Post history people. Use it. That and the ignore feature.
[quote]tom63 wrote:
I never see a powerlifter compete without a belt.[/quote]
National record. IPF gear, but no belt.
Is it not good enough to say that some prefer a belt and some don’t. And that squat was sick.
[quote]Hodges einWindir wrote:
Is it not good enough to say that some prefer a belt and some don’t. And that squat was sick.[/quote]
This argument must be as old as barbells and belts themselves.
I do not wear a belt anymore, I did when I used to clean and jerk, but that made my core and lower back very weak I became utterly dependent on it. I have since stopped clean and jerking and strengthened my lower back and core. But I do need to buy knee wraps where do I get a good pair of them cause I have yet to find em
[quote]Gman9272 wrote:
I do not wear a belt anymore, I did when I used to clean and jerk, but that made my core and lower back very weak I became utterly dependent on it. I have since stopped clean and jerking and strengthened my lower back and core. But I do need to buy knee wraps where do I get a good pair of them cause I have yet to find em[/quote]
http://www.flexcart.com/members/elitefts/default.asp?cid=139
[quote]Hodges einWindir wrote:
Is it not good enough to say that some prefer a belt and some don’t. And that squat was sick.[/quote]
That would be way too reasonable.
teh internetz is not about reazon
Never have never will, I dont use anything that makes my body rely on it for strength, any thing I lift I can lift naked
So I guess the exception proves the rule. Because I’ve seen a few thousand competitors do otherwise.
You people are ridiculous and most likely fairly weak.
[quote]stallion wrote:
[quote]tom63 wrote:
I never see a powerlifter compete without a belt.[/quote]
National record. IPF gear, but no belt.
[/quote]
I do not see how a belt makes anyone who lifts properly weak in the core. I started powerlifting at 130 lbs with a raw squat on the 200s. And deadlift about the same. I’m approaching 600 in the dl at 200 poundsand squatted over 500 raw before my right labrum was torn.
Support around the abdominals does nit take them out of the equation . And it adds to protection.
[quote]Khaine wrote:
Post history people. Use it. That and the ignore feature.[/quote]
Are you talking about me? That’s funny because I think I was the most reasonable in our little debate that shouldn’t have happened in the first place.
[quote]tom63 wrote:
You people are ridiculous and most likely fairly weak.
[/quote]
If you consider a 253kg raw squat weak, then I am weak. 
PS. That’s without a belt too.
Personally I do not care if people use a belt or not. I’ve just found what works for me, and for me, no belt is the way to go, although I am aware that if I put on a belt I will be able to lift more kilos. It is my firm belief that when wearing a belt very often, you will not get the full benefit from the exercises, as the belt is doing some of the work that your muscles are supposed to do. I am not saying that the muscles are not activated when using a belt, because they certainly are. Personally I got a very serious back injury in 2007, and it is hard to say what caused it, but I think overuse of a belt coupled with bad form was to blame. Since then I’ve cleaned up my form and tossed the belt. This is my conclusion, and I’ve been training with weights for about 10 years, and the last 3 years with no belt.
It’s not a black and white thing this, but I think everyone should be able to lift rather heavy without a belt. We often hear that: “I will not risk lifting heavy without a belt and getting an injury”. Well, if you start lifting with no belt, and take it slowly, then eventually you will be able to lift heavy with no belt. If one relies on a belt for all 80%+ lifts, then certainly things can go wrong if you go for a new PR without a belt, because, then your crutch is removed and then it is easy to fall.
So a non-belt squat at a certain weight is always more impressive than a squat at the same weigh with a belt. The reason for that is that you can always add extra weight when using a belt. How much extra weight you will be able to use is individual.
You’ve probably seen the though guys at your gym, wearing a belt, knee wraps and squatting high. Then you have the humble guy who comes in, puts 50 lbs less on the bar and does picture perfect ATG squats with no kneewraps and no belt.
Who you want to be, is up to you, but who I find the most impressive is not difficult to know.
And to be honest, it’s always about the EGO-thing. Why do people “cheat” to lift more ? Some claim it is the rules of their federation. Hehe. Nobody forced you to compete in the federation, and there’s a reason you entered that federation. Just be honest about it and say: “It’s because I want to lift a larger weight”. That’s why you have the federations with steroids, monolifts and multiply. They can move more weight that way. Not that I am bashing those federations, just let’s be honest about it, it’s for many of us all about lifting more weight. Some have a certain preference, ie. they like to do it raw, while others rely very much on their equipment, and would never stop using their equipment.
