Lifting straps

Gavstar · 15 Feb 2007 at 19:12

I would try and get used to the bar on your back Sem. As people have said, when the arms are up holding the bar a really nice 'shelf' seems to form for it, probably a bit further back than most people expect.

Oh, I also say don't spend £8.99 on a bit of pipe lagging!

rayb74 · 17 Feb 2007 at 16:24

Do not put anything on the bar. After time you will develop a nice resting area for the bar and you will not notice its there. Like anything it takes a while for your body to adjust.

MTA99 · 19 Feb 2007 at 21:16

This is exactly where the bar sits on my back

benjo plz. · 24 Feb 2007 at 16:46

^TANK^ said:
http://www.maximuscle.com/trainingaccessories/wristsupports.html these are great better than gold gym theyre **** from experience

But they're not straps...

MTA99 said:
Those straps are good, much better than the golds one but these are better

Are they?.. Really?

^TANK^ · 8 Mar 2007 at 12:41

Sorry smart ass

http://www.maximuscle.com/trainingaccessories/barwriststraps.html

benjo plz. · 8 Mar 2007 at 14:12

^TANK^ said:
Sorry smart ass http://www.maximuscle.com/trainingaccessories/barwriststraps.html

pfft, at least I know what to buy now

.

Chong Warrior · 8 Mar 2007 at 14:14

I just bought some of these http://www.myprotein.co.uk/products/accessories/padded-lifting-straps/ last night. Never used straps before. Looking forward to lugging some big weights about soon without straining my wrists and forearms

Styles · 8 Mar 2007 at 14:24

Chong Warrior said:
I just bought some of these http://www.myprotein.co.uk/products/accessories/padded-lifting-straps/ last night. Never used straps before. Looking forward to lugging some big weights about soon without straining my wrists and forearms

Be interesting to see if you deads or other pull movements increase with these. I haven't used my straps lately, but they definately have a place in my routine.

MTA99 · 8 Mar 2007 at 14:30

Chong Warrior said:
I just bought some of these http://www.myprotein.co.uk/products/accessories/padded-lifting-straps/ last night. Never used straps before. Looking forward to lugging some big weights about soon without straining my wrists and forearms

Do you use chalk at all?

For single arm DB row i can add an extra set (+extra reps) with straps, without the weight just slowly and relentlessly peels open my grip causing me to lose form and intensity.

benjo plz. · 8 Mar 2007 at 14:34

MTA99 said:
Do you use chalk at all?

without the weight just slowly and relentlessly peels open my grip causing me to lose form and intensity.

I find that chalks ok to an extent, usually good for helping with grip (especially when your calluses start bleeding etc), but it's no replacement for straps.

Chong Warrior · 8 Mar 2007 at 15:21

S7yl3s said:
Be interesting to see if you deads or other pull movements increase with these. I haven't used my straps lately, but they definately have a place in my routine.

Well I've just got todays workout then I'm having a break but looking forward to seeing if they help once I start racking the weights up again in about 6 weeks time

MTA99 said:
Do you use chalk at all?

For single arm DB row i can add an extra set (+extra reps) with straps, without the weight just slowly and relentlessly peels open my grip causing me to lose form and intensity.

Yeah I started using chalk just after christmas. Only use it for Deadlifting though. Definately helps, no doubt about it. I did 125kg last week with just a normal grip and was fine, whereas before I had to switch to the alternating grip before once I went over 100kg.

I suffer from tendonitis in both forearms though and when deadlifting and doing chins it sometimes feels like the tendon is going to rip right off the bone or snap!

That's why I'm having a break and also why I bought the straps, hopefully the tendons will heal up a bit and the straps will take some of the strain off when I return.

Styles · 8 Mar 2007 at 18:46

Chong Warrior said:
Well I've just got todays workout then I'm having a break but looking forward to seeing if they help once I start racking the weights up again in about 6 weeks time

Keep us lot updated!

Morba · 8 Mar 2007 at 20:56

S7yl3s said:
Be interesting to see if you deads or other pull movements increase with these. I haven't used my straps lately, but they definately have a place in my routine.

they definitely do. i normally try to use them only on latter sets of deads, but as i couldnt do deads last night i went a bit heavier on the seated row, was able to do 10% or so more than normal, forearm wasnt dieing on me either.

Styles · 8 Mar 2007 at 22:05

Morba said:
they definitely do. i normally try to use them only on latter sets of deads, but as i couldnt do deads last night i went a bit heavier on the seated row, was able to do 10% or so more than normal, forearm wasnt dieing on me either.

Absolutly I agree. They haven't had a part in my routine as I was finding I was looking to them too easily. So say if I was doing a set of deads at around 300lbs I would already be looking to my straps rather than just nailing the set out without thinking about it using my own grip. Basically I was using the straps way before they needed to be used. So I put them away, forgot about them and just got on with it, and without them my forearms have shown some good development.

So for sure, I think they will definately put his lifts up.

Oh and Chong, congratulations on the 140KG dead, been a long time coming for you but you did well, 3 reps as well! Well done bud, feels good when you break your pb's doesn't it? Man I love the feeling. (I have been reading your journal on MP, not spying on you :eek:

)lol

Chong Warrior · 9 Mar 2007 at 00:15

Cheers

Yeah feels good, could easily have lifted more but I'm wary of pushing too hard. Already an increase of 15kg from last workout so it was pushing it doing 140kg but I just wanted to crack the 300lb barrier

More pleasing as deadlifts are my weakest lift in comparison to other lifts but I finally seem to have got them nailed.

Thinking of putting another week in now before my SD as I think I've got more in the tank on nearly all the exercises

Styles · 9 Mar 2007 at 08:32

Chong Warrior said:
Cheers

Yeah feels good, could easily have lifted more but I'm wary of pushing too hard. Already an increase of 15kg from last workout so it was pushing it doing 140kg but I just wanted to crack the 300lb barrier More pleasing as deadlifts are my weakest lift in comparison to other lifts but I finally seem to have got them nailed.

The 300lbs barrier is a decent target for most on the big 3, it's a good number!

I remember breaking the 300lbs barrier for the first time, it felt goood. I did the same as you and added 15-20Kgs (something like that) from the previous workout I did just simply because I knew I could do it and wanted to break that barrier. That was a good day.

Thinking of putting another week in now before my SD as I think I've got more in the tank on nearly all the exercises

If you've got the energy for it and the mindset you seem to have right now, I'd do it. The HST routine you follow allows for you to add another week in if you feel it would be benificial to yourself, iirc?

Following your journal you've made some excellent progress and I think it would be wastful to stop until you really do need that break, be that now or in a weeks time you're the only one who can judge how you feel.