The best way to tighten a lifting belt to lift safely is with the Vise, a simple and inexpensive device invented by Lavell Williams, PhD. Williams is a former Division 1 Strength coach, who currently works with special operatives from our military and who developed the Vise as a way to get hundreds of athletes through annual strength testing. It has been proven effective on the powerlifting platform and in my own home gym!
Why Is the Vise a Better Way to Tighten a Lifting belt to Lift Safely?
Time and effort. All of the other ways to tighten a lifting belt, using a rack, getting your spotter to help you are flawed and cause you to burn energy that would be better saved for actual lifting. Then there’s the annoyance of having to take that same belt off. Not a fun prospect if you just finished a set of high rep squats.
I mentioned how much I like the Vise in this video, but it was great to sit down with Lavell Williams to pick his brain about what went into the product plus find out WHY it seems like nobody has heard of it!
But What About Lever Belts?
I used a lever belt for years but when the screws on my belt popped loose DURING a heavy sets of squats, I started looking for a better solution. First, I picked up a single prong buckle belt from eliteFTS and then I began looking for an easy way to tighten and loosen the belt. At first, that involved using my power rack and leaning away, since I train alone quite a bit. But one day, while training in Steve Goggins garage gym, I saw someone using the Vise and I HAD to grab one for myself! That led to trying to set up an interview with the inventor to find out more about the product and here we are.
Check out our exclusive interview with Lavell Williams as he unpacks his journey as a D1 strength coach and powerlifter, to find the fastest, most efficient way to tighten a lifting belt for his athletes.
Note: After this interview, the Vise became one of our live stream sponsors beginning with the Mammoth Strength Challenge V Pro/Am broadcast. However, this was NOT a paid for interview and we do not receive any compensation for any sales of the Vise or from any clicks on links in this video or in this description.