Thoughts on wrist straps

[Suareezay]

Originally Posted by Firehawk

Nowhere did I say it wasn't ok, I simply said they don't improve on anything and it's meaningless. You wanna be like that knock yourself out.

To better yourself no matter what you want to do, whether it be build muscle, build strength, or get defined, you have to have goals. THATS THE POINT.

EDIT: And there's quite a few people on here that get motivated by others around here. I get motivated by like minded people with similar GOALS when i read a new PR that they reached. I guess i got major problems then .

well you guys misinterpreted what i meant by casual lifter. And casual lifters have goals....benching their bodyweight, or maybe 1.5x their bodyweight, or fitting into a size 32 pant, or getting below a certain weight on the scale....which can easily be acheived without measures extreme as eating 7-8 times a day, and cutting out alcohol from their diet in an attempt to lift trains over their heads or walk around onstage in their underwear. Not everyone has the same goals.

[candyass]

I really dont see whats wrong with going to the gym after work once in a while to lift some weights. Not everyone wants to be a powerlifter, body builder or whatever. A lot of people couldn't give a damn what there big three are. And you know what, that's ok. If someone wants to use straps, gloves, belt wathever then thats fine too. And no, not everyone needs to be "hardcore." Most people find it pretty hard to be "hardcore" after sitting at a desk for 10 hours.

I go to the gym at around noon, and I see a lot of old guys; guys in their 60s, and 70s. You want to tell a 70 year old guy that he's not "hardcore" enough? All of this just strikes me as really silly.

[DaRkAnGel]

Unless you are a bodybuilder there is no reason to use straps. Get a good grip, use alternating grip, do what you have to.

I swear that my hands are not very big at all and i have deadlifted 380 overhand with just some chalk.

Train that grip... i never use straps and never plan on it.

[gcs118]

candyass...I'm not sure who exactly you are referring to, but my point was that no matter what goal you have in mind, there should be a goal. I don't care how "hardcore" you are, but you need a goal and you need to focus on it. Just because you show up at the gym doesn't mean any changes will happen on their own.

[Axion]

Right now my grip strength sucks compared to lots of other stuff. If I didn't use straps I could shrug or deadlift much over 225...and that just would not do. So what I do is i do my warmup sets and such up to 225 or so strapless, then for the heavy sets I break out the straps.

I also do seperate grip work.

[Cort]

My biggest issue with double overhand is that my hand is not large enough for me to lock my thumb inside of my fingers.

[DaRkAnGel]

I have tried that technique and my thumbs(mostly cause i fractured both this year) cannot take the pressure. I just literarily squeeze the crap out of the bar and things always work out somehow. When im tired i switch to alternating grip but i try to stay away from it due to horrible bicep detachment stories.

[Cort]

Originally Posted by DaRkAnGel

i try to stay away from it due to horrible bicep detachment stories.

Weird. When I do my mixed-grip my bicep stays relatively "soft" (unflexed/not tense,) so I'm not sure how it would detach.

I might start trying overhand for my statics, but I know for certain that I can't hold 340+ with a double-overhand right now.

[luke.w]

Originally Posted by Suareezay

OMG. Somebody has a different opinion than you. Go cry about and be done.:

the statements I made were not my opinions there anyway, it's what I'VE learned in a short amount of time.
Do you know whats great about training is that you may think you know it all, and then you figure out something totally differant, the gains in exercise knowalge and in one's improvment are ENDLESS, I and most will still find ways to get better our entire training career (until we die, for some of us).

My statements were mere food for thought, for everyone, and of course we get the reply thats states "depends on what your going for" okay, whatever, everyting in the body is connected for a reason, when one feels that, one feels the way and what there body can achieve.

maybe I shouldn't have said the "I'M DONE" post, but I was leaving my computer, and not returning for awhile.

[Firehawk]

Originally Posted by DaRkAnGel

I have tried that technique and my thumbs(mostly cause i fractured both this year) cannot take the pressure. I just literarily squeeze the crap out of the bar and things always work out somehow. When im tired i switch to alternating grip but i try to stay away from it due to horrible bicep detachment stories.

