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Belts lever or prong?


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What is better? And why?

Lever - easy to get on and off, but hard to adjust? Heard need to unscrew it and f*ck around with it... Some people have belt tighter/looser for squats and deads.

Prong - hard to get on and off? But easy to choose between options of tightness/looseness?

(not answering my own questions lol just putting thoughts out there)

Chur bradas

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i reckon lever look convenient , but also only takes like 20 seconds to put on a prong one.

if you use prong and are always using the same holes then lever will save you a tiny bit of time but can't see how the advantage/disadvantage of either could be any more than that few seconds

 

maybe lever can break easier eg get worn out over time dunno

 

prong is cheaper

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Yep you need to unscrew the lever and adjust the lever if you want to adjust the width. I like my lever but some days if im a little bloated tightening the lever seems to almost squash in my gut to tight in squats . I have a 3 inch prong belt that I use a lot at the moment to and I love it and its just as quick really. Both are good though its just what you prefer.

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I use a single prong because I adjust the tightness between sets and exercises. I find even having the belt super loose helps cue me to keep my core tighter. 1 notch tighter than that for most working sets, another notch tighter when working 85-90% and above. Most of the time I deadlift 1 notch looser than squat as well. With a lever I'd be adjusting it far too often, and I've never had a problem getting the prong tight enough.

Only want to use 1 tightness setting per exercise, lever. If you change tightness through warm ups and movements, go single prong. 

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I use a single prong because I adjust the tightness between sets and exercises. I find even having the belt super loose helps cue me to keep my core tighter. 1 notch tighter than that for most working sets, another notch tighter when working 85-90% and above. Most of the time I deadlift 1 notch looser than squat as well. With a lever I'd be adjusting it far too often, and I've never had a problem getting the prong tight enough.

Only want to use 1 tightness setting per exercise, lever. If you change tightness through warm ups and movements, go single prong. 

 

why single prong vs double?

only ever had double and was told avoid single cos they can break (sceptical of that though) and always figured double better than single?

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Double prongs are harder to put on, especially tight, and get stuck and are harder to get off. It's an extra prong to get in the way that really doesn't provide any more strength to the belt. Had my Titan single prong for almost 4 years without any issues. 

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Double prongs are harder to put on, especially tight, and get stuck and are harder to get off. It's an extra prong to get in the way that really doesn't provide any more strength to the belt. Had my Titan single prong for almost 4 years without any issues. 

 

ok sweet good point

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Lever only - broken 3 belts before I got my first lever.  I have two due to sponsored now lol ... but both belts fit perfect on first time.  yes you have to unscrew it but your waistline shouldn't fluctuate much.

 

I have only just had to adjust mine due to 20kg gain in 3 months.

 

If I feel bloated I lock it into only the first two holes and then tightens through the workout.  I like my belt quite tight on a squat.  In the past I would have to ancor myself on a rack to get it to go as good as my lever. 

 

Will never use a prong belt again.

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Quality's the issue with both forms of belt - I've broken an Outbak two-prong (the buckle was made of bronze, not steel and once one brazed joint gave way, it was toast (at the bottom of a 160kg squat). 

 

I've personally seen guys break levers too - on cheap belts the roll-pins that hold the moving parts drift out, all the load goes to one side of the lever, and it fractures. 

 

I use both - atm I'm using a two-prong Outbak, because I like it looser on deads than squats, but when I'm at comp weight I use the same setting for both, and like the lever (13mm Inzer, solid as a rock).

 

Bottom line - buy quality. 

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Quality's the issue with both forms of belt - I've broken an Outbak two-prong (the buckle was made of bronze, not steel and once one brazed joint gave way, it was toast (at the bottom of a 160kg squat). 

 

I've personally seen guys break levers too - on cheap belts the roll-pins that hold the moving parts drift out, all the load goes to one side of the lever, and it fractures. 

 

I use both - atm I'm using a two-prong Outbak, because I like it looser on deads than squats, but when I'm at comp weight I use the same setting for both, and like the lever (13mm Inzer, solid as a rock).

 

Bottom line - buy quality.

So in your opinion what is quality? Give some suggestions..

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Yeah jimmy just deciding which type to buy. What do u mean single piece?

I have both, one for maximal (lever) one for BAU (prong).

Why you do this? So your lever belt stays stiff?

 

 

Typically due to my weight fluctuations bro. Can be up or down 3-4kgs in a week and makes a big difference when training.

 

Lever works great for comps as I usually always come in at the same weight.

 

So if I had to chose one, it'll be my double prong belt due to pure laziness.

