To even the most dedicated raw powerlifters a belt is often a standard piece of equipment. Weightlifting belts increase intra-abdominal pressure, which supports the spine. Even when used incorrectly, they can at the very least remind you to keep your back flat throughout a set.
I recently tried out the 2POOD Black Metcon Training belt, and I won’t be using any other belts any time soon. With a sturdy construction, the perfect width in the back, and the adjustable Velcro design, this is perfect belt for my needs.
Because I only use belts on the heaviest sets of my squats and deadlifts, I needed one that was fast to use and simple to operate, but also actually did the job. I had an old leather buckle weightlifting belt that I thought I’d never stray from. However, being old and leather, it was dangerously close to snapping where the leather was cracked from being bent over the buckle. Also, the buckle took a while to operate, mostly when I wanted to get it off at the end of the set. Even worse, depending on my weight (or rather how much extra padding I was carrying around) I couldn’t always find just the right tightness. Sometimes the only options were just a little too tight or too lose.
On that realization, I switched to a lesser quality Velcro belt than the 2POOD version. It was a big mistake that could have been much worse. About halfway through my second rep of a heavy deadlift set it popped right off. As any seasoned lifter knows, that could have been disaster.
Then along came 2POOD. I really felt that a synthetic belt with Velcro was the way to go, but I needed a solid product to convince me, and the 2POOD belt did the trick. With a heavy-duty design, sturdy stitching, and Velcro that shows no quit, it was exactly what I needed. Not only that, but it also didn’t have weird design features like seams that bumped into each other and needed to be overlapped as you tightened it, which I have seen frequently on other synthetic belts.
To be fair, it’s easy to praise a product that’s still new when compared to older versions of similar products. My leather belt served me well enough through many sets, and I haven’t been using this 2POOD belt for the years the leather one lasted. Only time will tell if the sturdy design and Velcro are up to the task, but so far so good. I love the fact that without the buckle I can tighten it to exactly the right degree on every single set, and I don’t have to worry about it coming undone in the middle of a rep.
If you’re a serious powerlifter lifting serious poundages, a buckled belt might be the only option strong enough for you. If you’re squatting or deadlifting in excess of 500 lbs, a Velcro belt might not be right for you. For all of the rest of us, however, I recommend giving the 2POOD weightlifting belt a shot. It’s the best of its kind I’ve used.
The 2POOD Black Metcon Training Belt is available for $34.99 at 2Pood.com.