I am Seeking Some Belt Advice

[Steve695]

Hey all.

I train for strength / powerlifting.
I am 97kg / 213lb and 6 foot tall.
My current Squat max is 200kg (440lbs) and Deadlift max is 220kg (485lbs)

I am looking into a belt. Up until this week I had never worn one, however, I squatted for the first time with a borrowed one and hit a 15kg (33lb) PB. The extra stability made a huge difference. Now I am set on purchasing my own belt.

Anyway, I am tossing up between a 10mm, 13mm, lever or prong. That being said, I am leaning towards a 13mm lever but have a lot of questions first, which could impact this a lot:

Is a 13mm suitable to a guy my size and Squat/Deadlift numbers?

Does a 13mm belt get in the way when deadlifting?

To those of you with a lot of belt experience, do you find that you use different tightness on the Squat and Deadlift that a lever belt cannot facilitate without a lot of stuffing around with a screwdriver? (If so I will go with a prong)
Or do you find that you're comfortable using the same tightness for both the Squat and Deadlift? (I don't want to compromise my lifts just for the fast efficiency of a lever)

Is it a big stuff around trying to get a prong through a 13mm belt? (If I decide a lever is too inefficient based off your answers to the above questions)

Would I be putting myself at much of a disadvantage using a 10mm belt instead?

Am I wrong in assuming, that a lever is more stable overall than a prong belt?


Thank-you.

[Meshuggah]

[ludwig23]

My man, most of this can be solved with the search function.

Is a 13mm suitable to a guy my size and Squat/Deadlift numbers?

Thicker =/= better. Most of the population only needs 10mm belt, so that depends on you. Go by feel. If in doubt, go with 10mm.

Does a 13mm belt get in the way when deadlifting?

Probably. Pay attention to width, also. 2.5" or 3" is preferred and endorsed by Rip.

To those of you with a lot of belt experience, do you find that you use different tightness on the Squat and Deadlift that a lever belt cannot facilitate without a lot of stuffing around with a screwdriver? (If so I will go with a prong)
Or do you find that you're comfortable using the same tightness for both the Squat and Deadlift? (I don't want to compromise my lifts just for the fast efficiency of a lever)

If you want optimality, 2 belts of different width is probably the way to go. Tightness depends on your personal reference. Since you can not adjust the different tightness with the lever belt (you can if you bring around a screwdriver on to the gym, that is), you're left with one level of tightness compares to many on the prong belt.

Is it a big stuff around trying to get a prong through a 13mm belt?

You squat 200kg. I wouldn't worry about this.

Would I be putting myself at much of a disadvantage using a 10mm belt instead?

No.

Am I wrong in assuming, that a lever is more stable overall than a prong belt?

I'm thinking no. Should that be the case, I want to hear how.

Try search on powerliftingtowin and garage-gyms.com.

I recommend going with 10mm single prong from pioneerfitness. Inzer for lever.

[Steve695]

If you read my Original Post, you will see that I am not asking about which brand to buy, I am asking about specs.

(Ludwig that was not directed at you) - Off topic but do you play Ludwig drums?

[Steve695]

My man, most of this can be solved with the search function.


Thicker =/= better. Most of the population only needs 10mm belt, so that depends on you. Go by feel. If in doubt, go with 10mm.



Probably. Pay attention to width, also. 2.5" or 3" is preferred and endorsed by Rip.



If you want optimality, 2 belts of different width is probably the way to go. Tightness depends on your personal reference. Since you can not adjust the different tightness with the lever belt (you can if you bring around a screwdriver on to the gym, that is), you're left with one level of tightness compares to many on the prong belt.



You squat 200kg. I wouldn't worry about this.




No.



I'm thinking no. Should that be the case, I want to hear how.

Try search on powerliftingtowin and garage-gyms.com.

I recommend going with 10mm single prong from pioneerfitness. Inzer for lever.

Thanks heaps for these answers. I am pretty set on a 4 inch width as they provide more stability overall.

[Skander]

Fwiw I have a 13mm double suede 4" (ie 10mm leather) from pioneer, with a lever. Like the belt overall, can use with deadlifts but not that comfortable for long sets, wish it was slightly more adjustable, single prong might be better.

