[quote]Airtruth wrote:
lolololol
I can understand suits, but please explain how a belt gets any of the weight?
IMO is a belt absolutely neccessary? No, but The fact that its touching that area reminds you to tighten your core which is definitely necessary when deadlifting. Best advice is to try it, if it works for you use it. It’s not like the weight is being transfered to the belt.[/quote]
Yup, tightening your core. Instead of the weight going to your core, it goes to your belt. In essence, your working your core less with the belt.
Again, I say lift and compete the way you want. I choose to lift raw and without a belt and could care less what the others are doing even in the raw category. A belt is still allowed in the raw category in every federation that I know of that offers a raw class.
If someone wants to use gear that’s great! Everyone at the meets knows the rules and advantages/disadvantages they are up against. If I get beat in the deadlift because a lifter in my class uses a belt and pulls a few more pounds then me then that’s fine and great too.
I made the choice to not wear one for my own reasons and the other guy chose differently. He can have 1st and I’ll take 2nd. When I go to a meet I’m only competing against myself and my last meet PR’s.
At a meet, I don’t ask people why they are wearing gear, etc,. but they sure want to come up to me and ask me why I won’t wear it and make sure to let me know what I could be lifting if I did wear gear.
There is no prize money, outside of the meets nobody knows or cares what you pull, squat or bench and after a while the trophies/medals/plaques just take up room in the house and collect dust. Lift and compete the way that makes you happy and motivates you to train.
[quote]undeadlift wrote:
Airtruth wrote:
lolololol
I can understand suits, but please explain how a belt gets any of the weight?
IMO is a belt absolutely neccessary? No, but The fact that its touching that area reminds you to tighten your core which is definitely necessary when deadlifting. Best advice is to try it, if it works for you use it. It’s not like the weight is being transfered to the belt.
Yup, tightening your core. Instead of the weight going to your core, it goes to your belt. In essence, your working your core less with the belt.[/quote]
This makes no sense. If what you said were true, then if belt A added 10 lbs to your deadlift, then belt B, which is a quarter inch thicker, will add 20 lbs. Under your logic, the stronger the belt, the stronger the deadlift. The belt does nothing but add an increased level of support to your lower back. Your back can still round while wearing a belt.
Iv seen a couple of EMG studies that actually suggest that the “core” muscles are activated to a greater degree when one is wearing a belt, which would go along with the idea of the belt “reminding” your core to work harder. This would also explain why most people can lift more with the belt than without it. It doesnt bear the weight as you are suggesting.
i don’t use a belt. but i don’t understand the logic that using one is cheating, if support is cheating, then wouldn’t weight lifting shoes be cheating, or Lycra shorts(oly suits decrease fatigue 13%), medical tape, chalk.
[quote]fightingtiger wrote:
undeadlift wrote:
Airtruth wrote:
lolololol
I can understand suits, but please explain how a belt gets any of the weight?
IMO is a belt absolutely neccessary? No, but The fact that its touching that area reminds you to tighten your core which is definitely necessary when deadlifting. Best advice is to try it, if it works for you use it. It’s not like the weight is being transfered to the belt.
Yup, tightening your core. Instead of the weight going to your core, it goes to your belt. In essence, your working your core less with the belt.
This makes no sense. If what you said were true, then if belt A added 10 lbs to your deadlift, then belt B, which is a quarter inch thicker, will add 20 lbs. Under your logic, the stronger the belt, the stronger the deadlift. The belt does nothing but add an increased level of support to your lower back. Your back can still round while wearing a belt.
Iv seen a couple of EMG studies that actually suggest that the “core” muscles are activated to a greater degree when one is wearing a belt, which would go along with the idea of the belt “reminding” your core to work harder. This would also explain why most people can lift more with the belt than without it. It doesnt bear the weight as you are suggesting.[/quote]
IMO, there is an optimal belt thickness. Adding a quarter inch won’t add 20 pounds. That’s not the way my logic worked. My point was that the fact the belt adds support means it’s taking the work out of your body.
But…
It’s a good thing you pointed out the EMG studies. Maybe I should start wearing belts again. I tried it before, but I felt I was robbing my core with the extra effort. I didn’t feel the extra activation.
I wonder if the belt activating more core muscles is biomechanical or psychological.
[quote]iluvgmas wrote:
i don’t use a belt. but i don’t understand the logic that using one is cheating, if support is cheating, then wouldn’t weight lifting shoes be cheating, or Lycra shorts(oly suits decrease fatigue 13%), medical tape, chalk. [/quote]
I didn’t say it’s cheating. I said it’s LIKE cheating. It’s not cheating in the pure sense of the word. However, it does allow you to lift weight more than what you can actually lift alone, which is why I said it’s LIKE cheating.