Tip: Know When to Use Lifting Straps
Tip: Know When to Use Lifting Straps
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<h2 class="article-detail">The strongest lifters use straps, but not all the time. Here's a guide to help you decide when, and when not, to use them.</h2>
<div class="article-detail-byline"><span class="byline">by <a href="https://www.t-nation.com/all-articles/authors/christian-thibaudeau">Christian Thibaudeau</a> |</span> <span class="timeStamp3">Yesterday</span></div>
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<div class="articleLeadImage"><img alt="Lifting-straps" src="https://www.t-nation.com/system/publishing/articles/10003200/original/Lifting-Straps.jpg?1449614202"/>;
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<div readability="31.298131600325">
<p>With "functional" being the big trend in training, many lifting tools are now frowned upon. Don't squat or deadlift with a belt or your core will get non-functional! Don't use straps when lifting because it's cheating, your grip will become weak, and you won't have "real life strength" because of it!</p>
<p>Here's what's funny: Those who preach against straps and belts because they'll make you weak are rarely strong people themselves. The more opposed they are to these tools, the weaker they are.</p>
<p>Hey, I've got news for you: Most elite Olympic lifters wear straps in their training. Not all the time of course, but they do use them quite often. About 75% of them wear belts too. Strongman competitors often train with straps and almost always with a belt. Powerlifters too. They understand that these tools that can improve your training. They shouldn't become a crutch, but they're useful under many circumstances.</p>
<h3>Using Straps: The Good Stuff</h3>
<ul class="ntk"><li>Straps allow you to lift with relaxed arms, allowing you to shift the tension somewhere else. <span>This is useful for a bodybuilder on rowing and pulling movements if he has dominant biceps that tend to take over.</span></li>
<li>Straps make it possible to continue doing heavy lifting work even with busted hands. <span>Busted hands and torn calluses are common among CrossFit athletes, strongmen, Olympic lifters, and powerlifters who use a high training frequency. Deadlifting, snatching, or pulling heavy with straps is better than not training heavy at all.</span></li>
<li>Straps decrease the neurological stress of heavy deadlifts, snatches, and pulls. <span>They can be a good idea during a deloading period where you want to let the CNS recover. They can also be used once in a while to be able to handle a greater volume of heavy work with less ill effect.</span></li>
<li>Straps allow you to get extra reps and lift a bit more weight on big compound lifts <span>– great for an occasional overload on the big muscle groups.</span></li>
</ul><h3>Using Straps: The Bad Stuff</h3>
<ul class="ntk"><li>For many lifts, feeling the heaviness of the bar in your hands will be a huge reason for missed lifts. <span>This is especially true for the Olympic lift variations. If you always use straps in training, you lose the feeling of pulling a heavy bar, and when you have to lift without straps you'll suffer a severe drop in performance.</span></li>
<li>Straps allow you to "yank" the bar from the floor more easily. <span>That technique is not always possible (nor safe) with heavy weights without straps. When you have to stop using straps your technique might not fit the new situation. A good example is Pat Mendes, who always snatched with straps in training and always did 20-30kg less in competition. He was known for yanking the bar off the floor.</span></li>
<li>If you always rely on straps it's true that your grip strength can become a weak link. <span>While the occasional set with straps is fine, over-relying on them might be problematic if you compete in a sport where you can't use straps or you play a sport that requires a very strong grip.</span></li>
</ul><h4>Lifts Where You Can Use Straps</h4>
<ul><li><span>Snatch and clean high/low pulls (floor, blocks, hang)</span></li>
<li><span>Snatch and power snatch from the hang or blocks</span></li>
<li><span>Shrugs</span></li>
<li><span>Rows and pulls</span></li>
</ul><h4>Lifts Where You Can Use Straps Occasionally</h4>
<ul><li><span>Deadlifts (all variations and heights)</span></li>
<li><span>Snatch or power snatch from floor</span></li>
</ul><h4>Lifts Where You Should Stay Away From Straps</h4>
<ul><li><span>Clean and power clean</span></li>
<li><span>Farmer's walks</span></li>
<li><span>Thick bar work</span></li>
</ul><p>If you're a bodybuilder and grip strength doesn't matter to you, you can use straps pretty much anytime, although you still benefit from doing strapless work to build your forearms. If you're a strength athlete, do assistance work for grip strength and grip endurance on top of your regular lifting.</p>
<h4><a href="https://www.t-nation.com/training/big-forearms-crushing-grip">Related: Big Forearms, Crushing Grip</a></h4>
<h4><a href="https://www.t-nation.com/training/how-to-front-squat-with-straps">Related: How to Front Squat With Straps</a></h4>
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<aside class="authorBio col-xs-12" readability="3.3821138211382"><a href="https://www.t-nation.com/all-articles/authors/christian-thibaudeau"><img alt="Christian-thibaudeau-author" class="pull-left" src="https://www.t-nation.com/system/publishing/authors/2/medium/Christian-Thibaudeau-Author.jpg?1431981532"/></a>;
<p><nobr>Christian Thibaudeau</nobr></p>
<p class="bio">Specializing in building bodies that perform as well as they look, Christian Thibaudeau is one of the most sought-after trainers by the world's top bodybuilders and CrossFit competitors.</p>
<h4><a href="https://twitter.com/Coach_CThib"; target="_blank">Follow Christian Thibaudeau on Twitter</a></h4>
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https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-know-when-to-use-lifting-straps
<div class="title-details">
