How's your grip?

Lifting strap

If you lift for a while one thing is certain, you will figure out just how much you can hold in your hands before your grip gives out. Many exercises require a great deal of strength in the hand, wrist and forearm to perform optimally. If you don't have the grip you just can't lift the weight. There are exercises that help build that strength and there are also tools that help with it. In the past that tool has been straps. Straps get a lot of negative press for various reasons. Some people think that using a strap instead of building grip strength is simply counterproductive. Some people view straps the same way they view gloves, they go best with a purse. Personally I was never a fan of straps simply because I found them more a pain in the ass to use than useful. And I never really seemed to need them. The few times I did attempt using them I had a great deal of trouble wrapping the left strap as my my right hand was already strapped to the bar. I couldn't get them tight enough to work properly and finally just gave them back to the person I borrowed them from. They seemed more hassle than help. So I never bothered with them again until today. But what I used today aren't straps exactly. They're called VarsaGrips. http://versagripps.com/

Versa Gripps eliminates grip fatigue and failure, allowing the user to concentrate on the larger muscle groups while not thinking or worrying about one's grip. When you no longer have to worry about losing your grip or your grip becoming tired, you will then be able to concentrate and appreciate the mind/muscle connection. Huge gains will be experienced. 

Versa Gripps are used for all pushing (as in the bench press) and pulling (as in the deadlift) movements in strength training. The patented Versa Gripps take the place of gloves, lifting straps, hooks and wrist supports. By using Versa Gripps, both movements are accomplished safely, easily and comfortably.

Unlike lifting straps - that are difficult to use, particularly over your head - Versa Gripps are flexible, self-supporting and stand-up in front of your hand. This design makes it quick and easy to reach by the tips of the fingers on the same hand that is wearing them.

There are several video reviews of these online but those reviews don't really talk about how they actually work in the gym, they're more about construction, look and all that useless crap. I wanted to see how well they actually worked so I bought some. 

I usually use gloves in the gym because of the nerve damage in my hands. When I have to grip tightly with nothing to assist my fingers will go completely numb and then I can't close my hands anymore. Once that happens my day at the gym is done. However, gloves don't really help with grip strength, especially when pulling heavy weight. The Versa Gripps do though. I used them today both for pushing and pulling exercises as well as on a rope attachment and they performed better than I had hoped. 

I noticed a few things almost instantly. My hands don't sweat not being in gloves. The bar felt much tighter and more secure in my hand. My hands didn't move, at all. And most importantly, I was able to lift heavier and longer without my fingers getting fatigued and feeling like I was going to drop the bar. I found that doing the full number of repetitions was noticeably easier as was maintaining my form. I have had issues with the rope attachment sliding through my grip when doing certain exercises, the Versa Gripps didn't allow that to happen. There are couple negatives, but they're not terrible. It's very difficult to write with the grips on, they tend to get in the way. It's also somewhat difficult to grab things other than the bar due to how the grip sits over your palm. But, as I said, those things aren't terribly troublesome and they can be worked around. You can see in the photo below just how they hang in relation to your hand. But this is also what makes them so easy to use. 

I also noticed that, while these certainly help with grip, they don't completely eliminate the need for some muscle. You aren't relying completely on the grip like you can with straps, you still need to squeeze and hang on. And they work for pushing, straps don't. I left these on for my entire workout and found they worked with every exercise I did. 

So, if you lift often and need something to help with your grip, I highly recommend these. If you hate straps like I do, try these instead. Yes, they're a bit pricey but if you use them every day it's an investment in you. And you are always worth an investment.

On a side note, if you live in the Springfield, Oregon area and want to buy them locally I found them at Gym Ratz Sports Nutrition. It's at 1843 Pioneer Pkwy E. That's the little "mall" on the corner of Pioneer and Q. He's got a great little store with a wide selection of sports nutrition products. Pre-workouts, post workouts, protein mixes, all that stuff places like GNC sell but without the corporate attitude and prices.