If you do lift weights on a regular basis, how often are you lifting heavy and how heavy are you going? Heavy is relative, but if you never lift more than 80% of your max at a given rep range, you may not even need a belt. For instance, marathon runners who are using lifting as a way to cross-train probably wouldn’t benefit from a weightlifting belt, seeing as marathon-specific weight training involves high rep ranges (usually 8 to 20 reps per set) at lower loads. How to Choose the Best Weightlifting Belt for You For beginners, 10mm builts should be perfect. They’ll provide the required support without feeling too tight. The reason a 3-inch power belt is superior to a 4-inch belt for most people is that the wider belt prevents most people from being able to get into the correct position for pulling. Some key factors we evaluated during testing include ease of closure, adjustability, and, of course, support.

First of all, it is extremely heavy-duty. It is meant to handle the heaviest barbells and support its owner at the hardest moments. It has already proved its reliability and durability, serving thousands of athletes worldwide.A pleasant bonus is the range of colors. If you like simple traditional designs but want to add some shades to your training, there are plain red, purple, pink, and blue options available. By increasing intra-abdominal pressure, a weightlifting belt serves as a reminder to brace your core, and it also gives you an object to brace your core against. However, a weightlifting belt is not a replacement for core engagement. Instead of thinking of a belt as a necessity for core bracing, think of it as a physical cue to tighten your core. A belt should always be an indirect, not direct, support during your lifts.

Your primary training style will largely dictate the best weightlifting belt for you. If your workouts mainly consist of Olympic lifting, you’ll need a different belt than someone whose workouts mainly consist of CrossFit or powerlifting. Looking for knee support? Try our IPF approved 7mm Inferno Neoprene Knee Sleeves for protection and stability – for training and competition. Also, there may be some stitching flaws and glue marks at the edges which makes it less comfortable on the waist. In a nutshell, your skin might not feel as well as with a first-class belt on.Inzer lever belt is another premium option which offers first-class quality to the most serious athletes. It can often be seen at powerlifting meets worn by the strongest competitors. Sure! If you want to step up your game, you can spend a little more to get better belts in terms of durability. Basically, if you love the Rogue Ohio Lifting Belt but don’t want to pay the three-digit price for it, get the REP Fitness 4” Premium Leather Belt. Even if you don’t compete in powerlifting, this is just an extremely well-made belt. I’ve had my Inzer Forever Lever Belt for 12 years and it’s still in near perfect condition. I wouldn’t trade this belt for anything else.

The Dominion Strength 3” Leather Belt tops this category as far as I’m concerned. It’s different from what most people are used to in a power belt (the Dominion Power Belt is 4 inches wide, so go there for a powerlifting belt), but if you have the means to buy two weightlifting belts, get the Dominion 3-inch belt and a standard 4-inch.However, give it some time and it’ll probably start to show signs of wear and tear. The 4 stitching rows might start to fray, which can compromise the overall integrity of the belt. To top it off, the Pioneer Cut belt also comes with a lifetime warranty and is made entirely here in the U.S. at their shop in Texas.

Hawk lever belt might be a good starter option for amateur athletes who want to test the waters. It might not be so outstanding in terms of quality, though the price is more affordable, compared to most lever belts. I have yet to test another weightlifting belt that gave me as good of a first impression as this Rogue belt. The materials and craftsmanship are outstanding, and quite honestly it impressed me far more than I expected, despite being told by many friends just how good they are. Everything from the materials used to the customization options is top-notch.

We think this is a phenomenal powerlifting belt as well. It’s the same as the Dominion 3” Lifting Belt, which we recommend for deadlifts specifically, but with another inch in width. In addition to relying on Google for help, we also reviewed what had been written on the home gym subreddit, asked for opinions from our Home Gym Community Facebook Group (more than 122K strong as of this writing) as well as consulted with some of the strongest people in the world to get their opinion on the best weightlifting belt they’ve ever used. So be ready to strain and even ask for help when starting to use it. However, athletes choose to overlook this inconvenience if they want to get the most out of their belt.