In my humble opinion, lifting straps are the most important of any of the items that you can bring with you to the gym. If you get thirsty, you can always find a water fountain. If you leave a puddle of sweat on some equipment you can wipe it off with your T-Shirt or find some paper towels.
Your supplements, you can wait until you get home to down these. But on the other hand, if you forget your Lifting Straps you can forget about lifting those mega poundages you were able to lift last week. Yes, the cheap, good old cotton Lifting Strap. Their are no substitutes for these little wonders.
These are a must when you are doing any type of pulling movement. When using Straps you can instantly increase the amount of weight you are lifting or even add a few more reps to a exercise. Why is that? How can this be? Well simply put, it is because you are only as strong as your weakest link. In the case of pulling movements, your grip is by far your weakest link. The tendons and muscles in your hands and forearms are in no comparison to the large muscles in your back and in your shoulders. Here are some exercises that I do using my Lifting Straps. Dumbbell and barbell rows, seated pulley rows, dumbbell and barbell shrugs, dead lifts, lat pull downs and pull ups. So if you haven't tried straps before, give them a try now and be prepared to lift some serious poundages. You'll be amazed at what your body can really do.
