Improving Deadlift Grip

rf1583

I'm having trouble with my grip on my Deadlift. Yesterday i was deadlifting 118lbs and I could do more reps but my grip fails on me first. I do try to reset my grip but i can't always keep going because it just hurts my hand. I Deadlift bare-handed. Does chalk help with this?

Tomm88

Chalk helps alot if you have access to it, if you don't you'll just have to strenghen your grip, keep deadlifting and throw some assistance work in there, i found that one armed dumbell rows helped my grip alot, sets of 20 with the heaviest weight i could handle. Hope that helps:)

default

chalk
use one reversed grip
hold the bar deep in your hand (I don't know how to explain this well)

your hand will develop callouses and after a while it won't hurt. it's supposed to be difficult and put strain on your body, that's the point.

in your pic I see you wearing gloves, these could actually hinder your development, throw them out.

GillianMcK

Other people with more experience and knowledge will say if I'm corrcet or not, but I thought that it was the forearm strength that affected the grip in the deadlift.
I struggle with my grip as well in my left hand, but was told by my trainer that it was the forearm that was causing the weak grip, the only one where I find it genuinely hurts my hand is when I'm using the hex bar, the grip sections are really rough and tear my hands to pieces!!

Maybe also ask the question in the gaining weight section, as a lot of the lurkers in there lift heavy weights.

rogerOb1

in your pic I see you wearing gloves, these could actually hinder your development, throw them out.

Lol, people on this site really hate gloves. They reduce your grip strength a little bit, but not ridiculous extent. I do just fine with mine.

OP - mixed grip; chalk; and there's always the option of straps if that isn't enough

JCLondonUK

My weedy grip was really holding back my deadlifts, so my trainer got some hooks for me to use, which are great. I now do a mixture of lifting without the hooks, in order to improve my grip strength, and with them, which has enabled me to steadily increase the weight again. I know some people will disapprove, but if it's a choice between being stalled for ages on deadlifts while you improve your grip, on the one hand, or improving both, on the other, it seems like a no-brainier to me.

Good luck!

rf1583

That's an older pic. I should update it. I did wear gloves for a while and then did find it was better without the gloves. I will try the chalk.

darrensurrey

Just hang in there. Literally. The more you train grip, the stronger it becomes. Do dead hangs with the weighted bar until failure ie you cannot hold on any more. Load the bar to 50% of your 1RM and hold until you just have to put it down. Or hang off a pull up bar and just dangle.

As for gloves, chalk, mixed grip etc - I would personally avoid using aids until you're approaching double bodyweight deads. I am pushing double BW and still do standard grip.

I don't really have callouses either - the trick is to work out how the bar will sit once you're fully holding the weight in your hands and make your initial grip such that the bar is already in its final position. (It's a trick I learnt from climbing to minimise damaging your hands.)

PS chalk will only improve friction and not strength or endurance of your forearm muscles which I suspect is where the weakness is.

patrickblo13

Try chalk. I would also use mixed grip.

I have also added exercises as an accessory to increase grip strength such as Farmer's Walk

Unknown

This content has been removed.

darrensurrey

I have also added exercises as an accessory to increase grip strength such as Farmer's Walk

Ooh, good exercise!

ElPoppi

I ditched the gloves and my grip strength seemed to double if not triple, but caluses can get pretty bad.

taunto

Chalk and mixed grip. Also, take up some light weights (try to make as heavy as possible) and try to lift with your fingers only. It strenghtens your fingers.

BigT555

do farmer walks, heavy shrugs, dead hangs as someone mentioned, if your doing curls or whatever grip the weights as hard as you can. the more you work grip the better it gets

if your going to use chalk, gloves or mixed grip thats fine, you shouldnt let grip strength stall you on anything, even use straps if you have to. just work grip in other ways if you do this to keep it up to par

darrensurrey

Oh, I just noticed from your pic, OPer, that your plates have a little bit sticking out around the rim. You could pick up and hold a weight in each hand just using the extending bit of the plate around the rim. That will push your grip strength no end! (Dunno if my description makes sense?)

abadvat

Happens to me when I DL heavier than the usual - calluses gets in the middle and it gets uncomfortable + I loose grip.
You DL heavier than the usual or it just happens every time?

Always have pads in my sport bag which helps me out when it happens!

PetulantOne

Chalk

Mixed Grip (I only use it on heavy sets)

Farmers walk
Dumbbell work
More Deadlifts

kessler4130

Please keep in mind, regardless of what anyone says, straps exist for a reason. I do not use them for my warm up or high rep sets, but do use them on my 1RM sets and such. If you are having grip issues do not be afraid to implement straps, the primary purpose for doing dead lifts is to strengthen your back, core, hamstrings, etc.(unless you are lifting with the intention of competing, but even some of the best power lifters train with straps), I would not sacrifice a back work out for the pride of saying I don't use straps.

bostonwolf

^Farmer's Carry is a way to do it. If you have kettlebells those are ideal, dumbbells otherwise. Walk as far as you can, stop and rest a bit, then turn around and repeat.

