Belt Recommendations

[henry whitaker]

Hey Derek,

How is that Spud working out? I am in the market for a belt and am thinking about this one. I know you said you didn't want to use it for olys but do you think that one could use it for the oly lifts?

[Derek Weaver]

Henry,
This seems like a fine time to turn in a review of the Spud 3-Ply belt.

I've now had it for a little over a month, and used for it for something like 9 lower body workouts. Some background on the belt:
- Sturdy, 3 ply design in the back for added stability/rigidity/stiffness. I believe 2 ply around the sides to the front.
- Uses a velcro strap to secure in place.
- Very solid. Not sure how this would compare to an Inzer or any of the other 2-prong, leather PL belts, but it fits my purpose well.

Pros:
- Like above, solid and sturdy.
- The velcro strap makes it easy to secure.
- Flexible enough that you can likely hit the Oly lifts in it, but it wouldn't suit competition purposes. Nor would it be legal.

Likely an individual thing to me, but with my recent hip issues, and some low back stuff I've had, I am very conscious about my low back rounding out. This belt gives me a good barrier to brace against, and I have done well with it. I'm only 5'6" a shade above 160 lbs today and hit a 3 rep 275 Front Box Squat with room to spare on Sunday night.

The old belt I had was helpful but didn't seem to help me brace as well. Say what you want, but a lift is a lift. If I can feel better psychologically with a belt and hit a bigger lift, that's all I'm looking for.

Cons:
- I would be shocked if this belt were allowed in any PL or Oly competition. I don't know enough about either one with regards to equipment, but it would be a huge surprise.
- Like I noted above, the velcro strap will wear out eventually, where as a leather pronged belt should hold up for damn near any amount of time if taken care of.
- Can be a little tough to get it as tight as you want, but I solved this by sucking in my stomach, tightening the belt, then releasing and got it plenty cinched in. I've ended up with some slight bruising around the sides, but from what was said earlier in this thread, nothing like an Inzer will produce.

I think this belt was ~$60 shipped. Good deal and so far well worth the price. I don't lift competitively, and have no plans to do so. If I did, I would go with a different belt, unless you have the cash to get more than one belt. If you wanted it as a training belt for some reason, you can't really go wrong.

[Don Stevenson]

The only limitation on belts in Olympic weightlifting is the maximum width of 120mm.

I don;t know what the rules are in the various PL feds but I recall that the inzer PR belt with the ratchet thing on the front was banned by the IPF I think.

What makes you think it might get banned?

[Derek Weaver]

Just saw this reply...

I remember seeing on a forum when I was doing research, maybe Wanna Be Big, that USAPL was a little vague in the rule book. Said something about the levers, prongs, buckles etc., but made no mention of the ring/velco strap of the Spud Inc belts.

To be honest though, I can't remember where I saw it, or if that was only part of the conversation and if anyone confirmed whether it would be legal.

for me though, I don't plan in competing at a meet, so it's good for me.

[Collin O'Neill]

I just pulled the trigger on a small Schiek 3004 powerlifting belt. I am working my way up through a back injury, but I hit ~65% of my 1RM the other day and had it on for shits and giggles. I really liked the way it felt, and I think it will work well for me.

I am going from a 6" to the 4.5", and while I thought I would miss the extra width, it is stiff enough to provide support.

Jesus, that is a terrible sounding sentence were you to take it out of context.

Anyway, chalk up another happy Schiek customer.

[David Pak]

I've been trying to CSI style zoom-in from the photos of the Catalyst athlete photos and it looks like a lot of them wear a soft belt.

Also from the Paleo Solutions Podcast #128 it sounds like Gregg Everett suggests a Classic 4" belt from Valeo.

What are the cool kids wearing these days?

[Tamara Reynolds]

I wore the 4" Harbinger velcro belt for two years. I could never get the Valeo to fit right. Last year, I switched to a 3" suede belt from Best Belts, and I've stuck with that.

[David Pak]

Originally Posted by Tamara Cohen

I wore the 4" Harbinger velcro belt for two years. I could never get the Valeo to fit right. Last year, I switched to a 3" suede belt from Best Belts, and I've stuck with that.

Thanks Tamara!

The Harbinger and the Valeo 4" look pretty much the same to me. Was there anything that you can recall that stood out between the two that made a difference?