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Thread: Deadlift Grip Failing

  1. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by GioFerrante View Post
    Lift all your warm-ups double overhand. The hook will probably fail for your 5 rep sets eventually.
    Why would hook "probably" fail? It adapts with everything else.

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by asm44 View Post
    Why would hook "probably" fail? It adapts with everything else.
    I am speaking from experience. My hook started failing for sets of 5 at 375 lbs, and I am having to figure something else out. The hook doesn't really strengthen your grip much, since it relies on friction rather your grip strength. You can train it to an extent, but my experience is its difficult to get it to hold for a max set of 5 as the weight gets heavy. You can probably run over my thumbs with a car and they'll be no worse for the wear, but still, the grip doesn't hold for a max set of 5.

    I was hooking my warm-ups, so my first change was to pull those double overhand. Right now I'm using straps for the workset and doing some holds with the barbell afterward to try to bring the grip up. I will occasionally get in a little practice with the hook for a max deadlift as well to make sure that still holds. I can hook anything that my body can handle for 1 rep.

    My buddy avulsed a bicep tendon which was pretty gruesome, so I won't take a chance on the mixed grip. But that's my personal preference.

  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by GioFerrante View Post
    My buddy avulsed a bicep tendon which was pretty gruesome, so I won't take a chance on the mixed grip. But that's my personal preference.
    At what weight did it happen for your buddy?

  4. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by GioFerrante View Post
    I am speaking from experience. My hook started failing for sets of 5 at 375 lbs, and I am having to figure something else out. The hook doesn't really strengthen your grip much, since it relies on friction rather your grip strength. You can train it to an extent, but my experience is its difficult to get it to hold for a max set of 5 as the weight gets heavy. You can probably run over my thumbs with a car and they'll be no worse for the wear, but still, the grip doesn't hold for a max set of 5.

    I was hooking my warm-ups, so my first change was to pull those double overhand. Right now I'm using straps for the workset and doing some holds with the barbell afterward to try to bring the grip up. I will occasionally get in a little practice with the hook for a max deadlift as well to make sure that still holds. I can hook anything that my body can handle for 1 rep.

    My buddy avulsed a bicep tendon which was pretty gruesome, so I won't take a chance on the mixed grip. But that's my personal preference.
    By "fail" what do you mean? Does it actually slip, meaning your fingers holding onto your thumbs?

  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by GioFerrante View Post
    I am speaking from experience. My hook started failing for sets of 5 at 375 lbs, and I am having to figure something else out. The hook doesn't really strengthen your grip much, since it relies on friction rather your grip strength. You can train it to an extent, but my experience is its difficult to get it to hold for a max set of 5 as the weight gets heavy. You can probably run over my thumbs with a car and they'll be no worse for the wear, but still, the grip doesn't hold for a max set of 5.

    I was hooking my warm-ups, so my first change was to pull those double overhand. Right now I'm using straps for the workset and doing some holds with the barbell afterward to try to bring the grip up. I will occasionally get in a little practice with the hook for a max deadlift as well to make sure that still holds. I can hook anything that my body can handle for 1 rep.

    My buddy avulsed a bicep tendon which was pretty gruesome, so I won't take a chance on the mixed grip. But that's my personal preference.
    The only time I've ever had the hook grip start to fail on me was when I foolishly tried to do it without chalk. I can't speak for everyone, but I have yet to have it fail due to the weight being heavy.

  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by GioFerrante View Post
    I am speaking from experience. My hook started failing for sets of 5 at 375 lbs, and I am having to figure something else out. The hook doesn't really strengthen your grip much, since it relies on friction rather your grip strength.
    Maybe you're doing it wrong. Photos?

  7. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by asm44 View Post
    Why would hook "probably" fail? It adapts with everything else.
    In that case, why would double-overhand ever fail? It adapts with everything else!

  8. #18
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    A valid observation. Perhaps there are actual mechanical differences in the three grips.

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe View Post
    A valid observation. Perhaps there are actual mechanical differences in the three grips.
    If this was a response to my question rhetorical question (directed at asm24), we know that there must be mechanical differences in the three grips because the exact same person can lift more weight mixed than they can double-overhand. It's a trivial experiment to perform and many have done it. If rep three takes five seconds to go up double-overhand, switching to mixed grip causes rep four to just float on up.

    The interesting thing about the comment to which I replied is, of course, that normally we do expect the entire kinetic chain to respond, in proportion, to the heavy barbell lifts. But the double-overhand grip seems to be the only known exception. It would strengthen in proportion if one only used d-o-h but the deadlift just wouldn't progress very fast.

    I loathe open that Pandora's box as it may (wrongly) lead to the idea that maybe parts of the kinetic chain aren't responding as quickly and that gains could be juiced with additional isolation exercises for the part that's holding up the convoy. From my limited experience, though, I've tried to improve my grip with various exercises on non-deadlift days. The only thing that ever seemed to work to improve my deadlift grip.... is deadlifting. Zero surprise there.

    So unless the "weak link" is at the very end of the kinetic chain (i.e. the grip) where it can be removed as a limiting factor and still retain the rest of the kinetic chain, progress on the lift is going to be dictated by the weakest part and the best way to improve the lift... is to improve the lift.

    I think I passed. How did I do?

  10. #20
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    The double-overhand grip is mechanically more inefficient that any other part of the kinetic chain in the deadlift. Therefore it will limit the development of the rest of the KC. That's why we don't allow it to limit our deadlift training.

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