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Weight
belts are the most abused pieces of personal
equipment in the gym and can actually
cause more problems than they prevent.
There are a number of types of belts ranging
from Velcro-attached nylon belts to heavy-duty
leather belts to air bladder, pump-up
belts.
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- They
are simply not necessary for most
of the exercises people use them
on.
- Repeated
overuse of belts will weaken your
back if you continually rely on
them unnecessarily.
- The
reason for this is that you are
no longer relying on your own
natural weight belt: your abdominals.
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Here is a technique you can use instead
of a weight belt:
- Just
before each set you do of an exercise
that could compromise your back, breathe
in and suck in your gut.
- Hold
it in and keep your chest and ribcage
high. Don't hold your breath through
the entire exercise, though. This
is just a technique to help stabilize
your core! As you perform the exercise,
you DO want to breathe - I like to
tell people to breathe through pursed
lips like you're blowing up a balloon
- This
technique will activate the Transverse
Abdominus
muscle which acts as a natural
weight belt inside you.
- As
you keep using this technique you
will find that your back and abdominals
will be much stronger. You may even
find that your back pain goes away.
When
to use them and when not to use them:
- They
are only possibly needed for exercises
such as squats, deadlifts, power cleans,
overhead pressing, bent-over rows,
etc. that use a lot of weight and
put your back in a vulnerable position.
- Even
then, they should not be used for
anything less than maximum lifting
attempts.
- Do
not use a belt for bench press, pushdowns,
laterals, etc. If you need a belt
for those, you're doing them wrong.
- If
you do use a weight belt for heavy
work, be sure to remove it immediately
after your set.
- Do
not wear belts too tight as they can
reduce blood flow in your abdomen
and lower back if they are excessively
constricting
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