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This manuscript reviews the literature on the effects of the use of back belts in industrial and strength and conditioning applications. Although the results are mixed, the preponderance of evidence supports some use of back belts during resistance training.
Keywords: back belt; weight belts; interabdominal pressure; injury prevention
One of the more controversial issues in both industrial and strength and conditioning settings centers around the use of a device known as the lifting belt, weight belt, or back belt. A recent survey of health club members determined that 27% were lifting belt users. Ninety percent of those who used a lifting belt reported doing so to prevent injury, whereas 22% wore one to improve performance (8). However, questions remain as to the effectiveness of a lifting belt on lifting performance in either occupational or strength and conditioning settings.
In the last several years, consumer and coaching publications (5, 10, 14, 18) and literature reviews (9, 11, 20-22) have examined the use of the lifting belt. With the exception of the literature review by Genaidy and Simmons (11), who suggest that lifting belts can reduce load on the lumbar spine, most reviews assessing the use of lifting belts in occupational settings report that there is insufficient evidence to recommend their use (20, 21). Furthermore, lifting belts reduce lumbar motion but do not appear to reduce electromyography (EMG) of the erector spinae and abdominal oblique muscles or increase interabdominal pressure (IAP), therefore offering insufficient reason to recommend them for industrial workers (22). A review by Frankel and Kravitz (9) notes that industrial and fitness settings differ, as do laboratory and applied fitness settings, and that use of the lifting belt may be appropriate in some cases. However, industrial settings do not replicate gym conditions because loads are typically lower and exercise or exertion duration is typically more endurance-oriented.
In an attempt to empirically determine the effectiveness of the lifting belt, a number of studies have been conducted, with results appearing in occupational (3, 6, 12, 16, 18, 23, 24, 26-28) and sports science (1, 2, 4, 7, 13, 15, 17, 25, 29) research publications. Tables 1 and 2 summarize the results of the occupational and sports science research studies, respectively. Collectively, these studies have attempted...