A year of Crossfit, and what it's done for me!

[Scorpion]

Very common misconception about what a belt is and why it is used.

I see about 90% of people using the wrong kind of belt(tapered) and wearing it wrong(too low).

They are not meant to supplement core strength, they are meant to be used as a limiter(think of it as a barrel band) when you brace your abdominal wall essentially filling your lower cavity and pressing your guts against your spine to keep it in place and free from compression.

No amount of core strength will keep your disks where they should be when you start going heavy.

This right here. You can train without a belt (in fact, you should - strong core muscles, front, back, and sides, are never a bad thing), but a good belt is worth its weight in gold when going heavy.

[Double3]

Very common misconception about what a belt is and why it is used.

I see about 90% of people using the wrong kind of belt(tapered) and wearing it wrong(too low).

They are not meant to supplement core strength, they are meant to be used as a limiter(think of it as a barrel band) when you brace your abdominal wall essentially filling your lower cavity and pressing your guts against your spine to keep it in place and free from compression.

No amount of core strength will keep your disks where they should be when you start going heavy.

I have a 10mm Inzer and I know what a belt is for.

All I'm saying is I dropped the belt and worked my DL and squat up to where I was and it made a huge difference in overall strength and injuries.

I'm also not real worried about putting 400 on my back or pulling 6 anymore.

[Digital_Damage]

Serious? Did not know that.

Yep they provide no structural support.

Not needed if you live in FL, would be a good thing to have if you live in NY.

[Ironman8]

Regarding a belt, I personally don't use one until I reach 80-85% plus of my 1RM. You also don't want to cinch the belt down super tight so that you can have room for your core to expand and brace against the belt. Last thing to consider is that the belts that taper down for the buckle at the front, don't have enough surface area to brace against (effectively) compared to the belts that are a single width all the way around. You want more surface area around the front of your core to brace against.

[LowSpeed_HighDrag]

I had similar experiences with 4 months of crossfit, including a pretty bad back injury which is now nagging and ever present. My cardio greatly improved, but my strength stayed about the same. I did not lose bodyfat (and I am overweight) despite going 5x a week. I still have 7 punches left on my membership card...any takers?

[WS6]

I did it after back day, and half-heartedly approached it. Here is a video of me doing all 3 lifts in circuit after a hard chest day and 2.25mi run. Because I wanted them all in the same video. Sadly, I set the DL down oh so gently (seriously, it was silent when it cream-puffed down onto the platform...), but my phone chose THAT MOMENT to run out of memory, and screw posterity! But I promise. Scouts honor. I didn't drop it (I was told that was a no-go in competition?). I lowered her with perfect form gently to the mat. It's so much harder doing these lifts in circuit, I took some weight off the lifts as I had no spotter and all. Anyway, 1000# club in under 5 minutes:

[Digital_Damage]

I did it after back day, and half-heartedly approached it. Here is a video of me doing all 3 lifts in circuit after a hard chest day and 2.25mi run. Because I wanted them all in the same video. Sadly, I set the DL down oh so gently (seriously, it was silent when it cream-puffed down onto the platform...), but my phone chose THAT MOMENT to run out of memory, and screw posterity! But I promise. Scouts honor. I didn't drop it (I was told that was a no-go in competition?). I lowered her with perfect form gently to the mat. It's so much harder doing these lifts in circuit, I took some weight off the lifts as I had no spotter and all. Anyway, 1000# club in under 5 minutes:

LOL @ the socks

[Digital_Damage]

much better on the bench

[WS6]

LOL @ the socks

I do not care. I am emotional about those socks. They are wool. And bulletproof to wear. And I'll endure any amount of shaming.

[WS6]

much better on the bench

Ty. This was after trying for it and restarting after camera failure at 4 reps. Then this whiny bitch started crooning. With better music and not redoing the attempt almost half way through, I bet I could gone for 10.