Grips & Straps
This week, we’re going to be analyzing some more equipment people tend to use in the gym, and determine whether or not they’re worth the investment, or can take your workouts to the next level. Grips, and straps, are both things commonly seen in the gym. Grips are usually something you place on the barbell, dumbbells, etc. and straps actually wrap around your wrist, which then wrap around the weight. Both have different functions, and there are many different models, so we’ll try to explain which one would be best fro you depending on what you’re looking for.
We’ll begin with grips. Grips are usually placed on whatever you want to put them on, so your grip is increased, and it’s also a much thicker grip. When we say thicker, we mean the barbell, for example, is quite skinny to start, so by adding these grips, you are now working harder to grip an even larger bar. Thick bars are said to target muscles that have never been targeted with a normal bar, which ultimately leads to more muscle gains. Also, using these grips helps make the forearm work harder, which in turn makes your arms much stronger, because your body want to remain proportional, so if you have weak forearms, your biceps will be less inclined to grow.
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Grips are definitely beneficial to your training, but there are other options. Next, we’ll introduce straps.
Straps you must actually wear on your wrists, and then when you want to lift, you wrap them around the barbell to increase your grip. There are many different kinds of straps as well. There are the cloth straps, which wrap around your wrist, and tend to be much longer in length. Next there are the type that are much shorter, but more stable, and actually tend to support your wrist more. First of all, they all help you with one thing, and that’s grip. On exercises like barbell row, or shrugs, you have a much easier time holding the bar; therefore you can do more weight. They actually don’t improve your grip though; you’re just bringing in an outside element to help you.
They definitely do help. When you’re training back, or traps with the straps for the first time, it’s like a whole new workout. You can pull more weight, and better target the muscle. It also prevents your hands being torn up when you’re trying to do shrugs with heavy weight, or barbell rows. It is important to not become dependent on them; only use them when you need them. It’salways good to go without when you can, and truly improve your grip.
To sum up, they both have different functions. Grips actually will make the workout more challenging; being the bar will be thicker, and tougher to grip. They will benefit you, but if you’re looking for a practical solution to help you pull more without hurting your hands, straps are the way to go. Many people think the two have the same functions, but it isn’t the case. It’s important to know the difference. Neither are necessary, but depending upon your goals, they are helpful.
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