Strapping on a weightlifting belt before going heavy on your lifts could be leading to or exacerbating an already weakened pelvic floor. How Training With a Belt Affects Your Pelvic Floor They can also keep you from doing the hard work to build a truly strong core, making you reliant on the tool rather your own muscular strength and motor control. For one, lifting belts can give you a false sense of security, leading you to potentially lift more weight than you can handle. While there are clearly performance-related pros to wearing a belt-increased stability throughout your core, reduced lower-back stress, and tactile feedback to press against-there are also some cons. The stiff fabric or leather of a belt allows you to brace against it, which in turn allows you to generate more of what is called 'intra-abdominal pressure.' The more pressure present, the more supported the spine is, and the heavier the weight you can lift. Saying 'it protects your back' also doesn't quite tell the whole story. Strapping on a belt isn't just about meeting the gym fashion quota or looking tough under the bar. They just feel like they should wear one. When I ask questions about why they think they should, I find that most people don't have any idea what a belt does. Working in the physical therapy and fitness world, I'm often asked by aspiring lifters whether they should train with a belt. Doctors are always telling us to strengthen these muscles, especially after childbirth and as we creep toward middle age.ДЄs someone who lifts, you may think your pelvic floor is, by extension, as strong as your legs, back, or core. Pelvic floor muscles that are neither too tight nor weak are also important for enjoying pain-free sex, in providing support for a baby during pregnancy, and in working with the other muscles of your core to support your spine. I'm sure a few fit girls out there know exactly what I'm talking about. They play a major role in controlling your bladder and bowel, preventing you from leaking and tooting at inopportune moments-like during heavy squats, box jumps, or even jumping rope. In women, these sit much like a hammock-or a trampoline-and support your pelvic organs, including the bowel, bladder, and uterus. Rather than a single muscle, the pelvic floor is a group of muscles at the bottom of your pelvis. If you take your lifting seriously, you need to know this! What is the Pelvic Floor? Men have pelvic floors, too, but I'm writing this piece to address us ladies. The reason why is no surprise: Belts make you able to lift more weight! But, by trying to protect your lower back through the hardest reps, you could inadvertently be wrecking your pelvic floor, which can have far-reaching consequences that you'd definitely rather avoid.

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