Weight Lifting Deadlift Grip

Regarding weightlifting movements, when sub-elite weightlifters performed snatches at 80% of their 1-rep maximum, the use of a lifting strap-compared to a hook grip-reduced the recruitment of the biceps brachii and forearm muscles during the first phase of the movement and increased the recruitment of the latissimus dorsi, vastus lateralis, and medial head of the deltoid during subsequent phases, with all measures showing large effect sizes. This suggests that lifting straps may alter the degree of involvement of the grip muscles and the muscles responsible for the lifting phase. In contrast, when novice weightlifters performed 2 sets of 3 repetitions at 1RM for the power clean, researchers recorded electromyographic signals during the second lift and the bell catch phases and found that the use of a lifting strap significantly reduced muscle activation in the vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, medial head of the gastrocnemius, biceps brachii, and gluteus maximus during the lift phase, while no significant differences were observed during the bell catch phase.

Current research in this area is limited by small sample sizes, a narrow focus on only a few muscle groups, and low study quality; further research is urgently needed.

Kinematics

Only two studies have investigated the effects of lifting belts on the kinematic characteristics of the deadlift and power grip. In the deadlift, when performing 80% of the one-rep maximum (1RM) without a lifting belt, using a weightlifting belt alone resulted in significantly greater thoracic spine extension, whereas using only a lifting belt or no equipment at all led to greater thoracic kyphosis, with no difference observed between the latter two conditions. In the power grip, the use of a lifting belt showed a trend toward optimizing the barbell's trajectory throughout the entire movement, though this did not reach statistical significance; further research is needed to confirm this trend.