The Flexsolate Strap
is a unique grip-assistance device in that it's
NOT designed primarily to let you grip longer
or stronger...it's designed to FORCE your target
muscles to contract more strongly by removing
grip from the equation. Very interesting concept
but does it hold up in the gym?
There are
three schools of thought when it comes to
grip assistance..."never," "when
it's useful," and "too much."
The "never"
school of thought holds that you should
never use grip assistance (in the form of
straps or hooks) to help in your training.
The idea is that you won't develop grip
strength or forearm mass without actually
holding the weight yourself.
And there
is merit to that! For the first probably
12 years of my training career, I never
once used straps or hooks. And I developed
excellent grip strength and forearms from
it.
Then there is the
"too much" school of thought. This is
when a person uses grip assistance for just about
everything! To put it bluntly, you don't need
to wear lifting straps when you're doing dumbbell
curls. You just don't.
These days, I fall
into the "when it's useful" school of
thought. I've found that using grip assistance
when it's merited (like for very heavy pulling
exercises and/or high volume back training) can
really help accelerate muscle development, far
more than relying on grip strength alone.
Then came the Flexsolate straps...
Honestly, at first,
I didn't know what to make of them. They really
don't help you lift heavier weight. They're just
not designed for that purpose (even though they
are well-built, using heavy weight is just not
comfortable with them).
But what they DO
give you is a whole new dimension to your training.
Yes, they DO take
grip out of the equation of many exercises but
they do so in a very useful fashion, transferring
the tension DIRECTLY onto the target muscles.
This really shows
up well with back training.
A lot of people have a tough time feeling their
back working when they do back exercises. Standard
grip assistance doesn't necessarily help with
this as even with straps and hooks, you're still
exerting some grip on the bar or handle.
With the Flexsolate
straps, you're taking grip completely out of the
equation on purpose. One end wraps around the
bar...one end loops around your wrist - the hands
are completely free, the forearms are relaxed.
And the tension
goes directly into the target muscles.
The idea here is
NOT to use more weight on the bar to try and force
growth but to actually improve the FEEL of the
exercise on the target muscle.
Does this happen
with the Flexsolate straps? Absolutely! When I
tested these straps out, I did a wide range of
exercises...pulldowns, chins, rows, shrugs, even
curls and pushdowns.
The straps did a
great job of eliminating the middle man and sending
tension directly to the muscle those exercises
try to hit.
In fact, if you
have a hard time feeling your back working when
you do back exercises, these straps will be somewhat
of a revelation for you! You'll probably experience
soreness in places you've never felt before.
Would I train with
these straps exclusively? Nope. I wouldn't. I
would work them in when I felt I wanted to really
laser-beam target the muscles.
There are times
when I just want to hammer away with heavy weight
and the straps would actually get in the way.
But for completely
development, these Flexsolate straps are a GREAT
addition to an experienced trainer's arsenal.
You'll notice I
say EXPERIENCED. I wouldn't recommend these for
beginners. I'm still of the mind that beginners
SHOULD actually stay away from grip assistance
and develop their base forearm and grip strength.
Relying too much on straps (even these) would
slow down that development.
But once you've
gotten some training under your belt, these straps
would be an excellent addition. They're very effective
at increasing isolation of the target muscles
and as a bonus, are very easy to carry with you
to the gym.
CONCLUSION:
Bottom line, Flexsolate
straps are a very useful piece of training equipment
when used for the right purpose.
As long as you keep
the weight moderate, they're quite comfortable
and easy to use. If you start going too heavy,
the padded wrist straps will start digging in
too much.
Overall, the straps
are a highly recommended training tool for maximizing
muscle development, though more useful for physique
enhancement than strength-building.
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