IronMind De Rigueur Dipping Belt — Handles Half Ton Chins & Dips With Ease

I've used dip belts from several other brands and they have always been uncomfortable and poorly made. Several have broken with less than fifty pounds on them which is ridiculous and extremely dangerous. In the past I have tried just using a chain with a clip, leather belts, nylon belts, a dog leash, pretty much anything that seemed like it would hold up and nothing did(well the chain did but having the links dig into my skin was not something I care to repeat). I spent roughly 2 months looking at reviews, going over products, determined to find something that would be safe, well built, and last a long time. The best choice out there is this belt from Ironmind, and the first time you use it you understand why. I've had up to 200 pounds on this belt so far(for calf raises) and it felt just as stable as it did with one 45 pound plate. I love the fact that you can use a loading plate and carabiner if you choose and this works extremely well for dips, pullups, and as I mentioned before calf raises. The Kevlar weave has a natural flexibility to it so there are no hard edges and it will conform somewhat to your hips. My waist is considerably smaller than most(approximately 30") and I have had issues in the past with belts that were too stiff not wanting to grip but with the draw loop style that isn't an issue. I actually felt comfortable enough to go up in weight considerably on both my dips and weighted pulls which is something that had been lacking for some time and there was no pinch or chafe from this belt, just a great piece of equipment. Overall I am a bit of a penny pincher so for me to throw down this much on a dip belt and leave a positive review it has to be pretty amazing and this is. After having a couple of those cheap belts break on me and leave me nervous which was affecting my confidence to do weighted dips and pulls, I am 100% satisfied with this product. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a quality product that will last for years and provide great utility in multiple lifts. I have literally no complains about this product. Considering how much the mental aspect of lifting controls the physical, it is completely worth it to pick this up and not have to worry about any kind of equipment failure ever again.

My first use of this belt I was skeptical to say the least, loading X amount of weight onto the belt and it staying in place using no more than your hips and friction. But it grows on you after several uses. If it does slide down a little bit all you have to do is pull it right back up to where it is comfortable. It is a very sturdy belt, I have loaded 125lbs onto it so far and it works great. The only problem with the belt is that it can be a pain when looping the strap through the weights because the belt will want to fall to the ground and you have to simultaneously hold the weights up against your leg while crouching or at least setting them up on somthing higher than ground level to gather the slack. The double-buckle system the belt uses is great; once you pull the slack tight, the weights aren't going anywhere. But by no means is it a fault with just this belt alone, you will find it with every dipping belt so it's not even a con when looking at the overall product. As for price, I don't think it's bad at all considering you are getting the best quality belt there is, and for only 20-30 dollars more than the competitors.

The university gym I use has one or two dip/chin belts that are shared between everybody. Needless to say, it's usually impossible to find one, and/or if you do find it, have it be available. I wanted a reliable dip/chin belt that I could easily loop through KB's or plates, with plenty of strap to avoid dinging myself in the swing-easy, comfortable around the hips when the load was heavy, and light enough to stuff in a small bag that would fit in a tiny locker. This belt does that, and more. It's awesome, it's tough, it's ridiculously light and soft compared to the typical, cheap leather-and-chain models that most gyms have. And it's Ironmind: so it's stylish and fancy looking for all of the ladies (or dudes, if that's your thing -I don't judge). I have a handful of Ironmind stuff: straps, clothing, eagleloops, etc. The point being that it works, it's tough, it handles being beat up and used for a long period of time, and it all fits into a bag and/or tiny locker.

This belt has all the pros mentioned in the product description & in other customer reviews (lightweight, compact, durable, great fit/hang, & very effective). The strap has an incredible working weight limit for the price & weight, and it won't pinch or damage your workout shirts. There are two issues that might help others decide if this is the best dipping belt for them. They're really minor complaints, but they're still important enough to mention, IMHO: 1) Strapping the belt on & off multiple plates can be a little bit of pain and considerably longer than a chain-and-clip belt. Not a big deal though, and I definitely wouldn't give this belt up for a cheap chain-clip that breaks. But it's a shame that few people buying this on Amazon will actually have a chance to try this belt for themselves before they buy it to see if they'd have this same issue. 2) If you change the weight in between sets frequently, consider IronMind's suggestion of purchasing a loading pin & carabiner - it reduces the time spent looping & double passing the strap every time you add/remove weight ( 12" Loading Pin and Snap Clip or 15" Olympic Loading Pin and Carabiner ). Either one is worth it if you have a fast-paced regimen, a crowded gym, a time constraint, a lack of patience, etc. However, be ready to fork over a little extra money (of course), which will suck if you're on a tight budget. But both are solid deals IMHO. Take note of the the 12" pin/clip's 200lb weight limit though -- it's a fraction of the belt's capacity and will deter bigger lifters. In short, this belt is almost perfect. It's a top-of-the-class dipping belt but, compared to current similar products, it's not great for fast-paced workouts or advanced sets (e.g. drop, super, etc). An additional purchase of a loading pin resolves this issue. If you looking for a dip belt that can handle heavy weight & you're not in a rush during your workout, this is a solid purchase.

So much worse than a normal dipping belt. To change the weight you have to remove the strap from the bucket, load the weight, and then reattach the strap. It's a huge pain to change out weight. Unless you have a loading pin, stay way. Besides, there nothing wrong with the classic dipping belt.

I've used the belt with up to 135 pounds and there was some slight creaking in the fabric (seems like just breaking it in) but at no point did it feel like it was going to give out. Although the materials for this belt are rated up to 1000 pounds, the blue strap that holds the weights will experience wear over time due to the weights moving around. I've used mine less than 10 times and if you look closely it has a very small amount of fraying starting. I've heard that people have had success in sliding a cheap bicycle inner tube over the strap. The friction that the plates cause will be applied to the inner tube instead of the belt underneath, maintaining the integrity of the belt. I just ordered one for $6 and will update my review after I have used it a few times. Although it is a cheap fix I think the responsibility falls to Iron Mind to ensure the longevity of their product. I've owned many dip belts which all deteriorated over time, but the only weak point of this belt seems to be the fraying. It is a strong product but I also bought it expecting it to last many years. I believe it will with the inner tube, but without that I would say a few months of using it several times per week would show substantial wear at the rate it's going.

Besides a pair of rings, which most any generic type will suffice, a dip belt is the most important piece of upper body training equipment one can buy. But with these type of belts, brand matters. This belt is simple and incredibly effective. There is no chance of it breaking for any rational amount of weight to be used (a few hundred pounds for dips and pull-ups) and is leagues more comfortable than the leather and chain belts, which are prone to breaking anyway. The loading may take slightly longer but if you use it frequently enough you won't even notice it and you'll get much faster. This is the third one I've bought because I've either misplaced or had stolen my other two. But good, lightweight equipment will always go missing in the military if you're not vigilant enough. The price is high but it will last and last, and is most effective for people into serious upper body strength gains in my opinion.

I'm not sure what possessed the makers of this product to use a buckle, but this belt basically requires two people to use it with any real weight. I understand now why they discuss the use of additional equipment to make this "useable" as it isn't in it's out of the box configuration. Basically you have to "build" another dipping belt to make this one somewhat useable. The instructions indicate you should use a "double loop" for safety, but the instructions fail to tell you what that means exactly. My interpretation of what that would mean (looping the strap through the buckle twice) is not possible. Truly a frustrating product. Especially at this price.