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deadlift grip

bigironkiller

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right now im able to deadlift 445 with a overhand grip. it is getting harder to hold on to the bar so i bought straps that i havent used. would it be better to use a mixed grip before relying on the straps??
 
Yeah, Just use a hook grip unless you are going high reps then the straps will help more then changing grips.
 
If i was not going to compete i would wear straps and stay over over. If competing was in your future i would go over under.
 
I would keep in mind that when you use an over under grip your putting a HUGE load on one bicep, while almost totally excluding the other.

I personally dont do a mixed grip anymore. Even if your strapped in theres a higher chance of injury, than having both palms facing you..
 
I use an overhand grip with straps when going for singles for muscular balance. Anything >90% of my 1RM get straps, but I use chalk on the other sets.
 
thanks for the advice guys. dont like the sound of the over under grips, so i will stay with over and straps. by the end of june im hoping to pull 500 and squat 455.
 
Do not use and over under with straps. You put your bicep in a very bad position, much worse than an over under without straps. I know you said you didn't just wanted to clarify to everyone.
 
every time i have my max deadlift day, i always end up with what feels like a pinched nerve or disk in my lower right back, right on top of the hip. it doesnt hurt, but is uncomfortable. i can usually stretch it out, but since friday it just doesnt want to go away. any specific stretch i could do to relieve the pressure???
 
bigironkiller said:
every time i have my max deadlift day, i always end up with what feels like a pinched nerve or disk in my lower right back, right on top of the hip. it doesnt hurt, but is uncomfortable. i can usually stretch it out, but since friday it just doesnt want to go away. any specific stretch i could do to relieve the pressure???
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I get the exact same thing. I go to the chiro and get ART/chiro to fix it. My hips twist a bit after lifting a while. I think i get it from lifting out of mono with a wide stance.
 
I apply capzacin cream to my lower back about 90 minutes before I do deads. By the time I get to my max sets, I am sweating and the heat from the cream really keeps my erectors loose. Zero problems since I started doing this.
 
Rodja said:
I apply capzacin cream to my lower back about 90 minutes before I do deads. By the time I get to my max sets, I am sweating and the heat from the cream really keeps my erectors loose. Zero problems since I started doing this.
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:goodpost: I am going to try that Rodja, Nice idea.
 
Rodja said:
I apply capzacin cream to my lower back about 90 minutes before I do deads. By the time I get to my max sets, I am sweating and the heat from the cream really keeps my erectors loose. Zero problems since I started doing this.
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Isn't capsaicin the chemical responsibile for chili hotness? Weird name for a medication.

Anyway, I always use a left under, right over grip for deadlifts. I only go over over when doing straightleg deadlifts. I've been doing under over grip from about 205 pounds up to now and I'm at about 350-360 max. I never feel any muscular imbalance or discomfort, and when I'm sore the next day, it's perfectly even on both sides of my body.

I don't know how bicep stress becomes applied in the deadlift, but I've never once activated either bicep or had either bicep become sore the next day... Sounds like someone is doing something wrong?
 
spigot said:
Isn't capsaicin the chemical responsibile for chili hotness? Weird name for a medication.

Anyway, I always use a left under, right over grip for deadlifts. I only go over over when doing straightleg deadlifts. I've been doing under over grip from about 205 pounds up to now and I'm at about 350-360 max. I never feel any muscular imbalance or discomfort, and when I'm sore the next day, it's perfectly even on both sides of my body.

I don't know how bicep stress becomes applied in the deadlift, but I've never once activated either bicep or had either bicep become sore the next day... Sounds like someone is doing something wrong?
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Capsaicain is what makes pepper hot, it is also a potent thermogenic.

You should switch grips so you don't overdevelop one side, different muscles are used for different grips.

Every time you deadlift you are using your bicep, the reason it is not sore is because you are not directly targeting it like you would during curls or something. Any pulling motion is going to involve your biceps to a certain degree, thats just human kinetics.
 
pmiller383 said:
Capsaicain is what makes pepper hot, it is also a potent thermogenic.

You should switch grips so you don't overdevelop one side, different muscles are used for different grips.

Every time you deadlift you are using your bicep, the reason it is not sore is because you are not directly targeting it like you would during curls or something. Any pulling motion is going to involve your biceps to a certain degree, thats just human kinetics.
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Well both biceps are the exact circumference at 16.5 inches. Both biceps have the exact same strength. Both biceps are 100% limp during a deadlift pull. Until I get any imbalances, I think I'll continue. And I've been deadlifting for around 2 years about once every week or 2.

There is no elbow flexion at all, or there shouldn't be, in the deadlift. Now maybe if you were talking about the brachialis or brachioradialis I could understand a little because they help keep the elbow stable, but I couldn't fathom any amount of bicep activation in my personal deadlifts whatsoever.
 
would Capsaicain have any impact on abdominal fat. no matter what i do my ab fat wont go away. been looking into napalm or something, but im up for ideas.
 
spigot said:
Well both biceps are the exact circumference at 16.5 inches. Both biceps have the exact same strength. Both biceps are 100% limp during a deadlift pull. Until I get any imbalances, I think I'll continue. And I've been deadlifting for around 2 years about once every week or 2.

