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i feel like i have small forearms and i use straps for most pulling exercises after the warmup set. i do a lot of weight for my size when i do lats and delts and i feel like i cant hold onto the bar for the whole set, should i drop down in weight and lose the straps until shrugs? i guess what im asking is when is it ok and not ok to use straps? and no, im not worried about being "that guy" as much as i am of doing things the right way. any help is appreciated, thanks
lose the straps for awhile......
that's good advice to not use them for a while..
but
i was at a point where i was not able to make the lats grow for size/thickness anymore..
so using hooks i was able to increase the weight significantly, and give me the growth where i wanted it..
I agree with spywizard, use them when you really really need them. I just stopped using the hooks last week and I am getting a better back workout. Just cycle with them when you need them or can't hold your grip.
would it help to do some forearm exercises or is that pointless? 1 to make them bigger and 2 to have better forearm strength. it probably isnt this big of a deal anyway, thanks for your advice though
No, It wouldn't help. Well it will, but the better way to go is reverse curls, hammer curls and Straight barbell curls. It'll work all the heads, biceps, brachialis and forearms. I usually alternate workouts with either concentration curls or reverse curls with the cables.
what workouts do u use them for, the only ones i use them for is deadlifts,and all shrugs...
I stopped using straps for the most part simply because of my lack of a strong grip.... slowly but surely my grip is improving.
I will break them out on occassion for heavy DB shrugs though
Coleman says that he uses straps cause his tiny forearm muscles can't pull anywhere near the weight that his back can...
I use them on occasion... useally so my hands won't chap and rip...
I only use them for my last couple set of Dead's....
Hit up double overhand grip Deadlifts and hammer curls if you want your forearms to grow, and your grip strength to go up....
I use them for weighted pull ups, for deads and for shrugs.
Anybody out there doing weighted pull ups with two plates that doesn't use straps?
Post pix if you do.
My dad used to do pullups with two 45s without straps. No pic though, that was a few decades ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by znak
Awsome.Quote:
Originally Posted by Flexor
I sweat like a pig and my grip get slimey. I find that with straps I can concentrate on my lats, instead of worrying that I am going to slip off the bar.
What about wearing a light breathable glove to combat the sweat? It might stop you slippingQuote:
Originally Posted by znak
Tried it. They get soaked, then get all wadded up... I just use straps.Quote:
Originally Posted by Flexor
I have never used straps and I always see people using them so this past week I bought some. I work on computers all day long so my wrists hurt all the time anyway so I thought they would help.
I love 'em.. I am able to do heavier Deads and shrugs than ever before. I was always having trouble hanging onto the bar and now it is a breeze and I am hitting my back and traps much harder.
I do not think using straps on ALL and Every set is advisable as you will weaken your forearms just the same as these guys that thrown on a weight belt and knee wraps for warm up sets.
I will not be putting my wrist straps down anytime soon.
Oldman
Its always "ok" to use straps. If you worry about grip do some grip exercises like hanging from a chin rack as long as you can with a(couple of if your strong) 45 ibs plate hanging from the belt or hold onto a loaded bar for as long as you can.
Another good exercise is to hang from the chinrack with a dubbel overhand grip, now switch one hand to reverse grip and then the other and then switch back to overhand again and keep on going like that untill you cant grip the chinrack anymore. This exercise makes your forearms BURN and works grip strenght like no other.
IMO regular forearm exercises dont do crap for grip strengt, atelast not mine. I could wrist curl until I die without my grip getting stronger.
try using spongeQuote:
Originally Posted by znak
Get a two pieces cut, one for each palm, about 1/2"-1" thick.
That's what i do.
The sponge absorbs the sweat...all the while allowing you to squueze the bar harder...without chaffing your hands.
I only use straps on the last one or two sets of deadlifts or shrugs...otherwise i don't use 'em at all.
I did close-grip chins with a 100-lb dumbell strapped around my waist...without straps...just sponge.Quote:
Originally Posted by znak
No pics tho.
I could have guessed 100lbs by taking one look at your lats...Quote:
Originally Posted by Narkissos
Have you ever considered transatlantic flight? It would save on plane tickets... :lol:
lmao...niceQuote:
Originally Posted by Flexor
Quote:
Originally Posted by Narkissos
jesus christ how the hell did you manage to even chin with a 100ib db?? I can at most squeese out 10 reps with a 45.
My shirt tore on rep number three.Quote:
Originally Posted by johan
The gym owner told me my shirt was just old...bu ti let him know... "I'm a Beast!"
