Difference Between Lifting Hooks & Lifting Straps

When you train with free weights, it is essential to have the right accessories. Lifting hooks and lifting straps are both pieces of equipment that help you train safely. Because they are both lifting gear that you use on your hands and wrists, you might think they are interchangeable. They are, in fact, different pieces of equipment that should be used with different intentions, so it is important to know the distinction.

  1. Design

    • Lifting straps have a much simpler design than lifting hooks. The straps are essentially just that: different lengths of cotton or nylon webbing straps. The design of lifting hooks is more complex. Typically, lifting hooks are made up of a fingerless lifting glove with a metal hook securely sewn onto the palm of the glove. The glove extends up over the wrist and provides reinforced support for the wrist, sometimes incorporating the lifting straps so that they can be wrapped around the wrist and lower forearm.

    Use

    • Both lifting straps and lifting hooks assist in gripping the bar during weightlifting as well as assisting when performing pull-ups. They differ in the level of weight that can be lifted with their assistance. To use lifting straps, you wrap one end around your wrist and the other around the bar of a dumbbell or barbell. By tethering your wrist to the bar and holding onto the section around which the strap is wrapped, you gain a better, slip-resistant grip. To use the lifting hooks, you slip them onto your hands like gloves and wrap the straps (supports) around your wrists. Typically the straps secure with Velcro to keep them snugly on your hand while you work out. You then attach the hooks on the palms of the gloves to the dumbbell or barbell by hooking them to the bar as you grasp it to begin a set. Because of the heavy-duty reinforced construction of the hooks, they are better for heavier lifting than the straps. Both, though, reinforce your grip when doing chin-ups or pull-ups.

    Ease of Use

    • Lifting straps are simple but time-consuming to use because you need to wrap and re-wrap during a workout. Each time you complete a set, you'll want to set your weights down for a brief rest before beginning another set. This involves unwrapping the straps from the bar and then re-wrapping them when you are ready to do another set. During your rest period the straps often come unwrapped from your wrists and you need to re-wrap them, as well. With the hooks, though, once you put the gloves on and secure the support around your wrist, they are in place for your entire workout. You only need to hook and unhook the palms of the gloves from the bars as you begin and complete sets.

    Cost

    • Because of the difference in design, lifting straps are generally much cheaper than lifting hooks. Lifting straps are simply measured lengths of webbing with finished edges that keep them from fraying during use. Lifting hooks, on the other hand, are a pair of fingerless gloves with a reinforced strap and Velcro for the wrist, plus an attached metal hook at the palm of each glove. Materials and labor for lifting hooks increase the manufacturing costs, as well.