using straps

[Smiler Grogan]

Hi guys.

I searched this but couldn't really find what I was looking for. If I did a shitty search, my bad. This is just an opinion thing anyway.
I want to get my deadlift up to 500#, just because it would be/sound cool. I have no competitive aspirations.

I can double overhand 410#, but only one precarious rep. My 1RM with an alternate grip and chalk is #450. The lift itself, with my legs and back, is hard but I feel like I've got quite a bit more in the tank if I can hold onto the damn bar. I can feel my grip starting to go as soon as I pull up, and it sucks because I can't put any reps together.

I won't claim 500# deadlift unless I can do without straps. What are your thoughts on incorporating them? Are they in any way helpful for progressing to a higher strapless lift? I'm thinking of just trying them out to see what I can actually pull, strength-wise.

I welcome all thoughts, criticisms, and insults.

[Gary Gibson]

I welcome all thoughts, criticisms, and insults.

I'm going to get plenty for offering my opinion, but here goes:

Straps are like a belt. They help you lift more. They have their place in training.

But belts are allowed in just about every powerlifting federation I can think of (there may be one or two 140% Raw feds that don't allow one), while straps are allowed in none of them. So you're right, no one calls it an official deadlift if straps are involved.

But if you're training the deadlift to overload everything else (and there is plenty that the deadlift loads besides the grip), then straps have their place. They will let you pull more for more volume (sort of the way a belt lets you squat more for more volume) and that's a good thing for the rest of the stuff the deadlift works.

You should still train the deadlift without straps, and how often you use straps will depend on your preferences and goals. Very big, very strong bodybuilders may use straps quite often while competitive powerlifters would probably never use them since the need to train the deadlift grip for actual competition.

NOTE:

I RESPECT ALL THE INEVITABLE DISSENTING OPINIONS. THIS IS MY OPINION BASED ON EXPERIENCE AND NOT AN INVITATION TO START FLAME WARS. I LOVE YOU ALL AND PRAY THAT GOD KEEPS YOU AND SHEDS HIS BLESSINGS UPON YOU AND ALL YOUR DESCENDANTS.

[StLRPh]

I read a deadlift manual recently by an 800lb deadlifter (can't remember then name right now) and he incorporates straps into his workouts. Mainly for the non-ME set(s),warmups, and volume work. Can't find the article right now so sorry about that.

2 things I came away with:
1. You should be doing grip work anyway so you're not shorting yourself regarding your grip.
2. Save your hands for the ME lifts. He also went into a lot of talking about tearing calluses and losing time lifting b/c of the injury.

For what its worth I don't use straps. Not because I think they're bad but b/c I haven't gotten around to needing them yet.

Good luck,

Matt

[Smiler Grogan]

Using straps for lower weight reps and saving grip strength for ME attempts makes sense. I feel like a douche canoe for not knowing that. I should read more about really strong people I guess.

Gary, I read your belt thread a couple of days ago and thought you might chime in. :D

[ZKP]

Depends on what you want or define as your(you notice i said your) 500 lb deadlift. Will you feel it's "less" of a feat using straps? If so don't use em. Gear is'nt used to bump you over a sticking point. It's used holistically, throughout a system to facilitate harder work which you would be unable to do otherwise. when you look at gear ask yourself this question "Is this allowing me to work harder or safer than i'd be able to otherwise." It the answer is yes, go for it. If not then you might want to reevaluate how you're using your gear. This aplys to belts, straps, shoes, suits whatever... Only you know you're sticking points. Train them up. Gear properly used can help you greatly all around and carry over to gearless lifts. It can also be improperly used and give you a small immediate jump but cover temporarily an ignored problem. Playing catch up down the road sucks. Stlrph's advice is spot on. good Luck;...

[Sgsolberg]

I'm going to get plenty for offering my opinion, but here goes:

NOTE:

I RESPECT ALL THE INEVITABLE DISSENTING OPINIONS. THIS IS MY OPINION BASED ON EXPERIENCE AND NOT AN INVITATION TO START FLAME WARS. I LOVE YOU ALL AND PRAY THAT GOD KEEPS YOU AND SHEDS HIS BLESSINGS UPON YOU AND ALL YOUR DESCENDANTS.

While I don't always agree with Gary, I think that using wraps for training can be very usefull (currently don't use them myself, as my dead is weak). We all know that grip is the first thing to go on this lift. Like a belt, wraps are a tool that can help develop a superior lift, by removing a weak component. Then training for grip separately makes sense. This would allow you to end up with a higher "official" number than you probably could without this method.

[Gary Gibson]

Using straps for lower weight reps and saving grip strength for ME attempts makes sense. I feel like a douche canoe for not knowing that. I should read more about really strong people I guess.

Gary, I read your belt thread a couple of days ago and thought you might chime in. :D

Heh. It's been half an hour and no flames yet, so I'll add a bit more.

