As the weight shifts up on my deads, my legs and back are handling everything, its my grip thats failing. Any tips on technique etc. to help me out? I am not talking about squeezing balls here by the way Thanks in advance.
why dont you drop deads and pick up horse stance? mybeef headed training partner is fan of squats and deads, but i get a much better workout from doing horse stance work!! i can barely walk afterwards... i am going to drop leg day with my partner and do horse stance work instead
The horse stance trains your muscles differently than the deadlift, and though the horse stance can be a useful training tool, it lacks the total body effect of the deadlift, and IMO is less relevant to martial arts training than the deadlift. Pika - I'm no grip expert, but for now i would drop down to a weight where your grip can handle all reps/sets, and then throw in some grip training ala weighted pullups (which should be part of any decent workout anyway), farmers walks, maybe even "squeezing some balls." Here is a great link for many grip exercises: http://www.ironmind.com/griptip.shtml Hope this helps P.S. Thanks to BeWater who originall posted the link a while ago
grip techniques for weightlifters Take a look into the hook grip. This grip is used by weightlifters, but it takes some training to do it right. You also might try an alternated grip. I like deadlifts, including the tiring of the forearms, but you're probably lifting more than me. prodigy: deadlift is a wieghtlifting technique for picking a weight up off the floor. Works the quads, hams, gluts, and a bit of the back. But since those muscles can pick up alot of weight, the grip often ends up being the weak part of the chain. The grip is isometric, which is why the forearms can keep up at all. I'm sure a quick websearch will find you some instructions.
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/ErectorSpinae/BBDeadlift.html Definitely incorporate the deadlift into your lifting program asap, as essentially, it trains your entire body. Along with the squat, weighted pullup, weighted dip, military press, and bench press, it should be part of any well rounded lifting regimen.
Give me one second to wipe the blood from my eyes after reading such blasphemy. :cry: Okay, better now. To improve your grip you've got to train your grip. (what...you were expecting some kinda secret?" Avoid using wrist straps for any exercise, and be sure to include some specific grip strength work into your routine. Things like farmer's walks, plate holds, and towel or fat bar work will do wonders. The biggest key, though, is to avoid lifting straps at all costs. They're the weight-lifting equivalent of a wheelchair. And if you want to run fast, you're not going to spend much time in a wheelchair, right? One of the best weight-lifting sayings I've ever heard: "If you can't hold the weight, you shouldn't hold the weight." Regarding the deadlift performance itself, Lao's got it; you can try the hook grip (where you grab onto your thumb as you wrap it around the bar), or a mixed grip, with one arm facing in, one arm facing out. If you go this way, alternate the in/out hands each set. P.S. - No prob, Freyr, though I think the link should read: www.ironmind.com/ironcms/opencms/IronMind/GripTips/griptip.html
"what...you were expecting some kinda secret" No, just though there may have been some technique suggestions that could help. I figured it was grip strength, but you dont know unless you ask. Thanks for the info.
If your currently using a double overhand grip try using one over, one under grip. Not saying that it will help, but it might.
try alternating your grips, i.e. one hand face your body, the other hand face outside, after a set, switch hands. work on your grip seperately, most people neglect this part.
I defer to my above post, regarding lifting straps and wheelchairs. Straps will only cure the symptoms, not the disease of a weak grip. Strengthening the actual gripping muscles (hand, wrist, and forearm) will be the only true way of improving his conditioning, both for deadlifts and for martial arts.
Grip aids: grip is incredibly important in the martial arts, whether it's for holding on to your weapon, or your opponent, or just not injuring your hands with improper form (ex. snagging a finger on a uniform due to loose first from a tired hand). So I say relish the grip work. There's plenty of grip training material on this site. Also, I think the deadlift is good functional training for wrestling maneuvers. Wrist straps take away from that. On a side note, I've found that gloves with different padding thickness affect my grip strength, probably because isometric strength is specific to the angle of the joint. You might want to play with this. One last thought (heh). You might examine your workout for the placement of push and pull exercises. If you are doing a bunch of other pulls (lat pulldowns, rows, etc), that might contribute to tiring your grip out by the time you get to the deadlifts.
BeWaterMyFriend, I do not disagree that stengthening the gripping muscles would help in this situation. However, that is not going to happen overnight. By using 'grip aids' now, the immediate benefits of doing Deadlifts will continue until then. Cheers.
JohnnyX - the thing is though, that as your deadlifts go up, your grip doesn't have time to catch up and becomes weaker in this movement. Eventually the straps become a crutch and you don't want to abandon them. Best bet IMO is to work your grip EVERY time you work out, and it will definitely catch up. Farmers walks, hand grips, wrist curls, reverse wrist curls, thors hammer etc. There are tons of fun grip exercises, check out some of the threads on here.
True, you won't get a dramatically stronger grip overnight. But you won't get a stronger grip ever if you consistently rely on crutches and artificial aids such as lifting straps. How about a compromise...he can use straps for a total of 3 sets for the entire week of workouts. That should cover only the last, heaviest set of deads, and maybe another pulling exercise. Leaving his actual muscles to do the majority of work the rest of the time. Sounds good to me. Hold on a sec, who here said we wanted fun exercises??!!??
Well now, there's something we can fix!! :woo: Anyway, I meant a total of 3 sets for the week. Like, only on 1 set for deads, then only on 1 set for pull-ups, then only for 1 set of rows. The rest of the time, it's just "Grip and Rip!!!"
