Wrist Straps
These are homemade wrist straps. I suggest buying a pair at a sporting goods store but if you trust your handiwork, make your own.   These take the stress off your hands and fingers when doing "awkward" or heavy movements with a barbell or dumbbells. The photo at top right shows how they go on your wrist.
After placing them on your wrists, you wrap them around the bar, usually twice, then tuck the end under your palm.   This seems impossible to do at first, especially on the second hand, when the first hand is not available to help out. However, it gets quite easy with practice.   You can do this overhand or underhanded, depending on the exercise.
This takes the weight off your fingers and hands, and transfers it to the strap and through the wrist. This lets you work large muscles even if your hand strength won't hold enough weight to do so.   If you look carefully, you can see that I use the straps for upright rows. They are also good for dumbbell shrugs.

All information on this site is opinion only. All concepts, explanations, trials, and studies have been re-written in plain English and may contain errors. I am not a doctor. Use the reference information at the end of each article to search MedLine for more complete and accurate information. All original copyrights apply. No information on this page should be used by any person to affect their medical, physical, legal, educational, social, or psychological treatment in any way. I am not a doctor. This web site and all its pages, graphics, and content copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 Jon C.