Best Lifting Straps For Deadlifting, Bodybuilding, and More

There are so many lifting straps on the market, and shopping for one can be a daunting experience for a strength athlete trying to find the best lifting strap for them. What we continue to find through sweaty gym sessions is that different straps offer different benefits. Just as there are different styles for different seasons, there are different lifting straps for different goals and sports. If you’re a weightlifter, you’ll likely prefer a quick-release strap that comes off the bar easily if you need to bail on a lift. Conversely, strongman competitors usually prefer figure 8 straps that won’t come off the bar even if their grip gives out. 

A lot of what makes a strap so great is heavily dependent on an individual’s goals, wants, and needs, in addition to the help it can provide their wrists. Most people’s training will lie somewhere in between the extremes, which is what the majority of lifting straps are meant for — in this list we break down the best types of straps for a variety of training styles, budgets, and scenarios. Whether you’re an Olympic weightlifter, a strongman competitor, powerlifter, or just a normal gym rat — this is your definitive best straps list, where we go into detail on common designs, materials, and uses for lifting straps.

Best Lifting Straps

• Best Overall Lifting Straps: Gymreapers Lifting Straps
• Most Durable Lifting Straps: Manimal Infinity Lifting Straps
• Best Lifting Straps for the Money: Gymreapers Lifting Straps
• Best Powerlifting Lifting Straps: Rogue Fitness Ohio Straps
• Best Lifting Straps for Deadlifting: Gymreapers Figure 8 Lifting Straps
• Best Lifting Straps for Bodybuilding: Harbinger Cotton Padded Lifting Straps
• Best Weightlifting Lifting Straps: Gymreapers OIympic Lifting Straps
• Most Secure Lifting Strap: Gymreapers Figure 8 Lifting Straps

Best Overall Lifting Straps

The best lifting straps need to be useful in any lifting session, providing the correct amount of security, versatility, and durability. Having the confidence to pull heavy and build those glutes without worrying about a slip from your lifting straps is a great advantage to have when working on PRs.

Gymreapers Lifting Straps

These lifting straps from Gymreapers offer the combination of security and comfort that lifters want without being too invasive. At 18 inches long, these straps can wrap around the bar a couple of times to provide extra security, so you know your bar or dumbbell isn’t going anywhere once you’re strapped in — that way you can just grip it, and rip it. The added padding isn’t very thick, but is just enough to help prevent digging into the skin, or bruising of the wrist.

If you’re someone that doesn’t like padding, Gymreapers offers options that don’t include padding on the wrist. The Gymreapers Lifting Straps are made from a durable combination of neoprene and cotton, and they offer a lifetime replacement guarantee. These straps even come in nine different color options, such as black/red, desert tan, ranger green, pink, navy, black, and gray. 

Gymreapers Lifting Straps

Gymreapers Lifting Straps

Gymreapers Lifting Straps provide the security and comfort that many lifters desire at an affordable price. These 18 inch straps are available in nine different colors. You can rely on these straps for shrugs, deadlifts, cleans, or heavy dumbbell rows.

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Who Should Buy Gymreapers Lifting Straps

• Someone looking for a versatile pair of cotton lifting straps that feel comfortable (thanks to the neoprene padding), and offer great security without being cumbersome.
• Athletes who want a bit of padding around the wrist to help prevent skin pinching or abrasion will appreciate the neoprene padding here.
• Gymgoers who prefer to have a bit of color variety — these straps come in nine color options including black, green, and pink.

Who Shouldn’t Buy Gymreapers Lifting Straps

• Beginner lifters who still need to build up a base of strength, and learn when/how to use straps.
• Athletes who are looking for maximum security may want to look for a figure 8 strap since they stay attached to the bar no matter what.
• Weightlifters who need to quickly and safely release a weight from overhead, or bail on a lift — these can be wrapped around a bar multiple times preventing them from coming off easily.

These lifting straps from Gymreapers are a good choice for an individual who is just starting to use straps. They’re relatively inexpensive, don’t have a learning curve to use like olympic lifting straps or figure 8 straps, and offer a degree of comfort with the neoprene wrist padding. The heavy-duty construction can also satisfy experienced lifters looking for a solid choice for their next pair of lifting straps. 

[Related: The Lifter’s Guide To Magnesium: What This Nutrient Does For Strength]

Most Durable Lifting Straps

For many folks purchasing gym equipment, durability is top of mind, and they want a product that will last them a long time, getting them a good return for their money spent. When selecting the most durable lifting straps, we took into consideration not only how they’re made, but the material they’re made from. To ensure a lifting strap is durable, they need to be stitched well and made to endure wear and tear from all types of knurling and training — enter the Manimal Infinity Lifting Straps. 

