Fire Team Fit is a reasonably new company with a few innovative products on offer. So if you have been searching for a comfortable and lightweight belt, then this might just be what you have been looking for.
It is certainly lighter than most lifting belts on the market (especially the leather ones) which also means that it won’t be as rigid.
While it won’t provide as much support as a full-blown heavy leather belt, it might provide enough for you. So in this review, we will take a look at the Fire Team Fit weightlifting belt in detail and its main features.
Appearance
The belt is suitable for both men and women and comes in a variety of colors. These are black, blue, white, pink and camouflage. It is designed to be lightweight so is an interesting change from the typical heavy leather weightlifting or powerlifting belts.
You can see from the design that features an individual foam pad structure making it able to fit the body contours while being comfortable at the same time. The mechanism for securing the belt is Velcro, and it is made from a breathable and sweat-resistant material.
Fit & Fastening
When undoing the weightlifting belt, the first thing that we found was that the Velcro is extremely loud when being unfastened. Maybe this is due to the strength of the Velcro, as it is very strong and stays secure even during heavy squats, deadlift and power cleans.
When placing the belt on the body, we found that it has a very low profile. It would be excellent for those with a smaller torso making it one of the best womens weight lifting belts.
The padding is divided into several sections which make for an interesting design. This separation allows the belt to be flexible while also comfortable and supportive. Further to this, there was no pinching or pulling of the skin at all with this belt as you may find with thicker leather gym belts.
You can appreciate the comfort just when you need it i.e. at the bottom of a heavy squat. The contoured shape also allows you to easily get a full range of motion without limiting you.
The tapered design also helps with this flexibility. You can easily bend over to perform deadlifts without the belt restricting you in any way.
Not A Powerlifting Belt
The Fire Team Fit belt immediately appears different from a traditional powerlifting belt. And due to its comfortable and lightweight design, it is clear that it is intended for other purposes than professional powerlifting and extremely heavy weights. But upon first appearance, it is clear that it is manufactured from high-quality materials.
The problem with any nylon weightlifting belt is the velcro fastening. At first, velcro works well, but over time and after heavy abuse, the velcro will start to lose its ability to stay secure.
This runs the risk of the belt coming undone during heavy squats.
This isn’t something to worry about with a new belt and it’s not something to be concerned about unless squatting, deadlifting or overhead pressing some heavy weights. But it’s something to bear in mind if you intend to use a nylon weight belt for a long time when strength training under a heavy load. For many serious powerlifters, this wouldn’t be worth the risk as a single accident can cause a permanent back injury.
Powerlifters will need more security and should opt for a heavy-duty leather buy with a double prong fastening mechanism.
But this belt has been designed for comfort and ease of use and that is something it does well. Leather belts need to be worn in, can become uncomfortable and dig into the rib cage. That’s not the case with this one.
This belt is super comfy the first time that you put it on, thanks to the contoured shape. There will be no problems with limiting your movement.
Will The Fire Team Fit Weight Lifting Belt Help With Performance?
The short answer is yes! You can expect to feel some good stability through your core and lower back support when wearing it. This is known as hoop tension.
Research studies suggest that wearing a weightlifting belt can increase intra-abdominal pressure by up to 40% improving the stability of the spine. Another study suggests that weight belts for Olympic lifting reduce the compression of the intervertebral discs by up to 50% and improves lifting safety.
It’s very important to learn to perform as exercise without a belt first using the correct form.
Some scientific studies also suggest that wearing a weight lifting belt can improve muscle stamina and power. This is certainly something that can be useful if you feel stuck on a plateau with your one-rep max.
Improved body biomechanics is another benefit of these pieces of equipment. As spinal flexion and extension are reduced, they force your body to lift correctly using the correct form with less bending of your back. This means that more pressure is placed on the leg muscles stimulating muscle growth and strength improvement in the quadriceps and glutes.
Be aware, if you are a complete novice, it’s important to build up your core muscle strength without a belt first.
So belts are not just to look cool, they have many benefits when used in the correct situations to improve performance and help to prevent injury. Overall the belt will help with performance and the prevention of injury. But not as much as its hardcore alternatives and it’s velcro may put off more seasoned lifters.
The Bad
Conclusion
If you are looking for your first belt, then a quality nylon belt will suffice and this is a great choice. A thicker leather weightlifting belt may not be a great idea if you are more of a casual lifter. Just don’t expect it to last years of heavy abuse.
Then after getting used to this sort of nylon variety, you may want to move over to the heavy-duty leather version as your strength training progresses.
Being lightweight, this is a great belt for those active sessions such as CrossFit where you might need to be moving around a lot while wearing the belt. It’s very easy and quick to put on and take off when compared to heavy-duty belts. Also, the camouflage color is great!
One more great aspect of this product is that the manufacturer offers a money-back guarantee allowing you to return is within 30 days if you are not happy with it.
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