Weight Lifting Belts
Quite often you will see people wearing weight lifting belts when performing all of their exercises. This is completely unnecessary and a potentially dangerous habit. When a weightlifting belt is worn, the natural process of the lower back muscles and the various abdominal muscles is decreased.
If these muscles are not permitted to play a supportive role during strength training they will not be able to provide a supportive role if the situation comes up outside the gym, where lifting has to be done and a belt is not at hand. This dependence on a weight lifting belt could increase the possibility of a lower back injury.
When a weight training belt is used properly the lower back and abdominal muscles can receive enough stimulation. Weight belts should not be worn during exercises where the back is not directly affected. A weight belt should only be worn when the weight used exceeds 80% of the maximum amount of weight that you can lift.
The type of weight belt or style that is used should also be taken into consideration. There are basically two classifications of belts a thin belt, which is wider at the back and tapers in the front. The second belt is a thick power lifting belt, which is obviously common among power lifters, is 4 inches wide all the way around. Both types of weight belts have been examined and determined that if the body was long enough to permit proper tightening then the that thick belt was better than the thin belt.
Weight belts can be a very useful tool while strength training, if used properly. However, over dependence on the belts may increase the risk of injury in non training situations.
Hans K Anderson
