Do lifting straps make your back muscles grow more?

Short answer

There is no result showing more growth. No trial has measured muscle size with straps, and in the lat pulldown the weight, reps and back muscle activity stayed the same. What changed was lifts where grip gives out first, like the deadlift: the heaviest lift rose from 160.6 kg to 177 kg.

Do lifting straps make your back muscles grow more?
The formula: 'grip freed → more weight and reps → bigger back'. Is it true?
Straps wrap around the wrist and tie the bar to your hand. Many people use them because their grip tires before their back does. We checked this formula step by step.
In the deadlift, the weight went up
Heaviest lift: 177 kg vs 160.6 kg
For 20 people, the heaviest deadlift they could lift once was 177 kg with straps and 160.6 kg without, a difference of about 10%. In a test of pulling hard on a fixed bar, 30 people also produced more peak force with straps.
Grip fatigue was smaller too
More reps, and grip strength dropped less
When 10 people did 3 deadlift sets to failure at 80% of their heaviest lift, they did more reps with straps and their grip strength dropped less. In a study of 16 people doing 4 sets of 4, grip strength dropped less and the work felt easier. In a study of 11 people at 90%, the force on the bar was 20-28% greater.
But the lat pulldown was different
Weight, reps and back muscle activity all stayed the same
12 people did the lat pulldown. The heaviest weight they could pull once was 96.5 kg with straps and 96.6 kg without. Reps over 3 sets to failure at 70% of that weight, and how much the big back muscle (latissimus dorsi) was used, also showed no difference.
A review also found no confirmed gain in back exercises
Straps did not make muscles work harder either
A 2026 review of strap research concluded that straps raise maximal strength and the feeling of a secure grip, but showed no steady effect in back and pulling exercises. Using straps did not make the muscles work harder either.
No trial has measured muscle size
Not one trial used straps for weeks
The same review found no trial in which people trained with straps for weeks and had their muscle size measured. Every result so far comes from one or two workouts measuring weight, reps and muscle activity. There is still no result showing bigger back muscles from straps.
Summary: straps are a tool for when grip gives out first
There is no result showing more back growth
In heavy lifts like the deadlift, straps raised the heaviest lift by about 10% and protected reps and grip strength. In the lat pulldown, weight, reps and back muscle activity did not change. For back training, using them only when grip gives out first is enough.