How do you wear your belt for deadlifts?

[Wilhelm]

looser, tighter, higher, lower...?

However i was doing it the last few weeks was completely fine.
Not in the way, didn't move when i set up, didn't interefere with my breathing/bracing.

But today i just couldn't get it right no matter what i tried.
I did experiment today and pulled in my Romys. Something i've been curious about doing for a while now. Those felt great actually. But i'm wondering if that could be the thing that messed me up.

In any case, i'm curious how others wear a belt when they deadlift.
And maybe what was difficult about finding what worked for you.

I've only ever pulled conventional, btw.

Thanks.

[Cody]

Top edge of the belt just below my sternum, same tightness as squat.

[cwd]

I've never figured out how to wear my belt for deadlifts. I even have a 3" belt to play with.

So far I still do better beltless.

[TimK]

I wear it the same for squat, bench, press, and deadlift. Centered over my navel, and tight (I need to use the rack to put it on). It digs into my rib a bit when setting up for the deadlift, but it's tolerable.

I've tried wearing it higher a couple of times but it felt like it was crushing my ribs and I couldn't even get into position for the deadlift.

[damufunman]

I pull in Oly shoes as well. 3" belt pretty tight with the front shoved as low as I can get it and the back where it would be if belt was centered on navel. Still get some pinching and occasional bruising of iliac crest, but nothing too terrible.

[Wilhelm]

Thanks, guys. +++

Top edge of the belt just below my sternum, same tightness as squat.

I just mocked this up getting in position.
That one extra notch did it, and maybe one extra inch up.
Can breathe into my belly, belt doesn't move when i am down, and all my cues RE: shoulders/lats aren't interefered with.
I don't want any more DL sessions like today. Surprised i did as well as i did.

[iamsmu]

What timing. I tried using a 4" leather belt for the first time tonight. Before that I was using a velcro belt. I like the contour of the velcro much better, but it has a nasty tendency to pop open mid rep! The leather dug into my hip when it was too low. And I felt like I couldn't get it tight enough in the middle. Maybe I'll get a 3" to see or a smaller velcro. I was at the smallest point in my old velcro, so there wasn't much loop for the hooks to grab onto. . . . So far, the 4" leather is way better for squats though. . . .

[jake]

I wear my 4" with the bottom just at my belly button for deads. Top for squats, everything else in the middle. I'm 6'5" though, torso probably longer than average.

[LexAnderson]

I wear my 3 in belt right below the rib cage, a little looser than when I squat with my 4 in belt.

[Murelli]

I wear my 10cm belt with the bottom on my navel line for squats, centered.

For deadlifts I get it lower in the front and higher in the back about 1,5" (about 3cm), same tightness as for squats. The key is to position it with the prong in the first hole, then tighten it to the correct hole. No pinching, no rib poking, solid valsalva, much wow.

[Manveer]

10cm belt is centered across my navel for squats and deadlifts.

When I used to use an Inzer, which is a piece of shit, I tried all kinds of positions and it never felt right on the deadlift. Wahlanders feels good for both lifts.

[LexAnderson]

10cm belt is centered across my navel for squats and deadlifts.

When I used to use an Inzer, which is a piece of shit, I tried all kinds of positions and it never felt right on the deadlift. Wahlanders feels good for both lifts.

Ohhh, you has Wahlander? Much nice, much jealous!

[OCG]

The 13mm Pioneers are good too. Just that tiny little bit more flex and give to the pure leather belts, they form to you better. The way the buckle loop is done makes it much smaller too, so far less of a pain in the ass.

[ithryn]

When I'm fattened up I need to put the belt high in the back and low covering my belly button in the front. When I'm slimmed down I can just put it straight across under my ribs like I do for squats.

I do put it on loose and get set up to pull, then tighten the belt in whatever position it puts itself in.

[Wilhelm]

...I do put it on loose and get set up to pull, then tighten the belt in whatever position it puts itself in.

Ooh. That's an interesting idea.
I'll have to compare that to where i ended up in a mock up after last DL session.

[Wilhelm]

I'm pretty motivated to find a way to wear my 13mm lever belt for deadlifts as well as squats.
I had gotten used to wearing my 10mm single prong up around the sternum in front, and lower in back.
This requires using several holes looser than for squat. Not a practical option with the lever.

When i first tried my 13mm for DL, i tried it in the middle of my belly, and had the same slipping up my back thing happen when i set up, that led to the high in front low in back style.

Today was just light SGDL, but i went ahead and wore the 13mm just like i do for squats, down on my hips with the front center pushed down further.
That seemed to work great.

If i wear the 13mm high, and on the same hole as for squats, my ribs get in the way, and in the middle, i get a bulging out below the bottom of the belt that seems like it could lead to not good things.

I'm hoping heavy deads go as well with the 13mm as SGDL did today.

[KarlM]

I'm pretty motivated to find a way to wear my 13mm lever belt for deadlifts as well as squats.
I had gotten used to wearing my 10mm single prong up around the sternum in front, and lower in back.
This requires using several holes looser than for squat. Not a practical option with the lever.

When i first tried my 13mm for DL, i tried it in the middle of my belly, and had the same slipping up my back thing happen when i set up, that led to the high in front low in back style.

Today was just light SGDL, but i went ahead and wore the 13mm just like i do for squats, down on my hips with the front center pushed down further.
That seemed to work great.

If i wear the 13mm high, and on the same hole as for squats, my ribs get in the way, and in the middle, i get a bulging out below the bottom of the belt that seems like it could lead to not good things.

I'm hoping heavy deads go as well with the 13mm as SGDL did today.

I wear my 4" lever belt the same as I do for squats. When I'm fatter I can get some skin pinching on deads, but other than that, it seems to work well. I don't seem to have much room to move the belt around. It feels like it fits just perfectly between the bottom of my rib cage and the top of my hip pointers.

[Culican]

I don't have a lever belt (have a 13mm double prong). I wear it exactly the same for deads as for squats (and just as tight), just above my hips, which puts it right in the middle for me. The back does shift up a bit when I set up for deads but that doesn't cause any problems.

[Paul]

Ive been told I wear my belt extremely tight. I wouldn't argue with that, but I'm still pretty squishy, so it works.

I've got a belly again, so I put it on as low as possible, right above the pelvis, and pull the belt down/belly up and let it ride higher in the back. Easier to set my back that way.

Often I'll do an exaggerated deadlift motion to force it to ride up before I set up, so it doesn't move during the pull. Sometimes I'll tighten it again at this point.

I see a lot of strongmen and shw powerlifters do the same... belly over the belt as much as possible to get it out of the way.

Going back to cutting again though so we'll see how picky I am in a few months. Right now I have to do it this way... if I retain water from carbs/sodium or have a lot of food in me it feels like I can't reach the bar if I just slap a belt on.

I wear it more centered for squats. Used to wear it higher, but I previously had issues losing upper back tightness and cracked a rib on one of my first 315lb squats when I caved in at the bottom.

[platypus]

I used to wear it right under my pecs, Konstantin-style, because I couldn't set my back with the belt around my belly. But I ended up realizing I can pull more unbelted. Even a 3" belt makes my pull weaker.