A "same-same but different" 3" vs 4" belt question

Training Q&A [Moderated]
1

I’ve been lifting with a 3" Iron Bull belt, because my previous 4" “Rise” brand belt was shifting on my torso and digging into my ribs anteriorly.

I recently tried a 4" SBD belt at the local ironmonger, and it felt very solid. It’s possible that my 3" belt needs adjusting, but this belt was noticeably tighter, possibly because of hole spacing or something.

Anyway, at 5’5.5" with gravity turned off, it definitely sat over the top of my hips and the bottom of my rib cage, and it was very tolerable on a practice empty-bar deadlift, but there was significant “digging-in” pressure-like pain at the bottom of a practice squat.

  • Is this pain typical of 4" belts on short people? Does anyone know? Is this the pain that gets better as you get tougher or the leather breaks in?
  • If I switched, would I be able to lift more? I heard something on the podcast (if I recall correctly) stating that we’re not 100% sure what belts do, in terms of evidence.. like we’re not sure if they actually reduce injury and we’re not sure how they help with lifting more if they do.. and I was thereby wondering if it would be worthwhile gambling on this 4" SBD belt vs just adjusting and sticking with my 3" Iron Bull strength belt, in the ongoing pursuit of gains.
  • is this one of those things that doesn’t matter at the novice level but matters more later on? I figure it would be best to get the whole belt thing sorted early, but that I should understandably be open minded if something should change.
2

Jfd,

I have not had any of my lifters report significant pain with a 4" belt that was resolved with a 3" belt. A good belt does tend to break in over time, though there are many poor quality belts out there that use poor material.

I do not know if you would lift more with the 4" belt, as it’s mostly personal preference. That said, I truly never recommend a 3" belt for adults. I think most non-competitive lifters should get a 4" single prong or lever, 10mm belt. For competitors, a 13mm 4" belt is likely worth it, but probably overkill otherwise.

For more info, check out this article:

1 Like
3

I’m going to take my belt and screwdriver into the fitness equipment store and will sort this out with them. If this discomfort is supposed to happen either way until the belt or my body is broken in, then that may mean I’m fitting my current belt or wearing my current belt incorrectly, and the 4" belt is simply being worn correctly because there’s only one place it could go on my torso. Will report back if there are further issues, thanks very much.