Dead lift grip strength

[Seagal]

I recently started doing dead lifts (after a decade of pause). Context: I'm only lifting my own body weight, still grip strength is limiting my repetitions.

How have you guys developed sufficient grip strength for dead lifts?

 

[Guided_by_Voices]

In your situation, there is no shame in using straps for higher rep sets. Even if you can maintain your grip I think straps are desirable because it seems to remove a factor which the body senses to be limiting. Don't use the straps for your lighter sets and also add in some farmers walks, power cleans and possibly a gripper device. Do your lighter sets with an overhand grip. I injured a nerve in my arm struggling with my grip (on pull-ups) so I would avoid letting your grip deteriorate during a set. You can also use lifting chalk which will help. Just give it time to develop and see what happens but use straps so that you can develop the rest of you musculature.

 

[Seagal]

Found those. Hook, pad, strap. Strap is probability the best?
Looked up power cleans... that's another dimension of exercise...

 

[Guided_by_Voices]

I use and recommend the basic straps for under $10. With those you still get normal grip involvement. Also, I assume you are using an over/under grip w/o the straps, but using only overhand on your lightest sets can give some additional grip work. Bottom line is that your overall deadlift strength will likely outpace the growth of your grip strength so focus on your total body strength and then see if your grip catches up eventually.

 

[SpazTheCat]

Heavy farmers carries have helped my grip strength quite a bit.

 

[Seagal]

I use and recommend the basic straps for under $10. With those you still get normal grip involvement. Also, I assume you are using an over/under grip w/o the straps, but using only overhand on your lightest sets can give some additional grip work. Bottom line is that your overall deadlift strength will likely outpace the growth of your grip strength so focus on your total body strength and then see if your grip catches up eventually.

Only used overhand grip.Thank you for your advice! I will try also the over/under grip.

 

[Phil Goodman]

I have these at both my home office and onsite office.

https://www.amazon.com/Strength-Exerciser-Strengthener-Adjustable-Resistance/dp/B09W8V6Q6F?ref_=ast_sto_dp

It’s super easy to knock out 100+ reps for each arm during a work day. I don’t do deadlifts anymore, but my grip always went out during my heavy shrugs sets before my traps would. These have helped a lot in that regard. While the straps will help you to go heavier so there is a place for them, the weakest link in your chain will always be the choke point for progress so you should also be focusing on improving it. Like others have said farmers carries can be good for increasing grip strength, I just think the likelihood of injury(or at least tweaking something during them) isn’t worth the reward they provide. If you decide to implement them then start out light and make sure your form is really good, otherwise a single setback they could cause would more than erase any gains they would bring.

And I’d second the over/under grip for deadlifts, also you should alternate arms for most balanced gains.



Also to note for the grip strength trainer tools…after a while it’ll be tempting to just keep it at the heaviest resistance setting for all sets, but you should still warm up with them for your first few rounds of the day.

 

[Seagal]

In case somebody else doesn't know how to use wrist straps. How to tighten them:

How to Use Lifting Straps Safely for Beginners & Experts

The right way to wear lifting straps to get a better gripLifting straps are useful tools for weight training. If you've gained enough strength to start lifting heavier weights but find that your hand grip isn't strong enough to hold...

www.wikihow.com

"Roll the bar toward you. Rolling the bar will tighten the strap. Do this until the straps pull on your wrists."