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

A lifting belt is an extremely useful tool for your strength training, and within a month or two of starting to train, you should be using one regularly. Putting on a lifting belt, however, can be a bit tricky, so let’s sort this out.

How to Do It
There is one way - that’s right, just one - to put on a belt correctly, and it involves the upright of your squat rack. The photos here show a double-prong belt in use, but the method works just as well for single prong belts (in fact, it’s slightly easier). The steps are below, and to learn it even quicker and better, watch the included video.

1. Put the nose of your belt through the buckle and wrap the nose of the belt around the upright.

2. Lean away from the upright. Be sure to lean away so that your hips move away from the rack as well (Figure 1); don’t lean away like you’re trying to avoid a punch (Figure 2).

3. Twist your body away from the rack. For example, if the nose of the belt came around the right side of your body, twist to your left (Figure 3). This will tighten up the belt.

4. Put the prong(s) through the appropriate hole(s).

Taking off the belt is much the same as putting it on - wrap the nose around the rack, lean away, twist to loosen, and then remove the prong(s).

Squat Stands vs Squat Racks
If you have a squat stand (free-standing, two uprights) instead of a squat rack (anchored to the floor, four uprights), it may tip toward you when you lean away. This is bad. However, it’s an easy problem to solve. Simply place your foot down on the far side of the floor support, and you’ll be able to keep the squat stand anchored in place.

Secret Weapon
I told you there’s only one way to put on a belt, and this is true . . . mostly. If you’re at a meet, you might not have a squat rack handy when you’re about to step on the competition platform. Oh, you’ll have plenty of racks in the warm-up room, but there will quite possibly be none near the competition platform. Here’s what you do (and again, watch the video above to see this in action):

1. Put the nose of your belt through the buckle.

2. Place the pointed end of a screwdriver through one of the holes of the belt (Figure 4).

3. Grab that end of the screwdriver (don’t impale yourself), and pull back, treating the screwdriver as a lever (Figure 5). This will get the belt as tight as you like.

How Tight Should Your Belt Be?
When you’re new to wearing a lifting belt, it should be uncomfortably tight. If it’s comfortable to wear and easy to wiggle around, it’s merely a fashion accessory. Don’t let your belt be a fashion accessory. With practice, what was uncomfortably tight at the beginning will simply feel correct.

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 May 2023, they're backlogged and aren't taking orders, so with that in mind, here are a few belt options we often recommend:

• Pioneer Cut Leather Powerlifting Prong Belt 10mm

• Pioneer 10mm Lever Powerlifting Belt PAL V2 (if you’re looking for a lever belt)

• Dominion Strength Training Leather Weight Lifting Belt - 3 inch wide x 10 mm thick

• Dominion Strength Training Leather Weight Lifting Belt - 4 inch wide x 10 mm thick

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

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

-Phil

PS: Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

• Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

• Pick up a free copy of Testify’s Squat Guide: 12 Tips to Improve Your Squat Now HERE.

• Get our free weekly email - containing useful videos, articles, and training tips - HERE.

• Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

• Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

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

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?

How to Start Lifting | General Equipment

What equipment do you need to start lifting weights and getting stronger? In this first video of the "How to Start Lifting" series, Phil covers the basic equipment that you'll need, and he also covers what equipment to avoid as well.

(This video is a Blast from the Past video originally published on 10/04/21.)

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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.

Mistakes New Lifters Make - Part III

Can you see what Dawson is doing wrong here? Hint - Dawson can’t.

(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 04/09/21)

In Part I and Part II of our series on common mistakes new lifters make (as well as how to avoid them), we’ve discussed everything from misloading your bar to breathing at the wrong time when lifting. Today, in Part III, we’ll continue by looking at a few other errors you might make when starting out and talk about how to correct them as well.

Unloading the bar by more than one 45 pound plate difference (squat, bench, press)
If you’ve ever seen an unevenly loaded barbell cartwheel off the rack, you’ll know what we’re talking about here, and if you haven’t, well, that’s a good thing. When you load or unload the barbell, there will be differences in weight from from one side to the other as you load weight on one side of the bar and then repeat the process on the opposite side of the bar.

