Lifting straps are a game-changer for improving your grip strength. They wrap around the bar or dumbbell, keeping it secure in your hands, so you can focus on lifting instead of worrying about the weight slipping. But why is this useful? When is this useful? And who is this most useful for? Strap in and let me explain… 😉
Hitting the Target Muscle
When your grip strength is holding you back, you can’t push your muscles hard enough. And we know that you need to push a muscle somewhat close to failure for the best gains1.
For example, in an RDL your hamstrings and glutes may be capable of doing 50 kg for 10 reps. However, if your forearms (the muscles responsible for grip strength) are only strong enough to hold the bar for 6 reps, then you will stop the set 4 reps shy of what your legs were capable of. Therefore, you will not get the best gains in your hamstrings and glutes. It may even feel more like a forearm workout than a leg workout.
When you put straps on, your grip will no longer limit how many reps you can do. You can now train the target muscle more effectively and get the best results. 🍑📈
Improved form and mind-muscle connection
Lifting straps help you focus on your form and the mind-muscle connection instead of your grip. These are key factors in training more effectively. A 2018 study showed that the mind-muscle connection could be as effective as almost doubling gains for certain muscles2. Plus, better form reduces the risk of injury, helping you maintain consistency.
Lifting Straps are more useful for Gym Girls than Gym Guys
Lifting straps can be especially helpful for women, as we typically have stronger lower bodies compared to our upper bodies. This means our grip strength often becomes the limiting factor in exercises like RDLs or deadlifts, where our legs can handle more weight than our forearms can hold. Whereas, men’s upper and lower body strength tends to be more balanced (in some cases their upper bodies may even be stronger 🐔 🦵). So if grip strength is more likely to be a limiting factor for gym girls, then straps are even more useful for girls than guys.
What exercises are lifting straps useful for?
Lifting straps will be useful for anything where your grip may hold you back from achieving more reps or lifting more weight. This means any exercise where you are pulling something. For example, lateral pull-downs, pull-ups, any rowing exercise, RDLs, and deadlifts.
Here is a video from @jessalicewalker showing some exercises that straps can be used for...
Objections to using Lifting Straps
You might wonder, “Shouldn’t I try and get my forearms stronger instead of using straps?” Well, firstly for some exercises your forearms will never be able to keep up with the rest of your body. For example, in an RDL you are using your hamstrings and glutes which are much bigger muscles than your forearms. It is unlikely that your forearms could ever be strong enough to allow you to push these bigger muscles hard enough. This is increasingly true as you become stronger.
Secondly, do you want bigger forearms? If not, then go ahead and use lifting straps. If you do want bigger forearms, your best approach is to train them separately anyway. It would be best to use your RDLs to focus on hitting the target muscles, and then use forearm-specific exercises such as wrist curls or hammer curls to hit the forearms. This would ensure the best all-round results.
Should I be using straps?
If you're just starting out, lifting straps might not be necessary. As a beginner, your grip strength likely won’t limit your workout. It’s also important to learn the correct technique without relying on aids. But after 1-2 months, once your back and legs get a bit stronger and your grip starts holding you back, that’s when straps come into play.
What makes a good pair of lifting straps?
Look for straps with neoprene padding for comfort, and silicone grip for added security - this will keep the weight from slipping at any point.
If you are a gym girl, we suggest that you look for slightly shorter lifting straps. Most straps on the market have been designed for men, who have much bigger hands on average. These straps are longer which is useful if you are a man with wide hands that can grip the entirety of the strap once it is wrapped around the bar. However, if you have smaller hands and use long straps, there will be lots of excess strap material that your hands are not wide enough to cover. This may make for an annoying lifting experience with excess strap flapping around.
If only there was a cool brand that took all of these factors into consideration and designed the perfect pair of lifting straps, just for women… Oh wait, that’s us :)
We’ve designed the ultimate lifting straps for women, considering all the factors that matter most: comfort, style, and functionality. Our straps are slightly shorter than those designed for men to ensure a better fit, with neoprene padding for comfort, and silicone grip to keep your hands locked in place. Plus, they come in pink to add a pop of colour to your gym fit. You’re welcome :)
Thank you for reading - we hope your next workout is a great one!
References:
- Do You Need to Train to Failure: Insights From Our New Meta-Analysis, Brad J. Schoenfeld.
- Differential effects of attentional focus strategies during long-term resistance training, Brad Jon Schoenfeld, Andrew Vigotsky, Bret Contreras, Sheona Golden, Andrew Alto, Rachel Larson, Nick Winkelman & Antonio Paoli, European Journal of Sport Science, DOI: 10.1080/17461391.2018.1447020.
