Lifting straps aren’t always necessary. For most beginners in the gym, your default grip is strong enough to handle most pulling exercises. Later on down the line however, once you start getting stronger, your grip may fail way before your bigger muscle groups begin to. In that case, you can use lifting straps to make sure you can complete your exercise to a deeper level of failure.

Lifting Straps Key Points

• Make sure the strap goes around your wrist, not the bottom of your hand
• Secure the strap tightly around your wrist before you begin to do so on the bar
• Put the straps on with the loose end coming through your hand, between your thumb and index
• Grab the bar and have the bar be between your hand and the strap
• Wrap the strap toward your hand and keep rolling it towards the direction of your thumb
• Motorcycle (spin like revving a motorcycle engine) the strap until it’s very tight and hold onto it tightly

How to Use Lifting Straps

Thread the end of the strap through the hole and make a little noose. Put your hand through and tighten it onto your wrist. The loose end of the strap should be facing up. Face your palms towards the ceiling and the loose end naturally hanging between your thumb and index. If it’s leaning the other way, you’re fine, just switch it to the other wrist.

Lifting Strap Exercises

Lifting straps are used for any exercise that requires pulling. Here are a few of the most common lifting strap pulling exercises.

1. Pull ups
2. Deadlifts
3. Shrugs
4. Rows
5. Dumbbell Lunges

Leg raises hanging off of a pull up bar or core machines can sometimes require you to pull. Core is usually done at the end of the workout, so your grip might already be shot by them.

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