30 Seconds Summary
Should you wear a belt or not? Study write-up

  • Study focuses on how a weight belt affects squats, using experienced lifters who can squat at least 125.5 kg or 1.6x their body weight.
  • Measurements included force output, joint angles, intra-abdominal pressure, muscle activation, and lift timing using various monitoring technologies.
  • Key findings include greater intra-abdominal pressure in the belted group, and no significant differences in kinematic and force data between belted and beltless lifts.
  • Muscle activity: Vastus lateralis (quadriceps) showed higher activity with a belt, especially at the 'sticking point'; similar spinal erector and external oblique activation regardless of belt use.
  • Increased forward lean was observed across sets regardless of belt use, indicating potential fatigue-driven form degradation.
  • Study suggests wearing a belt can increase quad and hamstring activation with the same load, and maintain or increase intra-abdominal pressure without reducing abdominal muscle activation.
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