Years ago, I used to be much bigger than my current 280 and used to powerlift. Of all lifts I loved the squat the most. My entire leg workouts would be only squats and I would rep out with 525 pounds for sets of 20 at the end of the workout.

Then I herniated a disk (not by squating) and days of big weights on my back were over. I still try to squat every six months or so, but it invariably compresses the resdiual crap in my spine and causes numbness in my right leg.

Since then I have been looking for something to replace squats, but there really is not a replacement. Most machines are not effective at getting that bone crushing feeling you get from a good set of squats and since I'm tall at 6'5" I rarely get a good range of motion as well.

A few months ago I decided that I was going to start working on the Captains of Crush Gripper #3 challenge and so went to the IronMind web site and picked up a set of grippers. I also noticed a hip belt for legs and threw that on my order. I've used it for a bit and an ready to offer some opinions on this product.

The IronMind hip belt looks like a thick, padded weight belt. It comes with two quick connects that allow you hang a bar from the belt. The bar sits between your legs and you can then squat. Like the Crush Grippers, this thing is very sturdy and claims that it can support 3,500 pounds. I have not put that claim to the test, but it will support more than I can reasonably hold on my own.

The belt cost about $100 including shipping. It comes with the belt, the hooks, straps for bar attachment and some instructions. Weights and bars are not included. You can use either a straight bar or a EZ-curl bar. I ended up using the curl bar as it was easier to keep the belt centered on the bar.

You put the belt on around your hips, not your waist like you would a normal belt. It is very helpful to have something to hold the bar and weights on while hooking yourself in. You can use a rack, some benches, or use about $30 worth of scrap wood to make some sturdy holders like I did. The belt itself takes about 5 minutes to get set on your hips and to tighten the system up. Once it is set though, it is comfortable enough to wear for your entire workout.

After the belt is set, you use the hooks to attach to some nylon straps that IronMind provides. These straps wrap around you bar and take about 10 seconds to put on or take off. Hooking yourself to the straps front and back takes about 20 seconds.

Once all this is done, you are ready to squat. Ok, it is not the same as a real crushing squat, but the movement is excellent. Since the weight is between your legs and not on your back, you can breath very easily. Those of you who like to do the deep breath squats would love this. The range of motion is excellent. I can go right down to where I used to squat and and keep excellent form as well.

The weight is deceptive. I started at what I thought would be light, only to find out that it was actually pretty heavy. After getting used to the movement and feeling comfortable with the weight below me rather than above me, I was able to shoot the weights right up though. Like I said above, this thing will hold more than you are likely to be able to actually use - so weight is not going to be a problem. One issue is that if you use a bunch of 45 pound plates, the weights may hit the floor before you get your full range of motion in. Thus if you are going to do more than 225 pounds on an EZ-curl bar, you are going to need to build a platform to stand on.

The belt itself is very comfortable. I had no pain in my back to speak off. The only discomfort I noticed was on the front of my hips. On low squats, the belt would dig into my upper quads/hips a bit. Since this only happened on the 9th and 10th sets of a GVT workout, this was a minor consideration. By that point the pain in my thighs was so great that the belt digging in seemed insignificant.

I expected the all over sore you get with squats after a workout, but only my legs were really sore. Not my lower back, not my shoulders, not my forehead, and not my chest. But how were my legs sore! I hurts to touch them and stairs are an iffy proposition. Just like the good old days.

The hanging weight is also great to work out your calves with. Use the same technique, but stand on something to give your calves a great workout. You can also use the hip belt to hold weights for dips or pull ups. Pretty versitile for how much I paid for it.

In summary, I'm happy to have spent the money for this. My legs are finally sore again after four years of mediocre workouts and my back still feels great. I don't think they would replace the anabolic effects or overall massbuilding ability of squats since the movement does not use as much of my body as a squat. But for someone like me, the thing is a godsend. If you can squat - then the hip belt would be a fantastic way to really toast your legs after your main movements. If you pass out or collapse, the weight just drops to the floor with you on top of it. So it is also great for a home gym since it seems pretty safe. If nothing else, being able to use it for squats, calves, dips, and pull ups makes it a pretty good investment.

IronMind Web site

Oh, I don't have any stake in IronMind or any of that stuff. I just found this to be something useful and was sharing my experiences.

Jorta