Weight Belts

Okay, this is my theory and I'm going to be honest here even though I know I might leave a few egos bruised in my wake. You don't need a weight belt unless you're a power lifter! Yes, if you lift extremely heavy weights a weight belt can protect your lower back. However if you put on your weight belt at the beginning of your workout and keep it on throughout, I'll be honest, you look like someone who doesn't have the slightest clue what they're doing.

I see it all the time Joe Schmo comes to the gym with his trusty weight belt over his shoulder and straps it on before he starts his warm-up stretches. Maybe he does a few super sets, but he continues to wear his weight belt as he's performing chin-ups, bicep curls, triceps extensions and the like. This leaves half the gym thinking, This guy is either using his weight belt to hold up his shorts or he has no bloody clue what its purpose is!

In reality, weight belts are common fixtures on the waists of power lifters, body builders and professional weight lifters. They're used to support the lower backs of lifters who routinely perform exercises that are rough on the lower back exercises like squats, deadlifts (especially stiff-legged deadlifts) and barbell lunges.

I've also had some power lifters tell me that wearing a weight belt helps them bench press more weight because their back gets more support, however I don't know this personally. Yes, I like squats, I do them regularly so my lower back is strong, but I've never lifted the massive amounts of weight that require me to wear one.

If you do lift heavy weights or suffer from lower back discomfort while exercising, then you should consider wearing a weight belt. However, first you need to know how to safely wear one. I'm a firm believer in leaving stuff I don't know too much about to the experts.

This advice is from the Bodybuilding.com website:

• A weight belt should be positioned around your waist and right above your hips.
• Wear the belt tightly, but not so tight that you can't breathe.
• Once the belt is on, suck a deep breath in before you remove your weight from the rack. Push your stomach out as hard as you can so that your stomach and lower back are supported by the inside of the belt.
• Once you've picked up the weight, exhale your air out.
• Shop for a belt that's approximately 6 to 8-inches thick (this will cost about $25 online) so the pressure is distributed over the entire width of the belt.