Iam planning on focusing my workouts around compound lifting. Will a belt be beneficial and will it help prevent lower back injury or injury in general. Im more worried about my lower back from deadlifts. When I deadlift I feel like my lower back is going to give out.
A belt is used for bracing your core. When you lift, take in as much air as possible and push out against the belt. It’s primarily use isn’t back support.
What he means here is that the belt won’t directly just support your back; however, it can prevent back injury if your core is a limiting factor in order to maintain strict form (it often is when working with heavier/maximal weights, which is why competitive lifters warm-up beltless but eventually strap it up for their heavier sets).
Still, lifters can grow a dependency on the belt, especially if implementing it early in their lifting careers. If your low back feels vulnerable while deadlifting, it’s more likely improper form/weakness somewhere. The belt will likely just mask a weakness that you need to fix. I recommend not using a belt at all until 3+ plates feels comfortable on your back with good form and 2x BW feels good off the floor beltless. If you can get to that point, you at least have a moderate foundation of core strength.
Another thing to consider is if you are trying to focus on building strength or bodybuilding. If you are bodybuilding then a belt can be a useful tool with lower weights because it allows you to focus on the muscles you are targeting when squatting/deadlifting while not having to be limited by core strength.
#TeamBeltless
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Ur the man