How should I use straps for this if at all? It is about 2.5 months before competition so I think I can just use straps until the block switches to the lower RPE single first. That would allow about 1.5 months out to work on grip if needed when it is fresh. I would have to drop weight significantly to pull off 4 sets of 4 or 5 without grip issues.
Background
I just finished week 3. My grip gets tired quickly on the DL. I can maybe do the 5 @8 with no straps. Then the next set I have to strap up. So my strategy has been straps for the last warmup and the 4 sets before the back off single. Then no straps for the single. My single feels like RPE7 on the legs and back but RPE 10 on the grip at that point. I am not sure if I should care about this until the single is before the 4 sets of 5 or if I should go down and just do what I can with my grip.
I would just have you ditch the straps from here on out on your top sets of competition and supplemental deadlifts each week. You can use straps on the back off sets.
The reason for starting now? We can always back off on the grip training work if it’s well-developed before the meet rolls around, but I don’t want to run out of time if we need to build more. You mentioned your grip is likely to be the limiter for the volume pulls, but I am not sure if that means your grip is also the limiter for a single heavy effort, which is really what you’re doing at the meet.
Thanks for the response. Just to be clear the 1 @ 7 is a back off when the movement starts at 5@ rpe 8 and have 3 sets to 7 but the top set when it starts with 1@7 then do 5@8 followed by 3 to rpe 7? That seems to make sense but on the hand it is just a reordering. Please excuse my economist on the other hand.
yes, 1 @ 7 is the fatigue single when it’s at the end, but it is the “top set” when it as the beginning. For grip work development, I usually default to whatever the heaviest load is going to be to go sans straps.
Thanks again. I got through RPE 6 of paused DL’s on Tuesday and my estimated RPE 6 on DLs to try to find 8 on Saturday without straps.
Yesterday, I realized I was doubling over my leather open loop straps and making it harder, I am not sure how much the straps were helping. I tried to use them like lasso straps rather than closed loop straps. Which often meant a wrap toward the middle were i was trying to grip both sides on top of each other instead of just the very end being on top on each other and pulling up more through the middle like a closed loop. Therefore maybe I am under estimating my grip and going to them too soon considering it was like using a small fat grip with straps when I used my straps.
