When Should You Add a Lifting Belt to Your Training?

If you are new to lifting or getting back into it you might have the feeling that you don't need a belt until you can "squat 300lbs" or "deadlift 400lbs". I know I had the same thoughts when I first started. Using a belt can help you to both push yourself and protect yourself. Let's start with the protection.

Wearing a proper leather powerlifting belt allows you to protect your core and create increased intra-abdominal pressure. A fancy phrase that most just sum up with the term "brace". I will often use the analogy of your body being two pyramids stacked on top each other. The top one is flipped upside down so their points are touching in the middle. This middle is your core, where the only skeletal support is your spine, the rest is just organs with a ring of muscle around the outside. We want to inflate this area to make it as big and strong as possible to support the spine. If we put a 4" leather lifting belt around it first, we can inflate against it, and increase that internal pressure. This provides increased protection for your spine, allowing you to lift safer. 

Now that we have that inflated, braced, core with a belt around it we can lift heavier. How much heavier? Well that depends on the individual of course, but a general rule of thumb would be 5-10%. That doesn't mean the first time you put a belt on you're going to hit a new PR, possibly the opposite. Lifting with a belt takes some skill, and practice will refine that skill. As well a belt can be quite uncomfortable the first few times you wear it and even leave red marks or minor bruising. So the first time you put it on may not be all sunshine and roses. However after a few sessions you will likely start to feel more confident and be able to push a bit more weight or a few more reps. 

So while there is certainly some benefits to training without a belt to build some base strength. I think most lifters who plan to take the gym or lifting seriously would be wise to invest in a good quality lifting belt. The best part of a belt is, if you treat them well they will last you for years or even decades.