Originally Published: 6/12/2020
Reformatted: 5/10/2021
by malia warren
Your heavy lifts depend on support.
If it’s natural given core support, we salute you. But if it’s natural given core support with some assistance from a weightlifting belt, this article is for you.
In order for your belt to function properly, your hook and loop attachment (aka Velcro®) needs to stay functional. Velcro® is a natural summoner of lint and other debris and when it gets too full or too overstressed with use, so we’re going to give you some tips on how to care for your belt.
This also goes for your wrist wraps or knee wraps too, if they have the hook and loop attachment.
Caring for the hook and loop piece of your belt will help maintain their strength and gripping power and extend the life of the product.
Dirty Velcro® means all kinds of problems, including *gasp* a belt popping off during a lift.
1) CLOSED for Washing
We all know NOT to put our weightlifting belts in the wash right?
Right?
Ok good. Phew. But I think this is mostly a reminder that your belt won’t do well if you wash it in the washer/dryer.
If your belt is stinking up your gym bag, give it a mist of our Badass Stink Spray, or give it some time in the fresh air.
Tip: Store it on the outside of your gym bag in the closed position so it is exposed to fresh air. This will also keep your snack crumbs from your bag getting caught inside the velcro.
2) Use that No-Slip-Grip™ Buckle
Our Belts are all affixed with a No-Slip-Grip™ tensioning buckle.
Using this buckle will not only give you a super secure fit but it will prevent any *poppin off* accidents due to worn velcro.
Rather than relying on the velcro all the time, the buckle will help give the velcro some reprieve from strain – which will also help your belt last longer.
Step 3: You will notice as you pull the strap to the right, the cylinder piece of the No-Slip-Grip™ might attempt to engage and keep the strap from pulling tighter. Place a finger on top and a finger on the bottom of the black cylinder, and push toward your body while pulling the strap tighter around you. Once you have it in place, you will notice that the buckle has been full engaged and the belt will not freely come loose. Keep adjusting the strap until the belt is comfortably in place.
Step 4: To loosen the belt you do the opposite of the instruction we just gave. Grab the black cylinder and move it left until the belt is loosened. At any time you can keep it engaged but relaxed on the torso, to provide less wear and tear on the velcro that can occur between lifts.
3) Engage
Keep your velcro engaged at all times, especially when not in use. If you keep the velcro attached and hooked together when it’s inside your gym bag, or sitting inside the gym or wherever, you can prevent debris from sticking on there.
The hook (coarse) portion should be covered at all times, so it does not grab onto anything it should not – like a blanket or hair. If you need to clean your belt to prolong the velcro, look no further. We now offer Clean Your Sh*t Kits for all your lifting gear.
They come with an array of products designed to keep your stuff clean, including our Badass Stink Spray to spray on your gear after a WOD or our comb and scissors to clean out your velcro. Check out everything it comes with here.
Bonus: If you have an extra bag just for your belt because you want to be just a little bit more extra, try that out because the more we can keep extra debris from attaching to the velcro, it’ll keep it extra clean. Extra, Extra! Sorry for all the extra’s but, if you DO have a separate bag or compartment to keep your belt separate from the rest of your gym bag items, it can help.
4) Brush it
Cleaning debris out of the coarse side is similar to cleaning hairbrushes – you can pick and pull out unwanted debris, but the easiest method will be grabbing another stiff brush and brushing through the material.
Be gentle but make sure to tease it a little. That’s what she said.
But really, you can brush some new life into the soft (looped) side of the velcro by teasing it a little with the brush. Oftentimes, the reason the velcro will not attach is because the soft side has gotten matted or worn, so brushing it a little can help bring it back from the pit of dispair.
Other methods our customers have used are duct tape or lint roller to pull out debris, fine tooth combs to brush out the debris, washing it with soap and water (just the hook and loop portion), and vacuuming the strip of Velcro®.
If you’ve tried everything and nothing will work for your belt, it might be time to put the belt out to pasture and grab a new one. Sometimes Velcro® will get past the point of no return, in which case a new belt might go well with your new lifting regime!
Have you tried any of these methods? Did they work for you?
If you have any questions or you would like to be a guest blogger, please email us at hello@liftingthedream.com
Malia is the owner, and mamapreneur, of Lifting the Dream. When she’s not lifting heavy weights, she’s doing some fun shit outdoors with her family or attempting to make rollerblading cool again. She is a Cali girl born and raised, with salt water in her veins and sunshine in her heart. She and her family now reside near Denver, Colorado, soaking up the 300+ days of sunshine and breathtaking (literally, altitude) views.
Stay Lifting My Friends,
Bee Tee Dubs (BTW).
CROSSFIT, INC DOES NOT ENDORSE, SANCTION, APPROVE OF, OR SUPPORT THIS WORK OR ANY OPINION EXPRESSED HEREIN.