There are those out there that would advocate never using straps at all, for anything. By and large this is a poor judgment call from my perspective. I realize that I just criticized the number one lifter in America in my weight class who managed to absolutely destroy me at Nationals and does so on a regular basis in training. Caleb is a special exception. His hand size does not afford him the luxury of using straps. If he spends his time lifting and not maintaining or growing his grip strength, it doesn’t matter how strong his legs or back are. The bar will not stay inside of his hands for long enough to complete the movement. For that reason, some of you are the exception to the rule and should never train using straps. However I would be willing to bet that this is a very small, minute portion of the weightlifting population. For most of you there are appropriate times for the usage of straps and there are appropriate times to leave the straps in the beg. I will detail what those times are later but know that it is only for a very select individuals that strap should never be used.
The other camp seems hell-bent on the usage of straps at any given point in time for a number of different reasons. Number one reason I hear lifters and coaches advocate for the usage of straps is wear and tear on the hands. I can tell you that having lifted for five weeks without the usage of straps this is absolutely a concern. My hands felt like they had never lifted a bar before in my life after just a couple days. However, my issue with this camp goes far beyond their stance on the wear and tear on their hands. Most coaches and lifters believe that straps are appropriate at any given point in time for any exercise allow even if every single comes from the floor. My problem is twofold with this philosophy. Firstly, hitting a heavy lift or a PR lift from the floor with straps would never count in competition and therefore considering that a PR lift without an asterisk sign is to consider a press out or a elbow touch on the knee a good lift as well. If you’re in the practice of counting bad lifts as good lifts then certainly straps are appropriate in the sport of weightlifting. However for the rest of us who believe good lifts are good lifts and a bad lifts is a bad lift, straps are equal to three red lights. Added to that reality, they are very very few athletes in this world who lift enough weight or bank enough training hours to warrant the use of straps because of wear and tear on their hands. Certainly no highly competitive exerciser could count themselves in that camp. Exercisers have to train too many things to be spending enough time on the barbell. The only caveat to that might be a rip in their hands or a blister from pull-up or ring work. Let me summarize my thought on this position by simply stating that if you don’t care about three white lights or three red lights and enjoy the comfort of straps by all means use them. Furthermore if your hands are torn to pieces from an hour spent on the bar or on the pull-up rig or on the rings then by all means you straps. However, the other 99% of you in this world have no reason to add straps to your training when completing a snatch from the floor. (also I clearly don’t advocate using straps for the clean for 1000 other reasons namely your wrist elbow and shoulder help). What’s more is that straps, for most athletes, aid in staying connected to the bar and applying pressure during the second pull. I know this because I feel the difference when I snatch with and without straps and my numbers are the evidence. Don’t want to base your opinion off my numbers? How about the best 94 kg weight lifter in the world and current world record holder and Olympic gold-medalast Ilya Illin take a look at his video below. You will notice that he works up to a 190 snatch and misses it over and over again in many various ways, mostly because he does not finish the second pull. Note the misses are ugly. He drops back down to 170 kg and adds straps. Not only does he smoke 190 on the first try, he works up to 196 and absolutely crushes it. The only difference in the lift? The usage of straps that even somehow managed to negate the fact that he should be more tired on the second wave back up to 190 rather then what seems to be more powerful. By the way did I mention that he is an Olympic gold-medalist and Olympic World Record holder. It impacts even the best.
Last part tomorrow…