If you have a pullup bar and can just hand on it as long as you can, you are doing very much the same thing.

If the gloves work for you, use them. I always used them when I lifted weights and they almost always helped. Started doing Crossfit which can be very anti-glove (but certainly not always as anyone who watched the Crossfit Games realized) and haven't used them since. Your hands will be a bit tender at first and you need to do some maintenance and trim your calluses on occasion but overall I like bare hands better.

Especially on something like deadlifts going heavy I'd find the gloves slipping in my grip or really digging into the inside of my fingers. No such problems barehanded.

matgh124

Just hang in there. Literally. The more you train grip, the stronger it becomes. Do dead hangs with the weighted bar until failure ie you cannot hold on any more. Load the bar to 50% of your 1RM and hold until you just have to put it down. Or hang off a pull up bar and just dangle.

As for gloves, chalk, mixed grip etc - I would personally avoid using aids until you're approaching double bodyweight deads. I am pushing double BW and still do standard grip.

I don't really have callouses either - the trick is to work out how the bar will sit once you're fully holding the weight in your hands and make your initial grip such that the bar is already in its final position. (It's a trick I learnt from climbing to minimise damaging your hands.)

PS chalk will only improve friction and not strength or endurance of your forearm muscles which I suspect is where the weakness is.

I agree with my friend here. Just keep doing the dead lifts and your grip will come. chalk will only increase friction, that's it.

darrensurrey

BigT555

i just thought of another exercise that will help, use a wrist roller. i used these when i played hockey to improve my wrist shot

rf1583

Thanks for all the replies! Ok I'll try those exercises to help strengthen. I do have a pullup bar so I can try hanging and I'll try holding the plates too. I think part of my problem could be a bit of carpal tunnel too. Sometimes I get the carpal tunnely feeling even when I'm gripping my steering wheel. Hopefully these exercises will help.

levitateme

Building up calluses really helped my grip.

Heavy shrugs and BOR are also helpful.

biddysaurus

Just keep doing the dead lifts and your grip will come. chalk will only increase friction, that's it.

This is what helped me. Just keep at it... even if it's not heavy enough to truly work your hamstrings, it'll strength your forearms. I really don't think I lifted heavy enough to work hamstrings well for the first month I lifted! But I kept doing it and slowly increased the weight. I can hold on now. Whoa sore hamstrings!

I also use a mixed grip. But even with the mixed grip when I first started, I couldn't do much. Now I can do most of my lifts with a normal grip and the mixed grip is enough to get me through the heavier lifts. I've noticed a big difference in my forearm strength for deadlifts in just 2-3 months of consistent lifting.

Kaimana94

Being a female your grip will take time to buildup. You can use weight lifting straps until you buildup your grip. I used them when I was dead lifting heavey back when I was young. http://www.amazon.com/Neoprene-Padded-Weight-Lifting-Straps/dp/B00DCGO6LS/ie=UTF8?&keywords=Lifting+Straps&gclid=CIvnn7Cqi8ACFa5AMgodrxwA6w

1911JR

Use a hook grip. Google or youtube it.

darrensurrey

I think part of my problem could be a bit of carpal tunnel too. Sometimes I get the carpal tunnely feeling even when I'm gripping my steering wheel. Hopefully these exercises will help.

Hm. I'd rest until that feeling goes away. Or at least make sure you warm up the wrist joints by making circles with your hands while keeping the forearms still and then also flapping the hands back and forth like you're playing the bongos.

TBH sounds like you've damaged the wrists or something and deadlifts are just highlighting the problem. Do you use a wrist rest when typing on a keyboard or using a mouse? That could help, too.

darrensurrey

I've noticed a big difference in my forearm strength for deadlifts in just 2-3 months of lifiting.

So much so that you can pick up boats... canoe believe it?

rogerOb1

As for gloves, chalk, mixed grip etc - I would personally avoid using aids until you're approaching double bodyweight deads. I am pushing double BW and still do standard grip.

I don't see why? If someone can lift more with mixed grip, why not just do that?

rf1583

I think part of my problem could be a bit of carpal tunnel too. Sometimes I get the carpal tunnely feeling even when I'm gripping my steering wheel. Hopefully these exercises will help.

Hm. I'd rest until that feeling goes away. Or at least make sure you warm up the wrist joints by making circles with your hands while keeping the forearms still and then also flapping the hands back and forth like you're playing the bongos.

TBH sounds like you've damaged the wrists or something and deadlifts are just highlighting the problem. Do you use a wrist rest when typing on a keyboard or using a mouse? That could help, too.

Well it's not an every day issue and it's not real bad. I've had jobs where I do a lot of typing for the past 13 years but I do use the wrist rest.