Weightlifting belts can be fantastic performance boosters, but they’re very commonly misunderstood—and often misused. So let’s break down what lifting belts actually do, and when you’ll really benefit from wearing one.
You’ve probably seen someone wearing a thick weightlifting belt in the gym and wondered if it helps them lift better, or even more safely. The latter is actually the common perception; according to a study found in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning a majority of surveyed belt-wearers use one because they think it’ll help prevent injuries. It’s unclear whether this theory holds up in practice, since we’ve been unable to locate any peer-reviewed studies specifically looking at the correlation between the use of weightlifting belts and the incidence of injury events in the gym.
However, we can take the hint from studies in manual labor settings, like this one in JAMA, which shows that wearing a back-supporting belt while lifting heavy objects on the job didn’t seem to reduce incidences of back injuries or lower back pain. In short, don’t put on a belt thinking it’s going to protect you from bad ideas in the gym. That’s not exactly what a lifting belt is for anyway.
How do weightlifting belts work?
In reality, a weightlifting belt primarily supports your abs, and is not intended to directly support your back. It sounds backwards, but here’s why: The belt acts like a second set of abs to prepare your entire body to lift heavy loads, something we discussed when we talked about bracing your core here. The short version is that when you brace yourself for those super heavy lifts, you should take a deep belly breath and hold it, a method of “breathing” called the Valsalva maneuver.
The Valsalva maneuver helps create intra-abdominal pressure that cushions and supports your spine. And that’s where a weightlifting belt bestows its powers. Wearing one, you do your deep belly breath into the belt, which pushes back against your abs. This amplifies the effects of that intra-abdominal pressure, which in turn helps protect your back and helps it handle the stress of heavier loads. This study in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise confirms that the resulting pressure is greater and builds faster than it would without a belt.
The belt increases your lifting efficiency, potentially allowing you to bang out a little more weight than you would without one. Of course, that is assuming you know how to properly lift and use proper technique in the first place. In the end, you might lift a tad more weight and get more stability where you need it (your trunk and torso).
But—and here’s a big but—wearing a belt by itself won’t automatically level up your strength and lifting ability. There’s a learning curve to wearing it and lifting with one on (just like there’s a learning curve to being able to properly apply intra-abdominal pressure and lift). Sure, some may reap the benefits right away, but it’ll take most a bit of work before things will click.
When you really benefit from a weightlifting belt
Quite simply, it all comes down to your performance goals. If you’re serious about lifting heavier and getting stronger, then wear a belt, plain and simple. If you regularly squat and deadlift very close to your maximum weight or want to break through a plateau, try wearing a belt.
When you throw on a belt and use it properly, the skies part, birds sing, and your deadlifts or squats (or both) get a noticeable boost. In this excellent analysis of weightlifting belts, Greg Nuckols writes that well-trained belt users can generally move 5-15% more weight for the same sets and reps, and are able to squeeze in an extra couple reps at the same weight or lift the same weight for the same number of reps with less effort. That’s pretty significant!
We can take this to suggest that over time, training with a belt will likely help you get you stronger than training without a belt. This makes sense, in the context of being able to do more overall “work” (i.e. lifting more weight and banging out more reps) and continuously push your body to improve, a process called progressive overload. In the long-term, you can gain more muscle size and strength.
When don’t you need a weightlifting belt
As far as gaining strength and performance in the gym are concerned, it’s hard to argue against wearing a belt, but there are a few big waving red flags here. You probably want to avoid using a belt if:
You have high blood pressure or certain medical conditions: If you have health conditions like uncontrolled high-blood pressure or conditions that can be exacerbated by intra-abdominal pressure (like a hernia), you should not be wearing a belt (or even using the Valsalva), period. We’ve discussed this in our breathing article as well, but this warning goes double in this instance since a belt will raise both intra-abdominal pressure and blood pressure further. Pregnancy is another time you should avoid intra-abdominal pressure, even while you can still fit into your belt.You can’t lift heavy weight with good technique, or you don’t know how to stabilize your body without a belt: Belts don’t magically undo poor form. Without bracing your core, there’s a good chance you’re not properly stabilizing your body for heavy loads. The belt doesn’t brace for you, it just helps you get more pressure when you do. That said, feeling your core muscles push into the belt can provide some feedback to help you learn how to brace better.You don’t squat, deadlift, or do much overhead pressing: No, you don’t need to wear a belt for bicep curls.If you do heavy squats, deadlifts, and presses, and you intend to keep doing them, it’s never too early to get a belt, as long as you begin by learning how to use it, rather than expecting it to solve problems for you. We have a guide here on how to choose your first weightlifting or powerlifting belt.
Weightlifting belts are a “sometimes” accessory
A weightlifting belt is not a fashion statement; it’s a training tool. You don’t need to rely on the belt for every. Single. Exercise.
Most lifters prefer using a belt for squats and deadlifts, where a little extra support can keep the spine from buckling during these power lifts. Many experienced lifters throw the belt on for near-maximum efforts, and take it off for regular training and warm-ups. Just so we’re clear, “near-maximum” is a weight that is 80% or more of your maximum lift. The exact percentage is often arbitrary, so wear it when you think you really need the extra support on big lifts. Some lifters only bring it out for their top sets; others do all their working sets with a belt to maintain a consistent feel from set to set. Knowing when you need to wear it and when you don’t comes with experience, and can also depend on your training style (high volume versus low volume, for example).
For all other times, when you’re not squatting or deadlifting a cosmic amount of weight, you don’t need to wear it. In fact, if you can and do wear it all the time, you’re likely not wearing it right. Belts should feel snug enough that they’ll sit in same place, but not so tight that you’re cutting off circulation. You should still be able to take a full breath when it’s strapped on, but you won’t be comfortable wearing it between sets.
Not every gym-goer needs (or will want) a weightlifting belt. It’s useful, but not a requirement. Just keep in mind when they benefit you and when they don’t, and use them accordingly. They’re tools—not championship belts to show off in the gym.
This article was originally published in March 2016 and was updated on June 3, 2021 to include updated links and to align the content with current Lifehacker style.
