I need a belt!

[crossparsley]

I have been lifting for ages and I love it, but my squats are so awful (barely more than I can bench, seriously). My trainer has tried a million things and while each of them definitely is helping, last week she suggested a belt. The ones on hand were too big but this week she brought hers in and it did miracles, I tell you.. So I need a belt for training on my own.

And I am asking for tips. Ideally it would have a lever buckle, as after tightening it up, and lifting, I'm not best placed to tighten a real buckle up more to release it. The one I tried was leather/suede - would that stretch in a way that a lever buckle wouldn't accommodate?

Most importantly, belts seem to range from about £10 to £200! I'm proabaly not happy to spring for the £200 models but it does make me wary of the seriously cheap ones. Any serious lifters/trainers around with good stories about models, or cautionary tales about ones that conked out?

Less importantly, is this the longest OP in the weights room?

[strongandlong]

I paid about £50 for my belt and it's fab. I'll try to remember where I got it! I know lots of people who have strength shop belts and they seem fine, definitely at the cheaper end of the spectrum.

What is it that you struggle with with your squat?

[crossparsley]

Thank you! I seem to go a bit "soft" just coming out of the bottom - lower back goes wobbly and knees can come in a bit (but I think the back rounding is the initiating problem). I can keep strong and straight on lower weights, it just goes to pot as the weight goes very slightly up. My idea was to use the belt for max only to keep putting manageable stress on my muscles, and see if I could push that max up incrementally.

[strongandlong]

Do you do any front squats? I find they're good for training you to keep really upright in the bottom position ('in the hole').

[Strongbeatsskinny]

It's your back that you need to strengthen before adding load onto a bar to squat. Seriously spend a month or more on your back and core strength then try again. Seriously give it a go it's obvious that it's poor back and glutes strength that needs building up beforehand.
A good coach wouldn't just give you a belt they'd look at the body mechanics we are all different with range of movement ect. Your program should be to your specific needs unique to you. Same applies to diet too hopefully you'll return to this forum and see my post.

[crossparsley]

Hi, sorry lost my password and couldn't be faffed to sort that for a while. Thanks for all the replies. My trainer (I've been with for years and she's pretty well-known) tried many other things with me - she really didn't just "give me a belt". I've done a lot of upper back (my weakness) focused work with her and sorted some form issues. I did get one and I only use it for my highest weights - which have increased. I'm also getting lower on all my squats, at any weight. At 47 and stuck on a squat plateau for a long time, I think that's useful for my motivation if nothing else (and I think it's useful for other things too).

[FindoGask]

I suck at squats too (when I started lifting, never mind bench press - I could military press almost as much as I could squat) but I'm nearly up to bodyweight squats now at 75 kg bodyweight through just sheer stubborn perseverance. It's still my weakest lift but after a year I can feel how much stronger my lower back and core have got. That weak point on the way up that you describe is exactly what would happen to me. When I'm tired I still have a tendency to "squat morning" when I'm squatting heavier weights.

I got better by just loads and loads of volume. After I get up to my rep max I drop the weight by 20 kg or so and do sets of 10 until I can't do any more. But obviously I don't know what I'm doing nearly as much as your coach will. Good luck with the belt, plateaus can be so demoralising.