All right y’all I wanted to take a minute to talk about weight lifting straps. Why do so many people use these simple little gadgets and should you be using them during your training?
Weight lifting straps are a popular tool in fitness. But you would be surprised at how many people use them incorrectly or done know what they are even for.
Why do you see some of your favorite fitness personalities using these? When should you buy a pair and start using them in your training? This is what I am going to cover today.
For something so simple these little babies are a very important tool in my and so many others training. So important I even recommend them to my clients at all fitness levels.
Lifting straps are primarily used to help strengthen the users grip to the barbell, machine handle, or even cable attachment. You will commonly see people using these in the gym on back focused workouts. But their use is not limited to back day. Other common uses are during leg day when performing exercises such as Romanian or straight leg deadlifts, farmers walks, and even some mad men doing heavy side raises.
For a cheap investment in most cases the avid gym goer will definitely get a lot of use out of them.
But when should you be using them? This is a question I get a lot from clients and with good reason. Not everyone is born with the grip strength of the gods, and struggle to isolate their back without their forearms getting crazy fatigued.
You probably have been their, trying to do some heavy row… not feeling a pump in your back but your arms are screaming for you to stop! If this is you then we can solve that with the use of straps. Though I would not recommend breaking your new straps or versa grips out for every set of barbell rows.
Like anything else in the gym, straps are a tool to help you progress and break through barriers. How ever if you use them too much you create a dependance on them. To avoid this I recommend saving them for those heavy working sets. This allows your sets before to help train and strengthen your grip. Now by the time you add them in and your grip is shot, you can still train with a heavier weight.
Having the aid of lifting straps or versa grips is also useful for individuals who have smaller hands.
Many woman use these to be able to better grip a bar, dumbbell or kettlebell to use heavier weight and save their grip. Popeye sized forearms are some peoples goals, this might not be the case for the ladies in the gym. Having some help maintaining a stronger grip so you can push more weight on deadlifts or lat pull downs can change your whole session.
If you choose to be one of many to add lifting straps to your gym bag now you can do so without just making your grip weaker. Just remember, these are tools to help strengthen your grip on heavier sets where your grip is limiting your ability to use heaver weights.