Lifting Straps: When to Use Them, and Which Type to Choose
Use lifting straps when your grip gives out before the muscles you are training do: heavy deadlifts, rack pulls and shrugs, and high-rep rows, pulldowns and Romanian deadlifts where your back can keep going after your hands have had enough. Straps are not cheating in training. They move the limit from your hands to your back and legs, which is where you want it on those sets. Keep training grip without them on warm-ups and lighter sets. The three common types are lasso straps, figure 8 straps and D-ring straps on a padded cuff, and each one suits different lifts.
Are lifting straps cheating?
Not in training. The goal of a set of rows is to train your back. If your fingers open on rep eight while your lats could manage twelve, the set ended early for a reason that has nothing to do with the muscle you came to train. A strap lets you finish it.
Two things are worth knowing. Most powerlifting federations do not allow straps in competition, so a lifter preparing for a meet should pull without them regularly. And a lifter who never trains grip without straps will find their hands falling further behind. Both are reasons to use straps on some sets, not a reason to avoid them.
When should you use lifting straps?
Use them on the sets where your grip, and nothing else, is ending the set. For most lifters that looks like this:
| Lift | Straps? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlift, top sets | Often | The heaviest sets are where grip fails first |
| Deadlift, warm-ups | No | Free grip training on every session |
| Romanian deadlift | Often | Long sets under load, and the bar hangs in your fingers the whole time |
| Rack pulls and shrugs | Yes | Loads heavier than your deadlift |
| Rows and pulldowns | For high reps | Your back outlasts your hands |
| Pull-ups | For high reps | The same, once grip starts to end the set |
| Bench press and squat | No | Grip is not the limit, and you want your hands free |
If your grip gives out on nearly every pulling set, add direct grip work alongside the straps. Here is how to build grip strength for the deadlift.
What types of lifting straps are there?
All lifting straps do the same job, taking the bar out of your fingers, but they attach in different ways.
| Type | How it holds | Best for | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lasso straps | A loop on the wrist, a tail wrapped around the bar | Deadlifts, rows, pulldowns, shrugs | The all-rounder; takes a moment to wrap |
| Figure 8 straps | One closed loop on the wrist, one around the bar | Maximum deadlifts, rack pulls, shrugs | You cannot drop the bar by opening your hands |
| D-ring straps | A padded cuff with a tail, or clipped to a cable | Heavy pulls, shrugs, high-rep rows, cable work | The cuff spreads the load across the wrist |
Lasso straps are the classic. The PR Grip Vintage Leather Straps are made from double-layer cowhide with a soft-lined wrist loop, and the suede face grips the knurling of the bar. Leather breaks in to your hand over the first few weeks.
Figure 8 straps are a closed loop with no tail to slip. The PR Grip Power Straps are cotton webbing with anti-slip rubber thread in the bar loop and foam pads on the wrist loops, in sizes S, M and L. Because your hand is locked to the bar, keep them for lifts where you will never need to let go in a hurry, and leave them off anything you might need to drop, such as cleans and snatches.
D-ring straps put a padded cuff around the wrist. The PR Grip D-Ring Wraps have a neoprene cuff, a woven nylon tail and steel D-rings, with silicone dots on one face of the tail to grip knurling and chrome. Wrap the tail around a bar, or clip the cuff straight to a cable.
How do you use lasso lifting straps?
It takes a few tries, then it becomes part of your setup.
1. Slide your hand through the loop so the tail runs down across your palm and out between your thumb and first finger. 2. Hold your hand over the bar and pass the tail under the bar and around it, in the same direction your fingers will close. 3. Wrap it one to one and a half times. More wraps make the strap harder to take off. 4. Close your hand over the strap and turn the bar a little in your hand to pull the strap snug. 5. Set your grip and your back, then pull.
To take the bar off, set it down, open your hand and let the tail unwind. On the first sets, practice with a light bar until the wrap feels quick.
Do lifting straps weaken your grip?
Only if you use them on every set. Straps take the load off your hands, so a set with straps does little for your grip. That is fine on the sets where the goal is your back. The simple rule: warm-ups and lighter sets without straps, heavy and high-rep work sets with them, and a few minutes of grip work two or three times a week.
Leather, cotton or nylon?
Each material has a feel of its own. Leather is the most durable, molds to your hand and grips well once broken in. Cotton is soft and comfortable from the first session, and rubber thread in the webbing adds grip. Nylon is thin and strong, and it can feel slicker on the bar without a grip coating.
If you like to feel the bar, choose leather. For the heaviest pulls, where you want your hand locked in, choose figure 8. For cable work and high-rep rows, the D-ring cuff does both jobs.
If your hands are fine but your feet move on a heavy pull, the fix is on the floor instead. Here is how to keep your feet from slipping on deadlifts. Lifters in the reviews put the PR Grip mat under their feet on a slick platform, and their stance stayed where they set it.
See the PR Grip Vintage Leather Straps
Frequently asked questions
Are lifting straps cheating?
Not in training. They let your back and legs finish sets that your grip would otherwise end early. Most powerlifting federations do not allow them in competition, so meet lifters should also pull without straps regularly.
When should you start using lifting straps?
When your grip starts ending sets before the target muscle is tired, usually on heavy deadlifts, shrugs and high-rep rows. Keep your warm-ups and lighter sets strap-free so your grip keeps improving.
Are figure 8 straps better than lasso straps?
They suit different lifts. Figure 8 straps lock your hand to the bar, which is secure on maximum deadlifts and shrugs, but you cannot let go quickly. Lasso straps are the all-rounder for rows, pulldowns and most pulls.
Do lifting straps weaken your grip?
Only if you use them on every set. Use straps on your heaviest and longest sets, go without them on warm-ups and lighter sets, and add a little direct grip work each week.
Can you use lifting straps for pull-ups?
Yes. On high-rep pull-ups and pulldowns, straps let your back finish the set after your grip gives out. Wrap them around the bar just as you would on a row.