NEVER Make This Belt Mistake Again! (fast fix)

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Don’t make this mistake with your belt. For that matter, don’t make this mistake with your wrist wraps, either.

What error is this, you say? We’re talking about the simple mistake of forgetting to use your belt or your wrist wraps when training.

You might be thinking to yourself, “Self, how could I possibly forget my exquisitely crafted lifting belt or my amazing wrist wraps?” And yet, if it hasn’t happened to you already, rest assured - it will. At some point, you’ll finish a set (either a work set or a heavy warm-up set), you’ll sit down, and you’ll think, “Man, that was much harder than I expected it to be!”

Then, you’ll glance around and realize, “Oh. There’s my belt - I forgot to wear it.”

With this in mind, how can you make sure that you remember your belt (or your wraps) for your next set?

You’ll never forget your belt and wraps again.

The solution is extraordinarily simple - when you complete a set, remove your belt as usual and hang it right over your barbell. You can do the same with your wrist wraps as well. The next time you approach the bar to lift, you won’t forget to use your belt and wraps since you’ll see them as you approach the bar, and you’ll have to move them out of the way to use the bar. 

It’s a simple, effective, and efficient tactic, and as always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

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I Forgot My Belt! (Simple Lifting Trick)

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 01/08/20)

Do you ever forget to put your belt on for your heavier sets? Perhaps you forget to wear your wrist wraps every once in a while?

Problem solved

These types of situations tend to occur more often when you’re a newer lifter, but even an experienced lifter can forget a belt or wrist wraps every now and then.

If you find yourself in one of the above situations from time to time, try this: hang your belt and wrist wraps on your barbell between sets.

By doing so, you’ll be forced to grab them before starting your next set, and the problem is solved. The next time you lift, give it a try. Hope this helps!

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LIFTING BELTS: The Complete Guide and What NOT to Get! (Lifting Gear Series)

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Not sure about lifting belts - whether you should get one, what to get, or how to use it? You’re in luck as, in this article, we cover anything you could ever want to know about lifting belts as well as - very importantly - what not to get. Scroll to the end for a few solid belt recommendations as well.

This is the second article in our “Lifting Gear” series, so be sure to check back in the coming weeks for future articles in the series. Click here to read the first article in the series - Lifting Gear: What to Wear and What NOT to Wear!

Why You Want to Use a Lifting Belt
We won’t dive deep into all the details of the muscles of your trunk having something to contract against, intra-abdominal pressure, and hoop tension, but suffice to say for now - a belt helps you provide rigidity. In other words, it helps you provide efficient force transfer from the things generating force in a lift - for example, your hips and legs during the squat - through your rigid midsection (i.e., your trunk) into the barbell that’s sitting on your back.

Belt Width
If you’re reading this article, there’s a strong chance you’re thinking something along the lines of, “Hey, I should probably start using a belt,” and you’re probably right, but what should you get?

In terms of width, you’ve got two basic options - 3 inches wide and 4 inches wide. Some people might need a 2.5” belt, but this is less common.

The width you choose will depend on the space between your hips and your ribs as that’s where the belt is going to sit. You do not want the belt to run up against your ribs as this is extremely uncomfortable and will prevent you from getting or keeping your back set in extension (especially in the deadlift setup).

Ideally, you would try out a 3” belt as well as a 4” belt and see which one works best, and the deadlift will be your best indicator. If you can get your back set flat and rigid in the deadlift setup with a 4” belt, then that’s a solid option for you. If you can’t, then you’ll probably need to choose a 3” belt.

If you don’t have the opportunity to try out a few different widths, then you’ll have to make an educated decision. People who are taller and/or have longer torsos tend to do well with 4” belts while those who are shorter and/or have shorter torsos usually do better with 3” belts.

Belt Thickness
I usually recommend a 9-10 mm thick belt. You can get belts in the 12-13 mm thick range, and you might decide to do that sometime down the road, but a quality 9-10 mm belt will work well for pretty much everyone.

