Almost all men want to be strong. To do this, they play sports. Some people prefer football, others prefer martial arts, and others prefer weightlifting.
But, unfortunately, our body does not always respond positively to the load, especially if we do the exercises with a mistake.
Problems with the back, which are formed due to the appearance of a large load on the spine, concern not only athletes, but also ordinary people. That is why various remedies are so popular that help to relax a tense section of the back.
One of these tools that act as a preventative measure and also help the spine during exercise is a special belt for the back. During physical exertion that the athlete encounters during training, this product is an excellent means of protecting the back, which will help to avoid unwanted injuries. The belt will support the back and protect the vertebrae from displacement, as well as improve blood circulation in the lumbar region.
In this article we will look at how to choose a suitable model of this athletic equipment, indicate the cost and tell you where it is best to buy a belt for the back.
During physical exertion, it is not replaceable
The athletic belt is an effective sports equipment that helps prevent injuries associated with increased physical activity on the spine, lower back and back as a whole.
However, athletes use the product selectively, and not in all exercises. Of course, the belt for the back during physical exertion is indispensable, but can cause muscle atrophy. This is due to the fact that he takes on part of the load that falls on the spine.
Although such a side effect will only be in cases where the athlete throughout the training does not take off this sports accessory.
Appearance story
There are no mentions in history of the first who came up with a rigid belt to wrap his body in order to ease the load on his back during hard training.
To date, the first mention of the fact of its use is in the book of John Webster, which was released in 1905. It contains a photograph of an athlete who holds two girls. On his stomach you can see this accessory.
Then, in 1937, an American used the belt for the first time at the World Weightlifting Championships . Since then, more and more athletes began to protect their health, using a belt for the back during physical exertion.
Since today the trade in sports equipment is quite developed, you can find hundreds of manufacturers who offer various options for sports belts. Next, we consider those parameters that you should pay attention to first.
belt width
If you went to a sports store, you should have seen a wide selection of belts. First of all, you need to determine the width that a belt for weightlifting should have.
The most popular are belts, which are quite wide in the area of the spine. Due to the larger area of contact with the back, they provide better protection.
In this case, the front of the belt may be somewhat narrower. This will make it possible to comfortably perform exercises related to leaning forward. Cheaper options are narrow belts of the same width along the entire length.
Material
The material from which the weightlifting belt is made does not play a secondary role, and is also significantly reflected in the price of the final product. Today, the most popular are belts made of leather or synthetic materials.
The strength of the belts is checked for breaking, and in this natural material there are no equal. Belts from other components can fit more tightly to the skin, however, they will add less strength to your muscle corset than a properly selected leather belt.
But synthetic belts allow you to move and breathe freely. Moreover, they are able to take on a decent amount of load from the spine. Therefore, the choice of material mainly depends on the personal preferences of the athlete, because the belt is an individual thing.
The size
Like regular belts, athletic is made in different sizes. This parameter is important enough, because an overly large or small belt simply will not be able to effectively protect you from possible injuries.
There are 5 standard sizes that are suitable for different waist sizes:
S - 62-80 cm.
M - 72—90 cm.
L - 82-100 cm.
XL - 92-110 cm.
XXL - 102-120 cm.
You need to approach this issue quite seriously, without fear of spending 15-20 minutes trying on.
If you need a corset to support the back of a pregnant woman, the size grid will be completely different.
Average prices for a back belt
Sports equipment and accessories have always been expensive, due to increased demands on the quality of the finished product. The situation is similar with belts.
When choosing a company, it is necessary to give preference to trusted manufacturers who produce reliable products without fakes and defects. An example of such a company may be Mad Max, which has long established itself in the Russian market.
The popular Full Leather model will cost $ 29. For the money you will get a good accessory for back support. The belt is made of 100% genuine leather, and the maximum width at the back is 11 centimeters.
In front there is a ring of the form of the letter D, on which you can cling an additional load of up to 8 kg. For example, it is convenient when doing pull-ups on a horizontal bar with weights.
If the leather model did not interest you, then you can consider a belt made of 100% nylon. The model of the same manufacturer is called EXTREME MFB and costs about $ 23.
This option is easy to fasten with Velcro, and the maximum width of the back of the belt is 15 cm. Thanks to nylon, the athlete can feel at ease and at the same time work with fairly large loads. Also in the belt, AS, EW, AF technologies are used.
If you have a spinal injury, it is not recommended to strain your back. In this case, in training, it is better to wear a special medical corset for the back. The price of such an accessory ranges from 10 to 20 dollars, depending on the quality. Mostly corsets are made of synthetic materials and you can buy them at the pharmacy.