Hook grip for Deadlifts

[JCR]

Hi all,

At the novice stage I'm trying to stick with double-overhand grip as much as possible. In my last DL session (I did 235 lbs for the first time) I had to use the alternate grip for the work set. However, I'm afraid of the asymmetrical stress on the shoulders.

Since I'm not intending to deadlift at a meet, I guess straps may be a logical choice for the work sets and double-overhand grip for as much of the warm-up as possible.
However, while re-reading the chapter on the Power Clean, I saw that "Very heavy deadlifts – 800+ pounds – have been pulled with a hook grip..."

I tried it and it was incredibly hard on the thumbs (since I Power Clean much, much lighter I hadn't noticed this). Maybe I'm putting too much of the thumb under the bar? Should it be just the tip of the thumb? Any insight is much appreciated.

[Adam Skillin]

I know that the forum's search tool can be hard to use, so I'll give you a protip:

In google, put your search terms, and include site:startingstrength.com to exclude the rest of the interwebz from your results. Or, if you want to search the entire internet for questions about hook grips, you can omit the site:startingsthrength.com bit. There are lots and lots of illustrations, bushels of videos, and millions of words of text already written on this issue.

[JCR]

Thanks, Coach.
Your response could've been a lot snarkier, so I appreciate the level-headed response. The native search tool does suck. I did try the site specific Google search as you suggested. I think I found what I was looking for.

Best,

[Satch12879]

Hi all,

At the novice stage I'm trying to stick with double-overhand grip as much as possible. In my last DL session (I did 235 lbs for the first time) I had to use the alternate grip for the work set. However, I'm afraid of the asymmetrical stress on the shoulders.

So just alternate the pronated and supinated hands every deadlift session or every rep, even.

[hollismb]

So just alternate the pronated and supinated hands every deadlift session or every rep, even.

Alternated grip still is still an 'asymmetrical stress', even if you swap it every rep/session.

[John Hanley]

- just the tip (how oft have I muttered those fateful words). For realz, though, your index and middle finger only should be pressing into the tip of your thumb (pressure should be even and strong along the distal phalanx of your thumb).

- squeeze the tip (& bar for that matter) as hard as you possibly can. Don't slacken one bit throughout the set.

- other than the 'swept under thumb', try to make the a hook grip as much like standard double overhand grip. Same relative hand positions (I used to take a really deep-in-palm hook grip, but stopped after ripping small chunks out of my hand).

- if you have really tiny, carnie hands...kill yourself.

[Tygerqb12]

One thing that's helped me use the hook grip is to still squeeze as hard as possible with my hands. When I first started using the hook, I sort of relaxed my grip a bit, and just let the weight of the bar trapping my underneath my fingers do all the work, and this hurt, a lot. Squeezing harder, and more practice seemed to help me (using the hook grip for power cleans to increase the reps, for example.) Now, it hardly gives me any problems, even for sets of 8.

[Roland Conde]

- just the tip (how oft have I muttered those fateful words). For realz, though, your index and middle finger only should be pressing into the tip of your thumb (pressure should be even and strong along the distal phalanx of your thumb).

- squeeze the tip (& bar for that matter) as hard as you possibly can. Don't slacken one bit throughout the set.

- other than the 'swept under thumb', try to make the a hook grip as much like standard double overhand grip. Same relative hand positions (I used to take a really deep-in-palm hook grip, but stopped after ripping small chunks out of my hand).

- if you have really tiny, carnie hands...kill yourself.

Death has been my recommendation to such people, and it has worked well.

[1FG]

Use the hook grip on all your pulling exercises until you build that thumb callus and pain tolerance. This is what I did and do.

[JCR]

- just the tip (how oft have I muttered those fateful words). For realz, though, your index and middle finger only should be pressing into the tip of your thumb (pressure should be even and strong along the distal phalanx of your thumb).

- squeeze the tip (& bar for that matter) as hard as you possibly can. Don't slacken one bit throughout the set.

- other than the 'swept under thumb', try to make the a hook grip as much like standard double overhand grip. Same relative hand positions (I used to take a really deep-in-palm hook grip, but stopped after ripping small chunks out of my hand).

- if you have really tiny, carnie hands...kill yourself.

Thanks, coach. Exactly the kind of advice I was looking for. Much appreciated.