If you are a professional bodybuilder than you probably already know to wear a weight lifting belt, but why? Why should you wear a belt around your waist when you go to lift heavy weights? Well, if you have ever hurt your back in such a way that it hurts to move it then you should consider wearing a weight lifting belt next time to prevent that injury.

A weight lifting belt supports your back in such a way that you will not hurt it during your lift. How does it protected your back from injury though? When you are squatting you are putting a lot of pressure on the lower back. Wearing a belt reduces this pressure on the lower back and also reduces the compression on your spinal discs by about 50%! This makes wearing a built worth it in the long run to just help provide you with that little extra protection on your back.

When you wear a belt you should be increasing pressure on the abdomen. But why? The increased pressure on the abdomen provides more support for your lower back and its bones. You need to be careful when wearing a weight lifting belt. You should only wear the belt when you are doing lifts that will require support from your back or lifts that can cause your back to hyperextend. For these exercises the belt needs to be tight. If you wear the belt for any other exercise though you can cause your blood pressure to rise which can cause serious problems.

What built should you wear though? There are so many on the market that most people do not know where to begin when buying a weight lifting built. The most common built used by people is the 4 inch belt. This built will provide support for your back when you are lifting up to 500 lbs. If you are a taller weight lifter though than you should consider using a 6 inch belt because it will be 4 inches in the front, 6 inch the back, and 3 inches on the sides, providing too much support for small people but just the right amount for tall people.

If you are going to buy a built for awhile and know you will be using it a lot for heavy lifts you should consider buying a power lifting belts. Power lifting belts are built with reinforced neoprene which makes the built stronger and more durable.

If you are serious about bodybuilding or just lifting weights you should go out right now and buy a weight lifting belt, you will not regret it.

Share This