Is Thicker Always Better? 13 mm vs. 10 mm Belts in Powerlifting
Belts have become an essential part of powerlifting because they offer several advantages: increased intra-abdominal pressure and, as a result, more efficient force transfer during the lifts. It is not the belt itself that creates this effect, but the way athletes brace against it.
When deciding which belt to buy for powerlifting, the thought process is often very short: what kind of belts do the athletes I look up to wear? In reality, the topic is much more complex than it may seem, with a number of variables that should be taken into account. The material itself, individual leverages, body-fat percentage, lifting style, and the construction of the buckle are just some of them.
In this article, I want to look at different aspects of this distinction. The final answer, as always, is: it depends. Take the time to consider which of the factors discussed apply to you and in which direction they point before deciding to buy a new belt.
Material and Stiffness
How stiff a belt is matters because it affects how usable the belt is across different lifts. The general trend seems to be: a stiffer belt for squats and a softer belt for deadlifts. A 13 mm belt is generally somewhat stiffer than its 10 mm counterpart, although the material and buckle also make a difference.
Strength Shop uses synthetic leather for its belts, which has traditionally been on the softer side. The good news is that new materials are constantly being developed internally, and an update is already on the horizon. Depending on the federation in which you plan to compete, make sure the belt meets the relevant material requirements of that federation, including thickness, width, length, and whether it appears on the approved list.
Keep in mind that a material that feels very stiff at first can become softer over time. If you have the opportunity, it is always worth trying different belts from people around you. Belts are pieces of equipment that usually last a relatively long time, but they do tend to lose stiffness with use. In general, the older the belt, the softer it is likely to become.
So if a belt initially feels a little too stiff for deadlifting, there is a good chance that within a few weeks or months, depending on use, it will become noticeably more flexible. This can improve comfort and make it easier to get into an efficient start position. Years ago - and I mean YEARS ago - people would even run new belts through a mangle or drive over them with a car to break them in.
As a general rule, the thicker the belt, the stiffer it will be. The type of closure can also make a difference. A traditional single- or double-prong belt will usually feel slightly less stiff than a lever belt because the lever closure creates more material overlap.
Leverages, Body Composition and Technique
How long is my torso compared with my legs? What is my body-fat percentage? Do I deadlift sumo or conventional? All of these factors should be considered before buying a belt.
One essential factor in how a belt works is torso length. Depending on the distance between the hip bones and the rib cage, a thinner or thicker belt may be more suitable. Athletes with longer torsos usually have more room to position the belt. Depending on their leg leverages, however, they may also have more forward torso lean in the bottom of the squat and in the deadlift start position.
Because leverages are highly individual, the following should only be seen as a general recommendation and should always be tested individually: athletes with a longer torso may benefit more from a 13 mm belt for additional rigidity during heavy lifts. Athletes with a shorter torso and little space between the ribs and hips may prefer a 10 mm belt for greater flexibility when reaching the deadlift start position or the bottom of a squat.
Arm length can also play an important role in the deadlift. Athletes blessed - or cursed, depending on who you ask - with long arms will usually start from a slightly higher position than others. That means less hip flexion and therefore more room for a stiffer belt. On the other hand, someone who deadlifts with more thoracic flexion, meaning a slightly rounded upper back, may find that a thicker belt gets in the way.
Body composition, including body-fat percentage and fat distribution, is another factor. Athletes with either a relatively high or low body-fat percentage may be more prone to bruising from a thicker belt. Bruises and scraped skin on the arm or thigh can become part of training. At the same time, for leaner athletes, a thicker belt during the squat can provide more soft-tissue compression, so there is a trade-off to consider. In the deadlift, there are also quite a few athletes who do not wear a belt at all because they otherwise cannot reach an efficient start position.
Belt position is just as important. When you buy a new belt, it is worth experimenting with how you wear it. Variables include the position along the torso - low, central, or high toward the sternum - the position of the buckle - front, side, or back - and the angle of the belt when viewed from the side - horizontal, tilted forward, or tilted backward.
There are trends here as well. Heavier athletes often wear the belt higher on the torso for deadlifts, while positioning it somewhat lower for squats. Depending on where the belt sits, the way you brace and the amount of tension you create can change as well.
Strength Shop also offers a slightly narrower belt at 7.6 cm. This can be especially useful for shorter lifters and is also frequently used for equipped bench pressing, which is a separate discipline within powerlifting.
Technique also plays a role. Beyond leverages and body composition, stance width is not the only variable that matters. Grip width, rib-cage position, external rotation at the hip, and torso lean in the bottom position can all influence which belt works best.
There Is Also the Bench Press
Many athletes also wear a belt for bench pressing. Because the goal is often to reduce the range of motion as much as possible, mobility and the ability to create a strong arch become important factors.
Athletes with a pronounced arch tend to use a belt less frequently on the bench press. With a high arch, there is less surface area for the belt to contact the back, and the belt can even restrict the arch. When a belt is used for bench pressing, it is generally positioned neutrally across the back and slightly lower at the front of the abdomen to interfere with the arch as little as possible.
Athletes who use less of an arch may benefit from a belt by improving force transfer from the legs. But bench-press technique is highly individual, and a belt can also cause someone to become too rigid or create excessive tension around the abdomen. The best approach is to try both options and compare what feels better.
One important rule: under IPF regulations, if you wear a belt during the bench press, the bar must not touch the belt, otherwise the attempt is invalid. Belts are nevertheless an integral part of equipped bench pressing. In this context, the belt is used to pull the single-ply bench shirt down while standing and then secure it in place. This keeps the shirt in the desired position and allows it to provide the best possible support during the lift.
Bruising From the Belt: Comfort or Support?
This is more of a side note: occasional bruising or small abrasions from using a belt can happen. However, there are important limits. If you regularly suffer bleeding injuries or if pain distracts you during a lift, you should change the belt position or consider a different belt.
Rare but still worth mentioning are cases in which athletes suffer bruised ribs or even small rib fractures when squatting with a very stiff belt. This usually happens when the belt is positioned in such a way that, at the bottom of the squat, it pushes upward against a rib from below. The force can be enough to cause injury.
If you experience rib pain from the belt during training, change its position immediately or consider using a different belt. In practice, these injuries seem to occur more often with 13 mm belts, but that does not mean a softer or thinner belt is automatically safer with regard to this risk factor.
Conclusion
And now we are back where we started: it depends. Choosing between a 13 mm and a 10 mm belt should not be a casual decision based only on what our role models use. It requires a more nuanced look at the individual factors involved.
My personal recommendation is to try different belts, but not just for a single session. Use each one for several weeks and include at least one heavier training week. To get a realistic impression, I would recommend testing a new or different belt for at least two to eight sessions.
Author: Paul Schlütter
https://fundamentalkraft.de/