Pulling aids in strength training: How to use lifting straps sensibly

fitness tools
Lifting aids in strength training: advantages and disadvantages of lifting straps

Fitness and strength training in the gym or at home is more popular than ever. So-called pulling aids are used more and more frequently. When the bands and hooks make sense during training and who should keep their hands off them.

They are demonized by some, others swear by the little extra kick in them weight training. Hardly any tool is as controversial in the fitness community as traction aids. The straps made of textile or leather, also known as “lifting straps”, don’t look particularly spectacular, even at second glance. The article reveals exactly what pulling aids are about, which variants are used, where they are supposed to help and what exactly divides the fitness community.

Traction aids: what is that actually?

Classic straps are about five centimeters wide straps made of textile (e.g. neoprene or cotton) or leather with a loop at one end. The side closest to the wrist is slightly padded on some models. So-called pulling or lifting hooks are even more convenient. And the name suggests it: The band that you wrap around the barbell or pull-up bar during training is replaced on the palm of your hand with a hook covered with non-slip rubber.

How do lifting aids for strength training work?

The principle of pulling aids is simple. With the classic straps, you slip your hand into the loop and tighten the Velcro fastener. The rest of the band is neatly wrapped around the barbell several times, depending on the length. The lifting aids with hooks are attached to the wrist in such a way that the hooks rest on the palm of the hand with the open side facing up. Now they can be hooked in from above when doing pull-ups and guided to the barbell from below when doing deadlifts.

Where can pulling aids be used?

Pulling aids were primarily developed for free weight training and strength training with your own body weight. What does that mean specifically? Pulling aids work wherever barbells are involved. And it doesn’t matter whether you pull yourself up on the bar – like with a pull-up or whether you lift the bar from a standing position with appropriate weights. A classic for this is the so-called deadlift, a basic exercise from weight training. Here, from the slight squat, a barbell is raised from the floor until the legs are stretched out. Pulling aids can also be used for bench press or training with dumbbells. Important: Pulling aids are forbidden in official competitions.

In order to improve the grip on the barbell and to bind sweat on the palms of the hands, one usually uses chalk (also known as magnesia). However, if the grip strength is slowly running out during the last set of exercises, the chalk cannot do much. And this is exactly where the pulling aids come into play. Regardless of whether you use a hook or a sling: The lifting aids on the barbell relieve the strain on the forearms that are heavily used when deadlifting and thus also influence grip strength. When deadlifting, you mainly train the back extensor and the front thigh muscles. The juice often runs out first in the forearms and hands. The traction aids therefore offer the possibility of training the target muscle (in the back or the legs) a little longer. In addition, significantly higher weights can be lifted and pulled with pulling aids. Sounds like a useful training tool. And that’s it, if you keep one important basic rule in mind: proper technique when performing the exercises has top priority.

Why are traction aids controversial in the scene?

As practical as the pulling aids are for burning forearms, the little helpers are hotly debated. Central point of criticism: The fact that the forearm muscles sound the alarm is a signal from the body that the training load limit has been reached. With the pulling aids, you undermine this protective function and risk injuries resulting from overloading. Rather, you have to train your grip strength in a targeted manner, according to the traction aid skeptics. Her thesis: Anyone who uses lifting aids regularly in training promotes muscular imbalances between grip and forearm strength and the power in the back, (upper) arms and legs.

Last important note: Beginners should avoid using traction aids during their first units in the gym or at home. If you are a bit more ambitious, you can occasionally use traction aids at the end of training sessions to tickle a few percent more out of yourself.

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