Machine Belt Squats: How They Went from Specialist Tool to Gym Floor Essential

Belt squats have been around far longer than many people realise, but for a long time the belt squat machine was something you’d only ever see in very specific training environments.

Early belt squat machines were big, expensive, and usually tied to elite strength and conditioning facilities. Over time, though, that's changed. Powerlifting’s resurgence, more people picking up weights, smarter design choices, and a push for more space-efficient equipment have all helped turn the belt squat into a genuinely practical option for commercial gyms and even home setups.

Here’s a look at how that evolution happened.

When Belt Squats Were Strictly S&C Equipment

Originally, machine belt squats were cable-based machines. They were incredibly effective, but also very specialist.

These early cable belt squat systems typically:

Required a deep platform or pit
Used heavy-duty pulley systems
Cost well over $5,000 USD
Took up a large, permanent footprint

Because of this, they were usually limited to professional sports teams, universities, and high-end performance centres. For the average gym owner, they simply weren’t realistic.

Powerlifters Find a Use Case

Powerlifters were among the first groups to really adopt belt squats in a meaningful way.

Rather than replacing barbell squats, belt squats were used as a workaround when injuries or fatigue became an issue. They allowed lifters to load the legs heavily while reducing stress on:

The lower back
The shoulders
The spine overall

One of the most well-known examples from this era is the belt squat setup at Westside Barbell.

If you ever trained on one, you’ll remember it. Massive. Overbuilt. Hugely expensive. It felt indestructible and did its job extremely well, but it was also very much a one-trick machine with limited versatility and a huge space requirement.

The Lever Belt Squat Changes Everything

As powerlifting grew in popularity again, equipment started to adapt to what lifters and gyms actually needed.

A major shift came with Matt Wenning, who is widely credited with popularising the lever, plate-loaded belt squat in the US.

This style of belt squat offered some big advantages:

No cables or pits
Much smaller footprint
Plate-loaded simplicity
Significantly lower cost

Because Wenning was a powerlifter himself, the design was practical rather than flashy. That approach caught on quickly, and before long, lever belt squats were appearing in powerlifting gyms all over the world. Many manufacturers soon followed with their own variations.

ATX and the Compact European Approach

In Europe, ATX were early adopters of this more compact philosophy.

They introduced a lever belt squat specifically designed for gyms where space efficiency really matters. Smaller footprint, straightforward mechanics, and solid build quality made it an easy fit for commercial environments.

That design proved influential and, unsurprisingly, was soon echoed across many other brands.

Full Circle: The Return of Cable Belt Squats

Over the last few years, belt squats have come full circle.

Cable belt squats have made a return, but this time in a much more refined and accessible form. Machines like the Rogue Rhino and the ATX BSM-760 reintroduced cables with some important improvements:

More compact footprints
Far lower costs than earlier generations
Smoother resistance curves
Real commercial and home-gym viability

What was once a specialist installation suddenly became something people could realistically install on a gym floor or even in a garage gym.

The ATX Belt Squats We Offer

Today, there isn’t a single “best” belt squat. Different designs suit different spaces and training styles.

We currently offer three ATX belt squat options, covering both lever and cable-based approaches:

Each reflects a different stage in the belt squat’s evolution and suits a different type of gym environment.

Video: Comparing All Three Belt Squats

To make the differences clearer, we recently filmed a comparison video covering all three machines side by side.

The video looks at:

Footprint and space requirements
How each machine feels under load
Lever vs cable resistance
Best use cases for commercial and private gyms

You can watch it here:

Final Thoughts

Belt squats have moved a long way from being rare, specialist machines reserved for elite facilities.

Thanks to powerlifting’s influence and smarter equipment design, they’re now a genuinely versatile option for gyms of all sizes. Whether lever or cable-based, modern belt squats offer effective lower-body training with reduced spinal loading and far greater flexibility than ever before.

Article by Matt Bembridge (Gym Professor)

Gym Professor