The results indicate that subjects' mean erector spinae activity was greater (p < 0.0125) in the lumbar region of the spine when wearing weight belts (*258 SD; 69.0 analog-to-digital units) during squatting exercises than the mean activity in subjects who were not wearing weight belts (*235 SD; 71.3 analog-to-digital units).
Practical Applications
When an athlete or coach uses or recommends particular equipment, it is crucial that the equipment performs as expected. Weight belts are commonly used in recreational, competitive, and industrial lifting situations. Although the benefits of wearing belts remains in dispute, until evidence is presented to the contrary, many lifters will continue to believe that wearing a weight belt increases the stability of the spine and decreases the likelihood of injuring the lower back. The general opinion of those who use the back support lifting belts is that the increased external support offered by the belt should decrease the need for muscular stabilization and should elicit a decrease in erector spinae activity during lifting.
This study was designed to determine if a decrease in erector spinae activity is observed while performing high-bar squats when wearing a weight support belt when compared to equivalent lifts while not wearing a belt. A noticeable decrease would indicate that the belt is relieving some of the need for the erectors to provide as much muscular stabilization of the lumbar spine as would be necessary in performing the same lifts without the belts. Findings that would indicate an increase or no difference in erector spinae activity between the 2 conditions of wearing a weight belt and not wearing a weight belt would tend to refute the theory that wearing a weight belt helps maintain proper lower-back mechanics and would likely decrease the chance of injury to that region during lifting.
In short, if anything less than a decrease in erector spinae activity is observed in someone who performs a squat while wearing a belt, the belt does not provide the biomechanical change people expect to help minimize the risk of lower-back injury. Our findings do not support wearing weight belts during submaximal lifting as a method of reducing erector spinae muscle activity. Athletes, coaches, and industry in general must be made aware that weight belts do not elicit the biomechanical benefits in trunk stabilization and support that they are commonly thought to provide.