kidney belt

kidney belt (plural kidney belts)

1. A wide belt sometimes worn by weight lifters, motorcyclists, manual laborers, and others who are liable to experience stress in the lower back region, for the purpose of providing lumbar support.
   • 1977, Michael K. Orbach, Hunters, Seamen, and Entrepreneurs, →ISBN, page 91:

     Around his midsection the driver wears a "kidney belt" — a wide, heavy elastic belt — to protect his internal organs and back from the jarring he will encounter.

   • 1999 December 1, “A Girl, 7, Leads the Pack on Dirt Bikes”, in New York Times, retrieved 5 January 2014:

     As a safety precaution, Mr. Markellon and his wife, Dawn, have purchased protective gear for Marissa that includes not only a helmet, but chest protector, kidney belt and kneepads as well.

   • 2013 December 12, Andrew Trotman, “How it feels to hurtle down an Olympic bobsleigh run”, in Telegraph, UK, retrieved 5 January 2014:

     I was also wearing a very tight “kidney belt” that helped protect my organs from “feeling like they have been punched by a boxer”.

• “kidney belt”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.