Sam locks out here deadlift while wearing a 3” wide, single prong belt.

Prongs
Get a single prong belt. Contrary to popular belief, a double prong belt isn’t all that difficult to become accustomed to - I have one, and I’m no physical genius (I bought it a long time ago when I didn’t know any better) - but at the same time, there’s not a compelling reason to have two prongs.

Quality
A high quality belt will probably last you the rest of your life. Don’t skimp here. This is an investment, and after your training log and your lifting shoes, your belt is probably your most important piece of personal training gear. I generally wouldn’t recommend anything under $100.

When to Get a Belt
On your first day of training, order your belt. Quality belts will often take several weeks to arrive - especially if you order a belt with a custom design and/or color - and by the time that belt shows up, you’ll be ready to start using it.

When to Put On Your Belt
A good rule of thumb is to put your belt on for your last warm-up set as well as all of your work sets. Take the belt off or loosen it between sets, of course, but by wearing it for your last warm-up, you’ve ensured that the only variable changing between that warm-up set and your first work set is the weight on the bar and not anything else like what equipment you’re using.

Over time, you’ll develop your own preferences as to when to put on your belt. For example, in the squat, you might decide to always wear your belt for anything above 225 lb, and an approach like that will work fine as well.

How to Put On Your Belt
A belt should be worn tightly, and at first, it probably needs to be uncomfortably tight to be correct. With time and experience, this level of snugness will feel natural and correct, but it will probably feel a bit uncomfortable at first.

using the squat rack to put on the belt

To get the belt tight, use your squat rack for assistance. Place the belt around your midsection - somewhere around the level of your belly button for most people (but you’ll figure out your exact location with practice) - then put the nose of the belt through the buckle. After that, wrap the nose of the belt partially around an upright of the squat rack, lean and sit back away from the rack, and then twist away from the rack so that the twisting motion tightens the belt around your trunk.

I strongly recommend watching the included video as this is far more easily understood via demonstration than the printed word. In addition, the video covers how to take off the belt as well as what to do when you don’t have a squat rack nearby to help put on your belt.

How to Breathe and Brace With the Belt
Breathing and bracing with a belt is not complicated - despite what a lot of “fitness experts” out there would have you believe.

Before starting the lift, take a breath in and hold that breath against your closed glottis. If you’re not sure how to hold your breath against a closed glottis, say the word, “hick” and hold your breath by holding the “ck” sound at the end. In essence, you hold your breath in your throat instead of against your lips or puffed out cheeks.

As you hold that breath, tighten every muscle in your midsection - pretend you’re getting ready to get punched from all sides, and you’ll have a pretty good idea of what to do. Watch one of the included videos for a demonstration and explanation.

In short, take a breath in, hold it, and get tight. Then maintain that held breath from the start of the movement all the way until the end of the movement.

For example, in the squat, you breathe in and get tight at the top, hold that breath down and back up again, and then release your breath once you’ve locked out the rep at the top of the squat. In the deadlift, on the other hand, you take a breath in and get tight at the bottom of the lift (i.e., when the bar is on the floor), hold that breath all the way up to lockout and back down again, and then you release your breath after the bar is on the floor.

One last note - don’t try to push your abs or your belly outward into the belt. Again, don’t complicate this - take a breath, hold it, and get tight like you expect to get punched.

What NOT to Get
Don’t get a tapered belt, i.e., one that is wider in the back than it is in the front. The extra material in the back is just a waste of material and isn’t doing what you think it is.

Don’t get a belt with padding in the back. The point of a belt is to help provide rigidity, and padding helps defeat that purpose as you now have compressible material between you and the belt.

On a related note, if you’re wearing a t-shirt as well as a sweatshirt when you train (for example, perhaps you train in a cold garage), I’d recommend wearing your belt over your shirt as usual but underneath your sweatshirt so you don’t have extra material between you and the belt.

