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The Lever Belt
By John S. Howard, B.I.S.
I noticed the box hiding under the front doormat as I pulled out of the
garage on my way to work. I knew it just had to be my new lifting belt I ordered
from Inzer Advanced Designs.
I didn’t have time to open it or I’d be late. So I tossed the box in the back
seat and drove off.
I arrived on time, punched in and started my night-shift job as usual. But
thoughts kept racing through my mind about what was in the box. I knew it was
the red, white and blue lever belt I ordered about two weeks ago as this was the
only package I was expecting. But would it fit? I was right in between the large
and medium size. I had originally planned to go with the large, but then at the
last minute, I went with the medium. Would the belt be too small? Would I even
be able to wrap it around my waist? Would I have to send it back or exchange it?
Break time finally came and I went out to my Jeep and tore open the box. There
it was: a red, white and blue…piece of…leather? Hey, wait a minute here! This is
supposed to be a lever belt, but all I see is a piece of leather with no way to
fasten it. “What a rip off!” was my first thought.
Reaching back into the box, I fished out a small plastic bag containing some
metal parts and two large screws. I had no idea I was going to have to assemble
the thing. Luckily it came with a set of instructions. I didn’t have a
screwdriver so I used my thumbnail until it started to bend dangerously. I had a
dime handy so I used it to tighten the screws.
Assembly completed, (Picture 1) I wrapped the belt around me and pushed the lever down. It
was amazing how as the lever went down, it pulled the belt tighter and tighter.
To take the belt off, all I had to do was flip up the lever. Wow!
I used the new belt for my next squat/deadlift workout and fell in love with the
thing. I could easily get it much tighter than my old belt which had a
traditional buckle, and I didn’t have to worry about getting stuck in it after I
put it on. The only downside of my new belt is that to adjust the tightness you
need a screwdriver to take off the lever devise and reattach it along different
holes in the belt. But I suppose you could also use a dime.
Picture 1. The lever belt can easily be
tightened much tighter than a regular belt. The lever is bolted to the
holes along the right side of the belt. |
Picture 2. This belt is wide in the back
and narrow in the front. It's good for overhead lifting but not the best
choice for squats and deadlifts. |
Picture 3. This triple-ply belt has a heavy-duty seamless
roller. It was purchased from
elitefts.com. |
Picture 4. Notice
how the seam in the roller of this old belt is splitting apart. The
sharp edges are dangerous. |
Belt Buying Tips
1. The original style of lifting belts were wide in the back and narrow in the
front (Picture 2). This type of belt stabilizes the spine during lifts where you
have a tendency to lean back. These lifts include power cleans, overhead lifts
such as standing barbell presses and the Olympic lifts (the snatch and the clean
and jerk). The wide-in-the-back belt design helps stop you from leaning too far
back when performing these lifts.
2. For the squat and deadlift you have a tendency to lean forward rather than
backward so you need a powerlifting belt--one that is the same width all around
(Pictures 1, 3 and 4). A good powerlifting belt measures 10 centimeters wide and
10 to 13 millimeters thick, and it’s made out of leather.
3. A new belt may be stiff and difficult to get on and off until it is broken
in. The breaking-in process can take several months so keep your old belt around
for the really heavy sets until you’re comfortable with your new one.
4. If you decide to get a belt with a traditional buckle, make sure it has a
seamless roller (Picture 3). Cheap belts often have a roller with a seam in it
(Picture 4). After a few years of heavy use, the roller flairs out at the ends
and splits apart. The sharp edges of the roller then cut into the leather and
the stitching of the belt.
5. There is also a belt that uses a ratchet you crank on to make the belt as
tight as you want. Hmmm.... Sounds pretty cool.
Copyright © 2007 John S. Howard. All Rights
Reserved. |
