If you think dealing with a pronged belt buckle may get annoying after a while, when all you want to do is start squeezing out some deadlifts while you are nice and warm, you may like the quick-release buckle on the Inzer Advance. Unlike with the Velcro found on synthetic models, there is no chance of these wearing out and losing stickiness over time. In addition to having a stiffer form, leather belts usually have a more secure closure system, as can be seen in the two-prong buckles of the Dark Iron Fitness Pro, ProFitness Genuine Leather, and RDX Cowhide WBS-4RB. They can often be uncomfortably stiff at first until they are broken in, too. However, they are going to be more difficult to clean, as the leather material can absorb sweat and will be difficult to clean. This makes them best suited to powerlifters since they provide the most stability. Leather models, like the Dark Iron Fitness Pro, ProFitness Genuine Leather, RDX Cowhide WBS-4RB, and Inzer Advance are going to be thicker and more rigid than synthetic belts.

When it comes to weight lifting belts, you generally have two options - leather or synthetic. If you like to go heavy on the core workouts, consider the ProFitness Genuine Leather because its tapered design allows for a slightly better range of motion than others.

For lighter workouts, the relatively slim Gabor Fitness Epic Performance 4ILPBLT is also a good option, although it's not stiff enough for very heavy lifting. For something a bit less expensive, the Harbinger Ultralight is a great choice, but you'll probably need to order one size bigger than it seems at first. Our top choice remains the Dark Iron Fitness Pro, which is especially well-built and does the best job of minimizing injury risk.

Weight lifing belts