Hello Community.
currently i’m stagnated at 90kg deadlift. I’m going twice the week to the gym.
My main issue is that the grip is difficult and shortly after that i’m not able to hold the bar.
I’m wearing gloves because after at some point the hand inside skin got so open that on the next train it began to hurt, so that I’m not able to do the workout clean.
Should i focus to do some training for the hand or try it without gloves so that the hands get trained?
Easiest solution would be to work on your grip, you could use those hand grip tools that you squeeze. I personally don’t like lifting in gloves, I feel like the bar slips more, especially when my hands get sweaty, you could try to use chalk and see if there’s a difference. In the past I also had trouble gripping, but it was due to a tightness in my shoulder, a nerve was getting pinched, so I couldn’t hold a tight grip too long. If all else fails I’d suggest going to a physiotherapist to see if there aren’t any issues in your arm. In any case good luck, keep it up!
Don’t put the bar fully into your hand. Put it flat against the base of your fingers. This removes callous buildup which can become teared off while lifting. Do mixed grip, but only on sets that are so heavy that your hands are the weakest link. On 50kg for example, use normal grip. Over time your fingers will become stronger.
So, as many have said, there are short term and longer term things to try. Short term:
- Use chalk/magnesium to improve the grip
- Use grips instead of gloves, like these ones
- Mixed grip
Longer term:
- Improve grip strength
Improving the grip will improve your game overall, so it’s highly recommended. Some exercises for that could be doing Farmers Carry, Pull-ups hold, and so on.
Edit:
A warning on mixed grip, is that although it helps to lift more weight, it will worsen your technique. So you have to improve that technique as well. I only use it for the heaviest loads. I don’t go to mixed grip until 85 or even 90% my 1RM. Before that, the standard one, so I can improve my grip too.
I think the answer to mixed grip imbalances is to switch which hand is supinated. And once you get to a certain weight you’ll need to do either mixed or hook grip, so it’s good to learn.
These grips what are the difference to the gloves? The inside hand is still protected?
The difference between grips and gloves is that usually because of sweat, looseness or whatever, gloves tend to slip. Grips don’t, and at most they’ll do a wrinkle which sometimes I feel it improves my grip.
The insides are still protected, with a rugged surface maybe, but still better than barehand.
Chalk is nice. I use the liquid chalk, no mess.
As others have mentioned in this post, work on your grip strength.
Something that worked for me is to have a regular deadlift week (DL twice a week) and then the next week I would incorporate some pause deadlifts with less weight on one of my training days.
This helped me improve my grip strength with regular DL’s and it also helped me with those known sticking points when performing DL’s.
Thanks for all the posts! :)
I will beginn to train my grip strength. Ordered two grip tools. Will report in some weeks if it improved my situation :)
chalk/magnesium is in my gym forbidden because some guys did mess with them. Maybe i try liquid chalk.
No gloves and mixed grip is the way to go. You can train your grip just by doing double overhand and holding the bar for as long as goh can at the top of the last rep. Then switch to grip on sets where your grip is shot.
What kind of program are you on?
As others mentioned, you can use a mixed grip. A hook grip is another option that a lot of people use. Either way, try using a conventional grip during your warmup sets to strengthen your grip. Liquid chalk can help. Also, if you don’t plan on competing in powerlifting, straps are perfectly acceptable (they’re also great to use for when/if your hands feel beaten up).
What are you doing for reps and sets?
