If you’ve been keeping up with my channel, you’d know that I recently added the Titan Fitness Squat Max MD belt squat machine to my home gym. If you’d like to learn more about this machine, I’ve made a dedicated blog for it HERE. However, in that blog, I mentioned how I didn’t like the belt that the Squat Max came with.
First of all, it’s not all that comfortable. Even though it’s made from a relatively soft textile (when considering other belt squat belts) and there seems to be a decent amount of foam in it, when put under loads of over 200 lbs, you can start to feel it dig in around the back and hips.
Second, I don’t like the multiloop adjustment system that this belt utilizes. I personally use the loops that are closest in so that I can get as deep of a squat as possible, so the rest just dangle and get in the way. This wouldn’t be as big of a problem for someone taller who needs to use the other loops, but most people are going to have to deal with some excess. I also don’t like that these loops are textile. I much prefer metal attachment rings because they don’t get damaged as easily. My Titan belt started to fray after the very first use and this is partly because of the carabiner that Titan sends for use with this belt. It’s not the best and a little sharp so it can actually damage the belt. Brian Hennessy, the inventor of the Squat Max saw my original video and actually sent a replacement carabiner that he sells on his website, and for sure, it’s of much higher quality and the fit and finish are much better. There are no sharp edges, so hopefully this will prevent any more damage.
However, my biggest problem with the loops is that they flex and sag a bit under heavy loads. Of course, the entire belt does because it’s all textile, but the loops just add to the problem. When I mess around on the Squat Max with no weights loaded, I can hit way below parallel without bottoming out and hitting the stopper. But anytime that I have more than four 45lbs plates loaded, I have to really watch my form and hike the belt up a bit to actively try and not bottom out. This is annoying because I’m not able to get the full range of motion, and it’s just a minor distraction every time I hit the stopper and feel a little bump.
All of this has led me to search for a different belt squat belt, and if you’ve done the same, I’m sure that you’ve seen the same repetitive recommendation for the Spud Inc Pillow Belt Squat Belt, which is kind of universally touted as the most comfortable belt squat belt. Because of all of these recommendations, I really wanted to pick the Pillow belt up but was hesitant because if you didn’t know, this belt is essentially designed after the original belt that Brian Hennessy developed for the original Squat Max before Titan started producing it. And that’s the same case for the Titan belt that I already owned and hated. So in my mind, I was thinking that both the Titan belt and the Pillow belt would have the same problems. So let’s consider the complaints that I previously stated.
In terms of comfort, the Pillow belt is light years more comfortable than the Titan belt. The material itself is softer, plusher, and more flexible. The design of this belt’s padding is very effective in keeping the exercise comfortable for as long as possible and much more manageable than Titan’s belt. I don’t think we’ll ever really get a belt that will provide 100% comfort when belt squatting hundreds of pounds, but for right now, this is the closest that we probably have.
In terms of the loop adjustment system. It is what it is. If you want the Pillow belt, this is what you have to deal with. Personally, I’m probably going to cut off all the excess loops because I’m likely the only one who’s going to be using this belt. I do want to mention that Spud Inc also makes a belt that not only has an adjustable belt system, but that belt also has metal attachment rings. This would essentially resolve all the complaints that I have with the multiloop system. I actually ordered the Kaiju Adjustable Belt from Spud Inc at the same time as the Pillow belt, but ultimately am deciding to return it because, without even opening the adjustable belt, I can already tell that it’s much stiffer than the Pillow belt. I guess at this point in life, I’d rather choose comfort over ultimate adjustability.
Again, I want to remind you that my biggest complaint with the Titan belt is that it doesn’t allow me to hit parallel. The Pillow belt is actually about 2 inches shorter than the Titan belt and this means that the loops are 2 inches closer to the body. I was barely bottoming out when using the Titan belt, so I just happened to be tall enough to use the Pillow belt and not bottom out. This, of course, will not be the case for everyone. It just depends on your weight, what size belt you buy, and probably most importantly, how long your inseam is. Unfortunately, the size of the Pillow belt that you buy is largely dependent on your weight. So if you’re heavy and short, you’re going to have to buy a larger belt, and in that case, you’re most likely going to bottom out no matter what. At that point, you’d either have to deal with it or build a platform to get some extra clearance.
And that’s going to be it. I think for now, the Pillow belt may not be perfect and check all the boxes off my list, but it’s as good as I’m going to find. I think if Spud Inc ever puts the adjustable belt adjustment system on the Pillow belt, then we might really have perfection, so I really hope that that’s something that they’d consider.
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