For strength training, get a leather belt - not a velcro belt. Velcro belts have their uses - specifically in Olympic lifting where catching the bar on the buckle of a leather belt during a clean or snatch is a real possibility. However, for general strength training, a leather belt provides more rigidity and won’t pop open on you (as velcro belts have been known to do from time to time).

Some Belt Recommendations
There are a number of quality belt manufacturers out there - Pioneer, Dominion Strength, The Strength Co., and Inzer just to name a few, and with that in mind, here are a few belt options I typically recommend:

As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

(Some links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Testify earns from qualifying purchases.)

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Lifting Belts | Width, When, Where, and What!

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Phil covers the 4 Ws of lifting belts: width of belts, when to use a belt, where to wear your belt, and what to do once the belt is on.

(This is a Blast from the Past video originally published on 01/22/22.)

At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Click the button below to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach and start getting stronger TODAY.

The Best Way to Put On a Lifting Belt! (and a secret weapon!)

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Phil explains and demonstrates the best way to put on your lifting belt and also talks about what to do at powerlifting and strengthlifting competitions when this method might not be possible.

(This is a Blast from the Past video originally published on 01/15/22.)

At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Click the button below to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach and start getting stronger TODAY.

Everything You Need to Know About Lifting Belts . . . QUICK!

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

Today’s topic is a quick dive into lifting belts - specifically, the four Ws of belts: width, when, where, and what. We covered how to efficiently and quickly put on your belt in another article about a month back, so feel free to click here to read that article or watch the associated videos.

Width
If you can get your back set in rigid and flat extension on the deadlift using a 4” belt (i.e., the belt is 4” wide), then go ahead and get a 4” belt. If you can’t, then you probably need to go with a 3” belt. It’s possible that you need a 2.5” belt, but 3” and 4” are the most common widths.

When
When should you put your belt on? A good rule of thumb is to put your belt on for your last warm-up set and then wear it for all of your work sets as well. Time and experience will help you decide if you want to eventually take a different approach, but this is a good guide to start with. I recommend taking your belt off (or at least loosening it) between sets.

Where
Where should you place your belt? You can start by centering it on your belly button as a rough guideline, but the most important landmarks are your hips and your ribs. The belt should sit between your hips and your ribs, and it’s the space between these two regions that will largely determine your choice of a 3” or a 4” belt. It’s worth noting that you especially do not want your belt running into your ribs. It makes for a memorable - and uncomfortable - experience.

What
What do you do once your belt is on? Take a big breath, hold that breath with tightly contracted abs (i.e., Valsalva maneuver), and then perform the lift (watch the video on breathing and bracing). Release your breath only after the rep is completed - remember that if the bar is moving, you’re not breathing.

Don’t complicate the breathing, and don’t try to push your belly out against the belt. Simply take a breath, hold it, tighten your abs as if you’re about to take a punch or as if you’re constipated, and then continue holding that breath throughout the entire rep. You can do this with either a closed mouth or an open mouth - you shouldn’t be holding your breath against your lips with puffed out cheeks. Instead, you hold your breath against a closed glottis, which is located in your throat. Say the word “hick” out loud and hold the “ck” sound at the end - that’s how you do it.

Need to Buy a Belt? Watch This First.
If you’re getting ready to buy a lifting belt, I’d recommend watching the included video here to get a good sense of what to look for when purchasing one. You’ll also find some links below to a few belts we recommend to our members.

Belts
My belt is from Best Belts, and I’d love to recommend them to you, but as of July 2023, they're backlogged and aren't taking orders, so with that in mind, here are the belt options we typically recommend:

As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

(Some links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Testify earns from qualifying purchases.)

If you found this helpful, you’ll love our weekly email. It’s got useful videos, articles, and training tips just like the one in this article. Sign up below, and of course, if you don’t love it, you can unsubscribe at any time.

At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Would you like to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach?