poor form while lifting??

kim_mc

I just started with some strength training and when I am lifting heavy, my hands start to cramp and get really sore. I try to loosen my grip on the weight and I feel like I am. So is there a certain way to hold them, are my hands just weak yet, or what's up??

I should add that I feel like I could go heavier if it weren't for my hands! LOL! My arm/leg/back muscles or whatever aren't the muscles that are getting fatigued.

cobaltis

Your hands will get tougher and used to it with time. As far as grip, it gets stronger with use (its your forearms strength) but as far as hands hurting... you generally cant grip too tight, but often pinch the skin at the base of the fingers, best thing you can do is get gloves. Otherwise you will build up calluses and get used to it!

Remember free weights are your friend They never lie to you!

Charlie003

That happens to me with certain exercises or after about 10 reps of heavy. same thing happens when holding 7 plastic bags filled with groceries. Wear gloves.

JennLifts

You can do fore arm exercises. google it. I have to do them too, well you should anyways, but i can't do stiff legged deadlifts because i can't hold the bar. lame-o. But you get used to it. My hands get pretty tired as i'm getting heavier, but don't give up He said gloves---- YES. the calluses are bad haha. You want gloves. they're like 10-15 bucks.

baisleac

Your hands will get tougher and used to it with time. As far as grip, it gets stronger with use (its your forearms strength) but as far as hands hurting... you generally cant grip too tight, but often pinch the skin at the base of the fingers, best thing you can do is get gloves. Otherwise you will build up calluses and get used to it!

Remember free weights are your friend They never lie to you!

^^This^^ Although I recommend chalk over gloves. Grip strength can be an indicator of life expectancy (there are scientific references for these, but I don't have them on hand at the moment) and I, personally, find that gloves make it too easy to ignore/bypass real grip strength.

Barbell calluses are a badge of honor! (and I've been told, sexy!)

tiabirdie56

Are you using dumbbells? If you just started strength training, the wieght you have chosen may be too heavy right now. If you don't have access to a trainer, you can go to youtube to view the correct form of lifting weight for various exercises. You need to start with just enough weight, that at the last couple of reps it seems difficult to lift. When you can do 2 or 3 sets of 12-15 reps with ease, then it's time to increase the weight.

cobaltis

Straps will affect your strength, gloves wont. Most people have to use straps for deadlifts and trap exercises as their grip strenght limits them. Its normal. To increase grip there are wrist curls in both directions, and wrist turns, again both directions as well as holding on to heavy weights until you cant anymore (or weighted hangs). bodybuilding.com has a good exercise listing with videos of everything

cobaltis

Are you using dumbbells? If you just started strength training, the wieght you have chosen may be too heavy right now. If you don't have access to a trainer, you can go to youtube to view the correct form of lifting weight for various exercises. You need to start with just enough weight, that at the last couple of reps it seems difficult to lift. When you can do 2 or 3 sets of 12-15 reps with ease, then it's time to increase the weight.

there is a lot of different preferences here... I prefer the lift until you fail in the 6-10 rep range for sets. People also (including me when new) neglect warm up sets, if you can curl 20 lbs, then do a quick set with 10 lbs just to warm the muscles up. This applies to all muscles and lifts. Also stretch after to prevent injuries and increase recovery.

suprfast

chalk hands down...gloves actually increase the diameter of your grip making it harder to increase weight. Never used gloves, never will. I can pull and hold 600+lbs off the rack without a glove or strap.

The best thing to do to work on strength is just about any workout that you hold the weight. Again, the reason for free weights is all the little helper muscles that get worked while working on a major muscle group.
If you want forearms, dont train them specifically.
look into the following
Rack pulls, dead lifts, bent over rows, the list goes on. Not only will your forearm get a workout so will the upper back from all the weight pulling downward.

All this only applies if you are NOT a hand model. :0

KS_4691

Please don't lift more than you should. I work at a gym and guys always do this and their form suffers. And then they try to impress girls by bragging about how much they lift. It doesn't work. Don't do it. I know this is sort of unrelated, but just trying to nip this type of behavior in the bud.