Squats:Belt or no belt?

[muslhed1971]

Getting ready to hit the gym for leg day and have a quick question. In doing squats should I wear a belt or not? For the last 3 months I have been going "beltless" on every exercise trying to strengthen my core. So, do you guys belt up on squats or not? Why?

 

[quedog123]

i got beltless 90% of the time to keep my core strong i would only wear a bealt when i am real high in wiehgt around my max or close to it.

 

[Grizzly]

I don't wear one ever.

 

[Phreezer]

It's better for you if you don't use the belt... Using a belt when you don't need to will actually work out worse for you. Training without a belt will help strengthen your core and make you a better lifter... When you unnecessarily use a belt it will become a crutch for you.. IMO you only need to use a belt when you are doing heavy singles, Maxing, or competeing.

I will not put on a belt untill I'm finished with triples, and have started my heavy singles.

 

[muslhed1971]

Thanks bro's. Looks like it's a shutout. No belt.

 

[eleven11]

NO belt here.............11

 

[tonyatl]

no belt here either...

 

[mid life crisis]

No...

no belt here either...

No belt here either..

As side note...my back pain that I had for years...you know, where the pain runs down your hamstring and throbs in your calf...disappeared once I started training w/out the belt...

 

[Chip Bronson]

no belt here... ever. but i never go below 5 reps and usually work within the 8-10 rep range.

 

[FearMy6Pak]

no belt
no straps
no gloves

 

[Quasimoto]

no belt, wrist braces once in awhile. Belts make you dependent and give you a false sense of security..

 

[Phreezer]

now hold on guys... belts do have their place...especially for powerlifters.. you just have to learn when to use one..

 

[muslhed1971]

now hold on guys... belts do have their place...especially for powerlifters.. you just have to learn when to use one..

When would that be? When doing heavy singles like someone else suggested?

 

[Phreezer]

Unless your squating about 2x your own body weight for less around 3 reps, I'd say you probably do not need one. Personaly, I don't break out the belt untill I get over 500lbs on my squat. (which is about 2x my body weight)

 

[cathex]

No belt here except for very heavy - below 4 reps - sets on lifts that would leave you vunerable.

In fact since I stopped wearing one my lower back feels great cos my mid has strengthened.

I do wear gloves though cos my woman don't like rough skin rubbing on her nipples.

 

[Homer simpson]

I dont wear a:
belt
wrist straps
or
underwear when I'm in the gym.




Homer

 

[Freddy]

I'm getting close to squatting 3x bodyweight and I don't wear it in training at all.

In competition I definitely will wear it, along with knee wraps, briefs, and a squat suit. But I train raw.

 

[buck]

For years i used one and my back always hurt. Stopped using one a few years ago and my peek strength was back up after a couple months. My back rarely hurts know. Use one occassionally now when the weight is 2.5x my body weight. And the reps are fiarly low.

 

[MACHI]

It's better for you if you don't use the belt... Using a belt when you don't need to will actually work out worse for you. Training without a belt will help strengthen your core and make you a better lifter... When you unnecessarily use a belt it will become a crutch for you.. IMO you only need to use a belt when you are doing heavy singles, Maxing, or competeing.

I will not put on a belt untill I'm finished with triples, and have started my heavy singles.

Ditto - It's because the belt makes the muscles (synergists) that would otherwise enable you to have perfect form useless. Ergo, they're not contracting when you lift. When this is done over time, they (the synergistic muscles) will become weaker - in comparrison to the ones becomming stronger. Then when you go to lift some heavy weight the day you forgot your belt...POP! Your lumbar disk becomes herniated because your form sucked, your out for weeks/months at at time, your cycle is wasted, and your girlfriend is bangin the pizza guy on her day off...... or wait maybe not the last one. Fuk I hate it when i accidently tell people that.

 

[boz_hardwick]

To Belt or Not

now hold on guys... belts do have their place...especially for powerlifters.. you just have to learn when to use one..

Sorry guys, but I'm going to disagree. In order to squat properly you have to hold your air in your lower abs and push out against your belt and keep tight on each rep. It's very difficultt to do this without a belt. However, I do agree that on some lower weights you don't need one.

Boz