, it is recommended to measure yourself at the waist once again.

Material of manufacture

A belt that will be used for serious, regular training must have high tensile strength. Therefore, it is advisable to give preference to products made from genuine leather or reliable synthetic materials.

The purpose of purchasing the belt plays a certain role. For amateur athletes who work with light weights, a fabric belt with Velcro fastenings will be sufficient. Thanks to its pliable structure, such a belt will be much more comfortable.

Clasps

Before purchasing a belt, it is extremely important to make sure that the fastening elements are highly reliable. It is advisable to give preference to metal fasteners of impressive width. Otherwise, the belt may become distorted during exercise. Not the least important role is played by the ability of fasteners to withstand impressive pressure.

In what cases can you not do without a belt?

When using a fixing belt seems most rational:

An athletic belt is indispensable for athletes who have certain health problems, in particular, constantly suffer from back injuries.
Training without a belt is difficult for bodybuilders whose goal is to quickly build muscle mass by working with the highest possible weight.
The use of a belt is a prerequisite for weightlifters who have resorted to using such equipment for a long time. In this case, you should gradually abandon the belt, focusing on training with lighter weight equipment.

So, an athletic belt, first of all, must be of high quality manufacturing and meet the requirements that are attached to it by the athlete. The reliability of the equipment determines the service life, practicality, and the sensations that the athlete will experience during training.

Many girls are afraid to widen their waist as a result of training, so they wear an athletic belt. Here the question arises: is it necessary? Is a belt even necessary? Here we will not touch upon the issue of special belts, bandages and corsets prescribed for medical reasons. Let's only touch on the issue of athletic belts.

Reasons for the general fascination with belts and corsets

There are several reasons why girls are interested in athletic belts. We have already indicated the first - this is the fear of swaying your waist. The second is the common love of the fair sex for a variety of accessories. However, this also applies to men, only their choice of accessories is slightly different. And the third is the belief that some tightening and fixing parts of the suit can influence the volume and distribution of subcutaneous fat. The third reason is actively supported by various advertising materials promising miraculous effects from all kinds of magic belts. Let’s say right away that all these miraculous effects are greatly exaggerated - and they themselves will not be able to influence the shape of the body, and at best they can only make a small contribution to losing weight and improving your figure.

So, there is only one question left that can be seriously considered - will an athletic belt help a girl keep her waist narrow?

Does your waist expand from exercise?

First, let's address the question of whether the waist can expand from training? Maybe. Firstly, a subjective and relative expansion of the waist may occur as a result of weight loss. Excess fat prefers to be deposited in women in the chest and buttocks. Curvier shapes often visually highlight a narrower waist, and when losing weight, volumes disappear primarily from these parts of the body. As a result, thinner hips and breasts with the same waist volume create the impression that the waist has become wider.

However, the waist may expand somewhat and quite objectively - as a result of strengthening and development of the oblique abdominal muscles. But here it should be noted that it is still necessary to develop these muscles - without them it is impossible to achieve a good muscle corset in the waist area that supports the spine. Unfortunately, problems with the spine are not only the lot of men, so neglecting the development of abdominal muscles for fear of expanding the waist means causing irreparable damage to your health. And, in fairness, it should be noted that the increase in waist due to the development of the oblique abdominal muscles is very insignificant. You just don’t need to do special exercises (for example, bending to the sides with dumbbells) that will specifically pump up these particular muscles - and your waist will hardly increase.

Does an athletic belt help?

What about the belt? Can he help? In certain cases it can. It must be said that there are different belts - regular and weightlifting. Ordinary ones, as a rule, are made of fabric - they are most often soft and most suitable for fitness. Athletic belts are often made of leather and are usually very rigid: powerlifting (uniform across the entire width) and weightlifting (with expansion in the lumbar region). An athletic belt is needed for additional support of the spine during heavy exercises. It helps weightlifters and powerlifters lift more weight with slightly less effort and with additional protection from injury. Due to general anatomy and the principles of using a belt, women and men can use the same belts - only by selecting them to suit their waist size.

From this it is clear that it is necessary only for professional weightlifters and powerlifters during competitions and during particularly difficult training. And also for those who are recovering from an injury and are afraid of overloading the spine. Beginners are strongly discouraged from using athletic belts, since their core muscles are already quite weak (hence frequent back problems). They need to be strengthened, and the belt will reduce the load on them, and thus an imbalance will arise - the muscles of the arms, legs, upper back will develop, and the abdominal and lower back muscles are the main ones in exercises such as deadlifts, squats, etc. P. - will lag behind, which will later lead to injury when the athlete thinks that he is ready to take on more weight, but the core muscles are not ready for this.

Conclusion. Do girls need a weightlifting belt?

Therefore, the conclusion can be drawn as follows: a weightlifting belt for girls is needed only for an advanced level and only in those exercises where the load on the spine is very high (lifting and squats with a barbell with large weights, when you cannot do more than 5-6 repetitions - i.e. i.e. the weight is approaching the maximum for you). For beginners, it’s better to do without any belts - believe me, with a properly designed training program and a proper diet, your waist will not suffer at all.

Get an expert's opinion on the benefits of a weightlifting belt, how to choose a good weight belt, and how to wear it correctly.

“To be a power belt or not to be,” Shakespeare would have asked if he had written his works today, and not 400 years ago. At a certain stage of the iron journey, every serious weightlifter asks himself this question.

You've come to the right place for an answer. I'll go through the most common questions about powerlifting belts, and by the end of the article, you'll be able to make an informed decision on whether you need this piece of equipment or not.

Plus, you'll get extra credit for learning how to properly use a lifting belt and not strutting around the gym with a useless belt around your stomach.

Now let's get down to business. Deciding whether or not you need a weight belt is a piece of cake once you know what to do with it.

Who should - and shouldn't - wear a belt?

A weightlifting belt is needed by almost everyone who strives or performs with the highest possible weight. Quite simple.

A weightlifting belt is necessary for almost everyone who strives to squat or deadlift with the highest possible weight.

Who shouldn't wear a belt? It is impossible to answer this question in a nutshell. You do not need to wear a belt if you:

Do not use a belt if you feel it restricts your movements. If a belt is affecting how deep you go before cleans or barbell snatches, you're better off developing strength without it. In powerlifting, those who go lower usually win.
Do not use the belt if you have heart disease or other pathology that may be aggravated by increased intra-abdominal pressure caused by the use of the belt.
A sudden rise in blood pressure is not a problem for most, but people with chronic diseases and a history of hernias should not wear a belt (or use the Valsalva maneuver to forcefully exhale while the glottis is closed). It's best to consult your doctor first.

The belt wraps around your abdomen so that when you take a deep breath from your diaphragm (that is, inhale through your belly), the belt limits the expansion of the anterior abdominal wall. This restriction intentionally increases intra-abdominal pressure, which in turn increases spinal fixation.

Increased bracing affects how much the core muscles, such as the legs and pelvic muscles in the squat, are able to contract. Normally, the nervous system is not keen on the idea of damaging the spinal cord, and when it senses that the back is in danger, it does not allow the muscles of the legs and pelvic area to contract to the limit. I think everyone will agree that this is good.

Lifting weights with a belt should theoretically reduce the risk of injury in the gym

With a similar exercise technique, the belt allows the main muscles to contract more strongly. What's more, various studies show that wearing a belt can help you get past squat sticking point faster, lift heavier weights at a faster average speed, engage your quads more actively at squat sticking point, and use your hamstrings more effectively as you fatigue during a set.

Essentially, the combination of these factors will help you lift slightly heavier weights and activate more muscle fibers, which means you'll get a better training effect.

