Weight belts -- yes? no? when?

[Silverwind]

So I'm trying to progress into heavier squats and deadlifts, and am wondering whether or not to start using a belt. I always looked at them as cheating -- if you can't lift the weight with good form under your own power, you're not doing it right. Do they help or hurt strength training gains?

[bigm141414]

I am of the opinion that they don't add much see this: http://stronglifts.com/weight-lifting-belts-to-wear-or-not-to-wear/

If you have hurt your back they may have some benefit in helping you avoid injury, but if you have had no issues, then they seem to reinforce bad form.

Caveat: belts are needed for weighed pullups and dips, so they are fine in those cases.

[newgen128]

I am of the opinion that they don't add much see this: http://stronglifts.com/weight-lifting-belts-to-wear-or-not-to-wear/

If you have hurt your back they may have some benefit in helping you avoid injury, but if you have had no issues, then they seem to reinforce bad form.

Caveat: belts are needed for weighed pullups and dips, so they are fine in those cases.

I'd have to agree. A while ago, I became paranoid about wrecking my back in my pursuit of clean and jerk glory and decided to use it for both dead lifts and squats, and after a few sessions I got rid of it because it was just too cumbersome and seemed to enforce bad form with my particular body type.

[Guest Carjack]

They force your abs to work harder by inhaling against the pressure, forming a brace.

The average lifter seems to think it's some sort of back armor.

Belts are useful at a professional level. Pointless for me.

[Knightwatch]

They have their place (note my avatar). As Carjack mentioned, they're NOT a direct support for your back. You brace your abs against them which fortifies everything, but it's useless if you don't start by breathing correctly.

t.bombadil, Worcester? Me too, man. Welcome to the boards. We've got a lot of great resources in the city. If you want to see both good and bad examples of belt-use, check out Baystate Gym, over near Webster Square. One of the best values going, truly excellent, no frills facility, brimming with very, very strong people.

[andygates]

I use mine on my heavy squat sets (300#+), for example. With the right training one certainly ought to be able to squat with bodyweight without needing one (if you can't, form-check). The belt comes in when your core is more stable by pressing against the belt than it is by just setting on its own: that's not a cheat, it's a different technique that lets you safely load your spine with big weight.

Given the paleo vibe here, a speculation: it's reasonable to expect a fit person to be able to carry their tribemates away from the fire. It's not reasonable to expect them to carry the livestock, so when you're working with Milo's calf, pure evolution ain't enough.

In my case as I increase max lifts, my warmups increase too and so my "belt threshold" goes up at the same time.

[Silverwind]

Thanks for the feedback. At the moment, I'm squatting 200, deadlifting 235 (at BW 235), and to the best of my knowledge, not sacrificing form. I would rather continue to perform the lifts without the belt, which I'm hoping I can continue doing while steadily adding weight. Just wanted to get a sense of their popularity among the NF crowd... I'm a little too intimidated by the guys I've seen using them at the gym to approach them to ask about it.

@Knightwatch: I have a membership at World's in Greendale/Shrewsbury, but mostly workout at home, though I'm getting to the point where I'll either have to buy more plates or start hitting the gym at least on deadlift days. I'll have to check out Baystate to compare once my renewal is due -- thanks for the tip man.