lifting- problems with grip strength....help!

honsi
honsi Posts: 210 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I started lifting a few weeks ago and I'm having increasing problems with my lack of grip, wrist and forearm strength. This is now really affecting my ability as my weights are getting heavier. Its esp bad with things like deadlift where I'm pulling weight up. Today,a few hours after lifting , one of hands completely seized up and was really painful. I'm a 39 yr old woman btw just in case that's relevant. I do a lot of exercise and have done for more than two yeas now so I'm not new to work outs but I'm really focussing on strength this year. Any suggestions?

Replies

  • kensky
    kensky Posts: 472 Member
    Farmer's walks have really helped my grip strength!
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    When you are sitting relaxing (watching tv, working at a desk) keep a jar of dry rice and swish your alternate hands in it. Really dig your hands in deep up to the wrists and grip fistfuls, release, and swirl your wrists around. Sounds a little weird, but a very experienced body builder and trainer recommended this to me, and it has really been helpful. Plus it's kind of relaxing and fun.

    Do it a couple times a day for a few weeks and see if that helps.
  • honsi
    honsi Posts: 210 Member
    OK so a workout for your hands then ? Cool will give that a go.
  • honsi
    honsi Posts: 210 Member
    Farmer's walks have really helped my grip strength!
    Sorry I had to look that up. How heavy a weight do you use?
  • vorgas
    vorgas Posts: 741 Member
    1: Squeeze the absolute bejeezers out of that bar, even during your warmups. Try to crush it your hand. This goes for all lifts, not just deadlifts.
    2: Do you deadlift with both palms in toward you or with one palm out and one in? With both in, you are trying to stop all that weight with just 2 thumbs. Mixing the grip gives you 5 points of resistance instead of 2.
    3: Use chalk. If you don't like the powdery residue (or your gym doesn't allow it) go to a camping/outdoor supply store and get some eco-chalk. It doesn't make a mess and what little falls off can be wiped up with a towel.
    4: Farmers' walks, high-rep dumbbell rows, plate pinches, kettlebell cleans from the hang position are all great exercises to improve your grip strength. Start with a low weight and move up each time you do the exercise until you find your limit.
  • honsi
    honsi Posts: 210 Member
    I always grip the bar as hard as I can but I haven't tried mixing the grip. I did buy chalk but no one at the gym uses it, I'll check the gym is OK with it or I might try the eco chalk if its less messy; i really want to avoid wearing gloves.that's for the advice.
  • Pain_Train
    Pain_Train Posts: 36
    I used straps until my grip strength caught up with the weight I was lifting.

    But wait how will using straps help my grip?

    Use the straps only on the heaviest sets, the ones you are having trouble hanging onto. This will allow you to continue/finish your work out. Soon your grip will catch up and you will have already have lifted that amount of weight with the straps. So you will be quick lifting it ...which means you won't have to hold it so long.

    It didn't take more than a few month doing it this way, and as soon as my grip caught up I ditched the straps for chalk.

    This worked for me your mileage may vary
  • honsi
    honsi Posts: 210 Member
    Ah ok I didn't know I could use straps.
  • LauraFouhse
    LauraFouhse Posts: 115
    I had a similar problem but just kept trying and pushing through and now my grip is much much stronger. My problem is that I have some lovely calluses on my hands that keep ripping off (especially on the deadlift bar) and that hurts like $%@.
  • honsi
    honsi Posts: 210 Member
    I've got some nice callouses developing on my palms that I'm secretly a bit proud of but didn't know they get ripped off , that's a bit grim.
  • LauraFouhse
    LauraFouhse Posts: 115
    haha... i'm pretty proud of my calluses too (but not very secretive about that). Makes me feel badass and at 45, I need that sometimes. The other day at the gym one ripped and I wrapped it with bandaids and tape so I could finish my workout. THAT'S BADASS. (hurt like hell and I wanted to cry like a baby but appearance is everything... :-)
  • LauraFouhse
    LauraFouhse Posts: 115
    since the ripping incident I've read that we should keep the calluses shaved down with a pumice stone or something to prevent ripping
  • honsi
    honsi Posts: 210 Member
    Wax legs, cleanse and tone, paint nails, shave callouses . Got it.
  • PJPrimrose
    PJPrimrose Posts: 916 Member
    I would be hesitant to lift weight that hurt the joints in my hands or wrists. I'd lower the weight and strengthen my stabilizers and core before going back up.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Try mixed grip first, you can also just do dead hangs on a pull up bar.
  • RaeLB
    RaeLB Posts: 1,216 Member
    I'm having the same problem and I found these suggestions: http://stronglifts.com/7-ways-increase-deadlift-grip-strength/

    I'm giving them a go :smile:
  • TheProudDadLife
    TheProudDadLife Posts: 654 Member
    get a par of wrist wraps , they will help a lot
  • honsi
    honsi Posts: 210 Member
    I've spoken to the trainer and he recommended straps, I'm going in on Wednesday and he'll show me how to use them plus give me some strengthening and stretching exercises too. He did also say that there wasn't a lot I can really do to improve things its just the way it goes esp for women, I have tiny wrists only 14 cm in circumference. I'm very frustrated with the situation as everything else is going great and my body can lift a while lot more ,its a big set back.
    Thanks for all your suggestions I will check them all out.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    I think straps should be a last resort honestly.

