Reducing Injuries and Improving Performance with a Weightlifting Belt? Here’s What the Research Says.
When to Use a Weightlifting Belt
I recently reposted one of the first articles I wrote for my own blog. It was about the unnecessary use of a weightlifting belt during exercises or loads where wearing one is not yet necessary. To meet my current quality standards, I consulted the literature before reposting, and indeed, my assertion was confirmed by research: The belt is often used when it’s not necessary, and therefore serves no purpose, according to a survey even slightly more frequently than in half of the cases [1].
However, while consulting these studies, I noticed something strange: Studies have not yet been able to demonstrate that the belt actually reduces the risk of injuries or improves performance. So why do thousands of people worldwide use it? Even if half of them use the belt at the wrong times, there’s still the other half who think they’re using it correctly, based on decades of experience in strength training for bodybuilding, powerlifting, and weightlifting.
Therefore, let’s take a look at the studies, the circumstances under which they were conducted, and the results they showed. I’ll try to focus as much as possible on relevant studies for traditional strength training. Studies on lifting at work, as well as isometric deadlifts (holding weight in position instead of lifting and lowering it), have largely been disregarded.
Research on Wearing a Belt During Squats or Deadlifts
Researchers from Auburn University examined the effectiveness of the weightlifting belt during the squat [2]. They measured, among other things, the pressure on the abdominal cavity and the abdominal muscles lying within it, as well as the activity (EMG) of the erector spinae, which is responsible for extending and flexing the spine.
They had participants squat with weights at 70, 80, and 90 percent of 1RM (1RM = the maximum weight you can lift for one repetition).
Main Differences at Heavy Loads
Firstly, as expected, they observed the greatest differences between wearing or not wearing the belt with a resistance of 90% 1RM. In fact, that’s the only circumstance they address in the research report.
As mentioned, the belt offers the most value especially under heavier loads, which was confirmed here. It’s unfortunate that they didn’t show the differences between the different loads of 70, 80, and 90 percent. A powerlifter or weightlifter will often train with 90% 1RM (up to 3-4 repetitions). Bodybuilders or others primarily focused on building muscle mass will often not go heavier than 80% 1RM (about 7-8 repetitions). By knowing the differences from the research, you can make an assessment of how useful a belt is for the way you train.
More Pressure on Abdominal Muscles, Less Activity in Erector Spinae
Another outcome of the study is that the activity of the erector spinae decreased with the wearing of the belt. On the other hand, the pressure on the abdominal muscles increased. The pressure caused by compression of the belt allows the abdomen to take on some of the load from the back muscles. So if you want to heavily stress the legs by squatting heavily but don’t want too much strain on the lower back, the belt could be useful according to this research.
However, these researchers also emphasize that lighter training without a belt should be done to train muscles like the erector spinae and not rely entirely on the belt. As I mentioned in the previous section: Only use when necessary!
Moreover, the pressure on the erector spinae itself is also increased by wearing the belt simply because this muscle partly resides in the space that is “cinched” by the belt. However, this doesn’t negate (on the contrary) that the muscle is less active. It doesn’t have to work as hard because the vertebrae are already partially stabilized by the belt. Japanese researchers therefore concluded that the increased pressure on both the abdominal muscles and erector spinae should reduce the risk of injuries [3].
Wearing abdominal belts raises intra-muscular pressure of the erector spinae muscles and appears to stiffen the trunk. Assuming that increased intra-muscular pressure of the erector spinae muscles stabilizes the lumbar spine, wearing abdominal belts may contribute to the stabilization during lifting exertions.
K. Miyamoto, Gifu University
Reduced Load on Erector Spinae by Holding Breath
Researchers from Canada also observed that wearing a belt increased pressure on the abdomen, thus reducing the activity of the erector spinae [4]. They also looked at the effect of holding the breath and found that this had an even greater effect on increasing the pressure on the abdomen (and thus relieving the lower back muscles).
In a study by the Free University, Amsterdam, holding the breath while wearing a belt was also found to have an effect [5]. This increases the size of the abdominal cavity and thus the pressure caused by the belt.
Increased Pressure on Abdominal Muscles, Reduced Pressure on Spinal Vertebrae
Researchers from The U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine had participants in their study deadlift with 90% 1RM [6]. They also found that the weightlifting belt resulted in greater pressure on the abdomen, which would reduce pressure on the spinal vertebrae themselves (and thus the risk of, for example, a hernia).
Results suggest that the use of a lifting belt increases IAP, which may reduce disc compressive force and improve lifting safety.
E.A. Harman, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine
Does Wearing a Belt Increase Erector Spinae Activity?
It wouldn’t be surprising: You think you see a clear picture, and then there’s another study showing the exact opposite [7]. American researchers found that wearing a belt during (parallel) squats actually stressed the erector spinae more.
They themselves also didn’t understand why their outcome was different from the other studies. They do provide an explanation for why the activity in the erector spinae might be higher. The belt may be worn so tightly that there was already a degree of “pre-tension” on the muscle, which is then added to the tension during the movement. However, this doesn’t seem logical to me because it doesn’t explain why this didn’t occur in other studies.
Searching for differences seems more logical to me, and I found two.
- The participants were experienced in strength training. They may have already mastered the technique so well that the belt had less work to do to stabilize the back. However, this would explain why the belt doesn’t protect the erector spinae as much in this study, not why the belt poses an additional risk.