That's from inadvertantly trying to curl the 400+ you got on the bar. That's why the biceps tear .

[Firehawk]

Originally Posted by candyass

I really dont see whats wrong with going to the gym after work once in a while to lift some weights. Not everyone wants to be a powerlifter, body builder or whatever. A lot of people couldn't give a damn what there big three are. And you know what, that's ok. If someone wants to use straps, gloves, belt wathever then thats fine too. And no, not everyone needs to be "hardcore." Most people find it pretty hard to be "hardcore" after sitting at a desk for 10 hours.

I go to the gym at around noon, and I see a lot of old guys; guys in their 60s, and 70s. You want to tell a 70 year old guy that he's not "hardcore" enough? All of this just strikes me as really silly.

I've seen plenty of guys that age who ARE HARD CORE. Like I said, I'm glad I don't have workout partners with attitudes like this.

I guess you guys still miss the point. My whole point was going to a gym with no goals in mind will get you nowhere. I'm not going to argue anymore becasue it's starting to go in a circle.

Luke, good points.

[maverick]

I think the argument is that some people are actually aiming no higher than to get nowhere. No better, but also no worse. Not for me, but to each his own.

[Your_Crazy]

LOL. This thread reminds me when I was in my early twenties and why I hate the gym. You have the Hardcore and you have Casual lifters and you have the beginner.

The Hardcore where always trying to rush people off the equipment so they could take over two or three machines at a time. They always looked at the everyone as inferior(Not all there were a few taht gave pointers and helped out) It always pissed me off. Now, your thinking he's not hardcore he never makes gains. Well, if it wasn't for my lifting i would have probibly been in a wheel chair today. The strength I gained from whatever lifting I was doing strengthened my back to stop me from having a a serious spinal injury in a car accident. Instead it just twisted my spine a little. I would say I was a little more than a casual lifter but still didn't garner much respect from the hardcore lifters. I am a mesomorph so I gain rather quickly but lose just as quickly.


The casual lifter, I'd say most of the time is there becasue it's trendy at the time or wants to get away from something for a while(slackers). They Usually are in the way of everyone or taking up space that you need for dead lifts or their BSing on the squat rack. Generally just a waste of space in the gym.


The begginer lifter, tends to be someone who has no idea what they are doing, but in their head they have some sort of an idea of what they should do. They brought a journel. They have a list of workouts they want to do but haven't the clue where to start. These are the poeple that get hurt the most by Casual lifters and Hardcore people. Their list fall to the way side because the casual lifters are on the equipment they want to use and the hardcore people are hurrying them off the equipment they are using. So then they get frustrated and don't go back because of it or become casual lifters.

Now there are some twist and turns inbetween but basicly thats how it has been and that's how it's always going to be.

[Suareezay]

Originally Posted by luke.w

the statements I made were not my opinions there anyway, it's what I'VE learned in a short amount of time.
Do you know whats great about training is that you may think you know it all, and then you figure out something totally differant, the gains in exercise knowalge and in one's improvment are ENDLESS, I and most will still find ways to get better our entire training career (until we die, for some of us).

My statements were mere food for thought, for everyone, and of course we get the reply thats states "depends on what your going for" okay, whatever, everyting in the body is connected for a reason, when one feels that, one feels the way and what there body can achieve.

maybe I shouldn't have said the "I'M DONE" post, but I was leaving my computer, and not returning for awhile.

That would be the definition of an opinion, professor. Lifting without straps being better is your opinion. There is no undisputable evidence that proves lifting without straps makes you more badass. If its not a fact, its an opinion. Come to understand the language weve all agreed on.

And yes, that is a great thing about training...which is why my original post that suggested the use of straps was merely an option. A logical way to look at training back. I didnt say my word was law and that anyone who doesnt use straps is a fool.

So by "leaving the computer and not returning for a while" you basically pulled a "im taking my ball and im going home" because someone offered a logical opinion different than yours? Hmm....

[Firehawk]

There's a difference between being a true hardcore lifter and being an A-hole. Sure it's frustrating when slackers are taking up the equipment, but hey, what do you expect?

I think it's important to always be humble and help out the beginners, but like in every field there's always the A-holes...