But first:

THE FOLLOWING IS NOTHING MORE THAN MY PERSONAL OPINION BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE AND THE OBSERVED TRAINING AND WRITINGS OF MUCH STRONGER MORE EXPERIENCED LIFTERS. I RESPECT ANY DISSENTING OPINIONS AND WISH YOU ALL A SAFE AND HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON.

You have to decide when to use straps for yourself...like IPF champ Alexsey Vishnitsky in this vid of him using straps with 881 lbs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdFlfmmLMbs

ZKP sums it up very well in the preceding post.

And straps have a "grip-sparing" effect. The thing that makes deadlifts so deadly on the CNS is that they tax the grip so much. (USAPL champ Jack Reape has speculated that this because the hands have so many nerve endings as a large portion of our sense of touch along with our fine motor skills are wired to our hands.)

Personally, I'm prepared to use straps for my next round of deadlifting volume. I'm going to be doing an insane number of sets to regroove this lift which I've ignored for three months as I've focused on my squat. Straps will allow me to build some serious deadlift-specific motor patterns with appreciable weight and stupendous volume without my grip giving out and limiting the load to my hips and abs. But this is to address a specific weakness. My grip has not failed me in the deadlift; my ability to lock out my hips has. So I need to work on that next with overloading the hips with heavy ass deadlifts.

BUT IF YOU PREFER NEVER TO USE STRAPS THEN I UNDERSTAND AND COMMEND YOUR TRAINING CHOICE.

[Raskolnikov]

Just sort of echoing what's already been said, but it all depends on your goals. I've used straps for rack pulla and snatch grip deads because my purpose for doing those lifts doesn't have anything to do with grip; however, like you said, I wouldn't ever count a deadlift PR done with straps.

Anyways, considering you feel grip is the limiting factor in your deadlift right now, and you don't want to count a PR with straps, I don't think using straps to pull more is exactly in line with your goals. I think maybe some thick bar deadlifts would be a better solution. You could even split your pulling sessions between thick bar work and strap work. Just a thought anyways.

[Smiler Grogan]

Heh. It's been half an hour and no flames yet, so I'll add a bit more.

But first:

THE FOLLOWING IS NOTHING MORE THAN MY PERSONAL OPINION BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE AND THE OBSERVED TRAINING AND WRITINGS OF MUCH STRONGER MORE EXPERIENCED LIFTERS. I RESPECT ANY DISSENTING OPINIONS AND WISH YOU ALL A SAFE AND HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON.

You have to decide when to use straps for yourself...like IPF champ Alexsey Vishnitsky in this vid of him using straps with 881 lbs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdFlfmmLMbs

ZKP sums it up very well in the preceding post.

And straps have a "grip-sparing" effect. The thing that makes deadlifts so deadly on the CNS is that they tax the grip so much. (USAPL champ Jack Reape has speculated that this because the hands have so many nerve endings as a large portion of our sense of touch along with our fine motor skills are wired to our hands.)

Personally, I'm prepared to use straps for my next round of deadlifting volume. I'm going to be doing an insane number of sets to regroove this lift which I've ignored for three months as I've focused on my squat. Straps will allow me to build some serious deadlift-specific motor patterns with appreciable weight and stupendous volume without my grip giving out and limiting the load to my hips and abs. But this is to address a specific weakness. My grip has not failed me in the deadlift; my ability to lock out my hips has. So I need to work on that next with overloading the hips with heavy ass deadlifts.

BUT IF YOU PREFER NEVER TO USE STRAPS THEN I UNDERSTAND AND COMMEND YOUR TRAINING CHOICE.

I had never heard this before. I'm really feeling like a dumbass toolbox today. Gonna read more on grip and this CNS jazz.

Thanks a lot for the helpful responses guys, I appreciate it.

[StLRPh]

I had never heard this before. I'm really feeling like a dumbass toolbox today. Gonna read more on grip and this CNS jazz.

Thanks a lot for the helpful responses guys, I appreciate it.

I think learning something new about strength training is pretty cool actually and you only learn by asking questions and understanding the answers.

Good luck,

matt

[milesdyson]

I can double overhand 410#, but only one precarious rep. My 1RM with an alternate grip and chalk is #450. The lift itself, with my legs and back, is hard but I feel like I've got quite a bit more in the tank if I can hold onto the damn bar. I can feel my grip starting to go as soon as I pull up, and it sucks because I can't put any reps together.
i would think a grip strong enough to double overhand 410 would be strong enough to mixed grip weight well into the 500s.

[Jake Galgon]

A bit of a non sequitur, but does anyone have any thoughts on the use of an altrnating hook grip for heavy deadlifts? Plenty of people use either a hook grip or an alternating grip, but I've not seen much discussion of combining the two and I can't think of any reason not to.

I've used such a grip to pull 500 lbs, which I'm doubtful I could have done with a plain alternating grip and almost sure I couldn't have done with a regular hook grip.

edit: that's without chalk, and I don't think my grip is especially strong--I think that the technique deserves the credit.