Increasing Grip for Deads

[loftin12393]

I need help when it comes to grip strength on deads. I have very small hands and its seems when i want to do weight that I know my back & legs can handle my grip fails. If you can help me with techniques or exercises to increase hand/forearm & grip strength I would appreciate it!

[deeder]

Do a search bud. This has been covered MANY times with LOTS of good information. :cool:

[Keith]

It has been covered many times, but since im here, heres a couple things you may want to look into.

Straps and the farmers walk

[bics56]

same thing as keith said...I just picked up some straps. I wear gloves, straps and when I grip I use one hand facing towards me and the other away...works great for me.

[SkinnySadMan]

Ughs I know this is damn obvious but I just had to ask anyways.

The equipment they use in strongmen are like big logs with a handle on it.

Is it better to use two dumbells or two barbells ? Either way you get results right?

[greathuskie]

just do farmers walks. chances are you cant top 100 for a long distance anyways

[ElPietro]

First thing you should do is go with a mixed grip if you don't already. Then add chalk.

After that to strengthen grip you can simply do heavy shrugs or static holds. So basically just put way more weight on the bar than you can shrug, and try to hold it for as long as you can.

[Guido]

:withstupi

Elp has it right. If you actually want to develop a strong grip for deads, don't use straps. Just hold heavy bars. Another thing you can do is one-handed deads or rack pulls (set the pins in a power rack at about knee height and deadlift from there. You should be able to do more weight than from off the floor.).

[mrelwooddowd]

I need help when it comes to grip strength on deads. I have very small hands and its seems when i want to do weight that I know my back & legs can handle my grip fails. If you can help me with techniques or exercises to increase hand/forearm & grip strength I would appreciate it!

I've got the smallest man hands I've ever come across, and I can dead 315 for reps with a double-overhand grip.

I had thd same problem you're having. I was having my hands just "open up" during attemps with 300 about a year ago. Basically, I just kept at it, and I always did dumbbell rows. Those are really hard on your grip. I think they had a lot to do with the decent grip strength I have now.

[greathuskie]

:withstupi

Elp has it right. If you actually want to develop a strong grip for deads, don't use straps. Just hold heavy bars. Another thing you can do is one-handed deads or rack pulls (set the pins in a power rack at about knee height and deadlift from there. You should be able to do more weight than from off the floor.).


not me, i cna barely rack pull 275 for reps for some reason?

[bjohnso]

I just deadlifted 385 with a double overhand grip today. What I do to improve grip strength is some kind of static hold. Sometimes I'll set the smith machine bar at the top pin and just hang there as long as I can. My longest is a minute and 20 seconds. Other times I'll load up a barbell in a squat rack and just stand there holding onto it for as long as I can.

Make sure you have a stopwatch to time the duration, so you'll know what to beat next time. The effects seem pretty immediate to me - I'll do grip work at the end of the week, give it a few days of rest, and the next time I have to deadlift it is much easier to hold onto the barbell. Grip strength tends to progress rather quickly for me.

Also, keep in mind that for grip work, the fatter the barbell the better. It's much more difficult to hold onto a heavy weight if the bar is only slightly bigger.


I also have teeny tiny girly hands (I'm a guy).

[SkinnySadMan]

Fook me that means my deadlift is even more pathetic than it already is. I use the standard 20 lbs. barbells.

[ElPietro]

not me, i cna barely rack pull 275 for reps for some reason?

Don't rack pull for reps then. Just do singles and keep increasing the weight 20-30 lbs each rep.

Should be able to do more than your deadlift max.

Not using numbers to brag or anything but just to give an example of the difference between my max DL and max rack pull.

I think at the time I was probably getting back into deads and max at the time was maybe 525-ish. After two sessions on rack pulls, I managed a single at 655 lbs.

The height I used had the pins right around my knees, so I guess the bar was probably at the top of my kneecaps in the starting position.

If you have patience and work at it your grip will improve over time. Chalk works wonders though, so I would suggest you pick some up. Most have to order it online though, but it's cheap as anything, and one block will last you forever.

[ViciousBish]

Gym anxiety. I hear that. I actually set my workouts to specific gym times that are near empty.

10-12noon only on weekdays :(

It really sucks.

Is the gym empty on sat and sundays?

[D Breyer]

Sometimes I'll set the smith machine bar at the top pin and just hang there as long as I can. My longest is a minute and 20 seconds.
I do those too, but on a pullup bar (same thing)... My hockey trainer calls them dead-man hangs.

