Is Wearing a Weight Support Belt Good Or Bad ?

While on the topic of core stabilization, I want to emphasize to any misinformed fitness enthusiasts that a weight belt should not be worn at any time during any of your weight training routines (unless you’re performing a max or near-max lift in one of the spine loading lifts such as squats or deadlifts). The theory behind a weight belt is that it pulls in on your abdominal wall to aid in supporting your spine during a very heavy lift. The problem is that if you use a weight belt all the time, you actually weaken your core musculature since you take away the work that they are intended to perform. Hence, you could set yourself up for a back injury in the future. You don’t know how many times I see misinformed guys walking around the gym for their entire workout wearing a lifting belt.

Bottom line – don’t use a lifting belt unless you’re a competitive power lifter performing max or near-max squats or deadlifts. You’re actually doing more harm than good if you use it for anything other than that.