I've always heard that the point of the belt is that it gives your core something to push against especially at the heavy sets... Agreed, its a tool...not a crutch.
That's part of why belts work: By giving you something to contract against, you can contract harder. Think of trying to squeeze your hand into a tight fist - you can do it harder when you're actually squeezing something than when your hand is empty. Similarly, the belt allows your trunk to work harder, it doesn't just "do the work for you." That's not the whole story, but is a big part of it. However, it's important to remember the order: First you learn to brace properly, then you add the belt. Doing some beltless sets at weights light enough that you don't strictly need the belt, keeps intact your pure ability to brace hard.
Question I've lately been using a polar chest strap to get a better feel for my RPE, what do you think about using this as a tool to gauge when to put your belt on?
I don't think heart rate is a great tool for this, because, for example, a 600 lb squatter's heart rate won't be that high after even his 5th single at 550, but it would be quite high after 405x10. However the 550x1 has higher RPE and difficulty. There are obviously situations where it correlates better, but I don't think it's a reliable proxy for how many reps you have in the tank on a given set.
I've always heard that the point of the belt is that it gives your core something to push against especially at the heavy sets... Agreed, its a tool...not a crutch.
That's part of why belts work: By giving you something to contract against, you can contract harder. Think of trying to squeeze your hand into a tight fist - you can do it harder when you're actually squeezing something than when your hand is empty. Similarly, the belt allows your trunk to work harder, it doesn't just "do the work for you." That's not the whole story, but is a big part of it. However, it's important to remember the order: First you learn to brace properly, then you add the belt. Doing some beltless sets at weights light enough that you don't strictly need the belt, keeps intact your pure ability to brace hard.
Question I've lately been using a polar chest strap to get a better feel for my RPE, what do you think about using this as a tool to gauge when to put your belt on?
I don't think heart rate is a great tool for this, because, for example, a 600 lb squatter's heart rate won't be that high after even his 5th single at 550, but it would be quite high after 405x10. However the 550x1 has higher RPE and difficulty. There are obviously situations where it correlates better, but I don't think it's a reliable proxy for how many reps you have in the tank on a given set.