Straps are just about the most foundational piece of gym equipment you can find. A tool that improves your ability to lift the heaviest weights is nearly as important as the weights themselves. Even those of us with the most beastly grip use straps from time to time. I myself come from a long history of farmers and also competed as a wrestler and jiu jitsu player, so my grip is substantially stronger than average, unlike my not-so-great deadlift numbers. And still, I use straps on my heaviest sets.
So now that we agree straps are important, as athletes we need to figure out what the best straps are. The best product depends on your goals. For athletes who want to move around heavy weights and who also care about performance in each set, lifting hooks – a variation on the classic strap – are the strongest of all. I recently got to try LPG Muscle’s Haulin’ Hooks, a lifting strap and hook combo.
To get an idea of what Haulin’ Hooks are like, imagine a thicker, more comfortable Velcro-held wrist wrap that extends into a classic strap that you place around the bar just like you always have. Now imagine two steel hooks that further reinforce your grip. Once the Haulin’ Hooks were in place, I felt more confidence in the power of my grip than I have with any other strap or hook I’ve used.
In addition to comfort and power, the Haulin’ Hooks have a durable design. LPG Muscle took a simple, basic lifting tool and improved on it, making it stronger, more comfortable, and more effective. It’s not often you see an improvement on such a simple design, but LPG Muscle has done it, and they are also confident enough in their product to offer a lifetime guarantee. From the perspective of a customer, it doesn’t get much better than that.
Haulin’ Hooks aren’t for everyone, though. If you favor metcon-style workouts but still find your grip failing, you probably just need to work harder on your grip and a hook and strap setup like Haulin’ Hooks probably isn’t for you. The straps also take a moment to set up, so they are designed mostly for your heaviest sets of your heaviest lifts.
One major thing I liked about Haulin’ Hooks was that I wasn’t greeted by photos of people using the product on their tricep kickbacks and preacher curls. These guys know what this tool is for, and it’s designed perfectly for that purpose. If you lift serious weights, or want to, you won’t find a strap or hook more legit than Haulin’ Hooks. I recommend them for anyone who uses straps and has a goal of getting stronger.
Haulin’ Hooks are available for $49.95 and up at LPGMuscle.com.
