Unleash Lifting Straps are one of the options from the high-quality weightlifting retailer, Iron Bull Strength. Can they help you lift more?
I personally enjoyed these straps as they were strong, lightweight, and provided padding for the wrist to not bruise my skin. I particularly liked them for the bent row, and I can feel muscular recruitment instead of obsessing over my grip.
Grip is usually the limiting factor in exercises like deadlifts, rows, or even power cleans. Using straps can help you pump out a couple more reps and help you get more work done overall.
So, how do the Iron Bull Strength Unleash Lifting Straps fair against the competition? I’ll break it down for you.
Table of Contents
Iron Bull Strength Unleash Lifting Straps: Overview
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
| Product | Material | Length | Features | Who It’s Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Bull Unleash Lifting Straps | Premium Cotton | 2” wide x 24” long | 5mm Neoprene Support Pad for Wrist | Powerlifters, weightlifters, and anyone looking to increase their lifts and pack on muscle. |
Pros
- High-quality, pre-broken-in feel
- Neoprene support pad for wrist comfort
- Extra length for increased support
- Designed by professional athletes
Cons
- Minimal color options
- Might be too wide for some
The Iron Bull Strength Unleash Lifting Strap is a high quality product designed by professional athletes with the average gym-goer in mind. These are double-stitched straps that will last through your toughest lifting sessions.
Straps are typically thought of only to be useful for exercises like deadlifts. But I primarily use straps when doing back exercises like rows or pull-ups.
Using these straps takes away the variable of grip so that you can focus more on building your back muscles intently.
More often than not, your grip will go first; these lifting straps will help remove that from the equation. In doing so, this will help place extra emphasis on the targeted muscle. These help me get a couple more reps in each set, and those extra reps add up to equal more gains.
One of the features I liked about these straps is that they were pre-broken-in. This makes the setup quicker, and they easily strap on the bar. I found it seamless to take these out of the package, strap them up, and go.
I think that the only downside to these straps are that there are only 3 color options – black, green, and red. I think if they expanded their color selection, it would open up the demographic of buyers.
Want more support for your lifts? Check out these Iron Bull Strength Reviews:
- Unleash Elbow Sleeves
- Unleash Wrist Wraps
- Unleash Knee Wraps
- 10mm and 13mm Lever Belt
- Standard, Premium, and Pro Knee Sleeves
How To Use Iron Bull Unleash Lifting Straps
- Put the straps around your wrists. Make sure the strap is in line with your thumb.
- Go UNDER the bar to start, wrapping from back to front. Continue looping the strap until it’s all the way around.
- Close your palm where the strap is wrapped around the barbell. This will help the strap stay tight.
- Roll the bar to lighten the straps on your wrists.
- Now lift some weight!
Does the material of the strap matter? We break it down here: Leather vs Nylon Cotton Lifting Strap: Which Is Better?
Who These Straps Are Best For
Lifting straps are a great accessory for anyone who is regularly strength training. This includes bodybuilders, powerlifters, CrossFitters, and strongman-style workouts (to name a few who could benefit).
They’re great for anyone trying to improve their heavy compound lifts. But I’d also recommend them for back-focused exercises like pull-ups and rows. And don’t limit yourself to barbells and dumbbells – I’ll even use these on machine rowing exercises.
Who These Straps Aren't Great For
Remember that these are lifting straps, which are different from lifting wraps. Straps help you lift more weight, while wraps help support the wrist. Both are helpful, but they’re different. Make sure you know what you need!
Want to check out more info about wrist wraps? Start here: Best Wrist Wraps For Powerlifting: Top Picks
Unleash Lifting Straps Alternative Options
Harbinger Padded Cotton Lifting Straps – Best Budget Pick
- Inexpensive
- Multiple color options
- Padded wrist
Overall, a pair of lifting straps isn’t a huge investment in gym equipment. However, if you’re unsure if wrist straps suit you, you can try a cheaper pair.
These aren’t as durable or as long as the Unleashed Lifting Straps, but could be a decent first option to test the waters.
If you want more straight-up wrist strap options, start here: Best Lifting Straps For Powerlifting
Serious Steel Fitness Figure 8 Lifting Straps – Best Figure 8 Lifting Straps
- For heavy-duty lifting
- More secure than traditional wrist straps
If you're a powerlifter or strongman competitor and you’re finding that traditional wrist straps aren’t getting it done anymore – enter the figure 8 style strap.
This is a more secure wrist wrap style, but be warned – this can be extremely uncomfortable on your skin and wrists, and I would NOT recommend these as your first venture into wrist wraps.
Versa Gripps – Best Wrist Strap Competitor
- Designed to put pressure on the base of the palm instead of the wrist.
- Support your hands as if you were wearing gloves.
- Quick release feature.
Think of this like an all-in-one wrist and hand support product. Versa Gripps was designed to replace the need for gloves, wrist wraps, and wrist straps.
These are definitely more expensive and probably only necessary for the regular lifter or committed athlete. That being said, they are an amazing product and the best option as long as money isn’t an issue.
Dive deeper into this topic: Lifting Straps vs Lifting Hooks: Differences, Pros, Cons
Final Thoughts
The Iron Bull Strength Unleash Lifting Straps are a high-quality product that will get the job done but not break the bank. They’re reasonably priced, designed by professional athletes, extra supportive around the wrist, well-stitched, extra thick, and have a long strap.
I love having the longer strap so that it could fit onto any kind of bar and can provide much more support without needing such a strong grip.
These wrist straps have a wide appeal – both for the seasoned lifter looking to add more pounds to their deadlift or a gym newcomer looking to increase the effectiveness of their back workout. I’d recommend the Iron Bull Unleash Lifting Straps.
About The Author
Kurtis Ackerman is a personal trainer residing in Southern California. He is the owner and head trainer of KB Fitness. He competed in powerlifting and Strongman in his younger years. Now he trains a wide variety of clientele but specializes in working around injuries. You can connect with him on Instagram or LinkedIn.