:lol:
Truthfully... i'm stronger at pulling than pushing
:DQuote:
Originally Posted by Narkissos
The pulling strenght shows in your lats thats one thing thats for sure :thumbsup: how much do you dead? what bodyweight?
Quote:
Originally Posted by johan
When i was cutting earlier this year i was about 175 lbs and deadlifting 495
Now...i'm 190+ lbs (198 some days...190 others... depends on how i've been eating) but my current deadlift is 463 for two reps.
Trying to get back up to 495 now.
Damn our deadlift strenghts are close, I pulled 225kg at a bodyweight of 85kg this summer. (495 at 185). Lets have a race to 600 at a bodyweight of 200 or less :D
600...that'd be a challenge.Quote:
Originally Posted by johan
What's your routine like? Are you on or off gear? How many grams of protein are you ingesting daily?
I'd have to change my approach to get to 600 as it was never in my thoughts.
That's a great goal to set tho Johan...you're on. :thumbsup:
~Corey
Great :dance: Nothing like a challange to get things in motion :) I have always wanted to be able to pull 3 times my bodyweight.Quote:
Originally Posted by Narkissos
Right now Im off, have been for 6 weeks(I havent had a extended period off for close to 1,5-2 years or something like that(just 4-5 weeks every now and then) so Il be off until march). Im taking it very easy, just eating when I feel like it. So no clue on protein consumption. Somewhere betwen 150-250 grams :lol:
My routine is kind of westside, but Im toying with fever assistance exercises, more sets on the exercises I do, more sets at or above 80% of max and never going to failure except on the first max effort exercise on squat and bench days.
Something like this
Max effort squat/dead day
Squat or dead working to a 3rm and then 1rm
Romanian or straight leg deads 5 sets of 3
Any biceps exercise
Heavy ab work
Max effort bench day
bench, close grip bench, low rack lockouts. Sometimes with chains working to 3rm and 1rm
One of the above(not the same as the one I did that day) for 5 sets 3 reps
JM press or nosebreakers 5*5
A row or a chin 5 sets 5-10 reps
A light shoulder exercise if I feel charged
On my speed days I dont do the traditional westside speed. I combine both the traditional speed days into one day
DE day
Speed squats 9 sets of 2 at 60% of max
Speed bench 9 sets of 3 at 55%
Hamstring exercise 5 sets of 10
Triceps exercise 5 sets of 10
Higher rep ab work
As you can se my ME squat day is very short. Mostly because I want to lay low while recovering test production. The combined DE day is a thing Im toying with. But I will probably switch to a traditional 4 day split later on when I get more time.
Right now Im a tad bit heavier than 200ibs. I do 2-3 reps on 450 in the dead, I squat 400 and I close grip bench 290(no clue on regular bench but I pressed 310 this summer). So my lifts pretty much sux besides the dead :lol: mostly working on the squat now when my knees dont hurt anymore.
Whats your routine like? On the juice??
I want to get in on this deadlift challenge but I have to change the rules a little.. I will have to gain weight to 600lbs and then deadlift 200lbs.. Cool, I'm all in. :)
Oldman
Juice?Quote:
Originally Posted by johan
honestly i haven't done a bulking cycle as yet (just a couple short cutters). The majority of my gains have been natural.
I'm willing to try a bulker after this semester ends. That should take me up to 220-230..hopefully my strength will increase exponentially.
My current protein intake is about 240 grams per day.
If i attempt this bulker, i'll have to bump it to at least 400 grams.
My training journal: http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...=202623&page=2
Sounds to me like a strength issue.Quote:
Originally Posted by spittin' 'n cussin'
I would always do forearm workouts before i would do my curls. Get the muscles pumped up, and any addition work done to them throughout the rest of my workout is extra. :)
So this means you should do more forearme workouts as well, just because i do.
Damn bro we should trade genetics for a while :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Narkissos
Have you ever considered trying a powerlifting apporach to workouts? Offcourse it might not go hand in hand with your competition goals.
I found that when doing certain back movements, my forearms were taking all hte heat so I got those hooks and they help hit my back much better. I dont use them every time though.
Currently my workout is powerlifting-based.Quote:
Originally Posted by johan
I'm training 3 days per week... and the three days are focused around the three main lifts
Monday: Bench
Wednesday: Squat
Friday: Deadlift
When i'm cutting i go Olympic style (power/hang cleans, clean and press etc.)
Jo...i think we gotta stop hijacking this dude's thread :wg:
Holla
~Corey
no problem, i pretty much got what i needed. yall can have itQuote:
Originally Posted by Narkissos