hands hurt - Deadlift.

Koldnomore
Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone,

I've been lifting heavy for about 2 months and have hit a wall with my deadlifts. I can lift the weight without a problem and the bar doesn't slip at all, I have no problem gripping it, it's just that the pain from having the bar / weight is hurting the heck out of my palms. I'm stuck at a measly 70 lbs (plus whatever the bar weighs which I never count) I managed 2 this morning and had to stop because my hands hurt way too much to holding the bar. I use a mixed grip and I have tried chalk, but it's not a slippage issue at all, my hands just hurt :(

My trainer suggested straps but I don't know that they would relieve the pressure of the bar mushing my hands, you still have to have the bar in your hands right? Any ideas how to help this? I really would like to be able to keep adding more weight because I know I could lift it if my hands didn't hurt.

Maybe I just progressed too fast and I need to go lower weights until I get some calluses - is that possible?

Replies

  • micheleb15
    micheleb15 Posts: 1,418 Member
    What exactly hurts? You said calluses may help so is it the external skin or tendon/ligament pain in your hand?
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    do you have any underlying health problems that would cause this pain (e.g. arthritis)? i have never heard of this at that sort of weight.

    i was going to suggest chalk but you have tried this already - straps would definitely take the strain off your hands but your grip strength would suffer in the long run.

    ETA: i'm by no means an expert but i can't see how lowering the weight would help you develop calluses.
  • sweetNsassy2584
    sweetNsassy2584 Posts: 515 Member
    When deadlifting its normal for your hands to hurt. Mine always do when I lift really heavy but I just deal with it. Hence why I have these pretty little calluses. However, it isn't pain like arthritis they are just sore. Perhaps you can try gloves?
  • Escape_Artist
    Escape_Artist Posts: 1,155 Member
    What exactly hurts? You said calluses may help so is it the external skin or tendon/ligament pain in your hand?

    Wondering the same.

    Also, you switch grip?
  • Synchronicity
    Synchronicity Posts: 82 Member
    I had this problem too when I first lifted. I dropped my weights down, then slowly rebuilt... my problem was just that the muscles in my hands had not strengthened as quickly as the rest of me. It's hard to be patient, but... I personally prefer the patient approach to straps. Straps do not improve hand-strength (or so I understand). They allow you to progress without it.
  • ElliottTN
    ElliottTN Posts: 1,614 Member
    Wait, you are saying your palms hurt?
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
    Just an FYI, there is nothing wrong with counting the bar weight. In fact, there's no reason not to, and everyone counts the bar because it is an extra 45 lbs.

    Otherwise, you might look into buying a pair of gloves, or googleing "rippetoe proper grip" for a method of holding the bar that won't keep your hands from "mushing up". It is normal though, and you don't have to drop the weight.
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
    Wait, you are saying your palms hurt?
    yes that's what I said.

    It does not seem to be the ligament, just the skin/ meaty part. It's not like a shooting pain, just a "your hand is being pushed on really hard and the groves of the bar are grinding into my flesh" pain.

    I have no idea how dropping weight will help calluses or if they will even help, notice I said I am a newbie so I don't know anything about it, I was just hoping someone can help me figure out how to make it better.

    and yes I use switch grip ;)
  • micheleb15
    micheleb15 Posts: 1,418 Member
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTqNSgCmM2s
  • ElliottTN
    ElliottTN Posts: 1,614 Member
    Sorry for so many questions, are you talking about the very top of your palm(like right below where your fingers connect) or like the middle piece of your palm(like between your thumb and index finger)?
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    are you getting the meaty part pinched? You're palm itself has the least contact with the bar. ?


    My fingers and then the skin where my callouses are at the pad at the base of my fingers- that all hurt when I lift- but it ALL tends to get pinched if I do a chite grip.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    Possible to see a similar issue if there's some fasciitis in the palm.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    Maybe try a hook grip to take some of the pressure off of the palm and prevent pinching?

