Thumb/hand injuries from hook gripping?
Posted Nov 8, 2012, 7:21 PM UTC
1113
You may be placing dislocating force on the thumb joint.
As sometimes happens, I have embarrassing photographs for such an occasion.
Also, as THEdNtS has said, don't use hook grip for longer lifts, you can easily deaden the nerves that way (which is, trust me, unpleasant).
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Also, as THEdNtS has said, don't use hook grip for longer lifts, you can easily deaden the nerves that way (which is, trust me, unpleasant).
As someone who always deadlifts with a double overhand hook grip, this scares me a little. Can I feel safe when I've been hook gripping for many years without problems, or could something suddenly go terribly wrong?
I've tried to get used to the alternate grip a few times, but it's just too uncomfortable even at moderately heavy conventional deadlifts, and even worse for snatch grip deadlifts. Would a double overhand non-hook grip with straps be the best solution for someone like me?
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If it's working for you, then good. Keep doing it.
But for some people (such as yours truly), doing hook grips on stuff like RDLs temporarily kills some of the nerves in the thumb, leading to a very unpleasant numbness on one side.
Training with straps is fine insofar as you use the deadlift for purposes other than to compete in powerlifting.
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Thanks.
As long as the worst thing that can happen is that it will temporarily kill some nerves, and this has never happened yet, I feel reasonably safe.
Training with straps is fine insofar as you use the deadlift for purposes other than to compete in powerlifting.
I am never going to compete in powerlifting. But unfortunately, my otherwise very well-equipped gym doesn't have straps, and knowing myself, if I start bringing my own, I'll end up losing them every few weeks and constantly having to buy new ones.
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Even very good straps are cheap.
So much so that IronMind sell their straps in 6-pair and 12-pair packages as well as individual pairs.
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Thanks for the visuals, I'll keep that in mind when I work back up to doing hook grip again. I think the smaller bar might be letting me approach the "nay" position a little too much.
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Tape it during training. Massage it before and a lot after training.
Train your hands and forearms with high volume stuff.
Hand specialists are good if it doesn't go away.
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You should only be using the hook grip for olympic movements. It isn't ideal for movements of more extended grip, such as the dead lift, just stick to alternate grip with deads, if this isn't enough chalk, if that isn't enough wraps, though I have never known someone who has needed to use wraps after discovering the wonders of chalk.
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I only use it for rows but I've noticed that if I have a long session on the computer on that day, I will have a very sore thumb joint the next morning.
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Sort of related..anyone getting white tiger stripes on your thumbnails?
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The hook grip requires a fair amount of conditioning for it to become comfortable and strong. If you jumped right in to using it on every rep of every set, you may have developed tendonitis or other soft-tissue injury from overuse. Ice the affected area a few times a day until the pain clears up, and limit your use of the hook grip to something like 50% of your lifts. Then gradually work back up to using it for all of your lifts over a period of several weeks to a month. Like any other training, you need to allow time for your body to adapt to a new challenge. Wrist exercises certainly could help, but I think the main issue is simply allowing time for adaptation. When I teach someone the hook grip, I usually advise that he or she start by using it for only a few sets per workout (assuming the person is already accustomed to training with a conventional grip)
Thanks for your input. I definitely eased into it when hook gripping for deadlifts earlier this year, but I didn't really question my coach when he decided to transition me to hook gripping all my lifts.
I'll use it for barbell rows as much as my thumbs will allow it. I don't use tape though.