Why are you nancies crying about the belt hurting? Man up and put the damned thing on. The pinched flesh will either 1) bruise and then heal, 2) die causing you also to die.
You will have nothing to worry about with either outcome.
-Hat
The reason I started crying about it was because I couldn't get it to work properly. If the belt were pinching me but was also helping to increase intra-abdominal pressure then I would suck it up, but at the moment the belt just kind of comes loose -- loose enough to be useless, but tight enough to pinch.
Tighten it more, duh!
I think some one else mentioned this, but it just takes some fiddling around with it to set it right. It also takes some practice to push your abs out against the belt as opposed to just setting/bracing them, even more so when you are bending over like in the deadlift. At least it did for me.
-Hat
Haha. I tighten it as much as possible when I'm standing up, but once I get into the deadlift position it loosens up a bit.
I'm fine with the belt on the squat and press. I've tried a few things with it for the deadlift that were suggested on this site, such as wearing the belt very low near my waist, and wearing the belt on an angle with the front end lower than the back end. Still haven't figured it out. I'm deadlifting tonight, so I'll make some more adjustments and see what happens.I think some one else mentioned this, but it just takes some fiddling around with it to set it right. It also takes some practice to push your abs out against the belt as opposed to just setting/bracing them, even more so when you are bending over like in the deadlift. At least it did for me.
I got one of the new Elitefts 13mm belts a few weeks back. At first this happened to me too. I once spent 3 minutes resting to recover enough to try and pry the belt off of me. However, after repeated use, the leather softened, my body toughened up, and I feel much more stable that I ever did in a velcro belt.also dug in and was very difficult to get on/off between sets.
I will add that I still use the velcro belt on pressing movements - the leather belt likes to ride up on my abdomen on the overhead press.
Jesus Christ I've seen some shitty advice in this thread. What is this velcro shit?
I second this. I personally hike up my shorts or sweats UNDER the belt, then buckle. This eliminates some of the pinching as well as making it tighter. Some pinching is unavoidable, and yes, your skin will bruise, but it's superficial and doesn't really hurt. Doesn't look great, but whatever. This bruising is COMMON. Ask around.So i just wear a hoody and use the third hole...the hoody makes it slightly tighter and prevents pinching.
Okay, I get it, you don't mind the pinching, but it's also coming loose. I imagine it's coming loose because you're jamming your belt against your thighs, which creates some space in the back. Have you tried turning your feet out at a (slight) angle to allow your belly a place between your legs?but at the moment the belt just kind of comes loose
You got the right idea, pal. Everyone deals with this shit. It's never a "solved" problem. Just tighten the belt as much as you can, fill up with air, and pull until your eyes turn red.Still haven't figured it out. I'm deadlifting tonight, so I'll make some more adjustments and see what happens.
Good advice right there.
I think I found a good position for the belt. I wore it such that it is perfectly centered over my love handles. If I try to wear the belt any higher, it slides up until it's above my love handles when I bend over, and this is probably why it kept coming loose before. Still some pinching with this new position, but as I said, pinching is fine as long as long as it's helping my lift.