lifting belt for deadlifts

How Important Is The Use Of A Lifting Belt For Deadlifts?

Posted on by Andrei

We're an affiliate

We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. Thank you if you use our links, we really appreciate it!

Opinions about deadlifts are quite different in the fitness world. While some love deadlifts, others prefer not to include them in their routine for various reasons. 

We think deadlifts are great because they can help you build strength, but also because they can help you develop your back, legs, traps,  forearms, and other muscle groups.

As with any other exercise, there comes a time when progress seems impossible. A plateau is perhaps one of the most frustrating things when it comes to lifting, but properly programming your training or implementing lifting accessories, such as a belt, can help you get to the next level.

For this article, we will focus only on lifting belts, as they are a powerful tool that can help you improve when it comes to deadlifts.

Quick Recap Of The Technique

No matter how many lifting accessories you use, you will not be able to take full advantage of them if you do not have the proper technique. Performing the exercises correctly is essential and should be your main goal before anything else.

The deadlift is not the easiest exercise and takes time to master, but here is a quick recap of the technique.

  1. Be sure that the barbell is over the middle of your foot
  2. Bend over and grab the barbell with your hands outside the legs
  3. Bring your sheens to the barbell
  4. Squeeze your chest up and drive your knees out against your elbows
  5. Pull the bar up, keeping it close to your body

There are a lot of videos on YouTube about deadlifts, but this 5-step technique comes from Alan’s Thrall tutorial, which we recommend you watch, as the visual demonstration will be much more useful.

lifting belt for deadlifts

Why It’s Important To Incorporate Deadlifts Into Your Routine

In addition to increasing strength and building muscle mass, deadlifts have many other benefits that you probably haven’t heard of.

  • Improved core strength and stability
  • Improved jump performance
  • Many muscle groups involved
  • Stronger legs
  • Improved endurance
  • Stronger Grip
  • Lots of calories burned

How Can A Belt Be Useful When It Comes To Deadlifts?

A belt provides a surface to brace against and reduces the chances of hyperextension of the lower back.

If you have a good bracing technique, wearing a belt will create better intra-abdominal pressure, giving you more stability and strength.

Remember, a good deadlift technique is essential if you want to see the full effect of a belt!

Is Deadlifting With A Belt Cheating?

As funny as it sounds, some people might consider using a lifting belt for deadlifts a form of cheating. That’s not the case. A belt is simply a tool that you can implement in your training routine to overload your body and push your limits. 

It will allow you to lift more weight over time, but wearing a belt is a skill that requires time and practice.

When Should You Start Wearing A Belt For Deadlifts?

We’ve already covered this topic in general, but deadlifts are no different. As mentioned in previous articles, it is almost impossible to impose general standards for everyone, because we are all built differently.

For deadlifts, you can simply start using a belt when you hit a plateau without using one. Another good plan is to lift without a belt at first and leave the belt for heavier sets when you are more likely to need one.

At the beginning of your fitness journey, most of the time, you will not need a belt at all. It’s recommended that you train mostly beltless in the first months of training (80% of the time), then gradually start implementing one in your training. Master the technique first, then a belt will be much more useful.

What’s The Best Belt For Deadlifts?

Thick leather belts are the most commonly used for deadlifts because they are stiff and offer excellent support.

However, depending on the body structure, thick belts could create discomfort and dig into the ribs or hips, especially in the starting position for the deadlift. In this case, you can try to choose a thinner or narrower one. Another option is to switch to nylon instead of leather.

Here is a short list of our favorite belts for deadlifts (one for each category):