Lifting Straps

Lifting straps wrap around the wrist and then around the bar, transferring load from the fingers to the wrist/strap so the grip is no longer the weak link. They're used on pulling movements — heavy deadlifts, rows (bent-over-row), shrugs, pull-downs, RDLs — when the back/legs can do more than the hands can hold.

Types: lasso/loop straps (one-piece loop, most common), closed-loop straps (Olympic- style, quick on/off for cleans/snatches), and figure-8 straps (maximal security for strongman/ heavy deadlifts).

Pros: let you overload the target muscles past grip failure; reduce grip fatigue across high volume; useful for those with grip injuries. Cons: they bypass grip training, so relying on them everywhere leaves grip strength underdeveloped — train some sets strap-free or use chalk first; not allowed in some competitions; take a moment to set up.

Straps vs. chalk vs. hooks: chalk improves friction without removing grip work; straps and lifting-straps remove grip work entirely. Note straps are different from wrist-wraps, which support the wrist joint for pressing, not the grip.

• Cinch the bar to the wrist so grip isn't the limiting factor on pulls.
• Use on deadlifts, rows, shrugs, pull-downs, RDLs.
• Types: lasso/loop (common), closed-loop (Olympic), figure-8 (maximal security).
• Pro: overload past grip failure. Con: bypasses grip training — use sparingly.
• Different from wrist wraps (which support the wrist joint for pressing).

• chalk — improves grip without removing grip work.
• lifting-straps — another grip-removing aid.
• wrist-wraps — supports the wrist joint (not the grip).
• deadlift / bent-over-row — primary uses.