What Is The Purpose Of A Power Lifting Belt?

Power lifting and weight training belts are common sights in most gyms. Originally the reserve of weight lifters and heavy-training athletes, a belt is worn by many recreational trainers with the intention of supporting and protecting their lower backs from injury. Power lifting belts cost, as of August 2010, between $15 and $100 and are available from sporting goods stores, gyms and specialist strength training equipment suppliers.

Purpose

Power lifting belts are designed to provide lower back support when lifting weights. Exercises such as squats, dead lifts, bent over rows and shoulder presses places a large strain on the muscles, ligaments and discs on the lumbar or lower spine. Wearing a belt may help reduce the risk of injury when working out with heavy weights. Power lifting belts help protect your lower back in two ways: structural support and increasing intra-abdominal pressure.

Structural Support

Power lifting belts are made of leather or a similarly stiff material. Worn around the waist so that it widest section on the belt covers the lumbar or lower vertebra, a power lifting belt will stop your back from bending or flexing while you exercise. A tightly cinched power lifting belt may also prevent compression of your inter-vertebral discs which can happen when your spine is loaded vertically e.g. when performing squats or shoulder presses.

Intra-abdominal Pressure

Intra-abdominal pressure, or IAP for short, describes your ability to create pressure within your abdominal cavity which supports your spine from within. You can increase IAD by tensing your abdominal muscles and inhaling or pushing your abdominal muscles out against a tightly cinched power lifting belt. According to Paul Chek in his article "Back Strong and Beltless," IAD can significantly reduce the compression of your lumbar intervertebral discs.

Considerations

Wearing a belt can help support your back, but power lifting belts are double edged swords that can also lead to injury. Because the spine is held in place by the belt, any flexion, extension or rotational forces directed through your spine will be concentrated just above and just below the belt rather than spread evenly. This "point loading" can result in injury.

Warning

If you always wear your power lifting belt when exercising, your abdominal muscles will become accustomed to pushing out against the belt every time you lift anything. This is fine during a workout when you have your belt on but may create problems when you aren't wearing your belt. According to Paul Chek, if you attempt to lift something heavy--e.g. groceries out of your car--when you aren't wearing your belt, your abdominal muscles with have nothing to push against and the resulting drop in IAD can leave your spine unsupported and prone to injury.

Solution

To get the most from wearing a power lifting belt and reduce your risk of becoming over reliant on the support it offers, you should save your belt for your heaviest workout sets. Only wear your belt for exercises that place a large demand on your lumbar spine and avoid using it for every exercise in your workout. Learn to create intra-abdominal pressure by tensing your abdominal muscles as opposed to pushing them out so that you can lift safely without having to rely on the support of a belt.