Need To Stop Deadlifts

danimalkeys

I've been having 2 issues with my right hand and the heavier deadlifts are really hurting it. I must have some kind of arthritic thing going on between the knuckes on my index and middle fingers on my right hand. The had is throbbing when I get done my deadlift set. I can barely straighten the fingers when I'm done. The other thing is I have some kind of cyst/growth under the skin at the base of my ring finger. It's a hard lump that feels like it's attached to a tendon, as I can slide it back and forth. It's VERY painful to press on and of course, it's exactly where the bar sits.

It wasn't a big deal until the last few weeks when the weight started to get up there, into the upper 300's. I'm not sure what to do, I don't want to stop deads but until I can get it looked at by the doc, I don't think I have much choice.

My other issue is (as you can see in my avatar) I'm an active performing musician. My hands are very important to me. While these 2 issues haven't affected me yet, I don't want to take any chances on them screwing up my ability to pursue my talents at the keys. This is the main reason I haven't had the growth thing looked at, if it needs an operation, I don't have enough down time between gigs to recover.

Lighter weights were ok. I'm thinking maybe I can do power cleans or something else that uses less weight and still get a pulling lift in.

tross0924

Straps? You can fingertip pull 400 lbs with straps. That would also move the bar away from the painful spot and still let you dead.

danimalkeys

straps are a possibility, but at the weight I'm using now, I don't like changing things like grip or using assistance. I like everything to be consistent.

I'm going to take a break from them for a while and then regroup.

Today I subbed hang cleans, worked up to 5 sets of 3 with 165. I haven't done these for a long time (aside from the 1 clean I do to get the bar up for my presses). This was a good starting weight for me, it was hard but there is room to grow. The whole workout was a lot harder adding them than doing a single set of deadlifts. My upper back and traps got hammered from them.

tsimblist

I had issues with the deadlift and calluses last year when I was starting out. They were starting to stretch and tear off. I found this and it helped with my issue:
http://stronglifts.com/deadlifts-callus-formation-treatment/

In the Starting Strength book, Rippetoe recommends the hook grip for the deadlift and the cleans. I have incorporated the hook grip with the StrongLifts recommendations. I also leave my wedding ring in the locker when I am lifting.

I play the hammered dulcimer, so I have the same interest in protecting my hands. But I am not yet lifting anywhere near as heavy as you are.

bgsbunny

Straps, although assistance,
it is only assisting your forearms as it does for everyone,
no one can be expected to support (with their forearms) what their legs/back can deadlift unless you're a body builder
don't let the rest of your body suffer for what your arms can't do

In the meantime on off days, get a 5-10 pound dumbbell from 5 below (5 pounds is max) or walmart/target
squeeze it hard and do 15-30 wrist curls, enough to put just a little extra strain on your forearms to strengthen them a little extra (to catch up with the straps)

danimalkeys

bgsbunny, this isn't an issue of grip strength. I've never used straps to deadlift and have done rack pulls in excess of 700lbs back when I was actively competing in powerlifting. This is a physical issue with my right hand and it's just not worth working thru the pain it's causing. Once my deadlift weights got past 350 the pain got pretty much unbearable. I can complete the set just fine, but the pain afterwards is horrible. I can hardly straighten the 1st 2 fingers, and the lump under my ring finger is like a hot poker sitting there. I will get it checked by the doc at some point but really need to avoid surgery in the near term because of my active performance schedule with the band.

For now I'm going to stick to the hang cleans, and when I revisit deads after some time off, I'll start over by swapping my grip around and see if that helps and if it doesn't then I can try the straps. I have a nice set that I used to use for shrugs, made of soft suede.