    ETA: Also, is there only one barbell available for deadlift at your gym? My gym has a couple, and there is one that I prefer for deadlifting because it's not worn as smooth as the other one. However, if grip is not your problem, maybe a bar that has been worn down more would be more comfortable for you.
  • Synchronicity
    Synchronicity Posts: 82 Member
    I have no idea how dropping weight will help calluses or if they will even help, notice I said I am a newbie so I don't know anything about it, I was just hoping someone can help me figure out how to make it better.

    and yes I use switch grip ;)

    Dropping the weight down isn't really about the calluses... those will come with time and you'll probably form those faster at higher weights.

    For me, dropping the weight down and building back up was about giving my grip-strength a chance to catch up with the rest of me. I didn't decrease weights a lot... just enough that I could lift without pain, then slowly started adding weight again. I haven't had a problem with grip strength since.

    I also intentionally didn't switch to a split-grip until much later.

    Really... its your call. You just have to choose what you want. If you go with straps, you'll be able to progress higher on your weights without your hands hurting. But your grip strength will suffer in the long run, as others have said.

    There's no right or wrong here :)
  • Leadfoot_Lewis
    Leadfoot_Lewis Posts: 1,623 Member
    I had this problem too when I first lifted. I dropped my weights down, then slowly rebuilt... my problem was just that the muscles in my hands had not strengthened as quickly as the rest of me. It's hard to be patient, but... I personally prefer the patient approach to straps. Straps do not improve hand-strength (or so I understand). They allow you to progress without it.

    Hand strength was what I was thinking as well.

    Another thought I had was how you're gripping the bar. If you're gripping the bar too high (middle of palm) your grip won't be as good as the bar will slide down to the fingers/top of palm (where you should have your grip from the start)
  • Rerun201
    Rerun201 Posts: 125 Member
    Wait, you are saying your palms hurt?
    yes that's what I said.

    It does not seem to be the ligament, just the skin/ meaty part. It's not like a shooting pain, just a "your hand is being pushed on really hard and the groves of the bar are grinding into my flesh" pain.

    I have no idea how dropping weight will help calluses or if they will even help, notice I said I am a newbie so I don't know anything about it, I was just hoping someone can help me figure out how to make it better.

    and yes I use switch grip ;)

    I think what you're looking at is that your hands haven't adjusted to what you're asking them to do. There are more than a few solutions, but getting straps takes away a valuable part of the exercise, and that is increased grip strength.

    If you're not concerned about strengthening your grip, there are implements out there that can take the pressure of the bar off your palms. I've never used this before, but I have seen a strap with a wide, heavy metal hook attached to it., one on each arm. Places more of the pressure on the strap around your wrist and the hook is smooth.

    IMHO, consistent strap use on heavy weights is placing the stress on a different part of the body and asking for a different problem down the road. If you're sure it is bar pressure causing the pain and not some other underlying condition, I would not go to straps right away. Options abound. First, focus on gripping the bar until your knuckles are white from the effort. Really squeeze that mother. That will help keep the bar from sliding into the pocket it sounds like it's getting to. Lighten the load-either the weight or the total lifted in the deadlift session. Give your hands a break and there may come a point where you can tolerate the heavier weights. You can also try to experiment with different grips and stances. You use a switch grip (which I'm assuming is one hand facing forward [overhand], the other facing to the rear [underhand]). Get your underhand palm under the bar before you lift it. Don't grip it from the fingers up, grip it with the palm below the callouses. Try both hands in the same direction (your training poundage will likely go down at first, but you can build back up over a matter of a couple weeks).

    When I deadlifted heavy, my hands would hurt in a similar fashion. Sometimes it was painful to uncurl my fingers after setting the bar down. If your goal is to lift heavy, then you just deal with it. You might just need to block it out.

