I receieved the Valeo padded straps and headed off to the gym, after waiting a week for the product to arrive with shipping costs more than the cost of the straps which is rediculous. I purchased them after I lost my previous pair of TKO Fitness straps after beating on them for about 4 years with no problems. I put on the Valeo straps and did one pull-up, and one of the straps ripped in half right on the seam where the neoprene pad was sewn in. My advice, this product is poorly made and cheap. A complete waste of money. Go with something better, and I would avoid the padded straps because the extra stitching weakens the strap fabric. Valeo Padded Lifting Strap, 0.30-Pound
From novice to intermediate, this is an excellent set of lifting straps. You don't need something like this from the beginning. But the weight you're handling starts to exceed your grip strength, this is invaluable.
Use is simple. You just wrap the strap around the bar. There is no real technique to it. As you lift the weight, the weight itself will pull the strap tight and transfer some of the load to the straps around your wrists. I don't recommend wrapping the straps too tight, as that will transfer almost all weight to your wrists and your forearms won't get the usual amount of workout. The point is to complete the lift without your grip failing, not avoiding using your grip altogether. If you do it right, your grip will be supporting most of the weight in the beginning, and as you complete more reps and your grips start to fail, more and more weight can be transfered to the straps.
This is a simple, no frills strap. It works and it's priced very reasonably. Padding is a little light, but it's adequate unless you are handling some Herculean weight.
With these straps I am 10 times the man I was. Everything has grown because I can now handle the weights I was not able to handle before. Please don't think twice and order these from this retailer ASAP!! ARR ARR ARR
Maybe my wrists are small (~6 1/2" around), but the positioning of the padding on these straps prevents them from properly tightening around my wrist, so I can't really use them properly or comfortably. Don't bother buying these unless your wrists are at least an inch larger around than mine.
Pros: soft cotton with thin foam or neoprene pads at wrist, lengthly straps
Cons: possibly shortened lifespan with cotton rather than other strap material
I think with other strap material, the lifespan could be greater. However, at about $5, I would rather go with cotton and be more comfortable and replace them every few years. I generally use these to supplement my lifting for deadlifts to be able to do more reps without tiring the forearms. I don't know if they are strong enough for guys who might be letting these straps hold hundreds of pounds.
Going on 2 yrs. with a set of these, they are just starting to fray a bit. They are fine for moderate lifting but as suggested by another reviewer, non-cotton would be more suitable for advanced lifts. In my experience the cotton holds moisture so can get pretty stinky if not washed weekly :)
Overall, they have served their purpose, just don't expect them to hold up to 400+ lb deadlifts, not made for that.
These things are very solid, and I've noticed a large difference in what I've been able to deadlift with their help. I added 70 lbs to my max, just from the difference between my grip vs overall strength.
The padding is good, the fit is comfortable, and they do their job. I can't ask for more.
These straps are cotton so they stretch during a heavy lift and transfer a lot of the weight back to your hands. It's difficult to get a good grip on heavy weight because of this. Also, the pad is too long so the strap can't be properly tightened around the bar because the loop hits on the pad. I would suggest non-cotton straps with a better pad design (e.g. the Harbinger nylon straps) for advanced lifting.'
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