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Ditch the straps - training your grip

Mobster

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I'm now at a level in what I do that outside of training for a competition I like to have challenges to hit during my off season. Training to ditch the straps could be something for a few members to do for 8-16 weeks a year.

Let's start by addressing the obvious points people raise. People use straps because their grip can easily become a limiting factor in some exercises. My volume in the gym is relatively low compared to a bodybuilder. However, I will still find my hands struggling and beginning to open on some back exercises. If I decided I wanted to do ten sets of rows I can see that I'd have to use lifting straps. My counter for that comes from being able to show that squeezing the hand during many movements will give a greater contraction in the targeted muscle. Don't believe me? Give it a try.

Here's two very quick and simple ideas you can try - add one or both to the end of a training session. Either or both will take minutes if done properly.

Dumbbell holds.

Hanging from a chinning bar.


Both of these are to be done for time. Bodyweight in the chins and the weight of the dumbbells are, of course a strength thing but I'd want any progression to be about time under load over the load itself.

Let's say you weight 200lbs Go over to the chinning bar. Jump up and set the grip. Do NOT relax the shoulders (over time this will pull on the joint and tissue - semi-relaxed is ok). Have a buddy time you. Even with a weak grip and a half open pair of hands I'l like to think most of you will get at least 10-20 seconds. Work up 3-4 sets and aim for 1 minute plus per set.

The minute or so is useful because most working sets on many exercises are rarely longer than that.

I'll add more as and when :D
 
if you walk into the typical franchise gym you will find a bunch of twigs walking around with gloves and straps. they really need to realize how counter productive what they are doing is
 
Couldnt agree more!! Dunmo why, but it drives me bonkers seeing straps to lift 135. I dont do the things you say neccessarily but i intentionally only use them for deadlifting but only after grip starts to give on my way up to my heavy single,usually after 405, and never for rep work. So when i switch to my switch grip(over/under) ive yet to have my grip give out when it matters.
 
I’ve been using chalk to help my grip because as soon as I start going past 315lbs my grip starts to decrease. Also What are your thoughts on using weight lifting belts ?
 
I’ve been using chalk to help my grip because as soon as I start going past 315lbs my grip starts to decrease. Also What are your thoughts on using weight lifting belts ?

Chalk is fine. I don't have issues with sweaty hands by virtue of my grip nd mostly dry palms. I also have a bar towel for the few times. You don't say what the 315lbs is on.

On belts: I have a support belt (like a lower back type - the fabric and elasticated kind) as well as a heavy lifting belt. By way of example here's the heavy sets of today's work for which the heavy belt was not used at all.

Bench: support belt on max sets (in case I bottom out and have to roll that bitch off like a mo-fo ha ha)
Iso-lever mid row (hammer type machine) to 90-kilos x 5 reps a side - s/setted with bench so support belt only
Rolling Thunder (by Ironmind - mines stiff as all hell) to 141.25-kilos x 3 x 1 reps each hand so well over 300lbs to the front in what mimics a one hand thick handled deadlift - support belt only. I do NOT use it or the other on ANY of my warm ups.

Look at it this way. That one time you need to move something around the house you gonna go put your belt on? Carry the shopping to the car - belt on? etc
 
Nothing wrong with using straps if you prefer. I personally find straps a necessity when doing any type of heavy pulling moves because my grip will always give out before the target muscle does.
 
Nothing wrong with using straps if you prefer. I personally find straps a necessity when doing any type of heavy pulling moves because my grip will always give out before the target muscle does.

why not try strengthening the grip as suggested and getting the benefit I also mentioned. It's 5 minutes at the end of 2 workouts a week.
 
why not try strengthening the grip as suggested and getting the benefit I also mentioned. It's 5 minutes at the end of 2 workouts a week.
Working on grip strength is never a bad idea. A lot of people could benefit form it, as well as doing some dedicated forearm work.
 
Working on grip strength is never a bad idea. A lot of people could benefit form it, as well as doing some dedicated forearm work.

Look at that avatar...wearing gloves and shit. Pssshhh...

......



....ahem....