There is no elbow flexion at all, or there shouldn't be, in the deadlift. Now maybe if you were talking about the brachialis or brachioradialis I could understand a little because they help keep the elbow stable, but I couldn't fathom any amount of bicep activation in my personal deadlifts whatsoever.
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The imbalance isn't going to be noticeable in your biceps, it will be in your lats and traps. Also, the side that has the underhand grip will have bicep activation, that grip causes the muscle to shorten an puts a load on the muscle. Its not going to be a huge amount of the load, but if you DL heavy it is enough to cause strain.
 
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pmiller383 said:
The imbalance isn't going to be noticeable in your biceps, it will be in your lats and traps. Also, the side that has the underhand grip will have bicep activation, that grip causes the muscle to shorten an puts a load on the muscle. Its not going to be a huge amount of the load, but if you DL heavy it is enough to cause strain.
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Huh, well I guess I'll get straps once the weight gets too heavy to grip over/under or I notice any imbalances in strength or size.

It just feels too natural right now to switch to over/over.
 
spigot said:
Huh, well I guess I'll get straps once the weight gets too heavy to grip over/under or I notice any imbalances in strength or size.

It just feels too natural right now to switch to over/over.
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I know exactly what you mean, when I go heavy I always want to put my right hand under, but when I do speed deads I make sure I switch set. I figure for the few max efforts I do a week just using the right under isn't going to kill me, funny thing is my right bicep and trap are smaller than the left side.
 
spigot said:
Well both biceps are the exact circumference at 16.5 inches. Both biceps have the exact same strength. Both biceps are 100% limp during a deadlift pull. Until I get any imbalances, I think I'll continue. And I've been deadlifting for around 2 years about once every week or 2.

There is no elbow flexion at all, or there shouldn't be, in the deadlift. Now maybe if you were talking about the brachialis or brachioradialis I could understand a little because they help keep the elbow stable, but I couldn't fathom any amount of bicep activation in my personal deadlifts whatsoever.
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The biceps brachii's main function is to supinate the lower arm. When you are using an over under grip one arm is supinated and the other is not. So while it may not be noticeble, there is more stress on your left bicep than your left, which does create a greater potential for injury in that arm. I do, however, think that if you keep your form correct you should be fine.
 
eggplant21 said:
The biceps brachii's main function is to supinate the lower arm. When you are using an over under grip one arm is supinated and the other is not. So while it may not be noticeble, there is more stress on your left bicep than your left, which does create a greater potential for injury in that arm. I do, however, think that if you keep your form correct you should be fine.
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I've never had anything close to an injury from weightlifting, and I lift heavy pretty often. Just concerned about muscular imbalance, which I've noticed none of so far.

The suggestion I'm trying to make is that if the arm is hanging limp with no brachialis, biceps, or tricep activation at all, then the only muscles holding the bar in position are the wrist flexors and traps. Now the connective tissue around the elbow relaying that stress from the bar to the shoulders is simply tendons and cartilage and whatnot if no muscles are being activated or stretched. I'm submitting that that is the case--no muscles (biceps, brachialis, brachioradialis) are being stretched, much less activated.
 
spigot said:
I've never had anything close to an injury from weightlifting, and I lift heavy pretty often. Just concerned about muscular imbalance, which I've noticed none of so far.

The suggestion I'm trying to make is that if the arm is hanging limp with no brachialis, biceps, or tricep activation at all, then the only muscles holding the bar in position are the wrist flexors and traps. Now the connective tissue around the elbow relaying that stress from the bar to the shoulders is simply tendons and cartilage and whatnot if no muscles are being activated or stretched. I'm submitting that that is the case--no muscles (biceps, brachialis, brachioradialis) are being stretched, much less activated.
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What I was saying was it is impossible to supinate the arm without activating the biceps brachii. Look at this picture of ed coan and see if his biceps are engaged or not. You can even watch your own arm, when you twist the forearm the bicep shortens. You may feel as though your arm is completely limp, but if it truly were you would not be able to hold any large amount of weight.
 

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eggplant21 said:
What I was saying was it is impossible to supinate the arm without activating the biceps brachii. Look at this picture of ed coan and see if his biceps are engaged or not. You can even watch your own arm, when you twist the forearm the bicep shortens. You may feel as though your arm is completely limp, but if it truly were you would not be able to hold any large amount of weight.
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:goodpost: Very True and good example.
 
pmiller383 said:
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You should switch grips so you don't overdevelop one side, different muscles are used for different grips.
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I have read this numeros times, but have never seen anyone actually do it. Works well in theory, not in practice.
 
