Altus Athletic 4-Inch Natural Lifting Belt (Large)

I''m using this belt as a back support after surgery. A friend loaned me his Altus belt thinking that it might offer my lower back some relief, and I was impressed with how well it alleviated much of my pain. I decided to buy one for myself.

The leather is softer than you might imagine, and the holes offer plenty of sizing options depending on how snugly you need the belt to fit. I wear a 34" pant size, and I needed to order this item in Large. I don''t think the Small or Medium would have worked for me. If you''re really hefty, you might consider the X-Large size.

It''s clear that this belt will outlast me. It is so well made that you could almost make the argument that it is overbuilt! I read one review where the the writer claimed the holes were ripping. I don''t see how that could be physically possible, so I can only assume he received a defective item. For me, this belt is highly supportive and extremely well manufactured.

I originally ordered the Altus belt that comes with padding, and returned it. (You''ll see a separate review under that item.) That belt was uncomfortable because the padding bunched up vertically as I cinched the belt. It was not at all comfortable to wear, and actually caused me more discomfort than relief. If you''re purchasing this belt for back relief, it would be my recommendation to go with the unpadded one that I''m reviewing.

Just a quick note on leather vs. a synthetic material, like you''d find at Home Depot. The leather belt offers a more rigid form of support than the others, and for me, it seems to do the trick. I subscribe to the bromide, "If it works, don''t fix it", hence I''ll stay with my Altus leather belt. If you''re a weight lifter or if you''re using the belt for other purposes, it may well be that another form factor would be more effective. I can only say that for helping me recover from a microdiscectomy, this belt has been the only thing that offered me lasting relief.