Do you use belts and straps?

Do you use straps and a belt?

  • Total voters
    312
ChemicalD said:
Luckily, my ego hasn't destroyed my elbows.
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Give yourself some time to start hefting some serious weight :D

Seriously though, I think unless you are genetically really gifted or on GH/other misc ****, you will start to feel the wear and tear on your elbows/wrists as you start moving around extreme poundages. It's not a form issue so much as pushing the limits of the human body :)
 
exnihilo said:
Give yourself some time to start hefting some serious weight :D

Seriously though, I think unless you are genetically really gifted or on GH/other misc ****, you will start to feel the wear and tear on your elbows/wrists as you start moving around extreme poundages. It's not a form issue so much as pushing the limits of the human body :)
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So are you suggesting longer rest periods or wraps or ice/heat PWO? Throw me a bone...
 
ChemicalD said:
So are you suggesting longer rest periods or wraps or ice/heat PWO? Throw me a bone...
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For joint pain, heat is asking for trouble. Ice immediately PWO on inflammed joints, eliminating exercises where you feel any acute pain, wraps, GH/deca, and sometimes a little aleve or ibuprofein if needed. You will probably have to live with a little chronic discomfort as you push the limits of what your body is capable of though...
 
exnihilo said:
For joint pain, heat is asking for trouble.
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Man speaks the truth.


You could try some Cissus. It has helped me recently.
 
Just out of curiosity, how is heat bad for joints...?
 
MaNiaK1027 said:
Just out of curiosity, how is heat bad for joints...?
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Besides causing inflammation, it also will cause some edema of the soft tissues in the joint, which will further inhibit range of motion and put pressure on any impinged nerves.

Heat is for primarily good for relaxing tight muscles and increasing epidermal circulation. It has little therapeutic value in treating joint or soft tissue injuries.
 
exnihilo said:
Besides causing inflammation, it also will cause some edema of the soft tissues in the joint, which will further inhibit range of motion and put pressure on any impinged nerves.

Heat is for primarily good for relaxing tight muscles and increasing epidermal circulation. It has little therapeutic value in treating joint or soft tissue injuries.
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:goodpost:
 
yeah, wear them. a good one. i had an old lether one and i herniated two discs and i'm only 19 i was 198 DLing 505 and the fucking belt ripped down the back just a little bit, but enough for me to fall to the left. so pretty much i'm fucked forever. my squat droped down to a fucking weak 315 for TWO...after not squating for 3 months or DLing...i kinda feel hopless right now, but hey, roam wasnt built in a day i guess.
 
yeah, wear them. a good one. i had an old lether one and i herniated two discs and i'm only 19 i was 198 DLing 505 and the fucking belt ripped down the back just a little bit, but enough for me to fall to the left. so pretty much i'm fucked forever. my squat droped down to a fucking weak 315 for TWO...after not squating for 3 months or DLing...i kinda feel hopless right now, but hey, roam wasnt built in a day i guess.
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That's ROME bro:D

Seriously - You should look into Cissus RX - a lot of people are reporting great results with its ability to speed up bone and connective tissue healing. I dont know how much it would help for herniated discs, but its worth a shot.

BV
 
thanks for the correction, lol and thats shame, i was born in Italy. lmao. go figure. anywho, i've never heard of that....thanks alot, now i have another 20+ hours of reading to do...lol seriously though, thanks. any help would be great. i also have tendonidous in my left arm, mainly my forarm. any advice with that?
 
thanks for the correction, lol and thats shame, i was born in Italy. lmao.
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Oh man that makes it twice as bad! :rofl: :trout: :icon_lol:

How is the tendonitis affecting you in the forearm? Does it hurt bad, especially when you let go of the bar after heavy barbell curls? That's a bitch:) I can say that from experience!!

Best advice I can offer there would be make sure your diet is in check, espcially EFA intake (a tbsp of flax/sunflower oil in a 3:1 ratio would be ideal - or you can check out Sesathin or UDO oil). Some time off away from the exercises that bother it, and dont ever under estimate the healing and anti-inflammatory powers of ice. Ice the affected forearm down in the morning when you get up, immediately after training, and right before bed for about 15 minutes each time.

Training your forearms properly can help prevent the tendonitis in the future - reverse curls and wrist curls work best for me.

BV
 
i've been using monster grippers, i'm up to the 300lb grippers. and currently use the 200's for warm ups. i find doing 15 or so reps with the 200's warm my forarm up quite well, its days that i FORGET to use them that my forarm bothers me the worst, but i remember last night at jiujitsu, jesus christ man....i couldnt even pull down this one kids head from the clinch cause i couldnt use my pinky and ring finger, they we're pretty much numb, the pain starts at the lower part of my tricep(right by the elbow) and travles down to my fingers. it happend at a match in NJ and i ended up having to tape four fingers together and totally wrap my arm up in tape just so i could use my arm....thank god you can choke people with your legs... :(
 
Hey folks, 1st post:

So, are all of you of the opinion that using straps during back work will inhibit bicep and forearm growth?
 
I think using your grip strength to grip the bar will definitely improve forearm strength and size overtime. However, if you can focus on your back more and use heavier weights with straps, then I say use them on the heavier sets.

