Many gym-goers are divided when it comes to the topic of wearing belts. Those who don’t wear one during workout sessions usually say that it doesn’t really matter. Others would say it’s for amateurs. But the more seasoned lifters, the ones with more experience with irons, know better. There are more to weightlifting belts than what meets the eye. They are not just another gym gear, as they are crucial in helping improve your lifting capabilities and stabilizing your spine to reduce the stress it receives.
Improved Lifting Performance
Studies have found that wearing a weightlifting belt helps to increase your intra-abdominal pressure when you lift. Because of this pressure, you will feel your core becomes rigid and your spine more stable, thus allowing for enhanced lifting power.
The weightlifting belt gives your abdomen something to push against, thus creating more pressure and force. To sum it up, the more stable you are, the more pressure you can generate, and the more pressure you generate, the more power you can put into your jerks and lifts.
So when the time comes that you increase the number of plates on your bars for your lifts and squats, be sure to wear the right type of weightlifting belt, as the wrong one will basically not do you any good (and may even cause harm). The right belt will provide you with that extra power that you need in order to execute that lift and move on to the next level.
Injury Prevention
A more important reason for wearing weightlifting belts is for safety – and since you are working with irons and pushing your body to its limits, safety is something that you shouldn’t be taking lightly.
While lifting, you put a considerable amount of strain on your muscles, and when doing deadlifts and squats the strain is against your lower back and your spine. The contractions as you bend and the stress you place on your back once you lift the barbell or lower it down puts an excessive amount of pressure on your back, waist, and oblique and exposes them to injury.
In addition, injuries from lifting are caused by improper lifting forms, causing you to miss your target areas and put all your efforts to waste. The right weightlifting belt will help to improve your form and posture, and with this comes lesser risks of unfortunate mishaps.
These are basically the reasons why wearing a weightlifting belt during a workout session is very important. There have been several studies conducted to support these arguments despite the decreasing number of weightlifting belt users over the years. In most gyms, there are weightlifting belts which they allow their clients to use for free, but it always pays to have one purchased according to your build. They are also very easy to carry around, and will most certainly fit snugly in your gym bag.
