Deadlift Straps – Cheating?
Deadlifts are one of the biggest loads you will probably ever do in the gym because your glutes, back, and legs contain some of the strongest muscles in the human body. By combining their powers, you can move a lot of iron. But for many of us, there is a weak link: our grasp.
This is where webbing comes in handy. You simply wrap a piece of stiff fabric around the bar and your grip is no longer an obstacle. But this is controversial. If you can’t hold this heavy barbell, is it fair to say that you can lift it? Then again, if your body is strong enough to lift the barbell off the ground, is it really fair to let your little arms hold you back?
Let’s see the rules
To determine if something is fraudulent, we need to decide which rules apply. Let’s look at the rules for the two sports in which the deadlift causes the most resistance: powerlifting and strongman.
In powerlifting, belts are prohibited. (For example, here’s the USAPL rulebook : page 18 has a list of permitted “personal equipment” and it doesn’t include belts.) Watch thisvideo of the world record holders in each weight class at the time the video was filmed: None of them pulls for the straps.
But in strongman they are often like that. (The rules for strongmen are not standardized, so there is no one set of rules, but promoters usually allow the use of belts for mostpulling rods.) Here’sLucy Underdown pulling up 300 kilos for a recent record ; you can see her pulling the straps around the bar before she settles down and starts pulling.
However, if you are alone in the gym, no one will follow you with a set of rules, so you will have to make the decision yourself.
What are the pros and cons of using straps in the gym?
The downside of the straps is that they do not interfere with grip. If you’ve always used straps for deadlift exercises, you may never notice your grip get stronger. For this reason, many lifters avoid the use of belts altogether. If they cannot hold the weight, they will not be able to lift it.
The positive side of the straps is the same as the disadvantage: they allow your grasping muscles to rest. This can allow you to lift harder with straps than without them, or do more reps without worrying about grip fatigue.
Most athletes, in both strongman and powerlifting, train partly with belts and some without them. But if you’re not going to compete and just want to get stronger in the gym, you can do whatever you want, including always or never using the straps, depending on your preference.
How to get the best of both worlds
To be a versatile and strong person, you will probably want to use straps sometimes . Here’s what I recommend:
- When doing deadlifts, do as much without straps as possible.
- If your grip looses before you finish, put on the straps as needed to finish your workout.
- If you will be doing sets with a lot of repetitions that you know will tire your grip, consider using straps. (For example, Romanian deadlifts or deadlifts.)
- After that (or on separate days) do grip exercises, because special training will help you get stronger. We’ve got a guide to improving your traction grip .
This is basically what I do. I do not use straps for lifts that I do according to competition standards (like deadlifts or snatch), but I keep a pair in my duffel bag to use for overload work (like deadlifts with a heavy stance) or work with a lot of repetitions (like the Romanian deadlift in sets of 10). I also train my grip regularly, and as a result, my deadlift strength has increased over the years and my grip has become stronger. If you use them correctly, the straps are a great training tool.