    But I also don't think grip should limit your PC training.

    Train grip- it's a thing- so you can train it.

    Otherwise typically it goes
    Double over hand
    Alternate grip
    Chalk
    then straps

    not hard and fast- obviously- but it's a good guide line to follow as far as how to progress when you start struggling with grip.

    I started doing a long set ( 1 x 15) of stiff leg deads- as heavy as I could- it was for a program- gave up traditional dead lifts for 6 weeks- came back- all be damned if my grip strength hadnt' gone up from fighting with that heavy long set of 1 x 15.

    Hanging leg raises
    pull ups
    Farmers walks- you can do heavy than you think since you are only walking it- not doing a 'lift'. I can a pair of 45's in my each hand and be okay for about 60-70 yards. squeeze the bejeesus out of the bar. Just pick something up that feels kind of heavy and walk with it- if you aren't struggling by the end- it's to light.
  • Arydria
    Arydria Posts: 179 Member
    Farmer's walks have really helped my grip strength!
    Sorry I had to look that up. How heavy a weight do you use?

    I do Farmer's walks with a 45lb plate in each hand. I do a lap around the gym track, then switch for 2 10lb plates in each hand that I pinch grip, and do another lap. I do 2 sets of each exercise 3 times a week.

    My grip is much stronger!!
  • honsi
    honsi Posts: 210 Member
    great tips , I'm going to ask the trainer to show me all the options, I'll only use straps if I really have to.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    So in addition to the grip strenghtening advice. I'm also going to suggest a lot of forearm stretching exercises to go along with it. The basic pulling your hands forward and back. And also forearm massge. Get a lax ball a golf ball or anything you can use to roll out your forearms and the tension in them. It helps.
  • Squidgeypaws007
    Squidgeypaws007 Posts: 1,012 Member
    When you are sitting relaxing (watching tv, working at a desk) keep a jar of dry rice and swish your alternate hands in it. Really dig your hands in deep up to the wrists and grip fistfuls, release, and swirl your wrists around. Sounds a little weird, but a very experienced body builder and trainer recommended this to me, and it has really been helpful. Plus it's kind of relaxing and fun.

    Do it a couple times a day for a few weeks and see if that helps.

    Ooooh, I like this idea!
  • vtchica23
    vtchica23 Posts: 6 Member
    Have you tried rack pulls (basically a deadlift starting at the knees)? Youtube has some great tutorials. It will help with the second half of your deadlift as well. My trainer told me grip strength is not just in your forearms and wrists, it goes all the way from your traps down to your fingers. She had me do a rack pull then just hold for a count of 8, or as long as I could before I started slipping. It really helped. Went from a rack pull max of 165# to 225# in a month.
    Best of luck!!!! :smile:
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Have you tried rack pulls (basically a deadlift starting at the knees)? Youtube has some great tutorials. It will help with the second half of your deadlift as well. My trainer told me grip strength is not just in your forearms and wrists, it goes all the way from your traps down to your fingers. She had me do a rack pull then just hold for a count of 8, or as long as I could before I started slipping. It really helped. Went from a rack pull max of 165# to 225# in a month.
    Best of luck!!!! :smile:


    Yuppers- great idea too.
    I do a full 8 count dead lift with a super deloaded bar (like 185 or 205). I lift- hold count for 8 and lower as slowly as I can. I do usually 2 or 3 sets of those at the end of my lift- seems to help.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    I always grip the bar as hard as I can but I haven't tried mixing the grip. I did buy chalk but no one at the gym uses it, I'll check the gym is OK with it or I might try the eco chalk if its less messy; i really want to avoid wearing gloves.that's for the advice.

    i don't think gripping the bar as hard as possible is good advice.

    if your expending more energy then it actually takes to grip the bar, then your going to tire faster then you otherwise would.

    A lot of good suggestions on grip exercises. You can also go the equipment route ;) those old school grippers that you squeeze will help, but the sell basically beefy rubber bands that you put your hands into that actually provide resistance when you expand your hand and this working of the opposite muscle group is supposed to improve grip strength.

    I also have heavy duty rubber sleeves that fit over the bar to make it a few inches thicker. quite honestly i feel this provides the most objective specific training when it comes to gripping a bar. once you train with these for awhile the normal size bar seems much easier to grip. you can do it with dead lifts, pull ups, anything with a bar.

    also suggest straps as a last resort
  • honsi
    honsi Posts: 210 Member
    OK so I now have a couple of strengthening exercises to try: farmers walks and forearm curls. I used straps today for my deadlift and it was much better, I'll limit how much I use them though.

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