There has been much discussion in the weightlifting community about the use of weight lifting belts recently. The reason for this is that weight lifting belts are extremely important for safe and efficient weight training. Weight lifting belts stabilize and reduce stress on the spine when training. They also aid in safer and more efficient performance when lifting.
When lifting weights, it is important to keep the spine safe. Weight lifting belts cause intra-abdominal pressure to increase and therefore stabilize the spine. The belts also reduce pressure on intervertebral discs to decrease. These two factors coupled together show why weight lifting belts are essential to stabilizing the spine when weight training.
Current studies show that weight lifting belts allow the people wearing them to lift heavier weight over time and therefore increase their strength. Some of the figures were a full 10 pounds heavier than when not wearing a belt. Two of the lifts studied were squat and bench press, two of the most important lifts a weight lifter can do.
It is easy to see why weight lifting belts are so widely talked about in the weight lifting community. With the protection of the spine and the higher performance, the use of a weight lifting belt is extremely important when weight training.
