When it comes to leather weightlifting belts one will definitely look for a genuine leather, thick, well-made, and durable belt with a reliable buckle and stitching. You are right. A properly sized and high-quality belt will meet all your needs in the lower back, core, and stomach protection, giving you extra support for a comfortable painless training experience.
Weightlifting belts differ in the types of materials used, construction, closure, thickness, width, stitching. All these factors affect the support and protection of your body, durability, comfort, and overall performance of the gear. Evaluate all the factors, important for you, whether you are an experienced weightlifter or a beginner.
In the comparison table, Buyer’s guide, and product info sections you’ll see some details and helpful tips for the right choice. All 5 best leather weightlifting bests are chosen according to the recommendations of common people who do weightlifting and professionals to give you the most valuable advice.
DARK IRON FITNESS Pro Weight Lifting Belt for Men and Women – the best quality for strong support
The Pro weightlifting belt made by Dark iron fitness from high-quality genuine buffalo hide leather won’t cause any discomfort or pain and cut into your hips or stomach, it’s quite flexible and soft.
Legal for competitions, this belt is heavy-duty and durable with proper back support and the ability to increase your lifting power by 10 % on average.
Pros
- Genuine buffalo hide leather, 4” wide
- Premium-quality and long-lasting
- Well-made and heavy-duty
- Doesn’t squeeze or cut into your hips, sides, or stomach
- Soft and flexible
- Supports your back with zero pain or discomfort
- Approved by IPF and USAPL
- You can lift more than 600 pounds
- Plus 10% to weight lifting ability
- Double stitching finish
- 2 prong buckle can be used on both sides
- Proper width and thickness of the belt for great performance
- Affordable
Cons
- Lacks the second loop on the belt to fix the rest
The Pro weight lifting belt is produced from thin leather, which prevents any discomfort while exercising, it is soft and flexible enough. At the same time, it provides astonishing support to your back thanks to its great quality and strength. Very durable even when used daily with heavy loads.
PROFITNESS Genuine Leather Workout Belt – the best value for money
It’s often hard to find the balance between the quality and affordability of the product. This Profitness leather workout belt is a real value for money.
It’s unisex and suits different kinds of training. The belt doesn’t stretch or slip, it maintains its shape and is tear-resistant for maximum back and core protection and comfort.
Pros
- Genuine cowhide leather, 4” wide
- 2 prong buckle closure
- Maintains proper form to increase power and decrease traumas
- Doesn’t stretch
- Resistant to wear and tear
- Supports the lower part of the back
- Great for cross-training, powerlifting, or daily exercises
- Doesn’t slip or spin
- Protects the back from injuries
- Supports tough abdominals
- Unisex
- Affordable price
Cons
- The rivets on the best pop and go loose
To get the best awesome and supportive belt to take correct measurements. At the line of the belly button estimate your waist with a measuring tape. The belt is properly worn at this level of height. You can also measure the largest volume of your stomach, as the unit has lots of eyelets. If your waist length is very close to the upper range of the belt, choose the next size to feel comfortable.
HARBINGER Padded Leather Weightlifting Belt – the best for an attractive price and padded construction
The Harbinger padded leather belt is different from the other selected models by its cushioned and contoured shape. A wider front part guarantees comfort and additional support for your abdominals.
The belt stabilizes your core and back for a protected painless weightlifting experience. The double stitching and a steel buckle allow it to serve you longer. The most pleasant bonus is the low price, which makes it affordable even for beginners.
Pros
- Genuine leather, 4” wide
- Contoured shape
- Foam cushion and suede inside for increased comfort
- Durable double stitching
- Stabilizes your core and back while lifting weight
- Protects your abdominals
- Steel roller buckle with 2prongs
- 4 sizes available for a perfect fit
- Inexpensive
Cons
- Cheap materials, it rips quickly
- Cardboard inside
If you have ordered an undersized belt, try the next steps. Wet it with a little water and heat the unit with an ordinary hair dryer. Make an effort to stretch it with your hands. It can be helpful, but try to make your measurements as accurate as possible before you purchase.
STOIC Powerlifting Belt – the best for sole leather design
This Stoic thick sole genuine leather belt is designed for extra durability and reliable protection of your back. It is suitable for both professional and amateur sportsmen for various kinds of training and even competitions.
4” wide perfect construction of the unit provides significant support and stability for your spine, lower back, and abdominals.
Pros
- Full-grain sole leather, 4” wide, vegetable tanned
- Single nylon stitching
- Strong and thick 1 prong roller buckle
- The edges of the belt are left uncovered
- Thick 100% pure leather – nothing to hide
- Suede inside
- Long-lasting and reliable
- Perfect construction
- Ensures additional support, stability during exercising
- Increases your lifting power
- Approved by USAPL, USPA, IPF for competitions
- Great for professionals doing Cross Training, Olympic Lifting, Powerlifting, Weightlifting, Bodybuilding, and just for amateur workouts
Cons
- The tongue goes hard through the loop, but over time it’s ok
If you somewhere in between the sizes, remember that the belt has to sit tightly on your waist for maximum support and protection. You can always add one more hole on the best to fit well.
HAWK SPORTS Genuine Leather Weightlifting Belt – the best for adjustability and super simple closure
This top-quality weightlifting belt is manufactured from real leather and features ultra-simple lever closure and adjustability. It has 12 holes to fit your waist size perfectly.
With a flip buckle construction, you’ll forget about any trouble with locking and opening your belt, it takes just a second to get ready for your workout. Triple stitching, thick pure leather increase the durability, and rounded edges with skin-friendly suede inside provide you with comfy protection of your spine.
