Deadlift grip VS straps

cgvet37

I pulled 265 today, and my left hand about gave out on me on the last pull (5). I'm not a fan of an over under grip. As the bar tends to rotate toward my right leg. There is the hook grip, but I have small hands, so I don't know if I'll be able to lock my thumb. My other thought is using straps on my working set. My warm-up sets are not an issue in terms of grip. Some say straps will handicap you in the long run. I also do heavy barbell rows, so I know my grip will get stronger overtime. In my experience, straps don't completely negate grip strength. Just looking for others thoughts from personal experience.

Okiludy

I’d rather never lift with straps but it doesn’t work that way. I have pulled calluses and grip gets weak. So I have to work in straps to pull enough without tearing hands open.

You can work in other items for grip strength. I am getting some Fat Gripps to work in. I may also get some finger bands to do something while at my desk.

By the way the normal straps dig into my wrist pretty bad when doing heavy weights. Not bad up to 315 but 405 deadlifts or 500+ rack pulls and I look like I got my kink on. I ordered some Cobra Grips to see if it helps stop the nasty wrists and hands.

sgt1372

I use straps to DL and have no concerns about it.

My previous high was a set of 6x340 for a calculated 1RM of 406. Couldn't have done it w/o straps.

cgvet37

Okiludy wrote: »

I’d rather never lift with straps but it doesn’t work that way. I have pulled calluses and grip gets weak. So I have to work in straps to pull enough without tearing hands open.

You can work in other items for grip strength. I am getting some Fat Gripps to work in. I may also get some finger bands to do something while at my desk.

By the way the normal straps dig into my wrist pretty bad when doing heavy weights. Not bad up to 315 but 405 deadlifts or 500+ rack pulls and I look like I got my kink on. I ordered some Cobra Grips to see if it helps stop the nasty wrists and hands.

I was doing Farmer's walks, but as my rows and deadlift weight starting increasing, I did not want to over fatigue my grip. I do have an adjustable gripper that I could use at work, as I sit at a desk.

GymTennis

I seriously doubt your hands are too small for the hook grip. One's hands would have to be really, really small in order not to be able to use it. Maybe you haven't tried it the proper way.

cgvet37

GymTennis wrote: »

I seriously doubt your hands are too small for the hook grip. One's hands would have to be really, really small in order not to be able to use it. Maybe you haven't tried it the proper way.

I haven't really tried using it yet. I have rows on Wednesday, so I'm going to try then. I'm just going off what I have gathered from watching YouTube videos.

MilesAddie

Im still working my way up but have a PR of 330 and haven’t used straps yet (weigh 162). Grip hasn’t been an issue yet, but I do a ton of pull-ups and heavy KB swings in my workouts. I also use a ton of chalk, maybe get liquid chalk if they don’t allow regular chalk in your gym.

I’m curious, not criticizing at all, about hook grip for Deadlifts? That sounds extremely painful. I though hook grips were traditionally for control during Oly lifts?

GymTennis

Basically covering your thumb with your index finger and your middle finger is sufficient. I was in the same boat as you, I became stronger and stronger on my DL but my grip would give out. The mixed grip makes my very unstable for some reason, so the hook grip was the way to go. This is the best video on the hook grip that you could find out there. Good luck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTi_8KpDDIo

ijsantos2005

I’d work on your grip instead of straps for deadlifts. You could try holding the last rep of the last set for ~20 seconds. For rows I would strap because you don’t want to limit the weight used in the row due to grip.

cgvet37

MilesAddie wrote: »

Im still working my way up but have a PR of 330 and haven’t used straps yet (weigh 162). Grip hasn’t been an issue yet, but I do a ton of pull-ups and heavy KB swings in my workouts. I also use a ton of chalk, maybe get liquid chalk if they don’t allow regular chalk in your gym.

I’m curious, not criticizing at all, about hook grip for Deadlifts? That sounds extremely painful. I though hook grips were traditionally for control during Oly lifts?

