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Thanks for all the input guys, that belt bible article was a good read.

I use a belt on my work sets once I found out the benefits.

Maxrip13 wrote:Some people swear by them. If I ever maxed out and I had one handy I would wear it for a couple sets, but I would do 85% of my training without one.

With the belt, just don't let it become a mental crutch. If you can't lift heavy (90%)without your belt then you have done things wrong.

I used to go unbelted and guys in the gym are going "woah, you're squatting / deadlifting >100kg with a belt, that's dangerous". I found it weird because 100kg isn't very heavy at all. I would say that this is developing a dependence on a piece of gear to lift, then one must really question their strength and stability base.

That said; I noticed that at the 85% or more weight range, I feel a little more stable on my later sets with a belt. I'm presently using the belt for the later sets, but I always ensure that I can at least lift my first 3 set raw. I think some gear have their appropriate place, just don't get reliant on them.

Blackmetalbunny wrote:

Maxrip13 wrote:Some people swear by them. If I ever maxed out and I had one handy I would wear it for a couple sets, but I would do 85% of my training without one.

With the belt, just don't let it become a mental crutch. If you can't lift heavy (90%)without your belt then you have done things wrong.

I used to go unbelted and guys in the gym are going "woah, you're squatting / deadlifting >100kg with a belt, that's dangerous". I found it weird because 100kg isn't very heavy at all. I would say that this is developing a dependence on a piece of gear to lift, then one must really question their strength and stability base.

That said; I noticed that at the 85% or more weight range, I feel a little more stable on my later sets with a belt. I'm presently using the belt for the later sets, but I always ensure that I can at least lift my first 3 set raw. I think some gear have their appropriate place, just don't get reliant on them.

I get what you mean and the above would probably be my approach also. I just invested in weightlifting shoes and it has fixed my back pain that has lasted for years.

I went through a similar thing with knee sleeves and I became reliant on them to train hard. I won't make that mistake again. Now they come out when I am testing maxes or have a high workload and need the extra support.

For me in the past I´ve used the belt as a crutch to wedge my heavy squats, sorta good morning squat. This eventually led to injury, not blaming the belt but fault use.

I´ve spoken to several national Swedish powerlifters on this subject and they all (95%) use a belt as i make them stronger by being able to brace your abdomen against the belt.

I gave another read to belt bible and rethinking my attitude now..

Dr. McGill is the go-to guy on the lower back. He's got an article on lifting belts:

http://www.backfitpro.com/pdf/weight_belts.pdf