what type of hand grip do you use for overhead press, bench press, barbell row, deadlift?

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b218w
b218w Posts: 76 Member
Overhead press and barbell row especially I need some advice on hand grip to maximize efficiency in the movement.....

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  • psych101
    psych101 Posts: 1,842 Member
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    I've been used what I think is called hook grip for OHP lately. So with thumb on the same side of the bar as fingers rather than wrapped around- does that make sense lol. I've found that has really helped with the issues in my shoulders - randomly enough

    Row, I do overhand, slightly wider than my shoulders I think - wherever feels good

    Deads - I do both overhand up to around 145lbs then mixed grip above that


    Does that help?
  • b218w
    b218w Posts: 76 Member
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    Helps alot....especially the specifics...
  • krokador
    krokador Posts: 1,794 Member
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    The overhead press psych described is actually called a suicide grip. You want your thumbs almost touching your shoulders, as far as grip width goes. Yes, the bar has to travel a little further with a narrower grip, but your base of power is more stable :)

    You don't wanna do a suicide grip on the bench press (that's where the name comes from. Handling heavy weight without wrapping your thumb around the bar can be dangerous!). I find that, on a standard oly bar, having my ring finger on the soft guides in the curling works well. Grip width here is going to depend on you though, so play around with it. Also make sur ethe bar sits onto the meat of your palm and your wrists are not cocked back.

    Rows are a mixed bag. If you're doing the pendlay, double overhand, about bench-press wide grip width works well. If doing traditional bent over rows, you can go either way - underhand will bring the biceps in a bit more.

    On deadlifts, using a conventional style, your hands should be close in to your shins. With a sumo stance your hands will be a bit closer, I like to have my middle finger sitting on the edge of the knurling personally. Bit of a rule of thumb a lot of people go by that I've adopted is to do double overhand as long as I can manage, and then switch to mixed grip. Always make sure you don't hike the bar up with your underhand side as that can be dangerous for your bicep (keep the elbows locked out!)

    (For reference, hook grip is used in olympic lifts and is where you wrap your fingers over top your thumb, hooking the middle finger over the knuckile. Takes some getting used to, but it can be used on deadlifts and rows if you find yourself losing control of the bar. It does alter the lift mechanics a tiny bit, tho)

    Hope that helps :)
  • psych101
    psych101 Posts: 1,842 Member
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    Thanks @krokador for the lesson on terms haha I have no idea what its called when I do stuff lol
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
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    i'm in a bit of a mess about this at present. i don't have the most opposable thumbs in the world and bringing them in makes keeping my wrists/elbows neutral a bit of a fight. flared elbows isn't doing my rear rotator cuffs too much good so really, i'd like to go thumbless, but . . .

    rows are simple - i'm only at 70lbs atm, so i just go overhand and hook my fingers under the bar without paying much attention to where my thumbs are. guess i'm not really using any kind of a grip on that one but that might bite me if i ever make any kind of real progress with rows. the others . . . i had been using thumbless for ohp but the other day i caught myself absentmindedly about to start benching without my thumbs, and that scared me. apparently which grip goes with which lift is one of those 'trivial' detail sets my mind can't be trusted to hold onto and use. and i'm kind of neurotically afraid that one day i'll drop that bar on my teeth, so now i'm more thinking of just making a global thumbs-around policy for them all.
  • awkwardsoul
    awkwardsoul Posts: 222 Member
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    OHP I use a thumbless grip like what Alan Thrall demonstrates in his videos. With a thumb full grip I simply cannot hold the bar well and need to adjust it at the top of the lift as the bar can't sit in my hands well. Plus my wrists bend too much and I got an old wrist injury to watch out for.

    Deadlift I use switch grip on work weight though I'm not comfortable with it yet. I tried hook and again, the bar is too fat so I am physically unable to put my fingers over my thumb. I also value my thumbs and trying to maintain a lost cause manicure.

    I really need a women's bar, my hands are too small!
  • b218w
    b218w Posts: 76 Member
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    My hands are small too....I'm definitely going to put all the suggestions into practice. ....

    I think one of the reasons I'm enjoying this is the learning as I go....a constant challenge and continous learning experience