Which powerlifting belt to buy

Two very good options for powerlifting belts for beginners are the Rogue Ohio belt and the Rogue Ohio Premium belt. Advanced athletes might want to choose the lever belt instead for more convenience and stability.

What is your why

Before we go into the details of which powerlifting belt to buy, let me ask you a couple of questions:

Why do you want to powerlift?
Why do you want to change your body?
What happens when you do?
What happens if you don’t?

These questions will make all the difference between your personal success and failure. Research shows that people who write down their goals and reflect on them are more likely to achieve them. When was the last time you did this? Can you even remember? If you want the life that you are proud of it will only happen by design. If you don’t get planning someone else will fill your time and it will make you miserable. Many will go about their lives like this:

What do I want
How do I get it
Why do I want it

This is a surefire way to royally fuck it up. What you want changes hundreds of times a day based on what you do, where you are and who you are with. Making this the guiding principle will spread your resources thin and scatter your time between too many projects. Something interesting happens when you flip these questions on their head:

Why do you want something
How do you get it
What needs to be done

Focusing on why you want something will connect your thoughts and actions and make success more likely. If you want to know how this works on a psychological level basis read Daniel Kahneman's thinking fast and slow. Simon Sinek's TED talk on the golden circle will change your life.

Better habits and rituals will get you where you want to go. One of the best tools I found to be more productive the self journal from best self. You can check it out via this link.

Why you need a powerlifting belt

Powerlifting belts help you to train harder for longer. They protect your spine and give your abdominal muscles a resistance to push against. This combination makes your midsection more rigid and therefore allows you to lift heavier weights. If you want to compete in powerlifting and ost the best possible results you will most likely wear one.

The downside of a belt is that it might dampen the development of your core and lower back. Using a belt too often can result in a midsection that is too weak compared to the rest of your body. This can cause hernia and lower back problems. When you use a belt be balanced about it.

Rogue lever belt

The Rogue lever belt is a top model from Rogue for powerlifters. It is made of 13mm black leather and open and closes with a metal lever so that you can take the belt on and off fairly quickly. If you are serious about powerlifting and don't want to use the belt for anything else, this is the one to go for. For weightlifting purposes, the metal clasp will get in the way when you are moving. For CrossFit, this belt is a bit heavy and cumbersome to move around freely.

Rogue 13mm powerlifting belt

The Rogue 13mm powerlifting belt was the version that came before the lever belt. This belt has a metal buckle as the closing mechanism. The advantage of this is that it can be used by multiple people with more ease, as you do not need a screwdriver to adjust it. This is the belt to get when you want to powerlift, but do not want to use a screwdriver to adjust the belt. For weightlifting purposes, this belt can be used but might be too big and rigid to develop the desired explosiveness. For CrossFit purposes, you might want to opt for a lighter model.

Rogue Premium Ohio belt

The Rogue Premium Ohio belt is a great compromise between all needs for lifting. It is not too thick and not too flimsy. If you want to get a great belt which you can use for all purposes, this is the one to get.

Rogue Pioneer belt

The Rogue Pioneer belt has a special design, which allows it to close in smaller increments than other lifting belts. If you fluctuate in weight quite a lot based on how you prepare for competition or if you are a smaller athlete, this is the right belt for you.

Rogue Oly belt

The Rogue Oly belt is a Rogue Ohio belt from which the front section has been mainly removed. This forms a belt which is broad at the back and narrows at the front to provide maximum support to the lower back while being able to work explosively with the barbell at the front of your body. This is a great option if you are an Olympic weightlifter and sometimes struggle with lower back pain.

Rogue Ohio belt

If you find that the Rogue Ohio Premium belt is a bit too expensive for your tastes then this is the time tested original from Rogue. I owned this belt for years before I gave it to my son. This piece of leather won't let you down and is a solid choice for first-time buyers.

Rogue 3 belt

A 3'' belt can be a good solution when you are very small or want more freedom to move during your lifts. The big difference to the other belts on this list is that is narrower and closes with a double prong. This might not be for everyone as the setup takes more time to open and close.

Rogue Echo belt

The Rogue Echo belt is the budget option of Rogue for a leather belt. If you want to save money and buy more equipment, or if you want to outfit a gym with 5 to 10 belts, this is a good option. The only downside is that this belt's finish is poorer than of the other belts on this. It will be more likely that this belt disintegrates over time.