A comparison of intra-abdominal pressures in adult male weight trainers during three different lifts with and without a power belt

Includes bibliographical references (pages [30]-33)The purpose of this study was to determine if intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) increases more during powerlifting with a power belt than it does without this belt. Six male weight trainers with more than 5 years of resistance training experience were assessed without a power belt to determine their 5 repetition maximum (5 RM) for each of the following lifts: squat, bench press and deadlift. Following determination of the 5 RM, each lifter was asked to perform 4 sets of each lift in as normal a manner as possible while IAP was measured with a pressure transducer inserted nasally. Two sets were done with a belt and two were done without; the order was randomly assigned. The data were analyzed with the Wilcoxon signed ranks t_ test at an alpha level of .05. The difference between the belt and non-belt conditions, in each of the lifts, was compared with respect to mean and peak IAP. The mean IAP was significantly higher for all lifts when using the belt than when not using the belt. The peak IAP was significantly higher with the belt only for the deadlift. There was no difference between peak IAPs for the squat and bench press with or without the belt. The findings show that the power belt increases IAP during powerlifting.M.S. Ed. (Master of Education