Are you looking for ways to focus on lifting weight
and neglect the grip? Maybe you are a bit unsure what type of accessory you
should use in this event. Your concern about powerlifting can be addressed by using different accessories such
as weight lifting hooks and straps. Both of them provide good
support in securing our grips to the handle of the weights, which will not
hamper our workout routines and our muscle development.
What’s better weight lifting straps or hooks?
Choosing between the two accessories is more of a
preference. Let us look at some of their similarities and differences.
Functionality
During your heavy weight lifting exercises, your grip
tends to grow weaker before your muscle does. This can hamper your muscle
development and prevent you from reaching your desired goal. With this issue, weight lifting hooks and straps provide optimum support to your
grip, especially during any pulling exercise that targets the trapezius and
back muscles.
The Design
The weight lifting strap is essentially a strap of
fabric that contains a loop on one of its edges. The other end will be inserted
inside the loop to create a circle where your wrist will be placed. After the weight lifting wrist straps are
perfectly fitted into your wrist, the hanging straps will be woven around the
handle of the weights, and the hands will be twisted until the straps feel
comfortable on your wrist. The weight lifting hooks are commonly made
from a wrist band that reduces the strain on the wrist. The band is attached to
a metal hook hanging below the palm. The hook will be wrapped on the bar to assist
with your grip. With the design factor, hooks may have a slight advantage over
the straps because straps sometimes cause discomfort on the wrist. The
attaching of the belt can also cause delay when you are working out.
Exercise
These accessories are intended for powerlifting, such as upright rows,
cable rows, barbell rows, shrugs, and deadlifts. In exercises, straps offer more benefits since they
can also be used during pull-downs, reverse fly, curls, and pull-ups. The weight lifting hooks are not
recommended for this exercise because they will not provide optimum assistance
on workouts in diverse angles.
Variation in the Model
Different variations have been introduced apart from
the customary weight lifting hooks
and straps. With the straps,
there are now gloves with built-in straps, vertical straps, padding, and others
that are a bit expensive but offer comfort. With the hook, a hybrid hook and
reverse hook have been released to support other forms of exercises.
Straps and weight
lifting hooks should only be employed in powerlifting exercises. If your
grip is persistently failing, you should focus more on enhancing grip training.
Weight
Lifting Hooks for Pulling
Exercises
Some people referred to them as basically lifting
hooks or powerlifting hooks. These
are commonly used to provide support during pulling exercises. It enables you
to lift more weight than your hand can afford by using only the forearm
strength combined with the grip. However, there are some things that you need
to consider before you start using the weight
lifting hooks.
Are Power Hooks Good?
Weight
lifting hooks are only designed
for pulling exercises; deadlifts, shrugs, etc. They are generally used for powerlifting. They present some complexity and challenges in using
them on movements with varying angles. You should also not use this as an
excuse for your weak grips. If your grip is persistently weakening on different
types of exercises, you should concentrate on workout routines that will
enhance your power grip.
How Do You Use Lifting Hooks
The strap should be fed through the loops, and then it
should be tightened onto our wrist. The weight
lifting hooks should be pointing in a downward position, allowing you to
attach the hook to the bars of the weights.
Things to Avoid
You may feel a desire to squeeze the hook but refrain
from doing that. Most weight lifting
hooks are manufactured using aluminum with a military-grade sturdiness that
can take the entire weight away from your hand grip. Also, avoid pulling the
strap too tight. There is padding inside that will provide comfort to your
wrist during powerlifting
exercise. It also prevents sliding or slipping on the bars, allowing you to
control the movement during dead lifts better. You should also not wholly relax
your grip because you have weight-lifting
hooks. This accessory is designed to provide support and not a means to
handle the entire load of the weights. Besides, losing grip will place stress
on your wrist that may result in injury or muscle strain.
Another issue when using weight lifting hooks would be the possibility of an underdeveloped
forearm. They believe that by using these accessories, the development and size
of your forearm will be hampered. While that is partially true, people can
perform different exercises that can enhance their forearm muscles. In the
first place, your workout routine should not only be constricted on powerlifting.
Remember that the whole purpose of going to the gym is
to stimulate our muscle tissue. Refusing to use straps to avoid heavy exercises
is an excuse for dead weight. Workout with the right amount of intensity that
will trigger your muscle development with the use of weight lifting hooks.
Should I Use Weight Lifting Straps
Straps are usually 1-1 ½ inches wide and 12-18 inches long
and can be made of nylon, canvas, or leather. People typically prefer leather
because nylon and canvas are not as flexible as leather. Flexibility is a
primary factor to consider when choosing weight lifting wrist straps to reduce the strain applied on your
wrist during powerlifting.
However, I also highly welcome everyone to use the other materials since they
are still as good as the others.
The Use of Weight Lifting Straps
The main purpose of the straps is to let the weightlifter place their full attention on
pulling the weights rather than thinking about the grips on the weights. There
has been too much conversation about the actual use of the wrist straps and Weight Lifting hooks, but most lifters would probably agree on its
primary purpose. The lifters tend to neglect the grip and fully concentrate on
their workout.
Prevent Injuries
Over the extensive period of working out, our grips
tend to weaken. No matter what type of program is incorporated into your
routine, fatigue will eventually set in that may affect our form. Having an
improper form in powerlifting
may result in injuries. We need to maintain our form and grip by using weight lifting hooks and straps.
Improves our Form
It is now possible for us to lift heavier weights with
straps. It allows us to maintain our form even with a weaker grip, preventing
possible injury. The strap is your solution if your hand is already slipping
out and prevents you from executing an optimum performance in the gym. Weight lifting wrist straps are your
friend during any pulling workout or exercises that involve weights, such as
dumbbell lunges and shrugs.
How to use the Weight Lifting Straps
The first thing you have to do is choose the weight
lifting straps suitable for you. You can choose from canvas, leather, nylon, or
with padding, hook, and gloves with straps. Form a circle by threading the edge
of the strap on the loops. Insert your hand into the ring that you formed and
pull the strap until it fits perfectly on your wrist. The hanging straps should
be wrapped on the bars of the weights by using the 8-tie configuration. When powerlifting, make sure that your
hands are placed on the straps to make sure that they will stay in place. If
you are not comfortable and feel like your weight-lifting
wrist straps are slipping out, it is advisable to do it all over again.
Make sure to roll your hands for consecutive times until such time that the
straps are already pulling tight on your wrist.
By using the weight
lifting hooks and straps,
the stress is not entirely placed on the wrist of the lifter. Your wrist can
acquire injury if the wrist handles the entire weight.
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