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Yeah jimmy just deciding which type to buy. What do u mean single piece?

I have both, one for maximal (lever) one for BAU (prong).

Why you do this? So your lever belt stays stiff?

 

 

By single piece I mean a double prong but one buckle that does both. 

 

Might be hard to time though 

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Bottom line - buy quality.

So in your opinion what is quality? Give some suggestions..

 

Inzer -  http://www.inzernet.com/- not sure who the nearest seller is.

Titan - http://www.titansupport.com= quality - but pricey.

SBD - are apparently moving into belts after their start with knee sleeves.

Outbak - had a quality problem but generally aren't too bad.

 

I've heard good things about Rogue (roguefitness.com), and the guys behind GetStrength.co.nz are well-known around the powerlifting community so their products have been tested. This one might be worth a look:  http://www.trademe.co.nz/sports/exercise-equipment-weights/weights/other/auction-849222889.htm 

 

Most of the people I know to have problems have been buying low-cost no-name knock-offs on Trade-me.  With a good belt from most of those companies running around $USD 90/ $NZD 120, paying $30-40 won't get you quality. 

 

One thing that hasn't come up in the lever-v-prong discussion, but does relate to quality, is the belt's thickness.  Most powerlifting belts either 10mm or 13mm (max in IPF comps) and there's a reason for that - thin ones will stretch, bend, buckle.  

 

Oh, and another way the cheap belts aren't quality is width - they are narrower around the front, not the full 100mm width of the quality belts.  Belts aren't a back support, they're reinforcing the core by bracing abs against it, and a narrow tongue and buckle won't do that.  

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i use both, most of the time my dirty old quick release outback prong 5 years and still dominating, levers are great in theory but a pain in the ass for normal training when you do heaps of different things, for me anyway as i use its tight on some shit loose on others, but comp time love my beastly 13mm lever from harris add a hole new level of support http://www.harrisstabilitysystems.com.au/index.php/belts

 

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i use both, most of the time my dirty old quick release outback prong 5 years and still dominating, levers are great in theory but a pain in the ass for normal training when you do heaps of different things, for me anyway as i use its tight on some shit loose on others, but comp time love my beastly 13mm lever from harris add a hole new level of support http://www.harrisstabilitysystems.com.au/index.php/belts

I try order one other day but wasn't giving me a shipping option to bay of plenty, nz. So I email them and no reply. Did you have to sort out with them off website?

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i use both, most of the time my dirty old quick release outback prong 5 years and still dominating, levers are great in theory but a pain in the ass for normal training when you do heaps of different things, for me anyway as i use its tight on some shit loose on others, but comp time love my beastly 13mm lever from harris add a hole new level of support http://www.harrisstabilitysystems.com.au/index.php/belts

I try order one other day but wasn't giving me a shipping option to bay of plenty, nz. So I email them and no reply. Did you have to sort out with them off website?

 

 

I just contacted him via FB, pretty much back and forth replys the same day, i think he just does $50 shipping to nz flat rate, pretty steep if you only get 1-2 things, i got some gear awhile back, and he chuck in a few other free things as well, and was here about 3 days later I so cant complain 

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I know this question will make all the powerlifters recoil in horror, but what about the velcro belts?

 

I've got a York belt with a velcro/webbing fastening which I'm very happy with. This particular one probably isn't tough enough for really heavy lifting, but it suits anything I'm likely to be doing for a while. And I'm sure it could easily be made tougher.

 

The weakest point would be the buckle - and as I say, that can be strengthened. The velcro has an immensely strong grip, provided there's enough of it to wrap around behind you - and the more pressure goes on the belt, the more it pulls the velcro into itself.

 

The big advantage of velcro is that it's infinitely adjustable to whatever size you need. Also, you can never do up a pronged belt as tight - there's always a bit of play where the belt loosens so the prongs can fall into place. By contrast, the velcro belt can be fixed at its tightest position.

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I know this question will make all the powerlifters recoil in horror, but what about the velcro belts?

<recoils in horror>

Seriously (and I had a N*** Velcro belt before I saw the light) the only thing I could fault would be:

Stretch - it'll give a lot more than 13mm of cowhide will;

Consistency - you know that notch 3 is always notch 3, not 3 and a bit; and the biggie

Legality - the IPF rules say what's legal, and cloth/Velcro isn't. It'd be like taking a baseball bat to play cricket, or using an aluminium bat in the US Major Leagues (hickory only)

But outside of competitive powerlifting, they're fine just look at video of the CrossFit Open. All those athletes can't be wrong!

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