Belted squats

Carrying on from T's thread, any tips for breaking myself into using a belt on squats for the first time? Can I expect any gains attributed to belt use alone once I get used to it? Should I even bother starting wearing one?

Cheers.

not that i know much.

but i get a fair bit from my belt, probs 10-20kgs. i just started wearing it and putting up with the damned pain

raw squatters should use one, if you wear a decent suit, you won't need to

Is it raw with a belt though?

No it isn't with a belt it is classed as 'unequipped'. Well in some feds anyway, some Yank feds class belts and wraps as raw, and one allows the use of wrist straps on the deadlift. I have also heard there is a new one that allows you to deadlift using one of those yellow powerlifter suits from Aliens, true it may result in you having to fight some phallicly head shaped monster with two gobs, neither of which are all that appealing to have you nuts slapping against the bottom of (equally true of sigoney weaver)

s**tstirrer

f**king inspired

Like I'm the only one of those on this site

I'd say the same applies here as my advice on the deadlift. Don't stick one on till it gets heavy. e.g. If I was planning for 5 * 5 at 225 my belt wouldnt go on till approx 200 on the build up sets.

I tried squatting with a belt the other day and I didn't feel I got anything out of it. It was fairly tight but not overly so.

Is it something you have to "learn" to get the most out of?

Don't expect miracles Titch its not like putting on a suit.

I have my belt super tight for squatting.

I don't wear one in the offseason until past 5 plates same applies to the deadlift (and i wish the bench)

Titch, our squats are pretty similar. I get my belt on at 130kg and above. I don't know what it gives me apart from that nice tight feeling and something against which I can blow out my belly.

Think of the belt more of a central body stabiliser than a major assistance to lifting more weight (without a suit on anyway). If you imagine squatting with a heap of loose jelly in the middle of your body (bring on the fat jokes - I dont care any more I am slimmer than I was) and then think about the same motion with a solid structure keeping your upper body upright then you are on the right sort of lines.

Practically the belt isn't really supposed to be worn so tight that you can't breath or you look like Paris Hilton round the waist and Geoff Capes around the chest. The principle of the belt isn't to directly support the back but actually to brace the stomach & waist area against so that the body provides internal stabilisation (aka interstatial pressure if you want to get techy) so that the body stabilises itself and the spinal column from the inside.

On the other hand if you wear a belt over the top of a squat suit it can be an additional lifting aid because you can use it to lock the bottoms of the suit tighter in place whilst leaving space to breath in the upper portion of the suit.

However, horses for courses and YMMV

No, but chaffe's a little bit!