all posts post new thread

Barbell Hook grip tutorials?

Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)

guardian7

Level 6 Valued Member
Any tips or resources for hook grip?

- so far professor youtube has taught me that the angle the hand to make sure you get deep into the webbing between the thumb and index finger. And make sure you wrap around the thumb so that your middle finger is holding the flesh of the thumb on the other side and not pressing against the thumbnail on that side. You can also tape your tape your finger which is legal even in some powerlifting federations (I am not a competitor but want to take a shot at TSC next year). The hook grip is harder for people with short fingers.

I guess you should cut the side of the nail carefully so you can't feel the side of the nail much when pressure is applied.

It takes time to get used to and may be painful to start. Finally, almost everyone is doing it wrong by pressing against the nail making it painful, so it has an unnecessarily bad rap for being painful.

I did traditional archery with a recurve thumb ring draw for a couple of years, so I am used to thumb pain. I used to have a thick thumb callous. This may work for me.

Anything else I should know or anyone disagree with anything here?

I don't like the mixed grip and I am approaching doubleoverhand grip failure in my PTTP DL program right now.
 
guardian7 said:
Anything else I should know or anyone disagree with anything here?
Click to expand...
Some people can learn to hook grip; others may continue to have problems with it even after repeated attempts and long times with light-to-moderate weights. I am currently suffering with a bone bruise on my right thumb that will likely take several months to heal as a result of my hook grip "experiment" so be careful.

-S-
 
Steve Freides said:
Some people can learn to hook grip; others may continue to have problems with it even after repeated attempts and long times with light-to-moderate weights. I am currently suffering with a bone bruise on my right thumb that will likely take several months to heal as a result of my hook grip "experiment" so be careful.

-S-p
Click to expand...

Thanks for the warning. People seem to be very enthusiastic or very cautious about it.
 
This was my second go at hook grip. The first time, a few years ago, didn’t last very long because I couldn’t find a way to do it without a lot of pain in my right thumb.

The more recent experiment went much, much better, and right up until I stopped, I was doing well, with no pain while lifting. But there are/were two things worthy of note: first, I have a lifetime of issues with a restricted range of motion on my right side, from shoulder to fingers and it appears to be hereditary - my mother, sister, and one of my two sons experience the same, and; second, I may have simply done too much, too soon.

-S-
 
Steve Freides said:
This was my second go at hook grip. The first time, a few years ago, didn’t last very long because I couldn’t find a way to do it without a lot of pain in my right thumb.

The more recent experiment went much, much better, and right up until I stopped, I was doing well, with no pain while lifting. But there are/were two things worthy of note: first, I have a lifetime of issues with a restricted range of motion on my right side, from shoulder to fingers and it appears to be hereditary - my mother, sister, and one of my two sons experience the same, and; second, I may have simply done too much, too soon.

-S-
Click to expand...

I also wonder if age is a factor. As we age, our skin gets thinner and the connective tissue weaker. The fingers look closer to the bone. Bony looking hands is a sign of aging. The hook grip is better when there is some cushioning around the pad of the thumb I would imagine. Sometimes you can tell a person's age better from their hands than their face.
 
guardian7 said:
I also wonder if age is a factor. As we age, our skin gets thinner and the connective tissue weaker. The fingers look closer to the bone. Bony looking hands is a sign of aging. The hook grip is better when there is some cushioning around the pad of the thumb I would imagine. Sometimes you can tell a person's age better from their hands than their face.
Click to expand...

Nah... My hands look my age, and I can still hook grip with no problem.

I think the experience varies due to the differences in bar size, knurl, and hand size. I'm sure larger hands help and I have that advantage. Hand shape, i.e. thumb placement, also makes a difference. It's also important to set the grip carefully, so the fingers are in good contact with the bar and the thumbs. Chalk is important to setting it in place. It takes me a few extra seconds to set my grip and get ready to pull with hook grip.

Take your time and get your hands set right, start lighter and work heavier, and I think you'll do fine.
 
@guardian7, although I regularly hear that I look younger than my chronological age, I have always had very little “padding.” What fat I carry, I carry in the classic male location, my lower abdomen. One can see my pulse through my skin in a number of places elsewhere on me but this isn’t a new thing for me. I think you raise a good point, but the other side of the argument is that hook grip doesn’t bother my left hand at all, only my right.

-S-
 
Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)
Back
Top Bottom