Why Velcro Belts Suck and The Solution

Weightlifting belts are an amazing tool when used properly. They can help increase stability in your lifts, giving you the edge you need to push past your plateaus and hit your PRs. The belt works by increasing intra-abdominal pressure from your midsection to pressing against the belt creating greater pressure in the abdomen. While there are many belt options to choose from, the most convenient and comfortable is a nylon hook and loop belt; this is especially true for functional fitness and Olympic lifting athletes where fast transitions are critical. The problem with velcro-only belts and why they suck is that they are not reliable. The velcro wears down over time and can easily pop open in the middle of a lift. This is extremely dangerous, especially if you are working at a higher percentage of your 1RM. The human body can exert hundreds of pounds of pressure on the belt and if this gives out in the critical moment of a lift, you risk injury and a potential huge setback in performance. The only way to solve this problem with velcro-only belts on the market today is purchase a new belt every few months. This is clearly expensive and suboptimal. We knew there had to be another way and at Element 26, this is the problem we sought to resolve. How can we design a belt that has all the benefits of a quality nylon belt without the risk of a velcro-only belt?


Introducing the Self-Locking Weightlifting Belt by Element 26. What we did was add a self-locking roller buckle to the strap which supports all of the pressure. The brilliant aspect of this is the more pressure applied, the tighter the buckle holds. The velcro on the belt is there for nothing other than holding the strap out of the way during the lift, it is not even required! We combined this with a uniform 4” profile of premium nylon designed to last you years, not months like the old velcro only belts.

The benefits include:


Faster Transitions Between Exercises: Due to the quick-release/quick tightening nature of the self-locking buckle, you can quickly and easily transition between exercise types that require different levels of intra-abdominal pressure.

Never Worry: With the self locking buckle, you never have to worry about your belt failing you in the middle of your lifts.

Efficient Shifting of The Buckle: The belt can be shifted after its tightened or when it's loosened in order to move the buckle to the best location for your lift.

Lightweight Design: This design will not weigh you down during your WOD/Competition.

Self-Locking Buckle: This belt does not rely solely on velcro to hold the belt together. Therefore, the belt will not pop open and risk your safety and performance. The belt optimally increases pressure to promote stability during your heavier lifts.  As cool as the belt looks, it does a much better job actually stabilizing your back.

For a limited time only, we are offering a 15% discount! Use the Code “ELEMNT26” at checkout when you purchase on Amazon. Click BUY NOW to be directed to our listing on Amazon, or simply click products at the top of the page if you wish to purchase directly from us!


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