Lifting Belts: Any Evidence/Studies Show Them To Be Effective?

Fnz

I've seen the Stuart McGill review on the use of weight belts. A quick summary of which can be found via this [Link]

Are there further studies that support or oppose their use?

BJohnson

Very interesting read. Glad to see people picking up on Stu McGill's research. A lot of what I do with patients with bad backs is directly related to his body of work. He emphasizes that proper form is the key, and that sacrificing form to lift heavier is a recipe for back injury.

I'm surprised there was no mention of using the Valsalva maneuver with heavy lifts. By taking a deep breath and holding it, you can force the diaphragm down to compress the internal organs below it, thereby increasing the compression around the front of the spine and keeping it stable. This isn't appropriate in all circumstances, but explains why those super heavy lifters "sip" in the air as they lift, not exhaling until the lifts are complete.

I'd highly recommend his Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance text book - well worth the money for anyone serious about athletic performance.

The Guvnor

I'd agree with this to a point. Even if part mental how many squat world records are done without a belt - I'm guessing none.

I know myself that if doing squats and say going for a personal best I'd always use a belt and knee wraps for that matter. I would not use the belt on a leg press however.

However as I get older I am more conscious of back health and may get this book if it really is that good for maintaining a healthy back?

BJohnson

The Guvnor wrote: »

I'd agree with this to a point. Even if part mental how many squat world records are done without a belt - I'm guessing none.

I know myself that if doing squats and say going for a personal best I'd always use a belt and knee wraps for that matter. I would not use the belt on a leg press however.

However as I get older I am more conscious of back health and may get this book if it really is that good for maintaining a healthy back?

Good point about the world record squats Guvnor, but that is a bit of a special scenario.

For the majority of people, proper form, abdominal bracing and Valsalva maneuver are enough to protect the spine. At world class levels, they are getting close to the point where these techniques alone might not be enough to support the spine. The point of their belt is to wrap it so tightly that it compresses the internal organs against the front of the spine, giving them that additional small amount of spinal stability. In most every day cases though, that's not really needed.

If you're interested in his books, I'd recommend buying them straight from his website, www.backfitpro.com. They're less than half the price of buying them on Amazon, even after shipping from his lab in Canada.

The Guvnor

Cheers mate!

I agree with you about world records being special!:)
I also agree with you about the other bits to help the back which do preclude the use of a belt.

You also can see how few olympic lifters wear belts! IIRC there was one olympic lifter who broke his back (do not know who or how) but he came back lifting and set some world records even after the accident minus a belt which says a lot imo.

Flexibility I feel now is also a key in overall wellbeing and injury prevention.

Hanley

BJohnson wrote: »

Good point about the world record squats Guvnor, but that is a bit of a special scenario.

For the majority of people, proper form, abdominal bracing and Valsalva maneuver are enough to protect the spine. At world class levels, they are getting close to the point where these techniques alone might not be enough to support the spine. The point of their belt is to wrap it so tightly that it compresses the internal organs against the front of the spine, giving them that additional small amount of spinal stability. In most every day cases though, that's not really needed.

If you're interested in his books, I'd recommend buying them straight from his website, www.backfitpro.com. They're less than half the price of buying them on Amazon, even after shipping from his lab in Canada.

That's not really how a belt's worn at all in powerlifting believe it or not!! It's snug, but not ultra tight - so you can push your abs out against it and create a really solid block. Pretty much like what you were talking about without a belt, just with one!

kevpants

I wouldn't call anything posted on Stronglifts.com a study or research :mad:

Mehdi states:

* If you never injured your back, wearing a belt adds no safety.
* If you injure yourself while wearing a belt, the injury is more severe.
* To get the most out of weight belts, you must lift with bad technique.
* If you want to lift a few more pounds, wear a weight belt.

I never wear a weight belt on Squats, Deadlifts or Presses. My lower back is fine. Wearing a belt messes with my technique. But if I decided to compete, then I’d train more with a belt to get used to it.

Now let's check out Mehdi's best lifts here

For starters what's with the contradiction? Belts are bad but if I was going to compete I'd wear one, WTF?

Secondly, Mehdi doesn't need a belt to prevent injury cos Mehdi doesn't lift very much.

Saying belts encourage poor form and make injuries worse is balls. They help keep things tight but need to be "used". Pushing against a belt by breathing into the stomach, not the chest, gives carryover. You can lift more with a belt if you can use it.

Hanley

kevpants wrote: »

I wouldn't call anything posted on Stronglifts.com worth reading

Fixed your post.

d'Oracle

kevpants wrote: »

Saying belts encourage poor form and make injuries worse is balls. They help keep things tight but need to be "used". Pushing against a belt by breathing into the stomach, not the chest, gives carryover. You can lift more with a belt if you can use it.

Obviously then they are a good thing if you are looking for huge numbers on your lifts, useful for a powerlifter etc.

I'm inclined to think that outside of that that if you cant lift it without extra equipment then you have no business lifting it.

There isn't any extra safety element to them, is there?

The Guvnor

d'Oracle wrote: »

I'm inclined to think that outside of that that if you cant lift it without extra equipment then you have no business lifting it.

There isn't any extra safety element to them, is there?

I think there is. For example the neoprene elbow/leg wraps you see from the likes of Vulcan help to keep heat in the joint which is a good thing imo and they do offer extra stability - very useful on elbows if you have some niggling tendonitis or similar.

Fnz

kevpants wrote: »

I wouldn't call anything posted on Stronglifts.com a study or research :mad:

Alright, but the author of the report seems to know enough about the back to, at least, put out a couple of books on the subject. [Link]

Is there any recent research/evidence supporting the use of lifting belts? I don't mean to imply that McGill's report, alone, is evidence against using one, btw.

brianthebard

d'Oracle wrote: »

There isn't any extra safety element to them, is there?

There is, I had a lower back injury and use a belt on the higher weight sets when I'm lifting. It gives me extra protection and something to brace my abs against. Belts are effective if used properly, ineffective if not-like anything.