When you start weight training, people may tell you to buy some pieces of equipment, including lifting gloves, knee straps, and even a belt. More often than not, however, no one tells you to buy lifting straps.
As a trainer, I have had clients approach me and share that their grip has actually started becoming a limiting factor with some lifts, especially some pull exercises. This is a common issue as you become stronger. If you’re now at this stage of your fitness journey and want to learn how lifting straps fit in your training routine, you’re reading just the right resource.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about how to use lifting straps, their benefits, and the exercises they’re most effective for so you can decide if they’re the right addition to your gym bag. Keep reading to learn more!
What are lifting straps?
Lifting straps are pieces of durable fabric designed to help secure your grip on a barbell, dumbbell, or other weightlifting equipment. Often made from cotton, nylon, or leather, wrist wraps are typically looped around your wrists and wrapped around the bar to provide extra support and reduce the strain on your grip strength during pull exercises.
Lifters use straps for pull exercises like deadlifts or rows, where grip fatigue might limit performance. This allows them to focus on the target muscle group and exercise execution without worrying about their hands slipping.
What are the benefits of using lifting straps?
Reduced grip fatigue
If you’re lifting heavy enough on some exercises like deadlifts, rows, pulldowns, shrugs, and even pull-ups, your grip will likely be a limiting factor. This means that even before the targeted muscle is fatigued, your fingers may give in, and you’ll feel the weight slipping through them.
A 2021 paper that examined how the use of lifting straps affected deadlifts concluded that using straps allowed “a better maintenance of grip strength” while also “increasing mechanical performance and decreasing the perceived exertion.”
Put more simply, lifting straps wrap around the bar you’re holding to give you a firmer grip, reducing the chances that your grip will tire before the muscle you’re trying to train.
Enhanced focus on the target muscle
If the weight you’re holding starts to slip through your fingers during a set, it’ll become difficult to focus on the muscle you’re training. This will not only prevent you from focusing on feeling the targeted muscle (mind-muscle connection) but also take your mind off cues that help you perfect your form.
When you use lifting straps, however, you don’t have to worry about the weight slipping through your fingers. So you can direct your attention to the targeted muscle. Also, you reduce your chances of injury because straps allow you to focus on using the right exercise form and execution when lifting heavy.
Safety during heavy lifts
Apart from helping with form and execution, lifting straps also help with safety and injury prevention by making sure your weights don’t slip through your hands and fall. Sometimes, because of a weak grip, weights could fall and land on someone’s toes or another body part, causing injury. Lifting straps may help prevent such a situation.
Ability to lift heavier weights or perform more reps
When you use lifting straps, you can pull more weight or perform more reps. A 2023 study corroborates this by concluding that the use of lifting straps allows women to perform more reps during a set of deadlifts. In turn, lifting heavier weights or doing more reps translates to building additional strength and muscle in the targeted body parts.
Going by this, many critics argue that using lifting straps is cheating and could result in a weak grip over time. The rebuttal to this argument is that in most lifts where people use lifting straps, the weight is so heavy that grip would be a limiting factor preventing the targeted muscle from reaching failure.
For example, not using lifting straps during Romanian deadlifts (RDLs) means that your grip may fail before your hamstrings and glutes. Deciding not to use straps in such a case is counter-productive because you’re trying to grow your hamstrings and glutes, not improve your grip strength. If these muscles don’t reach or are near muscular failure, they will not grow.
If you want to improve grip strength, exercises that directly help with that, like farmers’ carries, are better. Conversely, if you’re doing any pull exercises for muscle and strength growth, lifting straps are ideal.
What exercises can lifting straps make easier?
Lifting straps are especially useful for heavy pull lifts like deadlifts, rows, pull-ups, shrugs, and lat pulldowns. During pull motions, you have to wrap your fingers around the bar and lift with your hands. This puts strain on the fingers, and straps help to make sure this strain does not affect the lift.
Apart from pull motions, lifting straps would also help with any exercise that involves holding on to weights for extended periods. A perfect example is Bulgarian split squats. While this is not a pull exercise, it typically involves holding a heavy dumbbell long enough that it would start to slip through your fingers. Using lifting straps for such an exercise is expedient.
How to use lifting straps
Here are some steps for getting the most out of lifting straps:
- Loop the end of the strap through the small hole, creating a loop for your wrist.
- Wear the strap by sliding your hand through the loop and tightening it around your wrist. The longer end of the strap should hang down toward your palm and fingers.
- Place your hand on the bar, then take the loose end of the strap and wrap it around the bar in the same direction your fingers curl.
- Twist the strap around the bar a couple of times and pull it tight.
- Hold the bar normally with your hand over the strap for extra security.
- If the exercise you’re doing involves two hands, follow the same steps for your other wrist before starting the lift.
Factors to consider when purchasing lifting straps
- Material: Cotton straps are comfortable and durable, nylon straps offer more rigidity, and leather straps provide maximum durability.
- Length: Longer straps offer more wraps around the bar, ideal for maximum security, while shorter straps are better for quick adjustments.
- Padding: Some straps feature wrist padding for added comfort, especially during heavy lifts.
- Type: Choose between closed-loop, open-loop, or figure-eight straps based on your lifting style and personal preference.
- Price and brand: Look for reputable brands with positive reviews to ensure quality and durability.
Frequently asked questions
Do lifting straps go over or under the bar?
Lifting straps should go under the bar first. This allows you to wrap them over the top of the bar for a secure grip. Proper wrapping ensures the strap supports your grip effectively.
When should you start using lifting straps?
You can buy lifting straps when you’re strong enough that your grip strength is now a limiting factor in your lifts, typically during heavy pull exercises like rows and deadlifts. They’re also beneficial if you’re recovering from a hand or wrist injury.
Do lifting straps really help?
Lifting straps help significantly by reducing the load on your grip, allowing you to lift heavier and perform more reps. They’re especially useful for targeting larger muscle groups without being limited by grip strength. By integrating lifting straps into your routine, you can unlock new levels of strength and performance. This makes them an essential tool for serious lifters.