- More likely, the load was simply too low. They did repetitions with only 60% of 1RM, whereas other studies demonstrated the benefits at heavier loads of 90%. The reason for this is because 60% would be representative of industrial work tasks. However, we are interested in lifting as a “core activity” during training. The activity of the erector spinae during the squat increased by only 10% when squatting without the belt. Very little. With the belt, it was 23%. With such low percentages, the influence of any “pre-tension” caused by the belt would become relatively much larger than with heavier weights as in previous studies.
The fact that they worked with 60% 1RM makes this research less relevant in my opinion. Because you’re already above 15 repetitions!
Unknown Impact on Actual Number of Injuries and Performance
In order to determine if there were fewer injuries between the groups, the researchers would have had to cause these injuries. This would not be medically responsible. Although based on their findings, it can theoretically be expected that the belt reduces injuries, it cannot be conclusively proven from this research.
It’s unfortunate that the researchers I mentioned in the first part of this text didn’t ask in their survey about the number of back injuries participants had incurred during the period they trained with a belt, to then compare it with the number of injuries from people who trained without a belt.
This wouldn’t be a fair setup for the research because you don’t know how often and how heavy the different participants train and whether they use the correct technique. A difference in the number of injuries could therefore have more causes than wearing a belt, but it would have been at least an initial indication, which we now have no information on regarding the actual number of injuries caused by wearing or not wearing a belt.
In terms of performance, I couldn’t find any relevant research. The studies I did find were mainly focused on the workplace with (too) low loads. In practice, many people feel safer with a belt and therefore dare to lift heavier weights than without one, but that’s a mental aspect, not physical.
Limited Relevant Research
As a result, many of the studies I came across were not useful. For example, researchers from the University of New Mexico found no improvement in performance from wearing a belt [8]. However, they had their participants do back extensions (fig. right). This is precisely an exercise where you want to train the erector spinae and not protect it while focusing on your legs with squats or deadlifts. As mentioned earlier, this muscle also needs to be trained, and it would make no sense to wear a belt that should reduce the activity of the muscle while you’re training that muscle.
Moreover, they had their participants lift and place boxes on a high shelf. This automatically means that the weight couldn’t be heavy enough for the belt to have a real effect. Any weight with which you can place a box on shoulder level on a shelf is by definition much lighter than the weight you could deadlift.
“Weightlifting Belt a Risk for High Blood Pressure”
Finally, one more point to note: Wearing a belt can lead to increased blood pressure [9].
It is felt that the use of a WLB (red: Weightlifting belt) can put an added strain on the cardiovascular system. Individuals that may have a compromised cardiovascular system are probably at greater risk when undertaking exercise with back support.
G.R. Hunter, University of Alabama
Unfortunately, however, this study did not examine any circumstances relevant to us. For example, who in their right mind thinks it’s useful to look at the effect of wearing the belt while walking on the treadmill? In the first part, it was already established that doing cardio with a belt makes no sense. Were you one of those exceptional cases who just always wears the belt as part of your “fitness uniform”? Then know that you’re not doing yourself any good with it, and if you already have high blood pressure, you may be at an even greater risk.
In addition, they had participants do a one-arm bench press, while it’s highly questionable whether it makes any sense to wear the belt during bench pressing.
Finally, they chose a good exercise, but with the wrong execution: Deadlifts, but isometrically performed. So not lifting (concentric) and lowering (eccentric) with possibly a brief pause halfway (isometric), but only holding tension. This is precisely the version that is least trained in gyms.
Nevertheless, or precisely because of this, I have no reason to believe that during more relevant exercises, the belt would not have the same effect on blood pressure.
References
- Finnie SB, Wheeldon TJ, Hensrud DD, Dahm DL, Smith J. Weight lifting belt use patterns among a population of health club members. J Strength Cond Res. 2003 Aug;17(3):498-502. PubMed PMID: 12930176.
- Lander JE, Simonton RL, Giacobbe JK. The effectiveness of weight-belts during the squat exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1990 Feb;22(1):117-26. PubMed PMID:2304406.
- Miyamoto K, Iinuma N, Maeda M, Wada E, Shimizu K. Effects of abdominal belts on intra-abdominal pressure, intra-muscular pressure in the erector spinae muscles and myoelectrical activities of trunk muscles. Clin Biomech (Bristol,Avon). 1999 Feb;14(2):79-87. PubMed PMID: 10619094.
- MCGILL, S.M., R.W. NORMAN, AND M.T. SHARRATT. The effect of an abdominal belt on trunk muscle activity and intra-abdominal pressure during squat lifts. Ergonomics 33:147–160.1990.
- Kingma I, Faber GS, Suwarganda EK, Bruijnen TB, Peters RJ, van Dieën JH.Effect of a stiff lifting belt on spine compression during lifting. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2006 Oct 15;31(22):E833-9. PubMed PMID: 17047531.
- Harman EA, Rosenstein RM, Frykman PN, Nigro GA. Effects of a belt on intra-abdominal pressure during weight lifting. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1989 Apr;21(2):186-90. PubMed PMID: 2709981.
- J.A. Bauer et al. The Use of Lumbar-Supporting Weight Belts While Performing Squats: Erector Spinae Electromyographic Activity. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: Vol. 13, No. 4, pp. 384–388.
- Reyna JR Jr, Leggett SH, Kenney K, Holmes B, Mooney V. The effect of lumbar belts on isolated lumbar muscle. Strength and dynamic capacity. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 1995 Jan 1;20(1):68-73. PubMed PMID: 7709282
- HUNTER, G.R., J. MCGUIRK, N. MITRANO, P. PEARMAN, B.THOMAS, AND R. ARRINGTON. The effects of a weight training belt on blood pressure during exercise. J. Appl. Sport Sci. Res. 3:13–18. 1989.
