Starting Strength Belt Review

[Frank_B]

I'm still in my LP, progressing well enough, though I could probably eat more. I saw a Barbell Logic coach (sorry, no Starting Strength coaches within several hundred miles of me) recently for some form checks and some help as my press and squat were starting to falter a bit. He asked me right away where my belt was and I had to sheepishly look at him and acknowledge that I didn't think I'd reached that point in my training yet. He threw his belt on me, kindly admonished me, and let me rip. Right away, I fell in love with the belt and that alone fixed a ton of my form issues. So, knowing I had to get with it, the first place I checked for recommendations was here, and low and behold, it seems Starting Strength now has their own belt. I bought the 3 in. single ply belt - the $90 version - as the CFO of household (wife) wouldn't let me spring for the more expensive version.

I listened to the podcast about the belt and had a pretty good sense that what I would be getting was a quality piece of leather. I certainly wasn't let down. I was also fearful that it was going to be like a new baseball glove, meaning I'd need to douse it in oil while running it over with my car and wrapping it up at night so that in 6 months I could have something that wasn't rock hard and inflexible. I was actually a little surprised when it arrived. The packaging was smaller than I anticipated and when I opened the box, I realized they had managed to coil it up in such a way where the leather had to sit in that position for several days during shipping. There was actually plenty of flexibility right out of the box and the construction was clearly top quality. As someone who makes a living working on airplanes, and as someone who has been around fabrication and construction my entire life, I know what quality is. This was nothing short of excellent quality and I knew immediately I'd never need another belt. The rivets were clearly done correctly and the buckle was of top quality. I was able to bring it to the gym literally an hour after it arrived and take it for a spin.

I decided to wear it through all my warm-up sets and main sets just so I got used to the ritual of putting it on and taking it off. The damn thing is nice. It buckles well, pulls tight, and the first time I "engaged" it with my "core" I could feel the leather bite back. This was just what I needed. I went through all my warm-ups and main sets and felt like I had WAY MORE to give on the squats. It was the best squat session I've had yet. I did my overhead press next and, I swear, it felt like all the energy I'd been leaking out from the rest of my body was contained by the belt and pushed up through my shoulders. Obviously, any belt might be capable of this, but I really felt comfortable doing it with this belt - so it gets all the credit. Finally, I did the deadlift. I'll admit, I'm not 100% comfortable wearing the belt on the deadlift just yet, but having the 3 inch belt felt far less obtrusive than the 4 inch belt my coach let me use. I feel like in a few sessions I'll have that down pat too, but I'm not generally comfortable in the bottom position of the deadlift as it is, so any extras just seem difficult for me.

All in all, I'd highly recommend it! It was the best $90 I've ever spent on a piece of exercise equipment. And hell, even if I never finish my LP, grow old and weak, it'll make the best back support ever! :-)

[Nockian]

Try moving the belt a touch higher than with the other lifts and not so tight, then move the buckle to the rear. Before going for the lift just go through all the actions of the lift to make sure it isn't going to dig in anywhere, if it feels too restrictive back it off a hole. I've never been comfortable on deadlifts with a belt, but by doing the above its now fine.

[pd_oldguy]

This may help:
YouTube

[k_kws]

This review was helpful!
I just ordered the double ply today (no wife, haha). Finally got fed up with my 4" occasionally digging into my hips or ribs when pulling deads.

[Frank_B]

Try moving the belt a touch higher than with the other lifts and not so tight, then move the buckle to the rear. Before going for the lift just go through all the actions of the lift to make sure it isn't going to dig in anywhere, if it feels too restrictive back it off a hole. I've never been comfortable on deadlifts with a belt, but by doing the above its now fine.

Thanks! I'll give it a try.