Why Do Strongman Wear Lifting Belts?
Strongman are no strangers when it comes to equipment to optimise their lifts. If you have came across any of the biggest lifts in the sport, you will notice that they may be wearing multiple belts. This is actually quite common in strongman for many different reasons. Why do they do it and should we do the same? Lets dive into this topic, why do strongman wear two belts.
Why Do Strongman Wear Lifting Belts?
A belt is probably one of the strongman’s most important tool. Most strongman will not go into any competition raw because of the high injury risk. They will always use a lifting belt, usually a tight braced core, for big lifts like a farmer carry or deadlift. Many of the lifts in strongman demands a tight engaged braced core and a lifting belt helps engage the muscles during the lift.
There are many factors to consider when choosing a lifting belt for strongman lifts.
- It has to be heavy duty and durable to give maximum stability and support
- It must be adjustable without compromising support
Strongman use lifting belts to help improve their performances and numbers. There are numerous studies that prove that lifting belts can boost pressure in the intra-abdominal area. For deadlifts, it can increase the pressure by 15% and 30%-40% for squats more than lifting without a belt.
Another major reason why strongman wear lifting belts is to prevent injury. The amount of weight they are lifting has huge stress effects on the body, with one wrong movement away from serious injury. To help reduce the risk of injury, a weight lifting belt can help support a strongman’s spine and torso.
If you follow crossfit, you will notice that the competitors don’t wear lifting belts. This is because they aren’t lifting near their one-rep max. Strongman usually do only a few reps in an event competition, with timed individuals in-between. Strongman doesn’t demand a lot of cardio for many of their events, whereas crossfit is on a totally different planet when it comes to the combination of cardio and strength.
Where Do Strongman Wear Their Lifting Belts?
Most of us would wear a lifting belt where ever we think is comfortable and give the most support. There is an actual area in which strongman do measure their size when it comes to weightlifting belts and positioning.
They base their belt size around their largest part of their abdomen, as this tends to be the area that they will wear their weight lifting belt.
If you are like myself, I wear my weight lifting belts quite low to help give more support to my lower back. This is probably where I am going wrong!
Why Do Strongman Wear Two Belts?
In many competitions you can see strongman wearing not only one, but two belts. One belt is for their lower back support, an area that can easily be damaged during a lift, and the weightlifting belt for more core stability.
Do you need to wear two belts? Not entirely unless you have niggling injuries that may demand it. Some choose either the lower back support or weightlifting belt. Personally I would go for the lower back support if you need it.
What Lifting Belts Do Strongman Wear?
Most of the strongman wear belts of their sponsors, so it can vary from time to time. Despite this, most strongman use the same style of belt throughout their career.
Eddie Hall
There are two belts that Eddie swears by that are developed by Alpha Designs, the ‘Beast’ Velcro Deadlifting Belt and the ‘Beast’ Weightlifting Belt. Both belts are made from the highest quality, and one defining perk is that they are made from the UK so you can guarantee on the quality.
The ‘Beast’ Velcro Deadlifting Belt is probably the best for those who are new to strongman and wanting that extra layer of protection for their intra-abdominal core. Eddie Hall swears by the design of the belt and credits it for helping him lift his world record-breaking 500kg deadlift.
Brian Shaw
Over the years Brian Shaw has used numerous kind of belts, but has recently been using belts produced by his own company, Evolution Athletics.
If you go through his videos on Youtube, with his most recent lifts you can see him using the Evolution Support Belt and the EA Nylon Power Belt. The support belt has claims to be the strongest belt on the market, quite the statement but one you can trust as Brian Shaw is a legend in the sport who has demonstrated many insane feats of strength!
Hafthor Bjornsson
The man who lifted 501kg, who wouldn’t want a weight lifting belt like him? Hafthor Bjornsson commonly used equipment from Rogue, but he actually gets his weightlifting belts from General Leathercraft. The infamous belt with Thor on the back that can be seen in many of Hafthor’s training videos was made by the company that started in 1979.
Hafthor used different style of belts during his strongman days, but you can get a glimpse of the range of belts that General Leathercraft has made for him by viewing their page.
Final Thoughts
To summarise, strongman wear lifting belts to help stabilise their core and to avoid any serious injuries when doing major lifts. Most of the events in strongman requires a great intra-abdominal core and a lifting belt has a huge effect when it comes to stabilising and helping with engagement.
Should you get a lifting? Yes you should if you plan to lift like a strongman, going for maximum weight. To find the right belt for you, you should try out the different styles but pay for a good quality brand backed by the professional strongman competitors.
