belt for squats and standing military press?

I

imported_ejones

Guest
what do you guys recommend? obviously i can lift a lot more in these exercises with a belt but then my core isn't being worked. also i tend to experience some lower back stiffness occasionally when using a belt. i was thinking of doing 1 set w/o a belt and one set with a higher weight w/ a belt but then that would kind of cut down on the effectiveness by only giving the targeted muscles one growth producing set rather than two.
 
There was a thread on this during the summer, but I think you're answer is in your second sentence. It sounds like you're using the belt as a prosthesis, given that you say you can lift more with it than without. That's not necessarily a good thing, as you point out- you're not working the core as fully as you should. Frankly, I'd lose the belt for a cycle and see what happens- you might have to get your RMs again, without the belt- remember, HST isn't completely about how much you can lift. If you end up squatting less than you did under another program, because you're beltless, you're still likely to see progress in terms of mass because you're following the HST pronciples.
HTH-
Jake
 
While I'll leave the 1 set w/out and 1 set w/ belt issue to the experts, as a general matter, I would personally use a belt, especially for squats at the heavy weights (i.e. 5 rep and possibly 10 rep cycles). I suppose it depends on how severe your stiffness is, but that pesky belt will keep your insides where they ought to be. Hernias aren't much fun - I think I could have prevented mine by using a belt during heavy squats, although part of it may have been poor technique.
 
Jake,

actually i haven't used a belt in a long time. for fun a couple months ago i did squats with a belt and found i could easily add another 20+ pounds to my squat w/ it. my lower back definately feels better now that i'm not using it as compared to when i used to use it all the time, but my progress on the squat isn't near what it used to be with a belt. it seems right when i get around 275 or so on squats my lower back gives out way before my legs do. maybe i could do the one set w/ one set w/out thing after i reach 275 to continue progressing weights for my legs but use the lighter set to keep my core strengthened.
 
Just my couple of cents worth...I'm currently doing 180kg squats which is roughly 2x my body weight. I used to use a belt, but quit when I had it open on me in the middle of a squat - and it took me off guard almost enough to wreck havoc on my back. Now, after working without a belt for the last few years I don't need it, and I don't seem to be needing to much work on my lower back nor abs.

To put things in context - 180kg is enough for me to bearly be able to unrack the weight, which should mean that it's close to what I could possibly do at the moment. I have *no* problems with my midsection, and I like not having the constricted feeling I get with a belt. I do think they have a place, but it's not on my body at the moment. Some people like them, some people don't.
 
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