Manimal Infinity Lifting Straps

These lifting straps have clear labeling, so you never have to concern yourself with which strap goes with which wrist — a nice long-term detail when the straps are broken in. Additionally, the poly-nylon mix used in the material gives these straps durability that users can be confident will go the distance even when going heavy on hang cleans and deadlifts. Another key to the durability of these straps is the 24 inch length — longer than the common 18 inch straps seen on the market — so they’re able to distribute the weight being held over more material for less stress on the straps. 

These straps also feature three millimeter neoprene padding around the wrist to help increase comfort and prevent pinching of the skin and bruising around the wrist. The wrist wrap poly-nylon material will likely outlast the neoprene padding though, so you may find yourself without that padding if you keep these straps for a long time.

Manimal Infinity Lifting Straps

Manimal Infinity Lifting Straps

These one-and-a-half-inch wide and 24-ince long three millimeter neoprene lifting straps provide padding to the wrists. They are made with a poly-nylon mix for better durability.

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Who Should Buy Manimal Infinity Lifting Straps

• Recreational lifters who need a secure strap to last in all settings — Manimal named these the Infinity Lifting Straps because they’re meant to last forever.
• Dedicated strength athletes who want straps made with high-quality, sturdy poly-nylon that won’t fail you when going for a big lift. 
• If you’re looking for a longer lifting strap (which may also help with durability), these are 24 inches. 

Who Shouldn’t Buy Manimal Infinity Lifting Straps

• The beginner who isn’t familiar with straps, and why or when they should use them.
• Budget-conscious shoppers who want the most cost-efficient straps. Though these are not much more expensive than other straps, there are cheaper alternatives.

Manimal set out to make the most durable pair of lifting straps on the market, and we think they did a solid job of it. The material is meant to last, and the longer length of these straps helps to distribute the weight being held to reduce stress on the straps. The neoprene padding is a nice extra touch for comfort, and the price is reasonable for a product of this quality.

Best Lifting Straps for the Money

On a budget and need a cost efficient pair of lifting straps? Gymreapers offers a high-quality, and reasonably priced option that should check a lot of your boxes. 

Gymreapers Lifting Straps

These high-quality lifting straps — made from premium neoprene and cotton — are 18 inches long, and work great for a wide range of exercises. You can use these for heavy deadlifts and shrugs, dumbbell rows, or even pull-ups. They have neoprene padding around the wrist to provide extra comfort, but are also available without padding if you like to feel slightly more connected to the bar. The Gymreapers Lifting Straps are heavy duty with double-stitched cotton, and made to stand up to even the most punishing workouts that you throw at them. Gymreapers offers them in nine different colors to help match your other gear or preference. Plus, they come with a lifetime replacement guarantee.

Gymreapers Lifting Straps

Gymreapers Lifting Straps

Gymreapers Lifting Straps provide the security and comfort that many lifters desire at an affordable price. These 18 inch straps are available in nine different colors. You can rely on these straps for shrugs, deadlifts, cleans, or heavy dumbbell rows.

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Who Should Buy Gymreapers Lifting Straps

• Someone who wants a high quality product at an affordable price will enjoy these straps.
• Anyone who is looking to get their first pair of lifting straps, there’s no learning curve to use these, and they work on either wrist.
• Someone who wants some extra padding around the wrist portion of their straps to help prevent pinching, tugging, or slipping.

Who Shouldn’t Buy Gymreapers Lifting Straps

• Serious strength athletes who want maximum security, and are looking to deadlift some insane weights. These straps are durable, but a pair of figure 8 straps would offer a more secure connection to the bar.
• Athletes who are looking for straps for the olympic lifts — the length of these allow them to wrap around the bar at least twice , and won’t come off as easily as weightlifting straps.

Gymreapers lifting straps are a solid choice for someone picking up their first pair of lifting straps to even more experienced athletes. The neoprene padding on the wrists is an added comfort bonus on a pair of wrist wraps in this price range. 

Best Lifting Straps for Powerlifting

The best powerlifting lifting straps will need to be both secure and durable to withstand multiple heavy sessions of barbell training. The lifting straps also need to be versatile enough to meet the demands of different exercises that powerlifters do as accessories to the big three lifts, like barbell rows, shrugs, and heavy dumbbell rows. That’s why we like the Rogue Fitness Ohio Straps. 

Rogue Fitness Ohio Straps

This strap offers a minimalist versatile lasso design. It’s a great pick for lifters who bring straps to the gym with them, for "just in case" instances, or want straps to withstand ample loading. The 20 inch length is longer than the usual 18 inches that lifting straps are, allowing a little extra room for those with larger wrists, like powerlifters, to get the most out of these lifting straps. These straps are also made to be durable for your heavy deadlift sessions as they’re made from a heavy-duty cotton webbing with reinforced stitching and edging to prevent fraying. Whether you’re using them frequently or every once in a while, this simple strap is portable and effective for providing security and durability. 