I use liquid chalk. My left hand just does not have the grip strength like my right does. It's always the first to give out. I used to do pull ups, but I'm currently doing Stronglifts, so I don't do anything outside of the program. The hook grip is a replacement for straps for those that don't want to use an over under grip.

cgvet37

cgvet37 wrote: »

MilesAddie wrote: »

Im still working my way up but have a PR of 330 and haven’t used straps yet (weigh 162). Grip hasn’t been an issue yet, but I do a ton of pull-ups and heavy KB swings in my workouts. I also use a ton of chalk, maybe get liquid chalk if they don’t allow regular chalk in your gym.

I’m curious, not criticizing at all, about hook grip for Deadlifts? That sounds extremely painful. I though hook grips were traditionally for control during Oly lifts?

I use liquid chalk. My left hand just does not have the grip strength like my right does. It's always the first to give out. I used to do pull ups, but I'm currently doing Stronglifts, so I don't do anything outside of the program.

ijsantos2005 wrote: »

I’d work on your grip instead of straps for deadlifts. You could try holding the last rep of the last set for ~20 seconds. For rows I would strap because you don’t want to limit the weight used in the row due to grip.

My grip does not fail during rows.

MilesAddie

Yeah, I use a hook grip for Snatches and for pulls on Cleans but I’m not moving anywhere near the same amount of weight, and my thumb is only under pressure until the bar gets to my thighs (or hips for the Snatch). Still, my thumb hurts like hell after a few sets, which is why I’m wondering.

kelly_e_montana

I would try to lift as much as possible without straps. I use straps when I am doing working sets that are closer to my one rep max and my group tends to be the first thing that fails. I don't use them for heavy singles or anything like that just sets where I want to overload my legs and back but my group will fail first. For my first couple years of deadlifting I didn't use straps at all and when I did move to using them sparingly, I did see some jumps because of the overload that I was able to achieve periodically.

Regarding hookgrip, if you can max deadlift with hook grip, which a few can, you are a beast. I wish I had the tenacity to work on that!

Chieflrg

Using straps for working sets is perfectly fine. It allows you to work with heavier weights which in turn makes you body stonger.

Unless you compete there isn't a huge reason not to use lifting straps if you choose and even then there are ways to increase your grip strength without interrupting proper stress and adaptation of training such as timed holds on last rep & pull/chin ups.

Governing your possible strength gains just because of grip is not optimal.

jjpptt2

Chieflrg wrote: »

Using straps for working sets is perfectly fine. It allows you to work with heavier weights which in turn makes you body stonger.

Unless you compete there isn't a huge reason not to use lifting straps if you choose and even then there are ways to increase your grip strength without interrupting proper stress and adaptation of training such as timed holds on last rep & pull/chin ups.

Governing your possible strength gains just because of grip is not optimal.

Agreed. Much better said than whatever I would have typed, so...

Ditto.

Leadfoot_Lewis

Have you tried switching which hand is over/under in the mixed grip? Sounds like maybe the weakness in your left hand could be causing the bar to rotate towards the right leg?

Anything at about 70% of 1RM and up I'll switch to mixed grip. Not a huge of fan of straps for Deadlifts but just because I don't like them doesn't mean I push my agenda on others. If you feel more comfortable with straps, use them on your work sets.

DopeItUp

Chieflrg wrote: »

Using straps for working sets is perfectly fine. It allows you to work with heavier weights which in turn makes you body stonger.

Unless you compete there isn't a huge reason not to use lifting straps if you choose and even then there are ways to increase your grip strength without interrupting proper stress and adaptation of training such as timed holds on last rep & pull/chin ups.

Governing your possible strength gains just because of grip is not optimal.

All of this. I used to be militant about NOT using straps but once I started pulling 500+ for reps my hands just couldn't take it. They get torn up and painful for days after a big deadlift session. I just double-overhand until about 400 and then I switch to straps. I don't compete, and it seems like you don't, so it doesn't really matter. The double overhand warmups and the rows will keep your grip PLENTY strong enough.

cgvet37

I tried

Leadfoot_Lewis wrote: »

Have you tried switching which hand is over/under in the mixed grip? Sounds like maybe the weakness in your left hand could be causing the bar to rotate towards the right leg?

Anything at about 70% of 1RM and up I'll switch to mixed grip. Not a huge of fan of straps for Deadlifts but just because I don't like them doesn't mean I push my agenda on others. If you feel more comfortable with straps, use them on your work sets.

