I went through a period of only deadlifting with straps. I found that in all my competitions, I never had a problem using a mixed grip (set a deadlift PR this way, too). My grip got worked in lots of other ways: Fat Gripz, Kroc rows, heavy rows in general, and sometimes the Captains of Crush grippers.
Now, I do go back to strapless more often, but for many max effort attempts I’ll strap-up with no qualms.
Ever tried the more traditional straps or even the single loop? They might give you some benefit without being as locked in as the figure eights.
I’ve tried the hooks. They take your grip totally out of the equation to the point where, for me, it doesn’t even feel like the same lift. I also found the Velcro that goes around your wrist to be annoying. I didn’t love them, but maybe I thought about them the wrong way: there could be a benefit if I’m thinking about them more like a lift variation
I like straps for extra reps after I would’ve called the lift done otherwise. I’m always surprised how much more gas is in the tank when I do.
I’ll also use them towards the end of supplemental and accessory work where possible for the same reason. Especially barbell rows.
I’ve tried hooks and have a love/hate relationship with them. The dynamic of the lift does change because you’re eliminating part of the muscle chain involved, but using them on heavy deads, after failure without, really helped me focus on the posterior chain portion of the lift while letting my arms act as proverbial cables. It was almost like a super cue that exposed a distraction I didn’t even realize I had.
I never strap for accessories. I never strap for warmups. For warmups, I go to 405 on deadlift with double over hand, and then start to hook grip for the rest of my warmups.
So I only strap for working sets or maxes, unless i feel like hook gripping a max.
Rituals eventually create weakness.
If I could go back in time, I would tell my younger self that, but I’d most likely not listen.
But anyway………
Some days your grip is going to be taxed and holding you back, mostly because of the torque of the barbell. You should be fine on trap bars, but still, one day your forearms might be too taxed.
Always doing mixed grip eventually may cause an issue.
High rep hook grip isn’t very efficient.
And some days DOH for higher reps nails the CNS in ways nothing else does!
Some days I use a belt, some days I won’t on my top weight.
Life is too short for rituals.
What is a trap bar…
My ritual is to go as high as i can with double overhand. I see people go mixed at 225 and it is sad.
I had to work to get my grip better, but i wonder what weight people are using to have to strap on rows… rows strapless are a huge way to bring up practical grip. I never feel the grip slipping on heavy rows much less light ones.
I think a lot of people give up bringing up their grip because it is hard and doesnt happen quickly. Others try to strengthen the forearms or fingers and over work it and then have too much fatigue to really increase the grip.
If anyone wants to just increase grip strength, just dont do weird shit with low weights. Grip the bar and dont let the fingers open. Do your rows trying to crush the bar. If you are deadlifting under 400, use double.overhand for your work sets and if you have.to set down bar in middle, the punishment of that will motivate you, trust me
This is a completely arbitrary figure.
A double overhand or underhand grip can roll out of your hands.
When using a mixed grip the opposing hand prevents the bar from rolling out of the other hand, and vice versa. The trap bar works like a mixed grip, but it is physically impossible for a trap bar to roll out of your hands. It must slide out of your grip, just like the bar must with a mixed grip on a deadlift bar.
I, myself, never deadlifted anything with a double overhand grip. I never thought of that as being sad. Believe it, or not, I just wasn’t deadlifting to improve my grip.
Speaking of sad, using a trap bar to replace the bar deadlift should not be pulled from the raised handles if you want to get the optimal benefit of using the trap bar to replace the barbell.
I normally do rows after deadlifts. I’ll deadlift as much as I can without straps, but it is my grip that gives before my back and hips so I’ll strap up and bang out a few more reps at this point.
To answer your question directly, after a few sets of medium range reps on bent over barbells rows north of 250lbs or so, some grip assistance is helpful. Same for bent over dumbbell rows. For me 130-140 lbs or so, after heavy deads and barbell rows and I’m happy to have some assistance.
So they aren’t used to negate a need for grip strength but they keep me working longer and harder.
I would suggest that if you aren’t reaching “failure” and then adding straps for a few more, you aren’t working hard enough.
Yeah. I do 275 rows and my grip never fails before my lats.
Mixed grip is fine and i know why it works, but even though i dont give a shit about biceps, i dont want to tear one.
I strap fpr heavy lifts also, but warmups up to 405 is where i stop with the double overhand right now. When my deadlift goes up, so do my warmups double overhand… it isnt static.
If you like strapping for accessory, go ham.
As far as a trap bar. I dont care if it os better for grip. I dont use one. Have no use. Using one for deads is low T trash
The advantage of the trap bar is that everyone can easily achieve an efficient bar path. It isn’t for anything to do with grip. Most everyone I see deadlifting have a very difficult time keeping the bar from getting out in front of them, where they will fail before their strength has failed.
This isn’t exactly correct. A lifter with short arms may find he is doing a hybrid squat movement because he needs to go lower to reach the bar. In order to keep it a hinge movement he would need to do things to increase the height of the bar from the floor. If you aren’t training for a powerlifting meet, then making adjustments in order to more effectively train the movement, in this case a hinge, makes sense.
Hi Mark!
Which is how it should be. Has anyone used straps and gotten fewer reps than when they were strapless?
My comment is for replacing the barbell.
The wannabees of the gym appreciate your excuse. But don’t load up the trap bar and pull from the high handles and act like you can deadlift. The trap bar does not translate to the barbell, especially if you don’t have efficient form and bar path with the deadlift bar.
If I am overemphasizing powerlifting, it is because I did some powerlifting and strongly credit much of my physique gains to the work I did powerlifting. IMO, most people on this forum would benefit training like a powerlifter and actually competing in a weight class where you would have nice body composition. So not fat. …where hitting PR’s and still making weight. Aren’t those the major goals of most all on the forum.
The context I replied to was implying that people use straps to negate grip training and strength. I was explaining why I disagree.
This was unnecessary. It was a statement of fact and not an excuse. I mean, if someone five feet tall said he couldn’t slam dunk a basketball on a regulation rim because he was five feet tall, would you tell him he’s making excuses and needs to work on his vertical leap more? Is the height off the ground for a barbell loaded with olympic plates for a deadlift based on the exercise or is it that particular height for some other reason? You know the answer.
If one is deadlifting for competition, which is not most people, then you do what you have to do within the rules to lift the weight. But if you aren’t lifting weights to just lift weights, then you do what you need to do to maximize the benefits of the movement.
I agree with you. I’m simply saying that when someone says their grip doesn’t give out first, then how would they explain getting more reps or lifting more weight when using straps. I also wonder if using straps doesn’t improve grip strength is true. You still have to grip when using them.
Have you never used straps? I can hold the weight with one finger on each hand.
I 100% agree. Heavy work on compounds creates thick, dense muscularity, and the strength increase allows for greater overall intensity on high rep accessory (or bodybuilding) work.
People who stay in the medium to high rep ranges look incomplete to me. There is some shape and musculature for sure but it just looks like a cartoon drawing that has come to life. But I’m not a bodybuilding guy so I’m sure I’m completely missing the point.
I personally enjoy the “power building” stuff out now, with a bend for the strength side of the equation. But would get murdered on a posing stage.