.....runs away from Nismo
 
Nothing wrong with using straps if you prefer. I personally find straps a necessity when doing any type of heavy pulling moves because my grip will always give out before the target muscle does.

brother i wore gloves for about a year or two when i was like 20 cause a friend gave me a pair and i thought they looked cool or what not.. i actually developed forearm splints and weak wrists.. you will develop imbalances by using gloves or straps.. trust me. that is why your grip is giving out, you developed weak hands and forearms relative to the rest of your upper body and that will come back to bite you. the sooner you get away from them the better. it took me 6 months of training raw to correct that issue and it hasn't come back since.

trust me i have argued this topic over the years with hundreds of guys online and they always come back and thank me.

the same goes for belts btw. if you guys listen to our podcast 3 years ago i would argue this with trevor who insisted that belts were good. he now says they are awful and completely changed his mind based on his own experiences and others.

i recommend people try ditching all their shit for a few months and lift raw! you will come back and thank me i guarantee it
 
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brother i wore gloves for about a year or two when i was like 20 cause a friend gave me a pair and i thought they looked cool or what not.. i actually developed forearm splints and weak wrists.. you will develop imbalances by using gloves or straps.. trust me. that is why your grip is giving out, you developed weak hands and forearms relative to the rest of your upper body and that will come back to bite you. the sooner you get away from them the better. it took me 6 months of training raw to correct that issue and it hasn't come back since.

trust me i have argued this topic over the years with hundreds of guys online and they always come back and thank me.

the same goes for belts btw. if you guys listen to our podcast 3 years ago i would argue this with trevor who insisted that belts were good. he now says they are awful and completely changed his mind based on his own experiences and others.

i recommend people try ditching all their shit for a few months and lift raw! you will come back and thank me i guarantee it

Convince me...I am open minded and listening. For those that don't use straps and haven't used straps for years...I have a question for you. Are you able to row/deadlift/pullups at the same intensity and volume with or without straps? Does the target muscle fail before your grip does? I am all for improving grip strength, but it's hard for me to believe that your massive back/hamstrings, glutes, etc...are just as strong as your grip. The muscles that are activated by your grip are much much smaller and weaker than those bigger muscles you are targeting with the exercise.

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Straps. One of the main reasons your forearms look like toothpicks lol :D

LOL...my arm looks pretty small too. ;) That picture was taken a year ago...I've made some gainz since then. hah
 
^^^ does not matter how much a person lifts. the point is you will lessen your chances of imbalances over time.

in your situation since you are so used to using straps/gloves when you stop using them of course you will struggle at first cause but you will eventually balance things out

think about it this way.. you are working out your strengths more and letting your weaknesses get worse.. no different than someone who trains just their upper body and ignores legs. they walk around with the chest pumped out all cocky and hide their shitty legs by wearing pants.

a classic example of straps with pulls is you will be ignoring your forearms, hands and wrists when you wear straps. and you will be pulling more weight and causing other parts of the body to strengthen. expect problems with wrists, forearms and even elbows over time when you do that
 
I haven't used straps in years

I use them on two movements. My heavy curl sets (today was 90kg x 12 reps) and heavy one arm rows (same)
 
^^^ does not matter how much a person lifts. the point is you will lessen your chances of imbalances over time.

in your situation since you are so used to using straps/gloves when you stop using them of course you will struggle at first cause but you will eventually balance things out

think about it this way.. you are working out your strengths more and letting your weaknesses get worse.. no different than someone who trains just their upper body and ignores legs. they walk around with the chest pumped out all cocky and hide their shitty legs by wearing pants.

a classic example of straps with pulls is you will be ignoring your forearms, hands and wrists when you wear straps. and you will be pulling more weight and causing other parts of the body to strengthen. expect problems with wrists, forearms and even elbows over time when you do that

I have a new set of gloves coming this week...may trying working without straps for a month and see how it goes.

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I use them on two movements. My heavy curl sets (today was 90kg x 12 reps) and heavy one arm rows (same)

Insane weights for reps. I want to see a video of this...epic.
 
I agree man. I havent used straps in years on any lift. I did struggle with certain things for a while, but when you make your grip do the work, it will respond to the stimulus. Your grip strength will increase and your forearms will grow like a mother fucker. It worked damn well for me. Make your body do the work.

So many guys in the gym that lift nothing like I do, but with lifting straps....then they go do foo foo exercises like wrist curls for forearms
 
wraps i get. used them for heavy shrugs and rows, and in fact, probably didnt even need them...just thought they looked cool (this was in my mid 20s). what do you think about wrist support wraps? same concept?
 
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