Weightlifting Belt Pain | How To Properly Use A Weightlifting Belt

Weightlifting belts are an excellent workout tool for improving strength and making various exercises easier with continuous use. You might be excited to begin incorporating a belt into your squats or lifts but find you cannot achieve your desired results. The problem? Using the belt incorrectly. You might experience weightlifting belt pain because your belt is too tight to allow your abdomen to expand.

You might wonder, “Does a weightlifting belt help?” The answer is yes when you wear a good-quality and snug-fitting one. Weightlifting belts are incredibly beneficial for athletes and fitness enthusiasts. A huge misconception is that people think the tighter they adjust their loops, the stronger they will become, but this wrong idea has dangerous effects.

People may experience pain while wearing a weightlifting belt if it is too tight. Your lifting experience will suffer and become inefficient because the belt must correctly assist your body in working properly. You could have trouble breathing, muscle pain, and severe injuries when it is too tight.

The ideal belt will expand with you to help you build strength, especially in your abdominal region. It will also make lifting less strenuous, even when you are not wearing it. Tightening the belt should not strangle your body; instead, you should wear it where it is not too loose or tight. Check your belt by putting your hand between your belt and body, and do not suck in your stomach while adjusting.

Learning how to breathe properly can help you wear and use your weightlifting belt correctly. Taking deep breaths before moving down into your squats or lifts is a good idea because the ascent will be smoother. You are pushing air into your stomach and experiencing extra support and pressure from the belt, creating more strength in your core.

Some people who master good breathing techniques avoid wearing a weightlifting belt altogether because they utilize what we call a “natural weightlifting belt.”

The Core360 belt can help with proper breathing because it effectively trains how to expand and contract the abdomen. This belt can substitute having to place your hands in the correct positions for breath training and frees them up for lifting weights.

A good weightlifting belt can significantly impact your workouts because you can lift heavier weights. You can rely less on the tool as your strength improves and create a tighter core.

The right one will not feel so loose that it is falling off or so tight that it prevents you from breathing. Instead, it will accentuate your natural breathing and make your movements better.

When you begin wearing a good belt, you will notice less weightlifting belt pain and strain on your lower back. The Core360 belt increases IAP (intra-abdominal pressure) to give you non-constricting support.

REACH Rehab + Chiropractic trains our clients in the “core A-B-C’s,” which stand for Alignment, Breathing, and Control. The first step, alignment, means keeping your spine in a neutral position. Don’t hunch because this will affect the next step, your breathing. Breathing helps you strengthen your intra-abdominal muscles and decrease the difficulty of any workout with a weightlifting belt over time.

The final component of the core A-B-C’s is control, which combines alignment and breathing and incorporates them into movement. You are effectively controlling your body’s alignment and deliberately shifting your breathing to belly breathing with an abdominal focus.

Repeating this technique to become second nature will improve your exercise experience and workout results.

If you are experiencing weightlifting belt pain and require help from a chiropractor in Plymouth, MI, don’t hesitate to contact our chiropractic team at REACH Rehab + Chiropractic. Our trusted team can determine why you are experiencing pain and how to prevent it moving forward without surgery or other invasive treatments.

We strive to help all clients feel their best, improve their strength, and feel empowered. Contact us at (734) 530-9134 to learn how we can help you alleviate daily pain or schedule an appointment online.