I came across workout straps in the late 80's and started using them to assist my grip with the ever-increasing weight I was then lifting. Having been involved in weight lifting for the last 25 years, I have seen all kinds of weight lifting accessories come and go. I had great success, putting on pounds and pounds of muscle and lifting the weight the big guys were pumping out.
Around the mid 90's I hit a growth plateau and hired a trainer, a certified professional bodybuilder, to assess my workouts and help me grow. The first suggestion I received from him was "get rid of the workout straps". The look on my face prompted further explanation from him. I was told that using workout straps was not a good idea for two reasons. His theory was that if I was lifting an amount of weight that I couldn't grasp without assistance I was putting my muscles and joints in danger. "Never lift more weight than you can control," I was told over and over again. The second reason for not using workout straps was that in assisting my grip on the French Curl bar with a piece of equipment I was failing to give my forearms a proper workout. It seems that the muscles in the forearm grow best when the hand is gripping the weight as hard as it can. He pointed out that the reverse curls I was doing for forearms were being rendered ineffective by the use of workout straps since I wasn't being forced to grip the bar with all my might. Both points were well taken.
I quit using the workout straps and as if by magic my shoulder and joint pain subsided. And my forearms got thicker as if on steroids (which they weren't). Not only did my forearms grow to Popeye dimensions but my fingers and hands became thicker and stronger. I finally attained the forearms that every Oliveoil admired and just by stopping my use of workout straps.
I once again became satisfied with my growth and lack of constant joint pain but was faced with a whole new problem. With the workout straps I was using I could grasp a barbell or dumbbell regardless of how sweaty my palms became. With my stronger grasp able to lift heavier weights I developed thick bodybuilder calluses on my palms. The calluses were painful and ugly and gave me something to pick at when I was bored but I really was anxious not to have them. I tried weight lifting gloves, and they solved the slippery bar problem but I found them too constrictive, difficult to get on and off and they were constantly soaked with sweat.
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