<h2 class="article-detail">The strongest lifters use straps, but not all the time. Here's a guide to help you decide when, and when not, to use them.</h2>
<div class="article-detail-byline"><span class="byline">by <a href="https://www.t-nation.com/all-articles/authors/christian-thibaudeau">Christian Thibaudeau</a> |</span> <span class="timeStamp3">Yesterday</span></div>
</div>
<div class="articleLeadImage"><img alt="Lifting-straps" src="https://www.t-nation.com/system/publishing/articles/10003200/original/Lifting-Straps.jpg?1449614202"/>;
![https://www.t-nation.com/system/publishing/articles/10003200/original/Lifting-Straps.jpg?1449614202"/>](https://www.t-nation.com/system/publishing/articles/10003200/original/Lifting-Straps.jpg?1449614202"/>){kind=link}
</div>
<div readability="31.298131600325">
<p>With "functional" being the big trend in training, many lifting tools are now frowned upon. Don't squat or deadlift with a belt or your core will get non-functional! Don't use straps when lifting because it's cheating, your grip will become weak, and you won't have "real life strength" because of it!</p>
<p>Here's what's funny: Those who preach against straps and belts because they'll make you weak are rarely strong people themselves. The more opposed they are to these tools, the weaker they are.</p>
<p>Hey, I've got news for you: Most elite Olympic lifters wear straps in their training. Not all the time of course, but they do use them quite often. About 75% of them wear belts too. Strongman competitors often train with straps and almost always with a belt. Powerlifters too. They understand that these tools that can improve your training. They shouldn't become a crutch, but they're useful under many circumstances.</p>
<h3>Using Straps: The Good Stuff</h3>
<ul class="ntk"><li>Straps allow you to lift with relaxed arms, allowing you to shift the tension somewhere else. <span>This is useful for a bodybuilder on rowing and pulling movements if he has dominant biceps that tend to take over.</span></li>
<li>Straps make it possible to continue doing heavy lifting work even with busted hands. <span>Busted hands and torn calluses are common among CrossFit athletes, strongmen, Olympic lifters, and powerlifters who use a high training frequency. Deadlifting, snatching, or pulling heavy with straps is better than not training heavy at all.</span></li>
<li>Straps decrease the neurological stress of heavy deadlifts, snatches, and pulls. <span>They can be a good idea during a deloading period where you want to let the CNS recover. They can also be used once in a while to be able to handle a greater volume of heavy work with less ill effect.</span></li>
<li>Straps allow you to get extra reps and lift a bit more weight on big compound lifts <span>– great for an occasional overload on the big muscle groups.</span></li>
</ul><h3>Using Straps: The Bad Stuff</h3>
<ul class="ntk"><li>For many lifts, feeling the heaviness of the bar in your hands will be a huge reason for missed lifts. <span>This is especially true for the Olympic lift variations. If you always use straps in training, you lose the feeling of pulling a heavy bar, and when you have to lift without straps you'll suffer a severe drop in performance.</span></li>
<li>Straps allow you to "yank" the bar from the floor more easily. <span>That technique is not always possible (nor safe) with heavy weights without straps. When you have to stop using straps your technique might not fit the new situation. A good example is Pat Mendes, who always snatched with straps in training and always did 20-30kg less in competition. He was known for yanking the bar off the floor.</span></li>
<li>If you always rely on straps it's true that your grip strength can become a weak link. <span>While the occasional set with straps is fine, over-relying on them might be problematic if you compete in a sport where you can't use straps or you play a sport that requires a very strong grip.</span></li>
</ul><h4>Lifts Where You Can Use Straps</h4>
<ul><li><span>Snatch and clean high/low pulls (floor, blocks, hang)</span></li>
<li><span>Snatch and power snatch from the hang or blocks</span></li>
<li><span>Shrugs</span></li>
<li><span>Rows and pulls</span></li>
</ul><h4>Lifts Where You Can Use Straps Occasionally</h4>
<ul><li><span>Deadlifts (all variations and heights)</span></li>
<li><span>Snatch or power snatch from floor</span></li>
</ul><h4>Lifts Where You Should Stay Away From Straps</h4>
<ul><li><span>Clean and power clean</span></li>
<li><span>Farmer's walks</span></li>
<li><span>Thick bar work</span></li>
</ul><p>If you're a bodybuilder and grip strength doesn't matter to you, you can use straps pretty much anytime, although you still benefit from doing strapless work to build your forearms. If you're a strength athlete, do assistance work for grip strength and grip endurance on top of your regular lifting.</p>
<h4><a href="https://www.t-nation.com/training/big-forearms-crushing-grip">Related: Big Forearms, Crushing Grip</a></h4>
<h4><a href="https://www.t-nation.com/training/how-to-front-squat-with-straps">Related: How to Front Squat With Straps</a></h4>
</div>
<aside class="authorBio col-xs-12" readability="3.3821138211382"><a href="https://www.t-nation.com/all-articles/authors/christian-thibaudeau"><img alt="Christian-thibaudeau-author" class="pull-left" src="https://www.t-nation.com/system/publishing/authors/2/medium/Christian-Thibaudeau-Author.jpg?1431981532"/></a>;
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<p><nobr>Christian Thibaudeau</nobr></p>
<p class="bio">Specializing in building bodies that perform as well as they look, Christian Thibaudeau is one of the most sought-after trainers by the world's top bodybuilders and CrossFit competitors.</p>
<h4><a href="https://twitter.com/Coach_CThib"; target="_blank">Follow Christian Thibaudeau on Twitter</a></h4>
</aside><p><em>This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service - if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.</em></p>
https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-know-when-to-use-lifting-straps