Rogue Fitness Ohio Straps

Rogue Fitness Ohio Straps

This lifting strap is designed with a cotton build and offers additional padding to limit wrist friction and discomfort. These are great for deadlifts as well as accessory movements like shrugs and rows.

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Who Should Buy Rogue Fitness Ohio Cotton Straps

• The recreational lifter who wants a pair of lifting straps with them at all times will appreciate the design here.
• The powerlifter who needs a pair of lasso lifting straps to support heavy pulls and other accessory movements.

Who Shouldn’t Buy Rogue Fitness Ohio Cotton Straps

• The true beginner that doesn’t have a real need for lifting straps.
• The cost-efficient shopper who wants the lowest possible price for lifting straps.

Powerlifters may use lifting straps occasionally due to grip requirements for deadlifts during meets, but when you break out the straps you want to know they’ll work for everything you need them to. That’s why we recommend the Rogue Ohio Lifting Straps — they’re durable, and simply designed at a reasonable price.

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Best Lifting Straps for Deadlifting

When you’re going for an all time deadlift PR you want reassurance that you won’t miss it because your gear or grip failed you. Lifting big can often tax the grip, and some may need extra, reliable support to pull heavy, which is why we chose the Gymreapers Figure 8 Lifting Straps here. 

Gymreapers Figure 8 Lifting Straps

These straps are designed specifically to help avoid deadlifting mistakes and aid in strongman-style pulling, so you know they’re secure. In fact, we wouldn’t recommend them for every type of lifter, as they do require some level of skill to master using them.

Since these offer the figure 8 design, they literally stay attached to the wrists with weight even when you let go. That being said, these straps are certainly some of the most secure on the market. They have a weight capacity of over 1,000 pounds, so unless you’re Thor or Eddie Hall, you won’t outgrow these anytime soon. They feature heavy-duty cross stitching, and 1/4 inch thick cotton webbing for maximum strength construction. They even come in three sizes to accommodate any type of bar you might be lifting on, and most any wrist size. These straps are also backed by Gymreapers’ lifetime replacement guarantee. 

Gymreapers Figure 8 Lifting Straps

Gymreapers Figure 8 Lifting Straps

If you intend to pull some massive weights, then you need massive support, and these Figure 8 Straps from Gymreapers are designed to provide just that. With heavy-duty cross stitching and thick cotton webbing, these are meant to stand up to the heaviest and hardest of workouts.

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Who Should Buy Gymreapers Figure 8 Lifting Straps

• Strongman athletes who train with axle bars and compete — these are the go-to style of lifting strap for most strongman competitors.
• Lifters who want the absolute maximum amount of security during deadlift sessions.
• Advanced lifters who are very strong, and don’t want their grip or gear to be a limiting factor — these straps will keep you attached to the bar even if your grip gives out mid-set.

Who Shouldn’t Buy Gymreapers Figure 8 Lifting Straps

• The true beginner — these take time to master, and beginners won’t need this much of a heavy duty strap.
• Recreational athletes who do not have experience with straps or maximal lifting.
• Anyone who wants to get grip training along with their deadlift sessions — other types of straps still offer some grip strengthening.

The figure 8 style of strap has become increasingly popular over the past few years due to popular competitors like Eddie Hall using this style of strap when he broke the 500kg deadlift barrier. Though not for everyone, these straps are a solid choice for people who want to ensure the bar isn’t leaving their hands once they’re strapped in and ready to pull.

Best Lifting Straps For Bodybuilding 

Bodybuilders often get a bad rap for lifting just for aesthetics, and not being legitimately strong. That is far from the truth as "The King" Ronnie Coleman was often seen crushing heavy squats and deadlifts as part of his training. You don’t want to be taxing your grip every day though and creating possible muscle imbalances as a bodybuilder, which is where a solid pair of lifting straps come in. 

Harbinger Cotton Padded Lifting Straps

Great lifting straps for bodybuilding need to be supportive and fairly comfortable since these sessions are often much longer in nature, and we think the Harbinger Cotton Padded Lifting Straps do a great job of offering both comfort and support. The Harbinger Cotton Padded Lifting Straps are a great fit for the lifter who needs a strap for routine use in the weight room. They provide versatility, and can be used with both barbells and dumbbells. The NeoTek cushioning provides extra comfort over other padding by being thicker and taking pressure off of the wrist when lifting, so you’re less likely to have bruised wrists or abrasions when you step on stage.

Harbinger Cotton Padded Lifting Strap

Harbinger Cotton Padded Lifting Strap

A cotton lifting strap that provides additional padding for the wrists to reduce friction. These 21.5-inch lifting straps have extended length to give more grip on the bar and extra stitching to prevent frays. These affordable straps are great for beginners and advanced lifters alike.

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