Your belt should be for when you’re doing squats, deadlifts (and any exercises where you want to protect your back). We recommend putting it on when working at over 75% of what you can lift as a maximum. If your maximum squat is 140kg then wear your belt when squatting anything over 105kg.

When wearing a belt you should feel an immediate difference with it supporting your back. Comfort will depend on the belt style. A powerlifting belt is the same width all the way around and thicker than a weightlifting belt, so can feel uncomfortable around hips and ribs.

A weightlifting belt is tapered so that it doesn’t dig in when bending down. Sometimes you’ll want to sacrifice comfort for that bit of extra support.

Unless you are planning to compete in powerlifting we recommend an Olympic weightlifting belt. These are often called “gym belts” or simply “weightlifting belts”. They are 4” at the back (often with a pad inside), tapering to 2.5” on sides and front. They are secured with a roller buckle.

Our weightlifting belts are between 7-9mm thick, which allows them to give a great amount of support whilst maintaining user comfort and flexibility. They are not like the flimsy and floppy belts often found in gyms!

For anyone competing in powerlifting you should be looking at powerlifting-specific belts, which are the same width all the way around. They come in 10mm and 13mm thicknesses and 3” or 4” widths.

We recommend choosing a 3” wide belt if you’re below 5’9” tall as a 4” belt can be too uncomfortable.

You are paying for a belt made from top grain Italian vegetable tanned leather. The leather we use is much stronger and longer lasting than the chrome-tanned leather used in cheap, mass-produced belts. Chrome tanning is awful for the environment, polluting waterways with dangerous chemicals.

Every one of our belts is made one at a time, focusing on quality and longevity. We are so confident in this that we offer a lifetime warranty on our belts. Full details here.