Pros
- Premium-quality genuine leather, 4” wide
- Very thick lever belt
- Flip buckle design for easy fastening
- Great for such lifting exercises, as deadlifts and squats
- Triple black stitching for extra durability
- IPF legal
- Stabilizes the spine when weightlifting or powerlifting
- Comfy rounded edges
- Skin-friendly lining – genuine suede
- 12 holes to be perfectly adjusted
- Looks outstanding
- Well-made
- A great bargain
Cons
- An unpleasant smell after purchase
- The holes on the belt are small, when it arrives, you can make them bigger to lock easier
The assembly is super easy – you have to put in only two screws. The lever mechanism is sturdy and holds well.
Buyer’s Guide
Types of leather
- Real leather
The belts produced from pure thick leather are very heavy-duty and durable, they can serve you for a lifetime. This material is quite flexible and breaks in with use giving you an ideal grip around your waist.
- Faux leather
Some manufacturers combine the types of leather, use poor-quality genuine or even synthetic leather to make the product more affordable. Though the price can be extremely attractive, the quality and durability of the belt suffer a lot. If you are an amateur, this can be an excellent bargain for a start, but if you train heavily it most likely won’t last for long.
Closure types
Most models feature 1 or 2 prong roller buckle closure. It’s typical, reliable, and durable. Sometimes the belt can be torn in the places, where the prongs come into the eyelets. That is a significant downside, as you will have to change the whole belt. The flip buckle type is much easier to open and close, it is strong enough and holds well. It is fixed with several screws and the assembly process is simple. Some manufacturers offer a lifetime warranty on this type of buckle with a free replacement.
Padded and contoured construction
The padded and contoured design of the leather weightlifting belts offers extra comfort and support for abdominals. However, it sometimes causes faster failures and breaks if the quality of the materials is poor. The cushion is often filled with cardboard, which is not durable.
Other tips for Leather weightlifting belts buyers
- After an intensive workout, when it’s even hard to breathe and grasp a bit of air, the flip buckle is released in a second to help you restore your breath.
- Take the measurements of your waist accurately. If you are somewhere in between the sizes, give preferences to the upper one. The belly button line is your focus point.
- If you found your belt undersized, try the following. Moisture the belt with water and blow with a hot stream of air with a hairdryer. Use your hands to stretch it.
Video Tutorial: Powerlifting VS Weightlifting Belt – How To Wear It
The three most common types of weightlifting belts that you will usually see are a sturdy powerlifting belt, a velcro cloth material belt, and an old school bodybuilding leather belt.
Cloth style belt is not going to provide as much support as the bulky powerlifting belt, but is ideal for anyone doing the Olympic lifts, Snatch and Clean and Jerk. The reason being this cloth style belt is going to provide enough support, but it’s not going to get in the way of that second pole on the Clean and Snatch as the big bulky powerlifting belt would. And the old school bodybuilder lifting belt should never be worn by anyone.
A good weightlifting belt will provide an even amount of material around your entire core. Before we get into how to use a belt, let’s talk about the purpose of a lifting belt. A lifting belt prevents your stomach from sagging forward, which in turn prevents your lower back from hyperextending. The lifting belt helps your abdominal muscles and your lower back do their job. Think of it as an extra set of abs.
Before we go any further, you need to learn how to breathe before using a lifting belt. You need to focus on breathing down into your belly. Do not breathe up into your chest. Your belly should expand full of air, and this will push your stomach out. You want to make sure that while you’re breathing into your stomach, your lower back is staying neutral. You don’t want to simply hyperextend your back and push your stomach out. Before each repetition, you should take a big gulp of air into your stomach.
The pressure in your belly is called Intra Abdominal Pressure. The act of creating an Intra Abdominal Pressure is called the Valsalva Maneuver. Here’s a drill to help you learn how to breathe in your stomach. Lay on the ground with your knees up. Make sure your lower back is in contact with the ground. Place a plate on your stomach. Now take a big breath into your stomach and try to raise the plate towards the ceiling. Now that you understand how to breathe, you are ready to use a belt. Your belt should be snug around your stomach, but not so tight that it pulls your belly in. Pulling your stomach in too far completely defeats the purpose of wearing a belt. As your stomach sucks in, your lumbar spine flexes over or rounds. Your belt should be something that you can press your belly against for added support.
Don’t wear it for your speed days. Don’t wear it for high rep days. Wear it when you’re handling over 90% of your one rep max.
Conclusion
Choosing an ideal leather belt for weightlifting may be a difficult and time-consuming question. Following the recommendations in the article, you’ll cope with this task easily, focusing on the quality and type of leather, its thickness and width, a reliable design, kind of a buckle, and stitching. All the presented models meet these requirements to allow your best record-breaking experience.
Interesting article! I actually never knew the difference between a powerlifting and weightlifting belt, including how to wear either or properly use it during exercise. The video you included really helps to make it understandable. I imagine it’s important to find a leather belt that is comfortable to wear and adjustable to a non-slip fit, especially if you’re in the gym regularly.
Hello, Zoe! Thanks for your comment.
Why are all belts 10cm (4 inch)? 10cm is huge for a guy who is only 170cm tall but not so big for someone who is 200cm. I can bench with a 10cm belt but for deadlift and squat they are very uncomfortable and are pushing into my ribcage.
Hello, Bob! Just the standard. There are different belts available though.
Thanks for explaining how to wear the weightlifting belts. I’d seen people wear them in the gym but never understood the mechanics behind them.