A little asymmetry won’t cause the barbell to tip over, but the key is to keep that asymmetry within limits. A good rule of thumb is to never load or unload the bar by more than one 45 lb plate difference between sides of the bar. For example, if you have one plate (i.e., a 45 lb plate) on the left side of the bar, you can have zero, one, or two plates on the right side of the bar, but don’t load three plates on the right side (i.e., since three plates compared to one plate is more than a one plate difference). A cartwheeling bar is a loud and potentially dangerous event, and this practice will help you avoid this situation.

Letting go of the bar between reps on the deadlift
New lifters will often let go of the bar between reps on the deadlift. Easy fix here - don’t. Remember, it’s only considered a set of five (or three, four, etc.) when you do all five reps without letting go of the bar (otherwise, you’re just performing singles).

Do not give yourself permission to let go of the bar between reps. The deadlift will be hard, the hook grip will be uncomfortable, and you’ll want to stop, but you’ll be fine. You might not feel fine while you’re doing it, but that’s normal when doing hard things, and this way, you finish the set sooner than you otherwise would, and then you get to the best part of lifting that much faster as well . . . resting.

Allowing your gaze to wander or closing your eyes during the set
Do you tend to look all over the place while you lift, or do you close your eyes when lifting? Pick one focal point before you start your first rep and remind yourself to look there until you are done with your last rep.

Use your warm-ups for practice. Don’t look somewhere else while performing a rep, and don’t even look somewhere else between reps. If necessary, put a mark on the wall in front of you while pressing, or put a small plate on the floor in front of you while squatting. One focal point.

As always, we hope these tips help you get stronger and live better.

-Phil

PS: Whenever you want even more Testify in your life, here are some free resources:

• Book a free intro and strategy session with us HERE.

• Pick up a free copy of Testify’s Squat Guide: 12 Tips to Improve Your Squat Now HERE.

• Get our free weekly email - containing useful videos, articles, and training tips - HERE.

• Follow Testify on Instagram HERE.

• Subscribe to Testify’s YouTube channel HERE.

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

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At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Interested in getting stronger, looking better, and having more energy?

How to INSTANTLY Squat More Weight!

Want to add pounds to your squat right away? Make sure you're utilizing the stretch reflex - the "bounce" - correctly. Phil shows you how real quick-like.

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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 Testify Morning News - May 22, 2023

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A post shared by Testify Strength & Cond. (@testifystrengthconditioning)

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION
From our video Cleans vs Power Cleans vs Hang Cleans - What's the Difference?! (click the title to watch):

Josh P
Besides ease of operation, is there any inherent advantage between the variations? Is one preferable to the others based on what muscles are being targeted or what fitness goals are?

Phil
(edited for length)
Below is a quick list - it could be fleshed out more, but it will get you started:

Clean (AKA full clean or squat clean):
This will permit a lifter to lift the most weight, so it's the most common variation seen in competition (although not the only variation).

Power Clean:
This allows you to move a lot of weight (a reasonably high percentage of a full clean) without requiring a lifter to become proficient at receiving the bar in a front squat position. For general training (i.e., general strength training including those who play sports), this is the variation I'd recommend the most. Olympic lifters will still use this variation as well as it provides excellent practice and focus on finishing the pull completely and explosively.

Hang Clean:
This can be especially useful for those who are working on technical aspects of the pull. For example, if someone has an early arm bend, this is easier to fix by shortening the distance of the pull (since you're not pulling from the floor), and then slowly lowering the height of the hang position until you're back to pulling from the floor (only going lower if there's no arm pull).

Hang Power Clean:
This is the simplest of all of them, so it often is the first variation used in teaching a lifter how to clean (we also use it this way). Because it is the simplest, you will also often see this most commonly in high school and college weight rooms because it requires the least coaching - you don't have to coach your lifter how to correctly pull from the floor or how to front squat.