For these reasons it is very hard to judge the value of a squat unless it’s done within the rules of a federation or if we have video proof.
You will hear so many bodybuilders claim: I squat 300kg+ !!!. And yet when you see a video of the lift, it is a very high squat, and perhaps couple it with knee wraps and a belt too, or even perhaps a loose suit. Still a good weight, by all means. But then remove all the equipment and do a very deep squat. Then a lot of weight has to be removed from that number.
Every lifter who have lifted for many years know about these differences, it is only the naive and newbies that lack experience that does not know how much different styles of squats and equipment will contribute to the end result.
But by the end of the day, what others do it not important, the important thing is to challenge one self and continously become a better lifter. People do have different preferences, but most lifters don’t care much about who does what. An olympic lifter uses zero energy thinking about WPO-squats, just like the WPO-lifter could not give more of a rats ass about deep unequipped squats.
Well I trained clean and jerk in high school for competition and I was dependent on a belt I also squatted with a belt and benched with one back then. My core was weak from lack of support because of the belt, now I don’t use a belt for anything and train my core extensively now but this is just what happened to me. If you do a lot of core training and use a belt for maxing or competition for added support that’s fine imo
[quote]Gman9272 wrote:
Well I trained clean and jerk in high school for competition and I was dependent on a belt I also squatted with a belt and benched with one back then. My core was weak from lack of support because of the belt, now I don’t use a belt for anything and train my core extensively now but this is just what happened to me. If you do a lot of core training and use a belt for maxing or competition for added support that’s fine imo [/quote]
Exactly. But who on earth would use extra time for “core training”, when the best core training that exists is squats and deads? Besides, if you do those two properly, you won’t have the energy for additional core training. I’m just saying what I’ve experienced myself, and what I’ve heard from some really good lifters.
All the necessary muscles are activated when you use a belt.
My worst back injury in 25 years happened by wait for it…sleeping on the couch.
I suffered another one 25 years previously by overtraining and crappy form .
Most back injuries are getting ready to happen because if myofascial restrictions building up to a point of no return. Finally under stress something pulls snd voilà ! Back injury.
You want to lift heavy for years you need a total approach in prehab including stretching, foam rolling corrective exercise or proper exercise. And a guy like me. Every time I hear the I have or had a weak core I want to scream.
It’s that you’re weak. Or you’re hurt and you don’t know it.
Belts aren’t about ego, they do add protection on heavier weights. If you’re a good lifter and your form is fine don’t worry about it. But you’re holding yourself back from maximal gains.
I personally put on my belt for deadlift. At 365-400 lbs with a close to 600 max. The other stuff is light. As got squats, I’m limited by a torn labrum so I use it at around 300. In trying to learn how to use a belt properly I use it at 225 or so from a box. This is with 500+ pound squat maxes.
[quote]stallion wrote:
[quote]Gman9272 wrote:
Well I trained clean and jerk in high school for competition and I was dependent on a belt I also squatted with a belt and benched with one back then. My core was weak from lack of support because of the belt, now I don’t use a belt for anything and train my core extensively now but this is just what happened to me. If you do a lot of core training and use a belt for maxing or competition for added support that’s fine imo [/quote]
Exactly. But who on earth would use extra time for “core training”, when the best core training that exists is squats and deads? Besides, if you do those two properly, you won’t have the energy for additional core training. I’m just saying what I’ve experienced myself, and what I’ve heard from some really good lifters.
[/quote]
Exactly, weak core = weak.
I used a belt for competition in high school it hindered the development of my stabilizer muscles in my core for a long time I don’t believe in belts that’s all I’m trying to say if they work for you great if not oh well
[quote]Gman9272 wrote:
I used a belt for competition in high school it hindered the development of my stabilizer muscles in my core for a long time I don’t believe in belts that’s all I’m trying to say if they work for you great if not oh well[/quote]
How exactly does a belt ‘hinder the development of the stabilizer muscles in the core?’
[quote]stallion wrote:
Exactly. But who on earth would use extra time for “core training”, when the best core training that exists is squats and deads? Besides, if you do those two properly, you won’t have the energy for additional core training.
[/quote]
Meh. I’ve found it easier to progress on my squats in particular after I started implementing basic core training into my program. It’s probably individual, but squats and deads alone weren’t enough for me.
The first 2-3 pages of this thread are hilarious. All the guys saying “I don’t wear a belt but I still squat in the 300s and deadlift in the 400s”
So do all the guys wearing belts. its called a warm up