The conversation will focus on the training belt, which has become a must-have for almost every bodybuilder. The article will answer about the benefits or harms of this accessory. Any athlete wants to achieve high results as soon as possible. A properly designed training program pursues exactly the growth of muscle tissue mass, but for this you cannot do without serious physical exertion. It is difficult to avoid injury when lifting heavy weights and athletes should try to minimize this risk. One of the means to prevent injury is a training belt. In this article we will try to understand the positive and negative aspects of using it. In conclusion, the results of research on this topic will be presented.
How a training belt works
Bodybuilders use in their training process a conventional weightlifting belt, which is a fixation bandage, which should protect the athlete's health during strength exercises with large weights. The belt works very simply. When it is tightened in the abdomen, the athlete's torso, primarily the spinal column and intervertebral discs located in the lumbar region, receive additional fixation and become resistant to possible deformations. It is worth noting that the belt has been used by athletes for a long time, and it works! With his help, athletes were able to avoid a large number of injuries.
Pros and cons of a training belt
With the pluses, everything is quite simple - the belt is by far the main and only means of preventing injuries. He copes with his task well enough. Also, the suppression of the feeling of fear can be attributed to the positive aspects, because the athlete is a living person and at the subconscious level is afraid of injury. According to the athletes themselves, without a belt it is very difficult to force yourself to give all the best in the classroom. The situation is completely different when the belt is worn.
Among the disadvantages is increased body heating. The belt is made of thick fabric and the area of the body underneath is deprived of the ability to breathe. For some, this can be a problem, especially in the summer, when the ambient temperature is already high. However, the protection it provides to the athlete still outweighs this inconvenience.
Also addiction to the belt can be noted. You should not wear it all the time, but among the positive qualities of the belt described by athletes, there is often a reluctance to take it off. Of course, this is good and may indicate the high quality of the accessory, but it is still necessary to remove the belt. Well, and the last point that I would like to draw your attention to is the possibility of muscle atrophy. The human body must try to keep the weight on its own. Of course, when working with large weights, this is fraught with injuries, however, constantly working with the belt, some muscles can atrophy and, having removed the belt, the athlete will not be able to perform some exercises.
Training Belt Testing
Very often, athletes are rarely invited to conduct research, most often related to nutrition. In the case of the training belt, this did not happen. Several experienced athletes were selected for the experiment. The main criterion when choosing the subjects, in addition to their experience, was the ability to perform squats with a weight exceeding 1.6 times the athlete's body weight. Thus, the experiment involved athletes who, with a body weight of 100 kilograms, could squat with a minimum of 160 kilograms.
During the experiment itself, measurements were taken of various moments of the squat: muscle activity, angle of inclination (to control the technique of execution), execution time, etc. First, the athletes squatted 8 times without using a training belt, and then put it on.
In the course of research, it was found that the technical exercises were performed correctly, both with and without a belt. There was a slight increase in abdominal pressure, ranging from 25 to 40 percent. The myth of reducing oblique muscle tension during the belt exercise has also been dispelled.
Advocates of squatting without a training belt believe that this way you can work harder on some of the muscles in the abdomen. But this fact has not been proven experimentally. But it was found that with a belt, athletes overcome the "dead center" faster. In addition, an increase in the tension of the quadriceps at this moment and a high activity of the hamstrings were recorded. This fact speaks of stronger activity in the work of biceps and quadriceps. But in the work of the muscles of the dorsal group, no changes were noted.
Training belt - benefit or harm
According to the results of the experiment, we can say that it is still better to use a training belt. However, at the same time, scientists made several reservations in the final verdict.
The experience was not intended to investigate the long-term effectiveness of the belt. However, based on the results obtained, it is likely that there will be no improvement with prolonged use of the belt. However, as well as a negative impact.
It was also noted that although there was no significant tension in the oblique abdominal muscle without the use of a belt, this could not indicate that the other muscles were not working more actively. Such a study was simply not carried out.
Well, the last amendment to the test results refers to the fact that it is not known how athletes train constantly: using a belt or not. Previously, it was clearly established that athletes who actively use simulators precisely with their help achieve their goals. In turn, athletes who prefer free weights show maximum progress here.
It must be admitted that although this study was not comprehensive, its results can only speak of the benefits of using a training belt. However, for a thorough study of the question of the benefits or dangers of using training belts by athletes, it is necessary to continue research.
Learn more about the training belt in this video:
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