Wrist Straps vs Wrist Wraps: Differences, Pros, Cons

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Wrist Straps vs Wrist Wraps Differences, Pros,
Cons
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(No Transcript)
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• If youve been lifting for any amount of time
  youll have come across two important pieces of
  equipment that people wear in the gym wrist
  straps and wrist wraps.  Both straps and wraps
  aid in your performance and protect you from
  potential injury.  However, they are not used for
  the same purpose. 

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• So, what are the differences between wrist straps
  vs wrist wraps? Wrist wraps are used to create
  rigid support around your wrist while lifting.
  Wraps keep the wrist neutral and prevent it from
  flexing or bending. Wrist straps do not protect
  your wrist, but rather increase the amount of
  weight you can grip. Straps are used when your
  grip fails.

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• There are several other benefits to using straps
  and wraps, but depending on the outcome you want
  to achieve in the gym one piece of equipment may
  be better suited over the other.  In this
  article, Ill cover the differences in greater
  detail and discuss the pros and cons.  

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What Are The Best Wrist Straps?

• Wrist straps will help you lift more weight if
  your grip is the limiting factor.  This could be
  the case in exercises like the deadlift, barbell
  row, or chin-up.  At some point, your grip will
  not be as strong as your other major muscle
  groups (back, shoulder, biceps), and youll need
  assistance from wrist straps to continue getting
  stronger.

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• While Gymreapers is a relatively new company,
  they have definitely raised the bar. Every piece
  of the lifting strap has been carefully
  manufactured, from the thickness and durability
  of the material, which prevents fraying, to the
  neoprene padding around the wrist that creates an
  incredibly comfortable lifting experience (even
  under heavy loads you wont feel a lot of
  pressure on the wrist). The best part its one
  of the cheaper options for lifting straps. The
  only cheaper strap would be made from 100
  cotton, which will fray within a few months, and
  will likely slip on the barbell.

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What Are The Best Wrist Wraps?

• Wrist wraps will help stabilize your wrist while
  lifting.  If you struggle with keeping your wrist
  neutral while performing exercises like the bench
  press or overhead press, wrist wraps are your
  go-to solution to keeping your wrist neutral and
  healthy.  

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What Are Wrist Straps?

• Wrist straps are used by every type of strength
  athlete, from bodybuilders, powerlifters,
  Strongmen, and Olympic weightlifters.  
• Their primary function is to allow a lifter
  to grip more weight.  This is achieved by
  attaching the strap around your wrist and then
  looping the extra material around the barbell
  creating a hook-like system between your hand the
  barbell.  

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• As you progress through your lifting career,
  youll get to a point where your muscular
  strength has developed beyond the capacity of
  your grip. 
• At this point, lifting straps can be a helpful
  tool to continue to build your strength in the
  gym. 
• Most commonly, the grip will fail during pulling
  exercises, such as the deadlift.  

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• Youll find yourself being able to lift the
  weight with your back, legs, and glutes however,
  as you reach the top of your lift the barbell
  begins to slip from your hand and you fail to
  lock the weight out. 
• At this point, you have a grip issue, and lifting
  straps can be a great solution to be able to
  continue lifting beyond your natural grip
  capacity.  
• For example, heres Thor Bjornsson who deadlift
  501kg with wrist straps.  Its highly unlikely he
  could have done this feat of strength without
  straps. 

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• You may also find wrist straps to benefit other
  exercises where grip is heavily involved, such as
  barbell rows, chin-ups, and lat pulldowns.
• Its important to note that if youve diagnosed
  yourself as someone who has a grip issue, that
  you should seek to improve your gripping
  capabilities by getting your hands and forearms
  stronger.  I wrote an entire article on how to
  improve your grip. 

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• Some of my suggestions to improve your grip are 
• Ensuring you know how to place your hands on the
  barbell or dumbbell correctly
• Practicing heavy barbell holds (30-seconds at a
  time) 
• Using the Captain of Crush Grip Strengthening
  Tool (I recommend starting with the Sport
  Version)

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• In addition to these tips, you should ALSO be
  using lifting straps.  This is because it will
  take some time for your grip to get stronger
  naturally, and at the same time youll want to
  continue to maximize your overall strength gains
  by not having your grip as the limiting factor.   

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Lifting Strap Pros 

• Here are the pros of using lifting straps
• Theyre easy to use
• You can quickly increase your gripping ability
• They allow you to lift heavier in most pulling
  exercises 
• You can push yourself to lift a few more reps
  than normal

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Lifting Strap Cons 

• Here are the cons of using lifting straps
• If used too much you can develop an over-reliance
  on them causing a weaker overall grip
• Leather straps dont absorb sweat well causing
  them to deteriorate faster (this is why I
  recommend nylon lifting straps)