Hook grip for deadlifts

Showcase_Brodown

For those of you crazy enough to enjoy lifting heavy things off the floor, I'm curious about who is using the hook grip as opposed to mixed grip or just plain double overhand.

I've been progressing fairly well in the deadlift, using mostly mixed grip, but I now have this fear that if I continue with this, someday I may tear my bicep. This thought scares the crap out of me. I don't know how common it really is for the general population not lifting 700 lbs, and I realize it can mostly be avoided with perfectly straight arms and good form.

Another thing I've realized since looking into the hook grip is that it provides much better symmetry, unlike the slightly uneven and twisted feeling I usually have when using mixed.

Last night I was at the gym and it was deadlift time, so I tried a few of my lighter sets with hook grip. It didn't feel great (everyone says it usually hurts the thumb like a bee-hatch), but I could feel it was a strong grip. I haven't yet tried it on my heaviest, but I may work it in more to get used to it, so maybe I can eventually switch to it.

What are your thoughts, comments, experiences?

ElliottTN

Hook grip is awesome, I use it for even my lighter lifts just to get it warmed up for heavier loads. But, when things get too much i still find myself switching over to mixed. The scary part of snap city is that regardless of what you are using there is always potential for it. So I guess you've really have to ask yourself which is the lesser of two evils if worse case scenario happened?

It is kinda funny your fewr with deadlift is more about tearing a muscle rather than slipping a disk though.

pattyproulx

Urgh, is the bicep tear fairly common?

I use mixed grip and that's not something that's ever crossed my mind. My max is 405lbs right now so I assume I'm not in that range yet, but it's still kinda scary.

JNick77

I DL's with a mix grip for years and about two months ago I started to experience some bad tendonitis and overall tightness in BOTH biceps. I dropped all pulling / curling exercise except DL'ing for 3 weeks and it didn't go away. I watched a DL'ing video on the Candito Fitness (name?) site and he made a really good point. Unless you're going to compete then use a double-overhand grip and use straps on your heaviest sets. I was, and still am to a certain degree, very anti lifting straps BUT he made a really good point. I'm not going to compete and I still want to continue training with the weights that I'm currently at, so I bought straps and started using them on my heaviest sets. It doesn't enable me to lift any more weight or do more reps then I already could but it allows me to use what I feel to be a safer grip. My bicep tendonitis has pretty much gone away at this point and I can only assume that it's due to that change. Just my two-cents.