Quote: (12-22-2013 06:20 AM)Showtime21 Wrote:
Do belts and strap help with muscle gains since more weight equals more muscle? Never used them befor
There are a few reasons to use straps and belts. The most common is that people just want to lift the most weight possible for their own reasons. This is why there're things like bench shirts and squat suits.
Some people use straps and belts when working through an injury. If you've hurt your back or forearms you can still keep your other muscles strong by using straps/bands/whatever to work aroundyour injury.
The final reason is that sometimes there's a weakness in a compound movement, like the clean, that can be corrected by doing heavier deadlifts or rack pulls than your grip can accommodate.
Personally I prefer not to use it unless there's a specific goal I'm working towards that requires it. I would like to lift more weight, but only for my own sake. I'm not competing so there's no time crunch to get my numbers up fast. Also if not using straps and belts to train takes 20 lbs off my maxes I'm not going to be too broken up about it. I'd much rather develop the ancillary forearm and grip strength - it's far more useful in my daily life.