My Newest T-Nation article: The Belt and the Deadlift

[Mark Rippetoe]

https://www.t-nation.com/training/th...d-the-deadlift

There will be comments, but I am traveling today.

[NikhilT]

Given that a smaller belt may be needed for an average height lifter (4 inches for the squat, 3 for the deadlift), does this relationship scale for smaller lifters? I'm 5'3" and use a 3 inch belt for my squatting. I've never had an issue using it for deadlifting, as far as I know, but does this mean I could potentially be stronger by using a 2.5 inch belt?

[zackpassman]

This couldn't have been dropped on a better day. Thanks Rip.

[BamFTW]

Very good!!!

[deeprooted]

Great article. I wondered about this myself but "inertia" kept me using the 4" belt despite giving me pain on every deadlift setup. One question though: I know those narrow in the front, broad in the back belts have been frowned upon before but I've seen oly lifters using them exclusively and I mean it makes sense for them to have a narrow belt in the front. They pull less weight from the floor in competition but need to get into very deep front squat position.

Now my guess is those belts probably don't help more than a narrow (~3") non-taper belt, but given this new view of belts is there still something fundamentally wrong with them for deadlifting (as long as it's of 10 or 13mm thickness)? I'm asking because they are more easily available around the globe than the narrow non-taper belts and I don't see how a broader back part would interfere with deadlifting.

Also wish I'd known earlier about the negative proprioceptive effects of board-shorts and sweat pants. Through trial and error I went from the first to the latter, which was much better but still far from ideal. Only a few months ago I had the idea to try (short) tights. They make all the difference.

[gmarso]

Great timing as I was just thinking about ordering a different belt for Deadlifts for several of the reasons discussed in this article. I have the 4" Best Belt and was going to order their 3" belt. However, I noticed they also have a tapered belt with 2.5" in the front. Do you recommend one over the other?

Thanks,

Greg

[Servius]

I had learned from a certain Russian not to use a belt as this would cause a dependency on the belt but what you're saying is exactly the opposite. Using the belt allows a stronger contraction of the 'core' muscles allowing them to get stronger.

Your argument makes sense.

btw. Your book is on its way. Looking forward to it.

[Randeep Khaund]

Rip, this was a very good read and timely from my perspective. I have a 4 inch belt that I bought from Best Belts, and only started using it after I started squatting about 240 lbs and deadlifting 315lbs. The belt works great for my squats and presses. I have a large mid-section (5ft 10in, 255 lbs, 29yrs), and I couldn't use the 4 inch belt for my deadlifts. It was too difficult to get set-up properly. So, I borrowed a 3-inch velcro belt, and was able to get into position properly. However, a velcro belt is not thick enough, so I'm assuming I need a leather belt. I can't figure out how to decide between a 3 inch and a 2.5 inch leather belt without trying one. The big box sports stores generally don't have good PL belts to go and try out. Any suggestion would help.

[TinyArnold]

I suppose I need a new belt. There seems to be maybe 5-6 cm space between the hip and the ribs.

[YogSothoth]

This article is very thought provoking and may explain why my deadlift is so crappy compared to my squat. I'm a bigger guy and it's very hard to get into position for the deadlift especially in my four inch belt. I will definitely try the higher belt position during my next deadlift session, or get more narrow belt.

Do you think it would be better in the long run to deadlift using a four inch belt placed in a higher position or to buy a three inch wide belt and use that for deadlifts?