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Wearing a belt while benching?

Brock82

Brock82

Well-known member
So I was wondering why some use a belt while bench pressing. I’ve been seeing it at the gym lately. It’s not a situation where they’ve just finished squatting or deadlifting. Usually with some high weight but not always. Was curious is this is something I should be doing or what purpose it serves.
 
Im not sure how much there lifting possibly they have one of those belts that they can release the pressure in between using it and they just where it the whole time.
I don’t wear a belt when I bench but I don’t put up big numbers because of an injury awhile back.
 
Has to do with pressure and using your abdominal muscle to increase load. I never wore a belt on bench, but I’m not pushing 500 pounds either. One of my lifting partners wore a belt, but he was in the 500 pound plus club. But anything below 500 he didn’t wear one. Unless your in that crazy range, personally, I don’t wear it. But I’ve seen guys pushing 225 and snap on a belt. 😉
 
Like @TBU said, it’s mostly for keeping your core tight and giving your abdominal wall something to push off when you fill your belly with air. Just like on a squat or deadlift. I personally never benched with a belt, I didn’t ever feel it beneficial to my bench, however my best bench was in the low 300’s. Most of the guys you see wearing them are probably gym bros who wear it mostly for looks and aesthetics rather than functionality, and pull it so fucking tight they cut off the blood to their brain.
 
I hope so. Today really took the wind out of my sails at least I got the deadlift to get to 700 now
 
One of my sons was an assistant college football coach for a bit and was deep into the training aspect. He convinced me that belts are very helpful even when they are not used effectively as leverage for heavy compound lifts. Essentially, they serve as a reminder of the posture you should maintain while lifting. I use a Scheith velcro thing that really doesn’t provide much if any actual leverage, even when you fill your lungs with air and hold it right before a lift. But it does serve the purpose my son described: It keeps me in the right posture, particularly when deadlifting, but also when benching.
 
So can you believe that I have seen a study that says its actually more dangerous to wear a belt than not to because they say that when wearing a belt the lifter feels like they can’t get hurt and put more stress on the body then they would without a belt lol

You can get a study to say anything you want lol

I believe that belts help alot even if not for protection
 
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Agree. Studies are like statistics: there are lies, damn lies, then statistics and studies.

I hear the same BS about modafinil, viz., that it makes you concentrate so hard on the lift you disregard pain. Were it only so!

Belts make me feel stronger and keep me in the right posture. Simple enough.
 
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