Hold the bar like this. It will hurt at first, but once you get used to it you will be surprised at how much stronger your lifts get and how much grip strength you save in barbell workouts. Trust me and hook grip your brains out.
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I say anyone caught not using the hook grip has to do 10 burpees the first time, 20 the next and 30 every time after that.
Negative reinforcement combined with the positive reinforcement of lifting bigger and faster – a win win!
Before I used hook grip, I could literally not comprehend how guys were doing 400+ pound deadlifts without straps. Now, I don’t feel held back by my grip at all. Straps are for silly Gold’s-ers.
I still don’t use the hook on heavy deads. The pain of the crushed thumbs is distracting. My grip used to be limiting too, but now it is my back curving out under weight – getting old….