Additionally, lifting weights with a belt should theoretically reduce the risk of injury in the gym, although I'm not aware of any studies that directly examine this issue. The Ethics Board is not crazy enough to allow scientists to intentionally call in the name of science. At the very least, the belt has been shown to reduce the risk of re-injury.

Can training with a belt weaken your core muscles?

A common horror story that has virtually no basis in fact.

Wearing a belt during exercises such as squats and deadlifts does not greatly affect the activation of the rectus abdominis and external obliques. Most studies indicate a slight increase in their activation; several studies suggest very little reduction. Overall, the difference is likely not large enough to be considered relevant for two reasons:

It is almost impossible to assess the degree of activation of the deep trunk muscles, such as the transverse abdominis and internal oblique muscles, during belt training. There may be differences that are not visible to us.
The literature is silent on how these contractions are coordinated to stabilize the spine.

If we look at core training from a broader angle, this is not a problem at all. Compared to specific exercises like , and , neither squats nor deadlifts load these muscles sufficiently.

Comparing squats and deadlifts with and without a belt in terms of core development is like comparing the effect of standing on quadriceps development. The difference is so minor that it's not worth worrying about - unless you completely ignore core-specific exercises.

What should you pay attention to when buying a belt?

A good belt made of durable leather will last for decades, so don't be afraid to shell out 1-3 thousand rubles for it, especially if you are a powerlifter, bodybuilder or just a strength training enthusiast.

In most cases, the athletic belt takes some getting used to. The belt may feel very stiff at first and will take some time to “work out”. Be prepared for some bruising along the top of your hip bone and along the edge of your rib cage as the belt adjusts to you as you train.

A good belt made of durable leather will last for decades, so don’t be afraid to shell out 1-3 thousand rubles for it, especially if you are a powerlifter, bodybuilder or just a strength training enthusiast

Typically, the best squat belts are 10cm wide and 10-13mm thick. Some people find that wide belts prevent them from getting into a good starting position when deadlifting. If you are a competitive powerlifter, a leather belt that tapers in the front (10 cm on the back and 5-7 cm on the stomach) will help solve this problem. You may be better off buying two belts: one for squats and one for deadlifts.

If you don't want to complicate things, it probably makes sense to just buy a tapered belt. It does the job quite well in the squat, although not quite as well. And you will also have good luck in deadlifts.

Another aspect of choice is a buckle with one or two prongs. I generally recommend choosing a belt with one prong for securing. The double buckle looks cool, but it's a hassle to put on and take off, and it's no better than a single-prong belt in terms of safety.

Some belts snap into place with a lobster buckle, making them quicker to take on and off. However, many people tighten the belt a little looser in the deadlift than in the squat, and you will have to spend extra time adjusting the automatic clasp for each exercise.

The first step is to adjust the belt. Many people wear the belt at the top of the iliac crest (top of the hip bone). During squats, some people pull the belt up (above the belly button), others wear it at the level of the belly button, and still others even lower it down (below the belly button). In deadlifts, the belt is typically placed at the belly button or at a slight upward angle - a downward angle can prevent you from getting into a good starting position.

Basically, it's more a matter of comfort than anything else. Start in the position that feels most comfortable to you. As you get better at using the strap, play with the height of the strap to see what position gives you the tightest grip on your torso.

Basically, it's more a matter of comfort than anything else. Start in the position that feels most comfortable to you. As you get better at using the belt, play with the height of the belt to see which position gives you the tightest torso support.

Once you put the belt on, you will need to figure out how to tighten it. Tighten the belt as tightly as possible, but so that you can take a full breath in your stomach, and then press your abdominal wall against the belt. You'll know you've pulled the belt too tight if you can't take a full breath, or if you have to lift your shoulders because you can't breathe in as your belly expands.

On the other hand, if you can take a full breath in one belt slot and can still get a full breath in the next slot, you're probably better off going with the tighter option, at least for squats. Again, this is a matter of comfort, but many people prefer a looser cut for deadlifts because it allows for a better starting position.