Farmers-Walk FTW

[Jordanbcool]

farmers walk and gloves

Wear gloves during your entire workout (shrugs, dips, lat rows, bench etc. etc.) Then take the gloves off when you do deads.

Your hands will hurt but it really helped me dead alot.

-jordan

[Thexile]

people will say use grippers. but just lifting alone has improved my grip tons, and also pullups and towel hangs and crap like that. its common sense the more you grip, the harder your grip will get...

[ViciousBish]

how often do you guys concentrate on training your grip/forearms?

[Bob]

Well your grip gets trained everytime you do a pulling exercise... DLs, Shrugs, pullups, etc.. so you have to factor that into when you "concentrate" on your grip training...

Around the 1st of the yr I started a program of grip training almost every day.. enjoying my new CoCs and new found pulling strength.. b/c I had read that the more grip training you do, the better you will become.. It backfired.. my grip strength went down.. bigtime.. to the point of overtraining and injury..

My program now is more "organized".. 5 days every 2 weeks.. three on pulling days - so on upper back and lower back days - with farmers walk, deadman hangs, etc.. and then 2 more dedicated days - where I do some out-of-the-gym type exercises like sledgehammer drills, rope pulls, stone crushing, attempted nail bending, CoCs, etc..

So this gives me almost 2 days of rest between grip WOs.. and seems to be helping to recover and improve my grip..

Goodluck... and try a few different experiments with programs and exercises..

[Focused70]

how often do you guys concentrate on training your grip/forearms?

Every chance I get.

Pulling movements tend to work them. I do deads on back day and shrugs when I do shoulders. Static holds from time to time, CoC grippers on off days. I space out my grip work so that there's a few days in between efforts. One of these days I'll start doing farmers walks.

Stash

[greathuskie]

farmers walk and gloves

Wear gloves during your entire workout (shrugs, dips, lat rows, bench etc. etc.) Then take the gloves off when you do deads.

Your hands will hurt but it really helped me dead alot.

-jordan

oooooook. new advice please

[motoko013]

try static holds......

[greathuskie]

forget static holds, do farmer walks. mucho better.

[bjohnso]

I do those too, but on a pullup bar (same thing)... My hockey trainer calls them dead-man hangs.

Farmers-Walk FTW


The reason I do them on the smith is because the bar is fatter and smoother than the pullup bars at my gym. Your forearms will be hurtin if you do them right.

[Guido]

Any kind of holds or hanging will work the forearms.

Huskie: What's the difference between doing farmer's walks and static holds for grip? Doesn't really make a difference unless you just want the leg/core workout in addition.

[Bob]

Any kind of holds or hanging will work the forearms.

Huskie: What's the difference between doing farmer's walks and static holds for grip? Doesn't really make a difference unless you just want the leg/core workout in addition.
There is a slight variance in the dynamic aspect of the farmers hold.. it is not quite static.. there is a bounce to your walk that causes the additional stress.

So to cross train your grip, you should do both...
each has a different challenge - BW hang for as long as possible - carry as heavy a weight as possible for as far as possible.

[greathuskie]

a lot of reasons, for me personally anyway

because you are actually walking, its a lot more difficult to use heavier weights, the movement puts a lot more stress on you. (i have no idea how to explain what im thinking. anyone can pick up a big weight, but to pick it up and move with it requires a lot more total strength.)

and i love doing strongman training events :).

im not saying dont do static holds, if you want to do them go ahead, but i personally think you will get a lot more out of farmer walks.

[greathuskie]

[QUOTE=bearwolf]There is a slight variance in the dynamic aspect of the farmers hold.. it is not quite static.. there is a bounce to your walk that causes the additional stress.
QUOTE]

thats what i was trying to say, but couldnt figure out how :P

[FitnFirm69]

I use hooks on SLDL's, I have small hands too, I cant get the straps down when needing both at the same time, but use the straps on one arm bent over rows. I like my hooks, Just dont scratch your nose when you have them on OUCH!!!!!!

[ElPietro]

To me if you are training for grip strength for deadlifts, than static holds are as good or better anyway.

You are in the proper deadlift position with the bar, instead of individual dumbells or whatever you might use for the walks.

Both are good for grip strength, just one is more practical than the other. Since not everyone has room to store the apparatus or whatever.