    Sometimes, it's just a matter of getting used to it.
  • danimalkeys
    danimalkeys Posts: 982 Member
    another thing you can do is lower the reps, and just do more sets. Like if you do 3 sets of 10 now, do 10 sets of 3. That way your hands get a break.

    And as has already been noted, you should be gripping the bar with your fingers, not your palms.
  • NRBreit
    NRBreit Posts: 319 Member
    When the weight gets heavy, I use an over/under grip with straps and there is virtually no load on the hands at all. When you're trying to pull that load with your legs and back, why have the added worry of potentially dropping the bar and risk losing form?
  • AllanMisner
    AllanMisner Posts: 4,140 Member
    I would avoid using any aids until you get to your later sets. Then if you must, use the straps. They do two things. They use the wrist joint (vs the fingers) for some of the weight and the strap gives you a softer surface to hold (less skin ripping). Only do this when you have to; it is important to build grip strength along the jouney.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    Another thought I had was how you're gripping the bar. If you're gripping the bar too high (middle of palm) your grip won't be as good as the bar will slide down to the fingers/top of palm (where you should have your grip from the start)


    This, to me, is what this sounds like. I really can't see a reason, other than trying to hold the bar in the wrong place on your hand, for one's palms to hurt. The whole hand? I'd guess hand/grip strength or something similar. But just the palms? Sounds like it's simply a misplacement of bar into the hand.
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
    Sorry for so many questions, are you talking about the very top of your palm(like right below where your fingers connect) or like the middle piece of your palm(like between your thumb and index finger)?

    The top, the meaty part where my fingers are. The middle of my palm has no meat, it's quite sunken in.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTqNSgCmM2s

    This is the exact video I watched before I started doing deadlifts - one of..I watched a lot. This is how I hold the bar. That's why it doesn't slide and why I know it can't be a grip issue.
    Possible to see a similar issue if there's some fasciitis in the palm.
    I googled this because I had no idea what it was. My hands don't seem to have the right look to have this problem unless its so mild that I can't see it.
    Maybe try a hook grip to take some of the pressure off of the palm and prevent pinching?

    ETA: Also, is there only one barbell available for deadlift at your gym? My gym has a couple, and there is one that I prefer for deadlifting because it's not worn as smooth as the other one. However, if grip is not your problem, maybe a bar that has been worn down more would be more comfortable for you.

    That looks really painful...
    I am changing gyms next week so maybe the new bar will be better. The current gym only has those silly "E-Z bars" so maybe that's not helping the issue?
    When I deadlifted heavy, my hands would hurt in a similar fashion. Sometimes it was painful to uncurl my fingers after setting the bar down. If your goal is to lift heavy, then you just deal with it. You might just need to block it out.
    That sounds like what I had. I had to massage my hand for a few minutes :( I was hoping there was something to do to help it but maybe I'll just have to try to work through it.

    I really didn't want to have to use a strap so early. I'm hardly lifting anything :( it sucks because that's the only time they hurt and I have done way more weight on pull downs and pull ups and rows and other exercises when I'm having to pull things.

    Thanks everyone for the ideas. I will hope that the new bar helps and maybe try less reps for a while.
  • micheleb15
    micheleb15 Posts: 1,418 Member
    You deadlift with the EZ bar? I'd say that could be a huge part of your grip issue - it doesn't put too much strain on your wrist?
  • Jill814
    Jill814 Posts: 30 Member
    i have the same thing! in class we do "farmer walks" the weight is not the problem i can go heavier, its the pulling on my fingers and palms that hinder me from going up in weight. same thing with deadlifts, i can deadlift heavy, my palms are where i feel it most. chalk just keeps the bar from sliding, gloves do help a bit but im always nervous that it is going to slip from my hands. was told just to "man" up and push through it.
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
    You deadlift with the EZ bar? I'd say that could be a huge part of your grip issue - it doesn't put too much strain on your wrist?

    Lol, yeah, you didn't think to start by mentioning you're using the EZ Bar for your deadlifts?? smh :huh:

Categories