Over the years my weakest link was almost always my hands and forearms.My grip was always lagging. Naturally my forearms are small,I don’t have the best insertions for size or strength,and for a six footer my hands are undersized.
For a long time I thought grip would not be my strength.
After high school I bought straps for the purpose of shrugging. My traps were always strong and easily developed. Hands were limiting my traps ability to soar. So I strapped up here always. I never made a habit of strapping up for anything else,and only rarely used them for another exercise. High rep heavy dumbbell rows or the occasional day when I didn’t want hands to limit deadlifts.
I continued to lift as best as my hands would allow.
Then in 2015 I found myself without weights for 8 months. I did lots of isometrics for my back,chins off a tree,flexing of the forearm simulating levering, and opened and shut my hands for 100s of reps at a time.
I came back to weights and within 8 weeks hit a lifetime 30lb deadlift PR.
Within another month or two I could hold that weight (455) no problem.
A month or two later I was kicked out of that gym for actually lifting weights.
New gym, on day two pulled 484 on a fat bar, lifetime PR was 495×2 strapped. Maybe I have ridiculous open hand strength from isometrics, wrestling snap downs and the head and arm hold. Maybe I don’t.
My lifetime PR in deads is still 515, I’ve gotten 545 to knee level many times.With a fat bar a week ago I’d gotten 515 to knee height. Grip is no longer the issue. I can hold more than I can pull now.
How did this happen though?
As far as I can tell, I just had to give it time. Physically I seem to be a late bloomer, I simply had to do my best training, use straps only when COMPLETELY required and wait a few years. I may even count strapped very heavy shrugs as grip work, go heavy enough and the straps won’t do all the work, your grip is still worked.
It seems I simply have to persist and endure for lengths of time, then my abilities skyrocket up almost overnight.
My power clean currently sucks. Lifetime and recent best of 255 @245. I am iffy with 225, even though I’ve got it for as many as 3, but own 205. 205 is an everyday max. I’ve got it for as many as 6 or 7 reps. But on a fat bar, seems unreasonable. Until last night. On a regular bar I cleaned up to 195, failing 225 about 5 times, then switched to the fat bar and dropped weight. Power clean and press. 114,164,then with 194 I failed to press,then push press it, but the cleans, fat bar, chalkless were easy. Dumbfoundingly so.
Well add 5 lbs, then celebrate that I can clean 200 on a fat bar, went and told my buddy what I did, then realized the bar weighs 24lbs it was only 199. I added the smallest micro plates the gym has, 1,25 each to an amazing 201.5 fail,fail,scream motherfucker. Get angry, and hit it fast. I simply wasn’t in the groove.
Then to get it on camera. Add weight, 2 plates a side , 204lbs, grab a buddy to film it. Hit it , ask that he got it, if he hadn’t I would’ve doubled or tripled it. He had. Then added weight and failed 224 twice, too bad. Would’ve been sweat to really crush it on the fat bar.
So how did someone who shouldn’t have good grip get it?
Simple, I kept training. I’d say the one biggest factor was the weightless work during those 8 months, but the last month or two of everything being done fat bar couldn’t hurt. If you want to shrug allow yourself to use straps, just don’t be a strap addict. Use your hands,if mine can surpass the rest of my musculature, so can yours.
I’d highly recommend using a fat bar as often as possible, although fat grips can work in commercial gym hell. For straps Spud Inc makes awesome ones. I’ve shrugged as high as 750, no issues. I doubt one could tear them.
Kill It – J