The infamous weightlifting belt. You see them worn at the gym and during competitions by weightlifters and bodybuilders. While most weightlifters and bodybuilders will swear by them that they help, a recent article in Men’s Health Magazine says that they really do nothing for you.

“Even if you don’t think weight belts look ridiculous (they do), you should know that there is no benefit to wearing lumbar support. After reviewing 15 trials involving some 15,000 people, Dutch researchers discovered no convincing evidence that weight belts help prevent or treat back injuries, If anything, wearing one of these guy girdles may give you a false sense of security about your ability to lift heavier loads. (A better back saving strategy: Learn proper weight-lifting techniques at Menshealthtrainer.com)”

Some weight-lifters will tell you that you should save the belt for heavy lifts and learn to not use the belt for lighter loads and strengthen your back. Personally I’m on the fence about this one. While I do agree that proper lifting techniques should be studied and learned, I also think that there has got to be some kind of benefit of the support of a weight belt. However, I’m not a professional trainer so I can not support my opinion with facts. What is your take on weight belts?

Quote Source: Men’s Health Magazine September 2008 Issue

About 6 months ago I started a weekly feature here at Healthandmen.com called Arnold Says… Arnold Says is a feature where I take bits of information as I find fit from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s New Encyclopedia Of Modern Bodybuilding. The New Encyclopedia Of Modern Bodybuilding was put together by Arnold himself and is such a great book full of information for anyone that is interested in getting into the world of bodybuilding (Competetive or not) Weight Lifting or just getting a great work out. Of put together 5 links here of some of my favorite Arnold Says… posts. But if you ever want to read through all of them feel free to browse the “Arnold Says…” category listing to the right. Enjoy.

• Arnold Says you have to train your mind as well as your body
• Arnold Says Machines are important as are free weights in bodybuilding
• Negative Training is very important in development of the muscles
• Arnold Speaks of the importance of Protein Supplements
• Arnold gives you tips on what you may want to look for in a gym

Keep an eye out for future Arnold Says… features here at healthandmen.com.

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This to me is probably one of the most important things to look for if you are looking for a gym. Unless you have your own home gym or the space to accommodate one you will need to find a gym that suits you if you are serious about bodybuilding or just lifting weights. Arnold brings up some great points in the excerpt from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s New Encyclopedia Of Modern Bodybuilding.

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No, not the real Arnold. Just me taking quotes of great workout information from his book The New Encyclopedia Of Modern Bodybuilding. So without further adieu…

When It Comes To The Lat Muscles,

Arnold Says… 

“The lats have two basic functions as far as bodybuilding is concerned: They pull the shoulder back (a rowing motion) and pull the shoulders down (a pulldown or chinning motion). A common mistake when doing these movements is to use too much biceps effort and not enough back, or to involve the muscles of the lower back in a swaying motion instead of making the lasts do most of the work. You have to make an effort when training lats to isolate them so that only these muscles are involved in the movement.”

Quote Source: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s New Encyclopedia Of Modern Bodybuilding

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