At Stray Dog Strength we are always trying to find ways to innovate and create a “better mouse trap” that not only has more features but also takes up less space. Basically how can we pack as much function into as little of an area? The Platform belt squat excels at this, while it is smaller than the Rhino or the Pitshark at only 36″ x 60″ but can do multiple exercises not possible on those larger machines.
Belt Squats are a great tool to add to virtually any facility, sports performance faculties in particular as you often have injured or limited athletes who are beat up due to competition but still need to train. For non injured athletes who have shoulder, wrist, elbow, or back/spine limitations belt squats can be a great alternative to the Back or front squat as they do not need to hold the load. With the load being around the waste via a belt, there is no decompression of the spine, making the belt squat a safer alternative to all other forms of squats.
Why you want a cable belt squat
Cable Belt Squats are typically designed with a large platform for the athlete to stand on with a hole in the center for a pulley and cable to come out of. This style design allows the athlete to be directly aligned over the pulley, pulling them DOWN and not forward and down which applies shearing forces to the knee. The angle that lever belt squat put you in puts extra stress or shear forces on athletes knees and can be dangerous over time. This also causes lever belt squats to not be as effective in activating the Gluteius Medius and Maxims, the main muscles targeted in a squat. When the weight is pulling you directly down via a cable, it best mimics the resistance path of a normal squat but is a safer alternative.
multi functional unit
Our New Platform Standalone Belt Squat Machine is a cable driven belt squat that is also a lat pull down/high pulley and has an extra low pulley that allows you to perform low rows and other exercises. Platform Belt Squats are big units with large footprints so we made ours multi functional so it is more worth the footprint it takes up. As it is made out of 3×3″ tubing with 1″ holes you can add attachments such as a dip bar for resisted dips (there is a whole in the bracket for the cable to travel through). Our Lat seat and knee hold can easily be stored on the back upright making this a self contained unit.
Attachment Version available as well
Pictured above is an Alpha STR Half Rack at Morgan High School, this half rack has a Belt Squat/Lat Pull Down Attachment on both sides. To make it a Rack Attachment you cannot have a bolt on platform, the pulley is still directly below the athelte but must be bolted down and they must stand on plates or boxes like shown in the setup above.
The Belt Squat Attachment versions are a great bang for your buck as they allow you to have two belt squats, two lat pull downs/low pulleys and a squat station. So on days they have extra athletes in the weight room they can move over to this rack. The attachment version must be bolted down on the low pulley, the standalone version does not need to be bolted down.
4 way hole system
Our Belt Squat like all our products is made out of 3×3″ tubing with 1″ holes spaced 2″ on center all over. These holes allow you to add storage attachments, regular attachments, band pegs or you may find another use! By having holes all over you could connect Flat or DB Trays or crossmembers for storage to tie it into a Rack, ATR or other Machine. Belt squats/lat pull downs are not done on every day of a program, so why not make the belt squat usable as a station for other attachments?
Pictured above is our SDS Dip Attachment added to the unit for resisted dips via the belt, the dip bar has a hole in the frame to allow the cable to pass through.
Smaller Footprint than competition
Our unit is 60″ deep x36″ wide and is 100″ tall (can be modified down for $250) giving it a smaller footprint than both the Pittshark and the Rhino belt Squat from Rogue. The Pittshark is 62″ wide and 66″ in depth and the Rhino is 53″ wide and 60″ of depth. Our new belt squat is the only one on the market that is also a Lat Pull Down and Low Row machine while taking up a smaller footprint than the competition, the choice is obvious, LEAVE THE PACK.
Stainless steel knurled handles
Pictured above are the Stainless Steel Knurled handles on the start/stop. These handles are used to engage or disengage the stop and also can be used as handles for stability during different movements. These handles will look the same decades down the line.
Custom Colors
Most of the other Belt Squats on the market come in one color option, black or some sort of silver. Our Belt Squats are made to order to your specification, we can do custom colors, logos and heights! The platform is always black but the upright, crossmember and accent colors are up to you! When you spend all that money on custom racks and benches, your machines should match too.
Pictured above are two Alpha STR Half Racks at Lakota Local High School with Belt Squat/Lat Pull Down Attachments on both sides of them. These have Red Uprights, Red Crossmembers and Blue Accents.
5 benefits of a belt squat machine
Belt Squat Machines no matter what brand you get all have benefits and a place in sports performance facilites. Here are 5 benifits.
- Low Back Decompression, unlike traditional squats where the load is on top the shoulders compressing the spine, belt squats are loaded from the hip and do not compress the spine.
- Arms Free Squat: Belt Squats like mentioned above are loaded from the hips, allowing athletes with an upper body injury to still load heavy. I have seen athetes in shoulder slings, with broken arms, hands wrists, you name it and they are still able to train their lower body without risking or increasing their injury due to a belt squat!
- Safer: belt squats are a great way to train to failure because even when you fail the weights cannot possibly fall on you. If an athere cannot get the weight trolley back up to the top they can bring the belt to the bottom and unclip it or wiggle out of it.
- Ease of Movement: Belt Squats take out most of the margin for error, as long as you position yourself above the pulley the motion is pretty fail safe. This allows athletes to put all their energy and focus into the rep as they are not as worried about form and safety as a traditional squat.
- Not just a belt squat machine, the low pulley location on cable belt squats can be used for loaded marches, spring ankle isometrics, split squats, good mornings, RDL’s and much more!
conclusion
There are many advantages to adding a belt squat to your facility but there are even more advantages to adding the Stray Dog Strength Platform Belt Squat/Lat/Low Row Unit. This unit can perform most cable exercises that athletes want to perform and is the only belt squat with both a low, high and back pulley for low rows. Our belt squat is made out of 3×3″ tubing with 1″ holes so you can integrate it into a storage system or use attachment on it, making it more versatile. Our belt squat also comes in custom colors, Upright, Crossmember and Accents included for the price while the competitions are always black or silver.
