REPOST of the Week: How do lifting belts work – and what about training beltless? The function of the lifting belt is to compress the contents of the abdomen. To see the theoretical benefit behind this, one needs to look no further than Boyle’s Law – which states that there is an inverse relationship between volume and pressure. Increasing intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) appears to be of great benefit to those performing heavy lifting. Harman et al. (1989) reported that wearing a belt increased IAP by 23.4 +/- 4.3 kPA, in comparison to 20.8 +/- 3.6 kPA under beltless conditions. Being able to create IAP is not exclusive to those who are lifting with a weight-belt. The difference between belt vs. beltless work likely lies in the rigidity of a belt and the rigidity of the muscles and connective tissue of the abdomen. Contreras (2014) likened this difference to the expansive properties of a bottle (akin to a belt), in contrast to the expansive properties of a balloon (akin to no belt). One could still increase pressure in the abdomen with no belt, but due to the elastic properties of muscle and connective tissue – the abdomen will expand with resistance much like a balloon, whereas the belt will not. TSG Executive VP and Coach Jon Stewart who is himself a powerlifter, with a few Canadian National records and a raw squat of over 600lbs and deadlift of 700lbs under his belt (pun intended), expands on this below with some practical recommendations. Weve all heard the anecdote that a belt should be added only for top sets or maxes because it doesnt let you use your core properly. We now know better and have evidence to say that at least acutely, a weightlifting belt actually enables one to lift more efficiently by producing more IAP, while having a primarily indifferent impact on core musculature EMG (Lander, 1990). It is therefore not practical to dissuade belt usage, at least acutely. Current client recommendations include adding a belt on your last warm-up set, or at ~75-80% of 1RM, and for higher rep sets in 6+ rep range; to aid in overall efficiency of these sets and potentially reduced injury risk. This is not to say that beltless work does not have a place, but that place should not be to increase strength of the core musculature. In conclusion, a belt should not be relied on to the point of becoming a crutch. Just like any other training tool. Tomorrow we will be discussing volume & fatigue status monitoring, so stay tuned for that as well. - Jason, Jon and Andrew
Posted on: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 22:02:46 +0000
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