So it's all in the title. Been doing deadlifts for three months, I'm up to 255 lbs and have been increasing weight steadily (though it's slowed down recently cuz my lower back can't keep tense). But at these weights the bar is really starting to slip out of my hands, so I'm wondering it's worth it for me to wait around for my forearms to catch up, or whether I should just switch to mixed grip. Switching to mixed grip seems sort of like just ignoring a problem that I should address if I have time, but I'm under the impression that most people switch to mixed grip at some point.
Been deadlifting 3 months, now 255 lbs, weight starting to slip out of hands
- Thread starter enwar3
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Atty
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- Aug 19, 2006
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I've been deadlifting for about 3 months as well, started doing it with mixed grip, and still am, I'm up to 315lbs (once, maybe I could have done it twice, but my hands couldn't take it.)
Now when I do 275lbs or even 225lbs sometimes I feel like my hands are going to rip off and I'll slip and drop the bar a bit, afterwords my hands will come off and I won't be able to unclench my fingers.
Most of my friends who do some heavy dead lifts (495 is the highest I've seen one of them do) don't use anything but their bare hands but somehow come away feeling fine.
Now when I do 275lbs or even 225lbs sometimes I feel like my hands are going to rip off and I'll slip and drop the bar a bit, afterwords my hands will come off and I won't be able to unclench my fingers.
Most of my friends who do some heavy dead lifts (495 is the highest I've seen one of them do) don't use anything but their bare hands but somehow come away feeling fine.
You mean when you do 275 or 225 using double overhand?
Maybe they've been training longer and have really strong forearms =)
I heard
1. It hurts
2. Things that hurt normally aren't good for your body.
go watch any serious competitive deadlifter...what do they have in common? they ALL use a mixed grip.
M0oG0oGaiPan
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BeauJangles
Lifer
- Aug 26, 2001
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Mixed grip ftw. I've used it for a while now and I rarely switch my hands and I have no noticeable imbalances.
The hook grip does hurt, at first, but no more than your hands hurt anyway from heavy deadlifts. Mixed grip for the heavy sets is a very good choice as well. Hook grip just has the advantage of transferring well to any context where a symmetric (double overhand) grip is required. The primary use is for olympic lifts, such as the clean & jerk, but it works well for just about anything, even pull-ups.
After you do deadlift for a long time, your skin gets thicker and builds good calluses, and pain with either grip is typically not an issue. Until then however, deadlifts can be quite unpleasant. Still, grip strength is a type of strength that will come in handy almost daily, and the deadlift is one of the most effective ways to build it up, so stick with it.
SociallyChallenged
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- Mar 22, 2002
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It really depends. If you can do the hook double overhand for a couple of weeks and it still really bothers you, switch to mixed grip. Your DL shouldn't suffer because your grip isn't fantastic. I still consider mixed grip natural grip so it's not like you're cheating with straps or anything. Then again, you're not going to be able to mix grip a functional object. *shrugs* It's all a matter of preference.
This is sometimes not the case, RE: Calluses. In my cases, my calluses are the cause of my pain when deadlifting. I got them from various bars -- the biggest culprit being the bar from lat pulldowns, I believe, which I haven't done in over a year. But if you have calluses in a the part of your palm where your fingers meet and they're not from deadlifts, it can be painful as the bar "rolls up" those calluses and starts to pinch them. Of course, if the calluses were formed from deadlifts, then that's exactly what you're describing.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand. The solution is simple: do as much of your work as you can with an overhand grip, and switch to mixed for your heaviest (work) sets. That way you're constantly giving your forarms/grip some work, but you're still allowing yourself to lift as heavy as possible. I know, personally, I did all overhand up until 275, and then mixed over that, but that's just because I wanted to see if I could do it.
Ok well I think i'm gonna try my best to stick to double overhand. If I absolutely can't do the sets I need to that day I'll go to mixed.
When I have time after my workout some day I'll try hook grip but I feel like that's still working around instead of addressing a lack of grip strength, though maybe not as much as mixed grip.
When I have time after my workout some day I'll try hook grip but I feel like that's still working around instead of addressing a lack of grip strength, though maybe not as much as mixed grip.
BeauJangles
Lifer
- Aug 26, 2001
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Agreed. Choosing a mixed grip doesn't mean that your forearms don't get a workout, it simply means the bar can't gain rotational momentum and roll out of your hands.
SociallyChallenged
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It's explained pretty well in Starting Strength. The basic gist is that with double overhand grip, you have 8 fingers on one side of the bar and just two on the other, so it tends to roll towards the thumbs. With mixed grip, you have 5 fingers on each side, so if it rolls out of one hand, it basically rolls into the other.
presidentender
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SociallyChallenged
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Absolutely. I've had my grip fail with mixed grip as well. It still hits them hard, especially as you continue to progress.
I used to only grip mixed, but when I wanted to get back into power cleans I switched to a predominately double overhand grip and I love it. When I do go heavy, though, and the double overhand can't cut it, I'll go chalk first to see if that's enough, if not, I'll hook it or mix it depending on what I'm feeling that day. I would recommend double overhand for your easier sets (to keep your back working as symmetrically as possible), but feel free to hook or switch to mixed for the heavy ones. By that point the weight should be heavy enough that the slight asymmetrical back work from mixed will be negligible.
SociallyChallenged
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Deadlifts are almost always supposed to be done heavy, are they not? Also, I switch which hand is pronated and supinated with each set to keep overall symmetry.
Depends. For example, I used to do the Bill Starr 5x5 routine, in which the sets use ramping weight: that is, each set is heavier than the previous. The result is that the final set or two are usually the only truly "heavy" ones and the only ones I'd use a mixed grip for. Crossfit workouts are even more random, with every possible weight used for deadlifts, from 135lbs up to your 1RM, depending on the workout. Finally, warm-up sets are always a good idea, and those by definition use light weight. In all these cases, to maximize grip development, the double overhand grip should be used until you reach a weight that absolutely requires using mixed grip (or hook grip).
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