Do You Need to Wear a Weight Belt?
October 23, 2009 by Kris Jones
Filed under Fitness, Weight Lifting
Weight belts are recommended when you lift very challenging weight on exercises like squats and dead lifts. The idea is to provide support to your lower back. You will typically see belts used in weight lifting competitions, but for a regular workout you don’t need a belt.
One problem with weight belts is you get the most out of them if you have bad form. Another detractor is if you do suffer an injury while wearing a weight belt, the severity of the injury is usually more severe.
To increase the amount of weight you can lift without exerting yourself at near 100% level, strengthen your core muscles – particularly your lower back. When in the course of your regular workout routines, you can safely stay free of weight belts unless you push yourself to extremes, at which point you will want to consider it. It’s also a good idea if you have an existing back injury.
This is a good example of when you would want to use a weight belt:
