Should I wear a weight belt during my workouts?
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Question:
Should I wear a weight belt during my workouts?
Answer:
Personally, I feel that wearing a belt provides more of a psychological
advantage than a physical one. Let's face it, having a weight belt tightly
cinched around your waist makes your physique look better by giving you the
appearance of an enhanced V-taper, and makes you feel more "serious" about
what you are doing. A belt also provides a feeling of "tightness" around your
waist, which would seem to protect your lower back while weight training, but
does it? Here are some reasons that wearing a weight belt may not always be
the best thing...
1. Weight belts can weaken the muscles of the trunk by causing too much
intra-abdominal pressure. In an effort to try to prevent this, the body may
force the abdominal and lumbar muscles to relax while lifting, which over
time can weaken these muscles and cause back problems.
2. Weight belts can accelerate degenerative disk disease by restricting the
natural motion of the lumbar spine.
3. Weight belts can cause poor posture by compressing the lower abdominal
region. This will force you to restrict your breathing to the upper chest
area which can throw off posture, as well as cause tension headaches and
upper disk problems.
4. Weight belts alter the natural biomechanics of the spine, especially
during rotational movements. This can weaken the smaller, stabilizing muscles
of the spine, which can result in back pain and possibly osteoarthritis.
With this information in mind, my advice to you would be to avoid the use of
a weight belt, except during your heaviest sets of compound movements like
squats, bent rows, deadlifts, military presses, etc. At other times, allow
your body to stabilize itself.
Question:
What do you think is the number one reason people fail to make good
progress in their physique goals?
Answer:
Without a doubt, most people fail to make the progress they desire because
of their dietary habits. Many trainees believe that as long as they go to the
gym and lift weights they will magically grow larger muscles. What they fail
to realize is that lifting weights simply serves as a stimulus for
hypertrophy, and that it is food that acts as the BUILDING BLOCKS. Without
proper nutrition not only will you fail to get bigger and stronger, you may
even go in the opposite direction! I tell people all the time, " If you want
to grow, you better get just as intense about your eating as you are about
your training!" Remember, the bodybuilding pyramid has 3 points: training,
nutrition, and rest. Each is of EQUAL IMPORTANCE!
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