What do you think about straps [Forum Archive]

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What do you think about straps

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Posted by: 1993Laborde

what is your guys opinion about wearing straps?

Posted by: Richie1888

i cant deadlift without them so its a good thing to wear them for me anyway

why do you ask ?

Posted by: 1993Laborde

Cause it seems when i do back pulldowns
my back can do more but my grip wont let me
know what im sayin?

Posted by: allnaturalmyass

if they fit your workout go for it , i personally dont use them.

Posted by: 1993Laborde

whats a good meal to eat before workout?

and how long should i eat before workot?

Posted by: Gazhole

I dont use straps. If your grip is your limiting factor, just train your grip.

I dont see many problems with using them, just that id rather hold the weight myself, lol.

As for eating, i usually leave it an hour and a half / two hours before going to the gym.

Posted by: MUbodbuilder

i use straps when i go heavy on dead lifts or rows. for me it takes longer to gain that grip strength than something like back strength.

pre workout i would aim for some low GI carbs and lean protein. stay away from fats around workout time cause they slow digestion

Posted by: Built

I get props for my back development all the time.

Can't remember the last time I got props on my grip strength...

(and yes, that means I give shitty hand-jobs. Bite me.)

Posted by: Gazhole

Quote:

Originally Posted by Built

I get props for my back development all the time.

Can't remember the last time I got props on my grip strength...

(and yes, that means I give shitty hand-jobs. Bite me.)

Posted by: KelJu

My hand strength has peaked and will not get any stronger. I use my hands everyday in my job. I am a wood worker and a furniture mover. My hands are my livelihood. You would think as much as I use them my forearms would be the size of Popeye's.

If it weren't for straps, I would have no back. There are those out there like me. I say try to strengthen your grip, but if it doesn't work use straps.

Like built said, people will always notice your back. Very few people will ever notice your grip.

Posted by: fufu

Use them if you want to.
If you value improving your grip strength try to limit using them.

If you decide you don't want to use straps ever then you'll going to have to train your grip.

I think the whole naturalist arguement between the two is kind of silly. Some guys think it is more manly and natural to not use them and to feel the iron on your palms, but...what is so manly and natural about grabbing a nice knurled bar than fits perfectly in the palm of your hand. Bar grip strength is bar grip strength and doesn't nessecarily translate to other functional grip aspects like moving things around your house.

Still, if you use straps on 30 lb DB curls I'm gonna call you a pussy.

Posted by: Gazhole

Quote:

Originally Posted by fufu

If you use straps on 30 lb DB curls I'm gonna call you a pussy.

Amen.

Straps should be a way to lift what you cant possibly lift without them, not a labor saving device.

I've seen guys using straps for 12 rep overhead presses with dumbells

Posted by: lucifuge

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gazhole

Amen.

Straps should be a way to lift what you cant possibly lift without them, not a labor saving device.

I've seen guys using straps for 12 rep overhead presses with dumbells

seriously?
damn, now that's funny.

Honestly, I use straps probably 90% of the time on heavy pulling movements.
but, I've never really cared about having an 'iron grip'. I don't plan on tearing any phone books in half anytime soon.

The mentality that using straps or a belt is 'cheating' is purely ridiculous. I'm not saying that they aren't misused, in fact most of the people I've seen use them (especially belts) use them incorrectly.

Posted by: Gazhole

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucifuge

seriously?
damn, now that's funny.

Seriously.

I have no idea why they think straps will help them there, but they go ahead and use them anyways

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucifuge

Honestly, I use straps probably 90% of the time on heavy pulling movements.
but, I've never really cared about having an 'iron grip'. I don't plan on tearing any phone books in half anytime soon.

The mentality that using straps or a belt is 'cheating' is purely ridiculous. I'm not saying that they aren't misused, in fact most of the people I've seen use them (especially belts) use them incorrectly.

I dont know why people use a word like "cheating". Sure if its a competition that bars straps, it would be cheating, but how can you just "cheat" against yourself? Chances are youll probably make more progress than otherwise, lol.

I always laugh at the belt misuse aswell, people use the belt on preacher curls for gods sake. I dont know if its just my gym or what, but christ.

Posted by: lucifuge

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gazhole

Seriously.

I have no idea why they think straps will help them there, but they go ahead and use them anyways

Maybe they think the straps are for padding their hands on the presses?

As for the belt misuse, it's so widespread in just about every gym I've ever walked into.
Lots of guys wear a belt for bench press...
I even watched a couple guys wearing belts on the frikkin leg press!
When they would get 'down', they looked like their heads were about to explode from not being able to breathe with the belt trying to cut them in half.
But, one of those guys also asked me for a 'liftoff' on the leg press once.
He had the whole fukkin stack on and I literally had to put all of my weight behind the pull so he could extend... then he proceeded to do 4 inch roms with his hands pushing against his knees..... but, I digress...

Posted by: Seanp156

I think they're ok once in a while when going super heavy on a pulling exercise, but I usually use them maybe once every 3 months or so (usually only on DB rows). For deadlifting I think I get more out of a mixed group than I would double overhand with straps.

Posted by: Hoglander

I don't see using them for deadlifts on leg day for just that one pull movement. I do see using them on pull days on the second compound but not the first. Maybe even on an upper day after your forearm is pre-exhausted. It's pull day not forearm day. Save pre-exhaustion for larger muscles, IMHO.

Posted by: Ben dur

only thing ive ever needed them for is extremely heavy low rep db rows/dead lifts

i do 4 sets of pullups 17, 14, 10, 8
or even weighted pullups with 45lb db 8, 6, 5, 4
and never use straps for that...

cant imagine a scenario in life where i would need to do more than 5 pull ups consecutively with more than 60lbs of additional weight on me, while refraining from kipping.

so calling straps cheating is kinda ridiculous, unless your liable to come across a situation where you have to dead lift a car... in which situation, form and proper grip are probably not going to be of primary concern....

i mean... lets face it, a lot of things we do in the gym are practical applications only by stretch of the imagination...

otherwise there would be a lot more tire flipping, and a lot less bench press going on

Posted by: Perdido

Never tried straps. I use chaulk...it adds 50 to 100 lbs to my powerlifts.

Posted by: Double D

I have gotten to the point to where I dont even own a pair anymore. I actually deadlifted 445 for 3 the other day and had no problem with my grip. I think its just over time I have focused on going without straps every chance I got.

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