I underhand with my left hand.

cgvet37

I tried using a hook grip on my rows yesterday with 200 lbs. My fingers are just too short to hook my thumb. I also noticed I was not gripping the bar tighly. So I focused on that yesterday, and I could tell a difference during my rows. I took my hand gripper to work today and did 20 reps each hand every hour. I'm just going to keep at it.

cgvet37

Chieflrg wrote: »

Using straps for working sets is perfectly fine. It allows you to work with heavier weights which in turn makes you body stonger.

Unless you compete there isn't a huge reason not to use lifting straps if you choose and even then there are ways to increase your grip strength without interrupting proper stress and adaptation of training such as timed holds on last rep & pull/chin ups.

Governing your possible strength gains just because of grip is not optimal.

Right now I do three warmup sets of 5x5, then one working set of 5x5. I'm doing Stronglifts, so I add 5 lbs. each time I lift, until I fail. I agree with you, that my grip failing is not worth holding me back on my strength gains. I was doing chin-ups, but it started affecting my lifts as the weight increased.

Leadfoot_Lewis

cgvet37 wrote: »

I underhand with my left hand.

Trying going overhand with your left hand/underhand with the right and see if that helps. Sorry if that wasn't clear in my original post.

FatWithFatness

If you're not competing why not use straps? Mix-grip can cause imbalances in trap development. Hook grip can get painful and shorter fingers does affect it.

MilesAddie

Do you have access to a woman’s Olympic lifting bar? They are thinner than men’s bars by 5mm, if I remember correctly, but it’s pretty noticeable in your hands, not by looking at though.

The bar is only 35 pounds, and it obviously spins, but could be an option still. Rogue sells them with factory blemishes for 100 bucks off, look for Boneyard Bars.

Rottweiler17

I have had a problem with straps in that I lose grip strength so I stopped using them but that’s my experience

FatWithFatness

Rottweiler17 wrote: »

I have had a problem with straps in that I lose grip strength so I stopped using them but that’s my experience

I do other things without them, farmer's walk, weighted chins, barbell rows, etc

Deadlift isn't the only way to train your grip.

steveko89

I've not tried hook-gripping and have taken to alternating mixed grips for anything over about 85% 1RM. It takes a little getting used to going from normal all the time.

I also rarely will do anything more than a triple after being diagnosed with L4-L5 facet arthritis last fall; keeping volume low but intensity high doesn't cause me any issues but too much volume on DLs and I have pain for 2-3 days.

Shawshankcan

I use straps and I have pulled close to 7 and done farmers walks with well over 300.

bisonpitcher

I use over/under on mine. I switch every set which hand is over to change pressure points on my hands.

canadianlbs

cgvet37 wrote: »

Just looking for others thoughts from personal experience.

mine is very limited since i couldn't get used to straps, the one time i tried. i also know i have a left-right strength offset and it bothers me enough that i'd rather attack that directly than do the over-under thing.

i'm playing around with unevenly weighted carries as part of my warmups rn. i take two kettlebells that are 'next' to each other in weight and walk a circuit, switch hands and repeat. then i trade the smaller of the two for the next weight up and do it again until i get to whatever the left hand's upper limit feels like. i keep track to the extent of always ending with the greater load on the left side, so as not to just widen the gap. it's a little early yet to know whether this is even a good idea, but i kind of like this kind of possibly-pointless thing and it lets me really notice how well the left hand is performing. i also like the core activation bang that i get for the same buck.

another thing that really narrowed the gap was making a rule for myself a few years ago: only using spring clips for i think about a month. no collars, AND always using my left hand to deal with them. that had a pretty dramatic effect, but that's probably partly because the springs where i lift are so suck.

curlsintherack

OP I've seen some of your other lifting numbers in your feed. I think for now you need to stop and concentrate on grip strength over strapping up. If you workout at home there are fat bars availaboe that will help with your grip strength. simply hanging from a pullup bar after your workout for as long as you can will do wonders for grip strength. If your training at home your barbell might be larger than normal too many cheaper bars are 30mm or more in diameter.

susanp57

Being female, I really do have small hands. Short Stubby fingers. Have you tried gloves?