A common misunderstanding of weightlifting belts is that they weaken your core muscles. It has been said that using a belt decreases the use of your core muscles, as you are relying on assistance for stability. This is not true! Cardillo Weight Belts do provide you with greater stability, but you will get the same muscle activation as you would without a belt. Your Cardillo Weight Belt serves the purpose of helping with spinal stress reduction, injury prevention, and more, without taking away from the integrity of your workout.

Think of a lifting belt as a piece of equipment– the key is to use your Cardillo Weight Belt for the right exercises. It is ideal to use a belt for deadlifts, overhead presses, squats, bench presses, and clean and jerks. For exercises that directly target your core or any cable movements, take a break from your Cardillo Weight Belt as the support will not provide many benefits for these motions.

Another frequently heard myth is that you have to lift super heavy weights in order to reap from a weight belt’s benefits. This is not true at all– our belts are made for lifters of all levels. We recommend you purchase a belt depending on your needs. Beginners and light-to-moderate weight lifters usually opt for the Cross Trainer Nylon Lifting Weight Belt or the Stock Lifting Weight Belt, and heavy lifters are recommended the Stock Powerlifting Weight Belt. Though the belts do allow you to feel confident to lift heavier than usual, the main goal is to keep you protected and safe in the process, so we advocate for all weightlifters.