BV
 
Weak grip = your back and arm muscles don't work as hard, even if you are using straps.

Bring your grip up if you can't hold the weights, straps should rarely need to be used.
 
exnihilo said:
Weak grip = your back and arm muscles don't work as hard, even if you are using straps.

Bring your grip up if you can't hold the weights, straps should rarely need to be used.
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Where does this idea come from?

I actually find that if I use less grip I can focus on BP's more. Straps are great for BBing purpose, IMHO.
 
There have been some russian studies on this. Your bench press will increase if you focus on gripping the bar very tightly, btw.
 
exnihilo said:
There have been some russian studies on this. Your bench press will increase if you focus on gripping the bar very tightly, btw.
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That I can agree with. The bend and give in the wrist will displace (from the intended location) some of the force from the push.

I guess the same could be said about some pulling motions, i.e. if you're pulling from a position where you're wrist isn't straight. But usually your wrist is made straight by the force of the resisting weight. Different story with a push though.
 
Agreed. Personnally, whenever I do supersets on back or even leg day (sldl+split squat) with medium to high reps, there's no way my mind doesn't wander from the worked muscles to the burn in my forearms. Straps solve this real good.
 
It has to do with muscles being set up in kinetic chains - the brain will actually make you weaker if certain triggers are set off that from an evolutionary standpoint would indicate you were likely to hurt yourself. There is a great deal of this going on in the core muscles (which is why if you work an athlete's core more aggressively they will get stronger in all lifts) and you will also see it in the rotator cuff, forearms, adductor and abductor muscles. Straps do not alleviate this.

IMO straps are best suited to high rep work where metabolic fatigue is inevitable. But if you are doing sets of ~6 reps or less, ditch the wraps. You will be glad you did.
 
Just did a search on this subject. I was of the train of thought that using a belt on anything you can do 8+ reps with was kinda pointless and potentially counterproductive. Well, a CT scan just showed that I developed a slight epigastric hernia. Granted, probably the easiest and most rapidly healing of hernia operations, but it sucks none the less. It is right above navel, in the fascia between the 2 rows of abs. That area cannot be strengthened or attain muscle, so it is not a matter of not being strong enough. Anyway, IFBB pro Bob Chic told me that Marcus Ruhl, and Troy ALves had a similar situation and had the surgery. He was also pushing the notion of wearing a belt on all "straining lifts." I just don't know if I can bring myself to wear a belt that often.....
 
Max32 said:
Just did a search on this subject. I was of the train of thought that using a belt on anything you can do 8+ reps with was kinda pointless and potentially counterproductive. Well, a CT scan just showed that I developed a slight epigastric hernia. Granted, probably the easiest and most rapidly healing of hernia operations, but it sucks none the less. It is right above navel, in the fascia between the 2 rows of abs. That area cannot be strengthened or attain muscle, so it is not a matter of not being strong enough. Anyway, IFBB pro Bob Chic told me that Marcus Ruhl, and Troy ALves had a similar situation and had the surgery. He was also pushing the notion of wearing a belt on all "straining lifts." I just don't know if I can bring myself to wear a belt that often.....
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Could you only tell from a CT scan or was something else going on that lead you to get checked out?
 
JonesersRX7 said:
Could you only tell from a CT scan or was something else going on that lead you to get checked out?
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Knot above the navel. Some thought cist, some though calcium deposit or scar tissue....
 
I train raw all the time now, but i'll buy an inzer belt eventually, but it's nice knowing that i have some strong ass core muscles and that when i slap a belt on my PR will be a good 30lbs or so more. And I use straps on almost all my back exercises because i find I can focus on my back more, BUT i do specific grip/forearm work.
 
rake922 said:
I use neither
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Good lord, did you just go through and comment on every thread you could find?:toofunny:

Anyways, I just use a belt and just recently started using chalk on my heavy deads and it has helped with my grip tremendously.
 
ditto on what Pitbull said.

Straps on any heavies where my grip would be the weak link.

Belt on Heavy Deads, Racks, Squats.
 
Belt only on heavy Squats/Deads

Chalk on anything heavy, b/c my gym doesn't care.

I am also training completely raw for DL right now though at anything over 4 reps to try and strengthen my grip for a meet.
 
it's pretty rare, but there are times I use both. Honestly can't remember the last time I used a belt though...
 
I use a belt only for final sets of Heavy (3 reps or less) of squatting as well as deadlifting. I currently use an Inzer 13mm Lever and it works great. Inititally i thought having to adjust the belt was going to be a real pain, but I just use it when only absolutely necessary to prevent a serious injury that could occur. But I find myself only using the belt on my last set of squats and deadlifts, so that thing is on there pretty tight. I guess you can say I try to find the balance into building core strength as well as trying to prevent injury. The last thing I don't want going is my back.

As for straps, I don't use em. I like the feel of just grabbing and going. And I don't feel im going to injure myself by not using them so I like em raw. Callouses? are a real pain in the ass though. Anyone have any secrets to dealing with them (besides gloves). I just cut em off.
 
I thought I'd jump in here ...
I use "Hooks" instead of straps for ease when my grip is failing
for Deads, and shrugs.
The only belt I use is a Dipping Belt for pull-ups and Body Dips to add some weight.
 
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