Benefits to lifting with vs without a belt

J

Jester

Well-Known Member
Per thread title, I'm hoping someone can sell me on the benefits of lifting w/a belt re: squat, deadlift, rack pull.

Sci mentioned in his log that he's been informed that a belt during rack pulls (and I would think, deadlifts, by logical consequence) prevents rib cage compression.

This is of a lot of interest to me, as getting a cracked rib during the best gains I've ever made is really quite annoying (internet friendly language).

I'm mildly confident I can make the recovery period 4 weeks at most, and when I can start lifting again, I'd like to prevent a similar fate.

What does the belt do?

Why/how does it help?

What are the benefits, if any, to lifting w/out one?
 
I must be stupid or something but it just seems to me that lifting weights so heavy, combined with either a genetic flaw or poor technique, that they can break a bone, doesn't make an awful lot of sense, especially if hypertrophy is your primary goal.

I prefer to lift lighter weights where I do not have to wear a belt to hold myself together and give my stabilizer muscles a better workout. Most people can't make too much in the way of gains when they can't workout, especially due to avoidable injuries.

Even with strength athletes whose primary goal is not hypertrophy, maintaining proper form is probably a better solution than a belt, although a belt may help and is certainly recommended when going for 1 RM PR's or in competition. Perhaps this question is best asked on a web site such as Dan John's where heavy power lifting is the focus. As a general rule, hypertrophy geeks usually do not need to use belts.

I say this with some experience since I have had two back operations, the last one this past fall where I had to have my back fused and rods inserted. Not due to lifting, but due to being bucked off too many horses and landing on my ass thus causing compression fractures. Even my neurosurgeon, who is a lifter, advises against using a belt. He advocates using your own muscles instead. He is not a power lifter either.

Anywho, I will never convince belt proponents of this so I usually let people do as they please and stay mum. I am sure there is probably some psychological benefit to using belts.
 
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I certainly lifted too heavy on rack pulls, too quickly.

No arguments there.

I'm still interested in determining whether or not a belt is a safer way to do deads and rack pulls (squats, probably never going to include them consistently, just don't like them).

Hypertrophy wise, this is probably the best 6-8 week (there abouts) period I've experienced.


So, O&G is one vote for no belts (generally speaking) ?


EDIT: I'm also not overly fussed about what it takes to crack a rib. My GP showed me an X-ray he keeps in his office of his own broken rib (from days gone by), apparently acquired by reaching too far into the back of his station wagon and dropping onto the bumper a bit hard.

The conclusion reached was that it was a stress fracture that became legit fracture (back to me, I mean). And as I said, it's my own fault for moving faster than I should have.

It might simply be a case of me slowing down, perhaps altering the grip for symmetry purposes (symmetry of vectors and forces, not nonsense about how my muscles look) and letting the connective and skeleton catch up to muscular strength.
 
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The way it was explained to me is to not think of the rigidity of the belt itself supporting the spine directly, but it does provide something tight for your abdomen to contract against during the valsalva maneuver. The harder contraction means more internal pressure, which better helps support the spine. I was told to think about expanding my abs against the belt as hard as I can to get that internal pressure up.

That being said, I don't feel like my squat is heavy enough to necessitate it at this point, and now that I'm in the post 5RM weeks, I'm only strapping in on for the last 5RM deadlift workset. The additional internal pressure does make the whole set feel much more stable.
 
I've never used belt and I've never been injured in any way related... but I have a somewhat thick waist/midsection even when dieted down, so... nothing really useful to add either way.
 
I originally posted this on sci's log...

As a thought/my $.02 on the belt issue...

Belts don't "take away" from the stimulation of the prime movers. You could technically argue they do the opposite. I mean, does your core "lift" the weight in a squat or deadlift? At least in principle, no, the spinal position remains neutral while the prime movers (some combination of the hip and knee extensors) do the work. This is completely different compared to something like a squat suit or bench shirt, in both of those cases the elastic energy is being stored in the material itself, but no such relationship with the belt exists, it can't store elastic energy in that way (obviously).

So the fact that you can lift heavier with a belt pretty much translates directly to the prime movers actually being capable of moving more weight. How? Well the weak link in a squat or a deadlift isn't just the prime movers, the "core" acts to transmit the force produced from the lower body to the bar via a rigid midsection. A belt allows your abs to brace against something, and indeed, research has shown that ab activity is actually HIGHER with a belt. It's actually a little more complicated than this, as it's not just the ab bracing but the whole midsection "filling" against the belt and creating, in effect, an artificially larger midsection. The net effect = increased intra-abdominal/intra-thoracic pressure and consequently a more stable midsection. A more stable midsection = prime movers capable of generating more force. Interestingly, some other activity wearing a belt might be a little lower (e.g. obliques), however.

