I ordered lifting straps and figured I'd be able to figure out how to use them correctly from Starting Strength. I can't tell what's going on in the pictures thought\. Can anyone direct me to a "How to Use Straps" tutorial or something? Thanks.
Put them on your wrists so that the extension (the long part meant to put put around the barbell) is traveling down your palm. Then wrap the extension under the barbell and back around to your wrist. Grab the barbell and enjoy. Hope it makes sense.
Mark Rippetoe dislikes the more common type where one end is fed through the other. He prefers a strap that is not connected, just two ends. He takes the strap and wraps it around the carpal of the hand, not the wrist. Then takes both ends and wraps it around the bar a few times. Setting your off hand up is easy, your main hand is a bit trickier, but not rocket science.
<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FLU5RaPJ3zw&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FLU5RaPJ3zw&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object> Popular demand is right. I had to explain this at least twice a week when I was selling them.
You will know if you wrap them the wrong way, because they won't work. I did 2x2 shrugs last night with the straps wrapped the wrong way, and I couldn't hold on to the bar. I'm an idiot. Then I wrapped them the right way and cranked out 10 reps with the same weight.
Thanks for posting that video, Revok. I recently picked up some straps myself and, like Xtrainer, was trying to follow what Mark Rippetoe is doing in SS. I wasn't even close, so thanks a lot.
