lets say we agree there's some rule where you should wear a belt at 70% and above 1RM (which i agree with) regardless of how long you've been lifting or how strong you are (which i don't agree with). just for conversation sake

lets say you're newish and your max squat is 1 plate. that makes you wear a belt at 95lbs. when you're getting stronger and your max squat is now 3 plates (315lbs), is your core going to have developed to be able to hold up to 220lbs (below your 70% threshold) without a belt?

because honestly, 2 plates (225lbs) is not heavy at all for a squat. even if you weigh 150lbs you should be able to squat 225lbs after 1 year of squatting no problem. and if you're wearing a belt in less than 1 year of being in the gym, you haven't given your body sufficient time to develop that deep rooted core strength. its not always about building muscles, its about building strength, and that takes time. if you cant squat that much, after 1 year, without a belt, you need to work on your squats. not wear a belt to try to bandaid cheat your squat numbers.

my old gym was full of phaggots who honest to god walked in the gym, put their belt on before they put their headphones on, and wore the stupid thing thru their entire work out every workout. my new gym is full of some legit strong dudes and the only time i ever see a belt is when some of them are dead lifting or squatting a ton.

and before someone says "well i only want to get better legs from squats, i dont care about working my core" you should not be squatting in the first place. squats are a full body exercise. the best full body exercise. they arent even the best leg exercise. imo, if you want stronger legs, leg presses are superior since it is 100% energy into your legs with no stability needed. want more toned or cool looking little legs or whatever, do leg curls. want to be a full body strong balanced man? then do squats.

if you're afraid to hurt your back, take it slow and you don't go for PRs. being strong and big numbers go together. you dont need to bullshit your way to big numbers to brag about. numbers are irrelevant and dont give a fuck what anyone else is doing. do your own thing and worry about yourself.

so when the fuck should i ever wear a belt?

to hold your trousers up lad :troll:





Most people should be able to do upto 3 plates on squat/deadlift easily after training for a year or so. After that I'd definitely suggest a belt when going for maxes/1rm.

If it is a true 1rm, you will fail at some point and when you do having a safety net is invaluable. I just never understand guys that over use the belt, i.e. wearing it on chest day/wearing it for the duration of their workout :fulloffuck:

I squat 3 plates, deadlift 4 and haven't used a belt till this day and I've been going to the gym since september 2009. I feel its definitely time for me to get a belt now so I can really start pushing my 1RM's

i already answered that question a few pages back

well based on your bench video, all i can assume is that your form is shit. so post up a form vid on your squat and we can see how your squat looks.

you've obviously got some strength in you. 2 plate bench is getting decent. but its not a numbers race. FORM comes first, strength comes second. numbers come third.

Squats, deadlifts, OH presses aside, what other core workouts does everyone like/recommend?

I do planks, supermans, leg raises, swiss ball crunches, and twists at the moment. I try to work my core fairly hard, but it's tough to find good information on how to do so since the barbell workouts are so popular, and I can't do those.

Use a belt when you feel like you need to but be honest about it. IMO If you are decently strong and training hard there's no reason not to use a belt on your last couple sets. If you're going *close* to failure use a belt. It doesn't have to be a 1 rep max. Even 5 rep or 10 rep max sets will fatigue your lower back. Why risk it? If you are not going close to failure every now and then you are not training hard enough. It's not about bragging about big numbers, it's about training with intensity.

If you're worried about not developing your core strength (which you shouldn't) then TRAIN YOUR CORE. Weighted planks, weighted situps, good mornings, stiff legged deadlifts, etc. The risk/reward ratio of not wearing a belt on a couple heavy sets is so low it's just not worth it.

For the record, I was anti-belt for the longest time. I can lift damn near the same amount without a belt. However lifting hard without a belt can sometimes be a crapshoot. Little things like a momentary lack of focus on the last rep of your last set could tweak your back and now you can't squat or pull for a month.

In conclusion, use a belt as a tool, not a crutch. Don't use a belt if you're a beginner trying to pad your numbers. But similarly, don't let your ego stop you from using one when the time comes (ESPECIALLY if you have tweaked your lower back before).

Yeah man I definetly see your point... I've personally never used a belt because I've done martial arts my entire life and have been able to control my form for most lifts. But like I said, I'm starting to lift heavier and heavier so the belt would be more of use to me.

@meowjin. there really isn't a set weight to use a belt imo. Use it when you feel you need it (this excludes the times when you are lifting light). The belt was created for a reason... Workers use it to prevent back injury so it does help to an extent. Like what RRxstar said, the weight belt won't help you get good form. You have to develop the form yourself, so if that means squatting with a naked bar, then do it. Once you feel like you have the form down, slap on weight progressively at 10% increments per periodization. Whenever you feel like you are pushing weight that will cause you to sacrifice form, put that belt on. People don't grow and gain strength by sticking to the same weights, so you will have to test yourself at some point and go for that 1RM. As mentioned, 1RMs are gonna look nasty, and sometimes you will fail... and when you do, know that the belt will be there to help prevent that slipped disc in the lower lumbar region..

Saw that pic of the rock on FB few days ago. Hes a BEAST now. Looks so badass too without that big smile

Haha, that's unreal. ^^^

so is the rock not included in that wellness thing. or his excluded and on TRT. :troll:

Even if they did test him, I think they are allowed one "strike" that is kept private. I doubt they even test non-regulars though.

Which means Brock might actually become a monster.

Fuck I just trhought of something. Imagine if they had Brock play Bane instead of a gassed up Tom Hardy.. that would have been so much more awesome. They could have dubbed the goofy scotchmish accent and everything

i dont watch WWE but has the rock had his shirt off since becomming mega-rock? what about brock?

haha that woulda been sick. Hardy is way too small to be Bane.

I haven't actually watched it since The Rock wrestled, but he was a fucking monster at Wrestlemania. Not nearly as big as he is in that picture though. Too big IMO, he gassed out halfway through the match, and slowed down quite a bit because of it.

I haven't seen Brock in WWE since his debut, and he was definitely looking soft then. He has been away for several months since then, so should be back in tip top shape for his PPV next month. I don't know if he'll be in MMA shape, or just monstrous, we'll have to wait and see.

i have a man-crush on the rock :$

took your word for it and hit a new PR of 275... My highest yet for bench... It was nasty, but I pushed through it.. 3 plates im comin for ya

Nice man. 3 plates would be amazing. Vid when you get there pls!

Edit, I think you're probably closer than you think too. I bet you're strong enough to bench more than 275, just need a little more practice with a barbell.

^thanks man, i didnt actually incorporate hip tuck into it and like u said, its been awhile since ive done barbell, so itll take some time getting used to... I probably did two sets of barbell and then cowered away to dumbbells haha. Its funny cus i actually used to like barbell more for bench, but as i got used to dumbbell more, its harder for me to move away from it.

first time i did 3 plates almost cried
then i did 4 and called everyone i know

that feel after u bench 3plates for the first time... I can't imagine 4 plates prob equivalent to 6plate deadlift called everyone I know as well :fullofwin:

fukkkkkkkkkk

^Just finished, but I want to go back to the gym now... :derp:

Can't wait until the Fall where I can train at SFU because I'm about to max the dumbbells at my community centre. :fuckyea:

I still remember using 65s for flat DB presses thinking I was the shit about a year ago. Now I'm shoulder pressing 75s for 5, and about to hit them 80 hopefully in a month. Feels fucking great man

^get outta that shitty ass community center vicinity and step up your game and get a full year membership at an actual gym hahahahahaha