So what's the downside of belt use? Some people (e.g. Mark Rippetoe, Jim Wendler, the 70's Big guys) don't think there really is one, that belted strength will transfer pretty directly to unbelted strength. Here is a propaganda piece on the topic:

http://70sbig.com/blog/2012/07/belts-redux/

My concern is that a belt, while not exactly a crutch, does actually change the nature of midline stabilization (i.e. stabilizing the core), i.e. alters the recruitment pattern. In terms of what might "transfer to real life" better, obviously not wearing a belt is more similar to that. There are some people in the strength game that I respect greatly (e.g. John Broz) who feel like the belt is a crutch, and don't train their lifters to use one. Here's Mendes' legendary beltless, 800 lb high bar squat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK7m6I5m6gY

A lot of people will be like "LOL BUT HE GOT POPPED USING HGH." Yah, everyone who uses HGH magically gets an 800 lb high bar squat k thx cya bai.

It's honestly a fairly hypothetical argument, and I can see both sides of the debate.
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Basically just filling your lungs/belly with air and holding it while performing the lift. It's pretty standard practice. People constantly bitch about it being dangerous online but I've been doing it pretty much my entire lifting career, it's a natural inclination to do when exerting yourself against a heavy load.
 
Basically. I tend to hold my breath during a deadlift and then exhale at the bottom before reinflating prior to the next rep. I don't consciously force myself to do it, I just breath however feels natural. However, filling your trunk with air prior to deadlifting or squatting makes your core a lot more stable, in my experience.
 
Totentanz said:
Basically. I tend to hold my breath during a deadlift and then exhale at the bottom before reinflating prior to the next rep. I don't consciously force myself to do it, I just breath however feels natural. However, filling your trunk with air prior to deadlifting or squatting makes your core a lot more stable, in my experience.
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That makes sense, I will try that technique out. I never realized how important it is to have the lungs full, both for energy and for trunk stability.
 
Good rule of thumb is to consciously exploit valsalva for standing exercises (squats, deadlifts, overhead presses). Works pretty well in bench, too.

To be honest I don't really think about it much for most upper body lifts, though may suck in my breath and hold it if I'm trying to get another rep. It's worth noting that you will do a reflexive valsalva even if you don't consciously do so before the initiation of a rep. E.g. notice what happens in a hard rep in a pullup/chinup or even a barbell curl. As you near the sticking point you will reflexively hold your breath and bear down/brace. That is the valsalva maneuver.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valsalva_maneuver
 
Yep, Totz mikeynov explained it pretty well. I was taught to fill my lungs as full as I could and actively pressurize the air in my lungs behind a closed glottis before every rep then reset the breath before the next rep. Meaning your exhale and refill only at lockout for benchpress and squat, and only when the weight is dead on the floor when deadlifting.

I'm not really sure what purpose a belt would serve outside of aiding the valsalva maneuver. Do people really think that it will somehow keep you from accidentally over-extending your lumbar region?
 
I notice a difference for sure with a belt, when I am doing heavy stuff. The belt pushes in all the abdominal muscles, while the abdominals "push out" while contracting, the result is a very hard wall of muscle around the spine. WIthout a belt, even if I hold in air, I don't get the same stability as with a belt on.
 
Sci said:
I notice a difference for sure with a belt, when I am doing heavy stuff. The belt pushes in all the abdominal muscles, while the abdominals "push out" while contracting, the result is a very hard wall of muscle around the spine. WIthout a belt, even if I hold in air, I don't get the same stability as with a belt on.
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Where abouts do you place/position it for your rack pulls?
 
There is no doubt in my mind that I can lift more weight, more confidently when belted. It's not essential by any means but it is a tool that I like to use for heavier sets of squats and deads. As well as the benefits Mikeynov pointed out, I am able to get immediate feedback on my back extension: I know immediately if I'm allowing my spine to lose extension and by how much. So for me it's a feedback tool.

I would definitely advice against using a belt that is overly tight. That may lead to 'blow out' below the belt in the inguinal canal if you are predisposed to herniation (like me). A snug fit is tight enough and then a big belly-breath tightens everything up prior to lifting.
 
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