1. When to use waist belt and why

If you’re someone who just started working out, you don’t need to buy a belt right away. But if you’ve been doing squats and pullouts for a week, and you’ve reached 80% of your body weight, then it’s time to consider using a waist belt. The role of the waist belt is not only to help you squat more weight, it is more important to help you reduce the fatigue of the lower back during training. A waist belt can help you do more reps with the same weight and the same lower back pressure, but not using one won’t help you achieve more core stability than using one. The most important training value of the waist belt is to help you complete higher intensity and greater capacity training programs without injury.

2.The role of the waist belt in the movement

The waist belt makes it easier to use lateral belly breathing. Many people may think, why does a belt make me crouch heavier? Why does a belt make me squat more? How does it work? The principle is intra-abdominal pressure. We can imagine two 0.1 cubic meter balloons. Balloon A is pumped with 1 cubic meter of air by a pump, and the volume becomes 1 cubic meter. Balloon B is wrapped in rubber and pumped with 1 cubic meter of air by a pump, and the volume is only 0.2 cubic meter. Balloon B can also withstand more pressure without bursting. The belt-wearing belly is like a balloon wrapped in rubber, with greater core stability. When the waist belt is not used, we use tile breathing to bulge out the belly, the belly can bulge out more, at this time the internal volume of the abdominal cavity is larger, so the abdominal pressure is less. In the case of using waist belt, we use tile breathing will belly bulge outward, because have a belt, bulging belly in outward will squeeze the belt in the process, the abdominal cavity volume is small, so the internal pressure will be much higher than without the use of waist belt, the most vulnerable in the body of the lumbar spine is more stable under the aegis of the waist belt.

3.How to use waist belt

For squats and pullouts, fasten the belt to your abdomen. For bench presses, fasten 1/3 of the belt to your ribs. When using a waist belt, you need to use abdominal breathing, with the abdominal force to push the belt outwardly. When tying a waist belt, it should not be too loose. If you can fit three fingers in the middle of the belt, it is too loose then.