Dr. Andy Galpin

But then ideally we progress to the next step where we can remove it and we have conscious control of that musculature or that movement pattern independent of an external stimuli.

If we're going to be loading really, really heavy, maybe 85% or more of our 100 max on a bench or a pull-up or an overhead press or some big movement,

and someone feels more secure and more stable and they want to add a belt, then I'm absolutely okay with that because we're no longer using that movement to train the core.

We're actually trying to get better at that movement.

And we have plenty of ways to train our core on separate exercises.

So slap on a belt, even if they want to cinch it down super tight, because we're trying to get stronger in the deadlift or a lunge or something else.

Totally fine there.

But what we probably want to do is say, okay, whenever we fall, you know, say below 90% or below 85%, maybe don't use our belt because we need to make sure that we're developing enough muscle strength in that movement to be safe when we load it heavier.

So hopefully that gives you a little bit better understanding about how I think about using belts and how they can both undercut ab development as well as accelerate ab development.

It's entirely based upon not...

the technology or the equipment itself, but how you're utilizing it, when you're utilizing it, who you're utilizing it with, and what the ultimate goal or outcome is.

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