In the gym there's an ongoing debate that never seems to go away. Is using lifting straps cheating? At AIM Athletic where we work with everyone from first-time gym members to competitive hockey players and active rehab patients it's a question we hear all the time. Let’s break it down.
First there's no doubt that grip strength matters. In fact it's one of the simplest predictors of overall health. Research shows that stronger grip strength is directly correlated with lower mortality rates especially as we age. That’s because your ability to generate force with your hands is often a reflection of total body strength and nervous system health. For hockey players grip strength affects everything from stick control to battling along the boards. For the average gym member it can impact everything from carrying groceries to injury resilience. And for those in active rehab grip strength often returns in parallel with overall recovery. So yes we want strong hands and forearms but that doesn't mean straps don’t have their place.
The reality is your lower body will always outpace your grip. Your legs are made up of the largest strongest muscles in your body and when training them hard with something like trap bar deadlifts or heavy Romanian deadlifts your hands can become the limiting factor long before your glutes or hamstrings are taxed. In these situations you’re not cheating by using straps you’re making a smart decision to continue progressing in your lower body strength. If you're training with us at AIM in our small group sessions your coach will often cue you on when it makes sense to grab the straps. We’d rather see you overload your posterior chain safely than shortchange your legs because your hands gave out early.
That said grip strength isn’t built with wrist curls and tiny isolation movements. The most effective way to build strong functional grip is to hold onto heavy things and hold them for time or distance. So here’s our general recommendation. Use straps when you need them on heavy compound lifts like deadlifts and RDLs but skip them for your accessory work. Exercises like walking lunges step ups rows and carries are perfect opportunities to train your grip in a meaningful way. When your hands are the last thing keeping you going in a set you're reinforcing your forearms and your nervous system in a way no small movement can match.
At AIM Athletic we always come back to intelligent personalized training. Whether you’re part of our personal training sessions small group programs or off-season hockey training we’ll teach you how to train smart not just hard. Using straps when appropriate is a sign of understanding your body your goals and the science of progression not a shortcut. So no it's not cheating. It's training with purpose.
You've got the info, now it's time to take AIM!
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