Making the Starting Strength Lifting Belt with Blake Wilson | Starting Strength Radio #23 

Too much nut huggin

Craig Castanet, D.C. how did this happen. I’ve heard of people doing this at powerlifting meets but I just can’t imagine how you could do it.

@@andrewharris3417 had it on very tight, it was new, and the edge was very rigid. i did several sets over several workouts, but i think it happened during overhead pressing.

Craig Castanet, D.C. thanks for explaining 👍🏻 must keep that in mind not to lock in too tight with my lever belt.

Joseph Gwaltney same!

kinky

Awesome! Thanks!

😂😂😂

instablaster.

@Natty Fatty Powerlifting you realize this statement makes no sense?

I’ve heard of some people using a 2 inch or 2.5 inch belt for bench press.. I think rip recommends 3 inch belt for Deadlifts, for squat and press it’s personal preference

Sure. We've had people do that before. Send me an email through our website and we'll get you taken care of.

It is for me. I guess the space between my hip and lower rib is quite narrow (a short torso in other words!) and I was always getting bruises and welts with a 4" belt where the edges caught on the bones and skin. The 3" belt is just perfect.

For many (most?) people, yes. I'm 5'11" and used a 3" for everything for nearly two years before I switched to a 4" for squats and presses. It's a question of anthropometry and preference. If someone is young, tall, and competitive, by all means get a 4". Otherwise, most people are happier with the 3".

I answered this exact question some months ago on the Starting Strength forum. Here's the text of that post and please let me know if you have any more questions. The single ply and suede belt use the same piece of top grain sole leather. The suede belt then makes up the rest of its thickness with the two layers of suede. The relative manufacturing complexity of the suede belt with gluing and stitching makes up most of the cost difference there. The double ply makes its thickness by starting with the same sole leather, which is mated to a higher grade of top grain leather. We chose to do this because the combination of the two lead to an exceptionally strong belt that is also very pliable right from the start. This layer also has a higher aesthetic grade and is the outer layer of the belt. Because the double ply starts with two leather straps as opposed to just one on the other belts, the materials cost is very nearly doubled from the start (the suede is relatively inexpensive compared to the leather). It also has some unique manufacturing challenges. When gluing two fairly thick straps of leather, it is impossible to have the seam line up perfectly. Some belts hide this behind edge paint. We decided to properly finish the edge by sanding and burnishing as necessary to get a perfect seam. Edge paint will eventually crack and flake off and we didn’t want that on a belt we’re claiming will last you forever. The labor involved in sanding and burnishing the entire length of a belt is substantial, and is a feature unique to this belt. The layer mismatch can also happen on the suede belts. The difference there is that one pass with an edging tool removes any mismatch and rounds the edge at the same time. The double ply requires the above mentioned edge finishing before edge beveling. Also, not just any piece of leather can be used for the double or single ply. On these belts, the leather’s natural surface must be aesthetic grade. Even quality leather will have various scratches, branding marks, or other blemishes that would not make it suitable as an aesthetic surface. It could be used for a suede belt, because there the only requirement is the structural integrity; anything superficial is covered by suede. This detail requires us to sort all the leather we receive, and only a certain percentage makes the cut for a single or double ply belt. This may be more detail than you were looking for, but I did want to explain some of the details that are not obvious. It’s possible to take several raw leather straps and have them become several finished single ply belts by the end of a single day. The double ply requires a multi-day process that is vastly more complex. This added complexity plus the materials cost are what drive the large jump in price.

Its thicker and provides more support

I do know of one company that does this and yes, I think it's mostly an aesthetic issue. It makes for a very awkward looking belt for a very marginal, if any, comfort gain.

I wondered the same thing. It seems like the comfort would improve more than marginally, but they are the experts and I definitely am not

I doubt you're a real person

What the hell is a DYEL?

@@ernestoluzan D.Y.E.L = Do You Even Lift?