[mabo]

I'd be very impressed to say the least if I saw any of you guys do a high rep set of shrugs with 405+ and no straps.

[Jez]

On the glove issue;
I wore gloves for a long time; one day I was helping my old man do some heavy shovel work. My muscles were looking great, I was feeling strong, but then my hands blistered severly after a short time. So embarrasing, whats the point of having a powerful body if ya hands cant handle the work. You are only as strong as your weakest link - i guess this applies to the straps also. I dont use gloves anymore and have hands that are hard as. Makes me feel dedicated, strong, and I know they can take a lot of punishment without getting red raw!

[picabloo]

Originally Posted by KM

That's called a Dumbbell Row bro. I use straps for Deads, Barbell Hack Squats, and Barbell Shrugs.

Yeah thanks, it was on the tip of my tongue lol. Oh and yes, i also use them for deads :$

[under construction]

I use straps when the weight gets too heavy just cuz I dont want to cheat certain muscle groups out of a WO cuz my grip fails. I also use chalk but it doesnt prevent callouses on me, maybe it lessens them IDK

[Kaboom]

Originally Posted by mabo

I'd be very impressed to say the least if I saw any of you guys do a high rep set of shrugs with 405+ and no straps.

I dont use straps at all and I do barbell shrugs with 365.Granted with this weight my grip does give out first and I could do more reps with straps Im sure but.My personal preference is not to use them so I dont but I can understand some reasoning behind it.But those that need to use straps for chins then you need to work on your grip big time.

[under construction]

deadlifts are where I use them when it gets over 350. I only use them when I have to cuz they are a pain in the ass.

[mabo]

I thought I typed up a response to this but I must have forgotten to post it. Damn.

I used to be about as anti-straps as you can get, but my attitude has changed a lot. I've always been an advocate of grip training, in fact it's where I started before I was even lifting weights.

At the moment my grip/wrists get specifically trained twice a week with a 2" wrist roller, sledge hammer levering, dumbbell wrist curls, plate curls and double overhand holds using a barbell. I simply have nothing to gain by ditching my straps.

Shrugs and high pulls are two exercises that benefit greatly from the use of straps. I'm by no means the strongest guy around, but do work up to 455lbs shrugs on occasion which is well beyond the capability of my grip. Even with lighter weights I have no chance at hanging on to 315 if I'm doing high reps, my grip's only good for around 30-40 seconds with this weight.

Variations of olympic pulls are most effective if the bar is secure. This is one of the reasons every olympic lifter uses a hook grip. It locks the bar in place, keeps it high in your hands, stops any slipping and lets you put full force into the second pull. Even if you have a fantastic grip it's nigh on impossible to achieve this using a normal double overhand grip - it will always slip, even if just a little.

But like I said in an earlier post hooking your thumbs is pretty painful and not something I enjoy doing unless I absolutely need to. That's where straps come in.

I've rambled on a bit, but just trying to get across my ideas.

[darnstrong]

IDK, I'm kinda obbsessed with my forearms, I train my once a week, but super heavy, I do all the stuff as metioned above.. i have a movement i came up with where i stand with my back agaist a cable machine
and run the cable between my legs, I then with a rope attachment do hammer curls.. I do this for like 4 sets with the whole stack for 12-15 reps..

Well this is what i used to do before i broke my foot.. this makes your innner forearms grow like a mutant you have to be slightly bend over and it does strain you back, so make sure you have a good back for it

Enjoy

DON

[ZiR RED]

My thumbs feel like I closed them in a car door after 3 sets of stiff leg deadlifts with 345. I love it.

I've also pulled a 500 pound triple with a raw grip before.

I'll have some vids on my site soon as the web master finishes.

Br

[Cain Marko]

Reckon I'll give that a go Darnstrong, cheers