One of the most crucial components of resistance training could be right in your hands. The proper grip will improve your ability to lift heavier weights in the gym, increase hand endurance on all of your workouts, and allow you to complete more repetitions. There are many different ways to grasp a barbell, and it mainly relies on the lifter’s preference. The grip type you select is also influenced by the type of weightlifting workout you intend to perform. In exercises like the snatch, deadlift, and clean, the effort you put into how you grasp the bar could be the difference between success and failure. A safe and efficient workout begins with proper form and technique. Sprains, strains, fractures, and other injuries can occur while lifting weights in the wrong way.
A slight modification in how you grip a dumbbell, barbell, or cable can make a big impact on how much one muscle is stressed. Here’s a look at 8 main grips and how they might be utilized:
Overhand Grip
The overhand grip is known as the standard grip because it can be utilized for almost any exercise, including bench presses, deadlifts, barbell squats, barbell rows, chin-ups, pulldowns, and pullups. With your palms pointing towards your body, place your hand over the bar, dumbbell, or kettlebell. You can wrap your thumb around the bar (closed grip) or not (open or false grip).
An overhand grip can help you increase grip strength and strengthen your forearm muscles while working out in particular exercises. When you use an overhand grip, you can target specific muscle groups that aren’t recruited as much when you use another grip.
Underhand Grip
The underhand grip is the opposite of the overhand grip in that you grasp the bar from underneath, with your palms facing away from you. It’s ideal for exercises like reverse grip chin-ups, underhand lat pulldowns, underhand inverted rows, and barbell bicep curls.
Alternated Grip
In the alternated grip, one hand is pronated and the other is supinated. The strong hand is usually positioned on top, while the weak hand is put under. The alternate grip is the best grip for deadlifts since it is widely believed that using an alternate grip allows a lifter to carry more weight when deadlifting.
Grip strength is frequently cited as a limiting factor in the ability to lift heavy weights, particularly when using a pronated grip. During maximal-effort lifts, the bar has a tendency to roll out of the hands quite readily.
Hook Grip
Hook grip is used in many strength-related sports, including Olympic weightlifting, Crossfit, and powerlifting, because it provides a secure bar grip when performing pulling motions with the barbell, such as the snatch, power clean, and deadlift.
To use the hook grip, wrap your thumbs around the bar and then pin your thumb to the bar with your index, ring, and big finger.
Hammer Grip
The hammer grip is most commonly used for bicep curls, but it can also be used for chin-ups. To use the hammer grip, grab the weight with your palms facing each other.
The hammer-grip dumbbell bench press is easier on your shoulders than the regular dumbbell bench press. As a result, it is better for people with shoulder pain.
Wide Grip
The term “wide grip” refers to a grip that is longer than shoulder width. When holding the bar, there are three basic widths: shoulder-width apart, narrow, and wide. The wide grip emphasizes the chest and shoulder muscles while putting more stress on the shoulder joint, whereas the narrow grip emphasizes the triceps muscles while putting more tension on the wrist joint.
Close Grip
In general, there is a slight difference between a wide and a close grip; both engage your chest, front delts, and triceps, but to different degrees. When compared to the close-grip bench press, trained weightlifters appear to be about 5–6 percent stronger in the wide grip bench press.
False Grip
In the false grip for bench press is also known as the ‘suicide grip’, you wrap your thumb around the bar, and rest the bar in the palm of your hand.