I often find analogies between physical fitness training/sports and life. Today is no exception.
I have never really been a fan of weight lifting belts except for near maximal lifts of exercises such as the deadlift and squat. Before I started lifting exclusively at home, I often noted people wearing belts nearly all the time at the gym—even on machines! I have not personally used a belt in decades.
In the last six months of training, I have been focused on strength—particularly in building my deadlift and full range of motion squat. I am beginning to lift weights I have never lifted before (they are still not impressive by weightlifter standards, but, at 6’5” and 55 years, I feel pretty good about the weights). At this point, the challenge becomes mental. Each added weight comes with a fear of injury (an unreasonable fear, I might add). So, the question of using a belt has begun to cross my mind.
Now, from a practical point of view, beginning to use a belt makes sense for my “working weights” (i.e., excluding the warm-up sets), especially near the end of the training cycle when I am pushing the heaviest weights. Using a belt when it is not necessary fails to fully develop the core stabilizing muscles and causes increased reliance on the belt. The belt should only be used when the risk of injury is greatest—e.g., for heavy squats, deadlifts, standing presses, etc.
The consideration of using a belt got me thinking about the psychological “belts” we use of a daily basis—the unnecessary support that we use on a daily basis. We can fear the unknown and the risk of failure. We can fear “injury”. The options are to never push ourselves, to “wear our belt” all the time, or to tighten the belt and push through the heavy set.
Growth requires “overload” and “progression”. Thus, the first option is not a good choice. We will remain weak as we go through the motions in life.
If we wear the belt all the time, we never strengthen our internal supports. We grow dependent on external support in even the moderate trials in life. We grow in certain areas, but we lack growth in some of the most critical areas of life.
If we are growth-minded, we have to allow ourselves to be challenged. We have to be willing to be uncomfortable. When we are challenged on a regular basis, we grow in all dimension—our internal support grows stronger. As we rely on our external support only in the most challenging circumstances, we are able to grow beyond our current comfort.
My progress is sometimes limited because I fear taking on a little more—when I really push the limits of my comfort zone. At this point, it is easy to back off a bit. (Which has often been the case as I reach the end of a progression.) In doing so, growth is limited.
Maybe it is time to put on a lifting belt (when I am lifting new weights at the end of a cycle). The key is to rely on the support only when it is most needed.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!