If you have lifted, or lift quite heavy weights, then there is a good chance that you have worn a lifting belt in the past.
These are belts that you wear on your waists, and after you secure it, you will flex your stomach on it and then brace. This will then lead to a more intense tension up against your torso.
The results of this are that your back will be made more rigid and this will aid in improving your lifting form as well as making sure that your back stays safe.
Because of all of these aspects that are improved through wearing a lifting belt, wearing one is seen to be a necessity and because of this you will want to make sure that you know how to wear them properly.
This is especially important since you could be compromising your form and your safety if you are using your lifting belt incorrectly, so knowing how to do so is important!
Because of this, we have put together this guide that goes over all the necessary information about lifting belts so you will know exactly what you need to do when you want to wear one.
So, if you want to wear a lifting belt, but you do not know how to, keep reading!
Guide On How To Wear A Lifting Belt
It is important to point out that putting a lifting belt on is not as simple as just putting it on and hoping it will work properly, this is because there is more to a lifting belt than just a standard belt and there are things you need to learn before you use it!
So, let’s go over what you need to know when putting one on!
First, you want to place the belt around your waist, the best spot is right above the hip bone. If you place it here, it will have complete contact with the sides, the back, and the front of your torso.
However, if you feel like your lifting belt is a bit too restrictive and is pinching you too much in certain areas, there is a good chance that you have put it on in the wrong position.
If you keep on moving it around and this keeps happening, you will want to either
look for a lifting belt that has a different thickness, or instead adjust how tight your belt is.
To move on, you want to inhale a little bit and then tighten your belt. You want this belt to of course be tight, but not so tight that it feels painful on your stomach.
There will need to be as much room needed for your stomach to expand when you are bracing and creating tension. The ideal fit is for your belt to be snug and tight, and will be filled out when you are bracing.
To test this, you will want to be able to put your index finger in the back portion of your belt.
If you can fit more than this, the belt will be too loose, but if you can not even fit the index finger in, then it is likely too tight.
After this you want to breathe and then expand into your lifting belt.
As mentioned earlier, the lifting belt is designed to make your back more stable, and the main defense you have against a potentially weak back is your core, so you will want to brace your core muscles so they are tight.
The belt will make it so you are able to brace yourself more aggressively, so if you want to do this you want to take a deep breath into your stomach and then flex your abs and then your lower back.
Once you have done this you want to hold the position for your whole lift. While the lifting belt will help you with your form, it will not help if you have bad breathing habits, or bad bracing mechanics.
If you do not know how to do this already, the lifting belt will likely not be useful. The people who should be using it are those who already are aware of bracing and breathing while under the load.
So before you attempt to use a lifting belt, try and master these techniques.
How To Brace While Wearing A Lifting Belt
If a lifter is choosing to wear a lifting belt or not, there will need to be techniques developed to aid with both bracing as well as breathing to make sure you are getting the best results from your lifting attempts.
If you do not have the right bracing or the right breathing techniques, your belt will not work properly and will not be that useful.
So, if you are looking to get the best results from your lifting belt there are some things you can try. One common technique to help with bracing is to act like you are getting punched in the gut.
This is because when this happens you are going to flex all the muscles in your stomach, and this is needed to help you stabilize your back. Then you will want to breathe into your gut when you are preparing to take this hit.
You want the tension to develop while you are breathing into your abdomen. You want to stay uptight and visualize pulling your rib cage in.
Finally, you want to ensure that you are flexing your obliques, this will help with your pelvic alignment and helps minimize rotational forces in your spine and hips.
Summary – Why You Should Wear A Lifting Belt
So, now you know how to wear a lifting belt, why should you? One of the main reasons is how much they help with your spinal stability and can protect you against any damage from poor technique.
On top of this they aid with minimize your lumbar extension like over arching your lower back. Finally, they will just help when it comes to learning how to brace properly!