Competing in the sport of strongman means deadlifting. Deadlifting means strength from top to bottom, but the first limiting factor for many is their grip on the bar. There are a variety of options for how to hold your hands on the bar. Hook grip, false grip, overhand grip each have advantages and disadvantages. You can spend hours building grip strength, which you should. You can learn the different grips, which you should. There will however come a time that you are going to be faced with a competition with multiple events that would tax your grip. How will you overcome?
Check the rules and get yourself a set of lifting straps. I found myself in such a conundrum preparing for a competition with both a conventional deadlift in ascending weight and a farmer carry. Writing this I am coming off a competition that once again has conventional deadlift and a frame carry. With multiple events that rely heavily on grip strength, why not use every advantage available to you? Enter the Cerberus Figure Eight Deadlift Straps.
The Figure Eight strap is a canvas strap of extremely heavy material. They are designed so that the first loop slips over your wrist, the cross of the eight goes underneath the bar, and the second loop doubles back onto your wrist. Your hands are then free to grip the bar overhand. The bar is then locked in place in the strap and anchored by your hands instead of being held entirely by the strength of your hands. As an interesting side note these are the same straps used by Eddie Hall when he broke the world record with only the tips of his fingertips anchoring.
Cerberus makes a quality product. These straps are rated to withstand up to six hundred kilograms according to their website. The stitching is solid. In the time I have been using them the knurling of the bar has made no impact on the material or the stitching. Cerberus also includes a one-year warranty backing the straps. Available in four sizes so that you can not only find straps that fit you, but you can also order a size larger for axle deadlifts as well.
Now for some hard truths about these straps. There is a mentality that straps mean you can lift more weight. I pull the same numbers with straps on and straps off, but my hands are far less fatigued and ready for the next event of the day. I have set personal records in the straps on the day of competition twice, but I would not necessarily attribute that purely to the straps. Instead I give the straps the credit for allowing me to set a personal record and still be able to rock out farmers and frame carries.
These do not see regular use in my deadlift training. I reserve sliding the straps on only for a week or two before a competition where they are legal or potentially at the end of a training cycle. There are other uses for these straps though inside the gym. If you are performing shrugs or rows these can be a valuable tool at the end of a workout, simply from a stabilization standpoint. Using the straps will allow you to focus on proper form instead of how fried your hands may be.
I will add them to the competition training about the same time I add in my deadlift suit, and only when I hit the maximum weight for the day. On the day of competition, I usually warm up without the straps on as well. I have found the most effective use of the straps to be to set my feet into position, bend to the bar, wrap the wrists, and then give the go signal to the judge and begin the lift. Formerly I would kneel and wrap the bar, but I felt I was missing vital tension and could not get my feet in quite the right position. Give both a try and see what is more comfortable.
There are many less expensive alternatives to Cerberus when you are looking at a figure eight strap. I will issue a word of warning though. When you get to competition you can see what everyone else is using and how the product looks in person. I have yet to see a figure eight strap as well made as the Cerberus strap. Many of what I would refer to as knock-off companies do not have the same quality canvas or the strength of the stitching. While I have never seen one fail, I would not put my faith in them.
Overall, these are my go-to straps when the time comes. I have worn them when setting two personal records in strongman competitions, one of which was twenty pounds! While I do not feel the straps were the reason, I really have felt the biggest impact is following the deadlift when my hands hit the handles of the carry implements. My grip still feels fresh for the rest of the competition. That small edge alone is why I can not recommend these enough. I would not rely on them on the off chance you encounter a competition that does not allow their use. In the end, beware of imitators but know if they bear the mark of the three headed dog you are ready to do battle with iron in Hades!
CULT-OF-IRON 