When to wear a belt?

[simonsky]

hey rip i just read gary gibson's article about "gear" and i was wondering when should a trainee wear a belt? i am training my 14 yr old brother and i just got him to nail the technique empty bar and will be adding plates next workout, should i make him wear a belt?

also should i start wearing a belt? i got to 1.5 bodyweight squat for 3x5 raw. and should i wear a belt for deadlift, bench, cleans, and press?

[Mark Rippetoe]

No, don't put the kid in a belt. Yes, try a belt yourself. Read more before you ask stupid questions like this.

[Gary Gibson]

Hate to spout hard and fast rules on this, but...

A belt as a regular feature in squat training seems to become a good idea somewhere between when 1.5 and 2 times bodyweight is a 1Rm for most guys; and maybe 1-1.5x bodyweight for the ladies.

I personally only bother to put it on for my very heaviest sets of deadlifts to reduce the likelihood of injury, but Andy Bolton recently recommended a belt at above 80%. This is a rule I follow in squat training, but not so much with the deadlift. Andy uses a belt starting at 40%, but his 40% is 405 lbs.

[Mr. Angry]

What about those of us like he speaks of in the article with extra long torsos and cartoonishly short legs. They never "seamed" to make a huge difference. Could it be poor anthrometry or just that I am to green to really feel it.

[rick0202]

Is this correct? Use a belt for squats, deadlifts and the press work sets. Now do should you wear a belt when you bench?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Yes, try it on the bench and see for yourself how it works there too.

[TwoTone]

I just recently started using a belt and I have to say it makes my back feel a lot better while benching; like he says, give it a try.