More on Lifting Belts

Since we posted the “Lifting Belts 101″ video, we’ve had a couple of questions come through from people looking for more information on when to start using lifting belts.  While there really isn’t a hard and fast rule on when you should use a belt, I generally don’t recommend that beginning lifters use one.  No, this isn’t an elitist thing, it’s a strength and safety thing.  Wearing a belt too early will delay the development of a strong lower back.  If you train without one, your body has no choice but to support itself and it will get stronger (I promise!).  As far as safety goes, a belt can give you a false sense of security.  It is not uncommon for trainees to put on much more weight than they really should because of the belief that the belt will protect the spine.  It does give you a degree of protection, but that isn’t the belt’s primary purpose if you’re using it correctly.  I know that might sound a little strange, but I’ll cover that in a minute.

First, let’s talk about what the belt really does.  As I mentioned in the video, all the stuff in your abdomen is generally referred to os the “fluid ball.”  The human body has a lot of water…roughly 60% of your total weight is water weight!  Different parts of your body have varying levels of water.  Your organs (the “stuff” in your abdomen) are comprised of about 70% water.  I know it seems like I’ve veered way off topic, but stay with me here.  The fact that our organs are made up of so much water is important because water cannot be compressed like a gas can be.  If you squeeze a bag of gas, the pressure rises and the gas takes up less volume.  If you compress water, the volume stays the same.  Quick experiment: take a deep breath and push your belly out.  Really bear down and push!  Go ahead, I’ll wait.  Ok, now what happened?  Your belly pushed out and you looked like you had a pot-belly, right?  Now if you were wearing a good lifting belt and you had it wrapped over your belly button, you wouldn’t get the pot-belly effect.  The fluid ball in your abdomen wants to push your abdominal wall out, but the belt is in the way.  Where can it go?  Nowhere, actually.  It pushes against the abdominal wall and the spine, thereby increasing your inner-abdominal pressure and bracing the anterior surface of the spine.  The posterior surface of the spine is braced by the belt, so the vertebrae really don’t have anywhere to go.  You’re essentially using the belt to stabilize a very flexible structure (your spine).

Ok, now that we know what happens when we bear down while wearing a belt, why do we do it?  Well, if you’re using it correctly, the belt is giving you something to push against.  Imagine you’re going to move a refrigerator by pushing it across the floor.  Is it easier to push the refrigerator if you just stand there and push or is it easier if you brace yourself against a wall?  Exactly.  While the belt isn’t a wall, it sure does help!  The additional internal pressure provides a feeling of tightness and stability which is essential for lifting very heavy weights.  Yes, it does give you a measure of protection, but it really doesn’t cover that much surface area.  If you go too heavy, a few vertebrae in your lumbar spine might be somewhat protected, but what about your thoracic spine?  If your backs rounds over, you may very well experience a significant injury whether your lumbar spine is protected or not.

If you’re just starting off, I’d wait on the belt for a while.  Concentrate on building back strength first so your body can hold itself together without the aid of the belt.  How do you do this?  Easy!  For starters, it’s time to make back extensions part of your religion.  Check out the video on extensions and start doing ‘em!  Additionally, keep doing lots of squats and lots of dead lifts.  Remember to use proper form and keep the weights moderate.  This is not the time to beat a world record!  Now is the time to build your foundation.  Think of it this way: your body is a three-story house.  The first floor is made of bricks and the third floor is also made out of bricks, but the second floor is made out of tooth picks and string.  What do you think is going to happen to that house?  Right.  It isn’t as much fun, but you really need to take the time to make your second floor out of the same material as your first and third floor!

Hopefully this answered a few questions. As always, feel free to email me at phil@shapeofsuccessfitness.com if you want more information.

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