How to Use Lifting Straps (and When Not To)

Lifting straps work best when you put them on for your heaviest pulling sets and leave them off when you are training your grip or lifting in a federation meet. This guide covers both styles: a loop (lasso) strap such as the $15.00 Rogue Ohio, and a wrist-strap pad such as the $79.99 Versa Gripps Pro. The steps come from the makers’ pages, an ACE exercise library entry and a named lifting writer, not from our own testing, and the picks on this site are researched from published specs, certification databases and named third-party measurements (see how we score).

When should you use lifting straps?

Use straps when your hands let go before the muscle you are training is done. A lat pulldown, row, shrug or deadlift set that ends because the bar is slipping is the case straps are made for.

The best published evidence we found is small. A study in the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research had 10 women do 3 sets of as many deadlift reps as possible at 80% of their one-rep max. With straps they did significantly more reps, and their grip strength dropped less. Bar speed did not change significantly. Ten lifters and one lift is a thin base, so treat it as a clue (PubMed abstract).

A workable routine: lift bare-handed through your warm-up and first working sets, then strap up for the last heavy sets.

How do you use a loop (lasso) strap?

Wrap the strap once around the bar, close your hand over it, and the strap locks without being tightened on the wrist. The steps below follow a published walk-through by Art of Manliness for loop-ended straps. Rogue lists the Ohio as a single closed loop, 20 in long and 1.5 in wide in cotton webbing, so a closed loop skips step 1 because the loop is already sewn.

1. Make the loop. Thread the free end through the loop so you get a larger loop to slip your hand into. Do the right strap through the right side of the loop and the left strap through the left side.
2. Put it on. Slide your hand through. The right strap should lie to the right across your hand and the left strap to the left.
3. Set the first strap. Hand on top of the bar, strap tail under it. Pull the tail tight and wrap it once over the bar. One wrap is enough, per that guide.
4. Close your hand. Grab the bar as you normally would, with the strap trapped under your fingers.
5. Do the other hand. This is the awkward part, because the first hand is already tied in. Repeat the same wrap with one hand.
6. Take the slack out. Rotate the bar backward a little to set and tighten both straps, then pull with your normal form.
7. Release. Open your hands and the straps loosen.

For form cues, ACE’s exercise library describes the barbell deadlift with feet about shoulder-width apart, shins almost touching the bar, a flat back, and an over-under grip, and rates it Advanced (ACE Deadlift). On a lat pulldown, ACE says to drive the elbows straight down and stop when they start to move backward, because pulling further adds stress to the shoulder joint (ACE Seated Lat Pulldown).

How do you use Versa Gripps style pads?

Size the pad to your wrist, wear it loose enough to sit at the base of your hand, and let pressure from the bar lock it. These steps come from the Versa Gripps Pro product page and FAQ, both of which describe the intended use. Reddit owners add the learning-curve notes.

1. Measure your wrist. Wrap a tape around the wrist bone. The brand’s Pro chart is XS 5 to 6 in, S 6 to 7 in, Reg/Lg 7 to 8 in, XL 8 in and up. The brand says to size up if you are on the line.
2. Fasten it snug, not tight. For pulling, the brand says the strap should be loose enough that the grip lands at the base of your hand. You should be able to spin it around to the back of your hand.
3. Place your palm on the bar. Per the owner thread below, start with the palm on the bar and the pad over the other side, then tuck the pad around between your hand and the bar.
4. Close your hand with modest pressure. The brand says that once the pad is around the bar, even modest pressure locks it. Both hands can be wrapped at the same time.
5. Release. Unclasp your hands and the bar drops free. The FAQ says you can turn the pad to the back of the hand between exercises.
6. For presses, the brand says you can tighten the strap to act like a wrist wrap.

Expect a break-in. In a busy r/naturalbodybuilding thread, one owner wrote about the learning curve: “it took me a week or two to figure them out as well but I love them” (Nov 2024, reddit.com permalink). Another owner in the same thread said: “I hate them for any deadlifts or variant. I use straps for those.. Great for machine pulls.”

When should you not use straps?

Skip straps for grip training, for pressing, and in any meet whose rules do not list them.

• Grip work days. The point of a farmer’s carry or dead hang is the hands. Versa itself says its pads support the grip, and that you may still want to train grip separately.
• Powerlifting meets. The IPF Technical Rulebook effective March 1, 2026 lists wrist wraps (no longer than 1 m, no wider than 8 cm, and any loop may not stay over the thumb or fingers during the lift) and says medical tape may not be used as an aid in holding the bar. It does not list lifting straps. Check your own federation’s rules before you pack them.

What are the common mistakes?

The usual errors are wrapping too many times, cinching the strap on the wrist, and ordering the wrong size.

• Extra wraps. The loop-strap guide says one wrap is enough.
• Over-tightening a Versa grip. The brand says it should sit loose enough to land at the base of the hand when pulling.
• Wrong size. Two of the 10 reviews shown on the Pro store page on Oct 23, 2026 say the grips ran big despite following the size chart. US exchanges are free within 30 days, but refund returns carry a $5.00 restocking fee.
• Sweat. Slipping was a repeated theme in the Reddit thread, so wipe wet palms before you wrap.

When do you replace straps?

Replace them when the stitching opens, the edge frays or the grip surface goes slick; there is no published lifespan. Versa says its grips have a limited lifespan that depends on use, and that lifting five days a week wears them faster. It covers manufacturing defects returned within one year and does not cover wear and tear. The FAQ says to wipe the grip with a mild cleaner, pull Velcro debris out with tweezers and never machine wash or soak them.

The three-year cost is simple here: $15.00 for the Rogue Ohio and $79.99 for the Versa Gripps Pro, with no consumables or electricity. For a ranked list of both styles, see our best lifting straps article, the Versa Gripps Pro review, or the rest of Fitness.

FAQ

Do lifting straps weaken your grip?

Straps let you hold more than your grip can on its own, so a strapped set trains your grip less. Keep some bare-handed sets and a separate grip exercise in your week.

Are lifting straps allowed in powerlifting?

The IPF Technical Rulebook effective March 1, 2026 lists wrist wraps but not straps. Ask your meet director before you rely on them.

Are Versa Gripps worth $79.99 over $15.00 straps?

Only if you value quick on and off and wrist support. The brand publishes no load rating, and owner opinion is mixed. See the Pro review for the full numbers.

Has either product been recalled?

We searched the US CPSC recall database on Oct 23, 2026 for Versa Gripps, lifting straps and weightlifting grips. It returned no matches.