Lifting Grips vs Lifting Straps: Which Is Better for Deadlifts, Rows and Pull Ups?

On heavy pulling days, your grip usually gives out before your back and legs do. That is why so many lifters reach for help: either classic lifting straps or the newer style of grip pads that fold over the bar. Both let you train your bigger muscles harder, but they feel very different in use. Here is how to choose.

How lifting straps work

Lifting straps are lengths of cotton or nylon webbing with a loop at one end. You put your hand through the loop, wrap the long tail around the bar a couple of times and then grip over the top. The strap takes a large share of the load, so you can hold very heavy weights for longer.

Straps are great for:

• Very heavy deadlifts, rack pulls and shrugs
• High rep back work where your grip fades first
• Lifters who want the most secure connection to the bar

The trade off is speed and release. Wrapping takes a few seconds per hand, and because you are tied to the bar, letting go quickly is harder.

How lifting grips work

Lifting grips, sometimes called grip pads, combine a padded wrist cuff with a flexible, textured pad. You put the cuff on, fold the pad over the bar and close your hand around both. The pad adds friction and takes pressure off your fingers, but you are not tied on. Open your hand and the bar leaves.

Grips are great for:

• Rows, pull ups, lat pulldowns and dumbbell work
• Supersets and circuits where you are changing stations fast
• Lifters who find straps fiddly or slow
• Anyone who wants a quick, confident release

Grip pads like Versa Gripps made this style popular. Our take is My Grip, with a padded cuff and a textured pad, sized S to L so it fits smaller wrists as well as larger ones.

Side by side

• Setup speed: grips are faster. Slide them on once and they stay on between sets.
• Maximum security: straps win on the very heaviest pulls.
• Release: grips are easier to drop out of, which many lifters prefer.
• Versatility: grips move easily between barbells, dumbbells, cables and pull up bars.
• Wrist comfort: padded grips spread pressure across the wrist, while thin straps can dig in.
• Cost: basic straps are cheaper, while grips cost more but replace straps for most sessions.

Which should you choose?

If most of your pulling is rows, pull ups, pulldowns and moderate deadlifts, grips are usually the more convenient choice. If you regularly pull maximal deadlifts or heavy shrugs, straps give you that extra security. Plenty of lifters use both: grips for everyday training, straps for the heaviest top sets.

Should you still train your grip?

Yes. Using grip aids on every rep can let your grip strength fall behind. A simple approach is to do your warm up sets and lighter work without assistance, then add grips or straps once your hands become the limiting factor. Hanging from a bar or doing farmer carries at the end of a session keeps your grip strong too.

What about wrist wraps?

Wrist wraps are a different tool. They support your wrist joint on pressing movements like bench and overhead press, rather than helping you hold a bar. We break that down in Wrist Wraps vs Lifting Straps.