when i deadlift if i dont use any wrist straps i can not use very heavy weight as compared to when i use them. not using straps also gives my really nasty callises. would it be better strength wise to use chalk instead?
how do you guys do heavy deadlifts? i also always keep an overhand grip(palms facing me)
mixed grip
I do not use wrist straps.
Not using straps might give you calluses, but at least you will feel like a man.
I generally use a double-overhand grip, but for my heaviest working sets, I use a mixed grip.
[quote]solidkhalid wrote:
mixed grip[/quote]
X2
And I’m not trying to be a dick to the OP but are you seriously worried about callouses on a deadlifting forum? WTF man?
what does mixed grip do for you? i tried it before but my undergrip arm’s bicep was really sore afterwards.
i also cant use as much weight without them.
[quote]talon2nr7588 wrote:
what does mixed grip do for you? i tried it before but my undergrip arm’s bicep was really sore afterwards.[/quote]
get used to it. like wendler said, if you’re worried about tearing a bicep when using a mixed grip, you shouldn’t be deadlifting in the first place. and besides, who gives a fuck about calluses? they make you a man. and then, when you break one of them open when you’re deadlifting, that makes you more of a man. don’t be a pussy. train your grip like a real man would.
When I use a mixed grip I alternate which hand is under usually every set. I’ve never had an issue with bicep pain.
Just watch how you take your grip. Make sure your skin isn’t being pinched prior to the lift.
[quote]GaWd wrote:
I do not use wrist straps.
Not using straps might give you calluses, but at least you will feel like a man.
I generally use a double-overhand grip, but for my heaviest working sets, I use a mixed grip.[/quote]
If you lift enough weight you will feel like a man regardless of whether you’re using straps or not. 
Benni demonstrates:
On topic: I use straps sometimes, it depends on what I’ve done previously in the week and how my hands are feeling. If I use them it’s usually on higher reps. The important thing here is to not let the straps become a crutch. If you ever find yourself depending on them, burn them. Other than that they can be situationally useful but the more you can do without them the better in my opinion.
Use a mixed grip, alternate which hand is under each week. Get some chalk and apply it. The only acceptable use of straps for deadlifting that I can think of is for snatch grip deadlifts or for someone who pulls with a hook grip that is trying to give their thumbs a break. If your bicep hurts from pulling, make sure you’re keeping your arms straight.
[quote]talon2nr7588 wrote:
what does mixed grip do for you? i tried it before but my undergrip arm’s bicep was really sore afterwards.[/quote]
It’s important that your arms aren’t bent when you deadlift, flex the triceps to ensure that your arms are completely locked out. You can also try a hook grip if you don’t like using a mixed grip, that can actually work better for some people.
[quote]burt128 wrote:
Use a mixed grip, alternate which hand is under each week.[/quote]
Do you think that mixing it up every set like I do is too frequent?
Never use straps - don’t even know how.
Never use mixed gip - always hook grip.
Chalk works wonders.
Get callouses but never blisters.
Deadlift 10.2009: couldn’t lock out 180/400 cos of grip failing
Deadlift 11.2010: 240 held at lockout for ever. 280+ rack pull (probably 300+)
What worked for my grip - 5-3-1 deadlifts. High rep sets (10 reps+)
Calluses are perfectly good for you. They are there to assist you in grip strength; and they do just that quite well.
Never used straps and have always used a mixed grip. Strength wise, you definitely need to avoid straps except maybe your last heaviest sets IMO. Try working up without the straps, then add them only when you HAVE to.
Forgot who said it but something along the lines of “If you can’t pull x without straps, you can’t really pull x.”
Dude unless you are a bodybuilder(which you shouldnt be since this is under powerlifting), then I would even throw away your straps. Grip is too important so work it correctly and buy some damn chalk. If you cant use chalk at your gym then get a substitute. Bodybuilding.com has some stuff called Liquid Grip. The stuff is awesome and lasts awhile.
[quote]Matsa wrote:
[quote]GaWd wrote:
I do not use wrist straps.
Not using straps might give you calluses, but at least you will feel like a man.
I generally use a double-overhand grip, but for my heaviest working sets, I use a mixed grip.[/quote]
If you lift enough weight you will feel like a man regardless of whether you’re using straps or not. Benni demonstrates:
[/quote]
Proof of the exception does not prove the rule.
I think we all know that straps are useful tools, but for people who over-use them (just like people who over-use belts), they do nothing good. We’ve all seen that guy in the gym. You know the one-he’s in the corner, with gloves, straps and a 2" weight belt going to town on the adductor machine.
I have some friends at the gym who insist that their hands are just too weak to do deadlifts without straps. I don’t argue with them, but I bet if they sucked it up some, and did their Dls bare-handed that they’d develop the hand strength required to perform their DLs.
For someone who has grip trouble (like the OP), I’d suggest backing off of the gear-the wrist wraps and the bar straps are only allowing him to lift more than his native grip will allow him to, and in the process their grip will not progress.
[quote]burt128 wrote:
Use a mixed grip, alternate which hand is under each week. Get some chalk and apply it. The only acceptable use of straps for deadlifting that I can think of is for snatch grip deadlifts or for someone who pulls with a hook grip that is trying to give their thumbs a break. If your bicep hurts from pulling, make sure you’re keeping your arms straight.[/quote]
That’s when I use them, snatch grip deads. Hook grip on lighter, straps heavier. It kicks the crap out of my thumbs otherwise.
OP use over/under and chalk.
HOOK GRIP FTW
[quote]GaWd wrote:
Proof of the exception does not prove the rule.
I think we all know that straps are useful tools, but for people who over-use them (just like people who over-use belts), they do nothing good. We’ve all seen that guy in the gym. You know the one-he’s in the corner, with gloves, straps and a 2" weight belt going to town on the adductor machine.
I have some friends at the gym who insist that their hands are just too weak to do deadlifts without straps. I don’t argue with them, but I bet if they sucked it up some, and did their Dls bare-handed that they’d develop the hand strength required to perform their DLs.
For someone who has grip trouble (like the OP), I’d suggest backing off of the gear-the wrist wraps and the bar straps are only allowing him to lift more than his native grip will allow him to, and in the process their grip will not progress.
[/quote]
Benni is not the exception, it’s very common that strongmen deadlift with straps and I could’ve just as well have used a vid of Savickas, Poundstone, Nee or Ortmayer. One reason why they use straps is that their event training is very brutal on the hands.
Other than that I have no issues with what you wrote in this post though, I actually agree with it. My personal opinion is that beginners should stay away from straps, avoid using them for as long as possible. If for some reason they want to use straps later in their career it’s usually fine, but by then they should have built a solid foundation of grip strength.