When i do max's I do a grip like Ed(the picture) right is over left is under. Up intill the max I go over or switch under/over's. I might try pulling over/under instead of over/under just for this discussion. I've been doing deads since five years ago this way (not the whole time)
 
If you don't like the over/under grip, try the hook grip. It's painful but works pretty well and is very secure. It took me a few weeks to get used to the pain.

FWIW, I was getting some low back pain on the side where my grip was supinated (palm out) and switching to the hook grip did help with that some.
 
CJPopovich said:
If you don't like the over/under grip, try the hook grip. It's painful but works pretty well and is very secure. It took me a few weeks to get used to the pain.

FWIW, I was getting some low back pain on the side where my grip was supinated (palm out) and switching to the hook grip did help with that some.
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where and how do the hooks cause pain?
 
Wow...I'm really glad I stumbled onto this thread. I've been using a left under right over grip since I started DL-ing...from like 185-455 / 3-4 years or so. My left bi is bigger than my right, and my right lat is bigger than my left (although neither very noticable...to other people at least). I never even considered that my DL grip was the cause until now. Needless to say, I'll be switching grips from time to time.
 
The way I dealt with the situation is to switch hand positions. I always do a even number of sets for deads. 3 right under / 3 right over.... feels weird at first but i got use to it. Give it a try.... Now this is just for power lifting purposes, for bodybuilding you have to be symmetrical so i say over hand. If you have small forearms i say for go the straps, they take stimulus away from your forearms.
 
ive been using capsacin cream every couple of days since i hurt my back 4weeks ago. put some on last night and did a light deadlift day and felt great, no pain. im gonna take rodja's advice and use it before my deadlift days. gonna take it easy for the rest of tghe week and take next week off at the beach. im dying to hit the big weights again, but im making sure my back is 100%
 
i've always been afraid of imbalance development when using an over/under hand grip with deads, i usally alternate my grip with each set.

i never use straps, it actually makes it harder for me to pull, i think it's because i have small hands, and the increased circumference from the added straps effects my grip.

i found that paper towels make a great substitute for powder chalk if your gym doesnt allow it
 
I use the hook and like it for reasons mentioned earlier, but don't over think the over/under grip. It's not going to turn you into the guy who hasn't had his V8 yet; you won't turn into an unbalanced freak. If you want to switch, fine, but thousands of guys find which way they like to grip over/under and then pull like that for the rest of their lives with no problems. Use the grip that lets you pull the most!
 
the over under technique keeps cross torsion one the bar and makes your grip so much stronger
 
I personally prefer over hand grip for both hands with straps on the heavy lifts. For some reason when I try the over/under I tend to tork my upper body a little while pulling.
 
atjnutrition2 said:
I personally prefer over hand grip for both hands with straps on the heavy lifts. For some reason when I try the over/under I tend to tork my upper body a little while pulling.
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That's been my problem with the over under grip as well. Just doesn't fly with me... feels unnatural. The system works, I don't deny that, but my shoulder on the under grip just feels out of sync with the rest of the movement.
 
cranghel099 said:
yeah i have pretty small hands, i always felt like straps didnt really help my grip, but thin paper towel seem to really help my grip, especially if i squeeze the paper before the lift, so it molds to my hand haha
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Yeah man, I've done the same thing as well. Works great. I was having trouble staying on a pullup bar with this smooth rubber surface. Papertowels - FTW! Too bad chalk isn't more widely accepted... papertowels oddly really do fill that gap rather well though.
 
Chalk is mac **** though. Wish every gym let you use chalk. Thankfully mine does. Straps dont really do much for me either. If i really need it i got some nifty lifting hooks. Those are alright but im in the same boat with Cranghel, i have creepy small midget hands :D . J/J. but really, i have smaller hands, chalk is the way to go.
 
smeton_yea said:
where and how do the hooks cause pain?
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Always feels like my other fingers are trying to pull the thumbnail off more than hurting the main part of the thumb. It never happens, and the feeling goes away when the lift is finished, but the sensation is kinda distracting. Guess this may vary with different people having different finger lengths, hand proportions, etc(?) For sure I only hook for very low reps, couldn't sustain that for a more normal bodybuilding amt of reps.

Something else I noticed with hook or non-hook, in my case anyway, is that the thumb/index/ middle finger part of the hand seems to do most of the pulling, with the ring finger and pinkie kinda going along for the ride more than doing their share of the work.

If this is true for you too, an over/under grip is gonna be off center unless you adjust for this. The business end of the hand, (the thumb, etc) will face inboard on the barbell for the "over" hand, but it will be several inches farther outboard on the bar for the "under" hand. So, if you space your hands exactly equally, the parts of the hands that do most of the pulling are gonna be several inches different in where you are exerting "pull" on the bar.
 
i used to use the mixed grip but it destroyed me all over. i switched form under right to over right each set, but it still gave me problems in my shoulder and elbow. even my back was effected. im sticking to the straps. keeps me symetrical and deadlifts feel great but using alot less weight.
 
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