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ARTICLES & VIDEOS

Pulling Blocks: What, Why, and DIY vs. Commercial (Which Should YOU Use?)
What are pulling blocks, why are they useful, and should you buy them or make them yourself? We cover it all. Click here to watch.

Most Common Deadlift Error? (It's NOT What You Think)
Are you making this deadlift error? It's extremely common, and it's making your deadlifts a lot harder (and last longer!) than they should be. Let's fix it. Click here to watch.

How to Convert Kilograms to Pounds Fast - Easy Math Trick!
Convert kg to lb fast - and by fast, I mean “in-your-head-faster-than-whipping-out-your-calculator” fast. Fast like you read about. Click here to read.

Blast from the Past: Maximum Acceleration in the Clean! | Olympic Weightlifting
Learn how to put maximal acceleration into your clean. Phil and Becky discuss and demonstrate how to do this. Click here to watch.

Blast from the Past: Mistakes New Lifters Make - Part II
We discuss and demonstrate a few more common mistakes (and how to correct them) in the 2nd edition of the "Mistakes New Lifters Make" series. Click here to read.

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NEW TESTIFY GEAR!
Sun's out, guns out, and we've got men's and women’s tank tops in multiple colors. Get yours today and represent your favorite gym!

Click here to head to the Testify Store.

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WHAT'S COMING UP
Update! The concrete crew has been hard at work (with impressive results!), and as a result, some areas of the parking lot will be restricted for the next 2 weeks.

Reminder: In observance of Memorial Day (Monday, 05/29/23), we will be open for training during our usual morning hours (5:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.) that day, but we will be closed that afternoon and evening.

Below are a few of our upcoming events, and you can find out what else is on the calendar by heading to our events page at www.testifysc.com/events.

Testify Strongman Summer Showdown

• June 17, 2023

• Show up to lift, throw, carry, push, and pull big things, but most importantly, show up to have a great time with your fellow competitors and perhaps try something new!

• Click here to register or for more information.

Testify IronFest V

• July 8, 2023

• IronFest is a team-based strength meet wherein the contested lifts will be the squat, press, bench press, and deadlift. Competitors will form teams of 2 lifters/team and perform all 4 lifts; each lifter will perform one upper body lift and one lower body lift, and each lifter will receive 3 attempts for each lift.

• Click here to register or for more information.

Testify Fall Classic

• October 21, 2023

• The Testify Fall Classic is back for 2023, and we invite you to be a part of it! This is a strengthlifting meet, which means the contested lifts will be the squat, press, and deadlift.

• Click here to register or for more information.

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THIS WEEK’S CONDITIONING

Option 1
Sled
Outdoors:
10 rounds of:
Push sled 100 ft
Pull sled 100 ft (hand over hand)

Indoors:
20 rounds of:
Push sled 50 ft
Pull sled 50 ft (hand over hand)

Compare to 2023.03.20.

Option 2
5 rounds:
10 cal bike
1 min rest
4 sandbag-over-bars
1 min rest

Set the yoke crossmember at 35/33, and the weight is 150#/75#.

Compare to 2023.02.27.

Option 3
Outdoors:
5-10 rounds:
10 sledgehammer strikes (5R, 5L)
50 yd farmer carry (25 yd down-back)
Rest 1 minute

Indoors:
5-10 rounds:
10 sledgehammer strikes (5R, 5L)
100 ft farmer carry (50 ft down-back)
Rest 1 minute

Compare to 2023.01.30.

Option 4
1. 5 yoke carries @ 30 yd (15 yd downback) – work up to heaviest carry
2. 5 rounds of 5 reps on the axle “clean and press away” – work up to heavy set of 5

Compare to 2023.01.30.

Most Common Deadlift Error? (It's NOT What You Think)

Are you making this deadlift error? It's extremely common, and it's making your deadlifts a lot harder (and last longer!) than they should be. Let's fix it.

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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.