Weight belts come in a variety of styles, but all attempt to allow you to stabilize your torso while lifting weights. While you can wear a weight belt for any exercise, the primary goal remains to increase the tension in your core and decrease forward lean. This becomes particularly important when squatting and deadlifting. Consult your doctor before beginning any strength-training program.
Intra-Abdominal Pressure
Your ability to increase the stability of your spine under load is directly related to the amount of pressure you can generate by filling your abdomen with air then contracting your muscles. The increase in stability in your core is called intra-abdominal pressure. The greater your intra-abdominal pressure, the greater your ability to stabilize your spine. The stability of your spine directly relates to your ability to avoid injury.
Use of a Belt
Using a belt allows you to increase intra-abdominal pressure when lifting. To do so, you pull air into your abdomen and push your abdominals out against the belt. This increases your intra-abdominal pressure, according to a 1990 study published in the journal "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise." This increase in pressure following proper use of a belt that allows you to push your abdominals out and improve trunk stability occurs during single or multiple repetitions when performing the barbell squat.
Proper Use of a Belt
To use a belt properly, it must be loose enough that you can pull air in and push your abdominals out. Failing to do so will result in the belt being useless. Research published in 1999 in the journal "Clinical Biomechanics" showed that the only way to get enough intra-abdominal pressure when wearing a weightlifting belt was to inhale then push your abdominals out. Your expanded abdominal cavity, only possible with a properly fitting belt, will then increase the stability of your lumbar spine.
Problems
If your belt is too tight, you cannot pull enough air in to your stomach nor push your abdominals out. This results in your belt being useless, or creating a false sense of security, which can lead to injury. A proper weightlifting belt increases stability of your spine only when you can inhale and push your abdominals out, according to a study published in the journal "Spine" in 2006.
References
- "Neuromechanics of Human Movement, Fourth Edition"; Roger M. Enoka; 2008
- "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise"; The Effectiveness of Weight-Belts During the Squat Exercise; J.E. Lander, et al.; February 1990
- "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise"; The Effectiveness of Weight-belts During Multiple Repetitions of the Squat Exercise; J.E. Lander, et al.; May 1992
- "Clinical Biomechanics"; Effects of Abdominal Belts on Intra-Abdominal Pressure, Intra-Muscular Pressure in the Erector Spinae Muscles and Myoelectrical Activities of Trunk Muscles; K. Miyamoto, et al.; February 1999
- "Spine"; Effect of a Stiff Lifting Belt on Spine Compression During Lifting; I. Kingma, et al.; October 2006
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