Note that on the pioneer belt at least, a quarter $.25 is perfect for screwing unscrewing

ETA: meant to say that I'm around the same size as you (5'10", 215#, sq 1rm 450, DL 500)

[manveer]

Steve695, do you compete or plan to compete?

You could get a 6.5mm belt without suede from Pioneer pretty cheap and then make the decision on 10 or 13mm later on.

The 10mm is a 6.5mm belt with 3.5mm of suede. The support will be similar.

This seems like the best approach.

You squat 200kg. I wouldn't worry about this.

What are you saying? 200kg isn't enough to worry about a 13mm belt? How do you know he won't squat 250kg+ in the future?

Try search on powerliftingtowin and garage-gyms.com.

I recommend going with 10mm single prong from pioneerfitness. Inzer for lever.

Funny - on powerliftingtowin the 13mm belt is recommended over 10mm, but you are recommending 10mm. Have you tried both?

[Simon Rest]

I wear my belt slightly differently for all lifts, and subsequently different tightness. I moved away from a lever for this reason.

Also a lever isn't more stable, it's less stable, just more convenient to get on and off.

Can't say between 10&13mm as I've only used 6 and 10mm belts, but the thicker the belt the stiffer it will be. This may mean nothing, or you may find it more uncomfortable. Anyone in your gym you can borrow from and try? Particularly for Deadlift

[Steve695]

Steve695, do you compete or plan to compete?



This seems like the best approach.



What are you saying? 200kg isn't enough to worry about a 13mm belt? How do you know he won't squat 250kg+ in the future?



Funny - on powerliftingtowin the 13mm belt is recommended over 10mm, but you are recommending 10mm. Have you tried both?

Hey man, yeah I compete.

My local powerlifting gym holds meets every 3 months, so that's pretty damn cool. I also plan on competing in the GPC or CAPO not to ofar down the track. I am a drug free lifter, however I have heard a lot of bad things about the IPF. Also, I'm more out to test my max's and compete against myself rather than trying to win (that's the case at this stage, and probably will be for years to come).

I think that Ludwig meant was that if I am squatting over the 200kg mark then I shouldn't compromise stability for the ease of getting the prong through the hole. (However, if he was being a smart ass then good luck to him)

I am not concerned about the cost of a belt. This is an investment towards my stability and lifting performance and it will last me for years to come.

[manveer]

Hey man, yeah I compete.

My local powerlifting gym holds meets every 3 months, so that's pretty damn cool. I also plan on competing in the GPC or CAPO not to ofar down the track. I am a drug free lifter, however I have heard a lot of bad things about the IPF. Also, I'm more out to test my max's and compete against myself rather than trying to win (that's the case at this stage, and probably will be for years to come).

Awesome.

I think that Ludwig meant was that if I am squatting over the 200kg mark then I shouldn't compromise stability for the ease of getting the prong through the hole. (However, if he was being a smart ass then good luck to him)

Maybe that is what he meant, but that seems contrary to his recommendation to go for 10mm.

I am not concerned about the cost of a belt. This is an investment towards my stability and lifting performance and it will last me for years to come.

Totally agree. I have used a 10mm Inzer double suede single prong (100mm wide) for ~3 years. I got the single prong instead of the lever because I thought I would be using the belt for deadlifting also. I am 6'1", ~235# and I can't use the 10cm wide belt for deadlifting because I find it impossible to set up correctly. I have a 10mm 3" wide single prong from Best Belts that I use for deadlifting, but even then I find it difficult to set up correctly. Just depends on your proportions, I think, as far as whether you can use a 4" wide belt for deadlifting.

I just ordered a 13mm thick/100mm wide single suede lever belt from General Leathercraft this morning, actually. I would prefer the ease of taking the belt on and off with a lever especially on volume squat days. In another thread (link), Cody said the 13mm single suede would be substantially more supportive, so I decided to give that a shot also. If you can get more support/more pounds on your lifts in competition with a thicker belt, it seems like that would be the way to go. Then again, there are guys who squat huge weights with 10mm belts (e.g. Chad Wesley Smith) so I'm sure some of it comes down to personal preference and experience.