This is perfect and all I have on my thumb as well. It will feel loose and down right weird to begin with.
(will add this to OP)
When you train with your grip what ever grip you use will be the strongest and this includes the position of your fingers and hands. If you train with bar in your knuckles that will be your strongest position and same if you train with it in your palm. That goes for both Mixed and Hook Grip.
This is also why I dont see a lot of use to come out of things like Plate Pinches, towel pullups or or vice grippy things. I am sure it helps, just not nearly as much as actually using your grip.
This worked for me for a while. I was diligent and even tracked the sets that I was doing with which hand was under.
In the end my right SI Joint always became more inflamed and I also developed mobility issues in one of my lats that would always lead to helicoptering.
The breaking point was my 1st 600lbs deadlift. My last warmup set I severely inflamed my right SI Joint. So I switched which hand was under and then I severely inflamed my left SI Joint.
Just a question here. Post if youāve successfully or unsuccessfully used hook grip and roughly the length of your thumb. I think that is the biggest factor. My thumb is 3" long and have never had a problem with hook grip. I did drop 785 once but that was an error on my part looking back.
My thumbs are 2.5 inches and yes, hook grip works for me. Only ever had grip issues doing sets of 3+ reps, and that was with a bar thicker than a power bar with smooth knurling.
I donāt know if you guys have tried this, (iām only 15, and deadlifting 300, I know its embarrassing, but hey, everyone starts somewhere) When I first tried hook grip, it felt like I was ripping my thumb nail out, and I could double over more than I could hook because of the pain. I tried putting a layer of medical tape around my thumb nail, and voila, no pain at all, and I feel totally secure on every rep. This strategy is even legal in the IPF, and it makes me wonder why we donāt see more people using medical tape. Maybe the tape rips if you use any sort of heavy weight.
When I first tried it before finally switching I had that feeling of ripping out my thumbnail too and it was because I was doing it wrong, I was only holding onto the thumbnail rather than trying to get my fingers around the thumb. It could be that you have smaller hands, try watching some of the videos I mentioned above (George Leeman, Mike Hedlesky (Hamburgertrain on youtube), and Mark Robb (Reactive Training Systems youtube) and maybe you will find a more appropriate way to do it.
I tried medical tape too but it was more trouble than it was worth, it would slip or tear and I had to re-tape for every set. Iām sure there is some better tape like the one John Broz sells but not around here and I donāt need it anyway.
I could not find the Leeman or Hedlesky videos on Hook Grip.
I think the reason that PLers are stuck in this incorrect Hook Technique for Powerlifting is because it is correct for Olympic Lifting.
But the sports are very different. Even Deadlift form is different for Oly Lifters.
Here is why Hook for PLing is different:
In Olympic lifting they must have much greater control over the bar. They lift it, pretty much fling it and then have to maintain enough control over it to catch the weight. Having the bar deep into your palm with your thumb wedged in there keeps the bar as controlled as possible.
In Powerlifting all we are doing is lifting the bar and setting it back down. This requires significantly less control over the bar.
Another factor is that Olympic lifters are using significantly less weight than Powerlifters. They may be applying more force but I dont know the physics so for right now I will say that with more weight the pain of hook grip is amplified.
Even if more force is applied in an Olympic lift in Powerlifting it is not necessary to feel that same pain that comes with their Technique. As it so happens due to the arm length differences it is also sub optimal to use their Technique for Powerlifting.
EDIT: WORTH MENTIONING: Olympic Lifters tend to use much wider grips so the hand angle will cause the thumb to more naturally dig deeper into the palm. Powerlifting hand angles means that you must do more work to force the thumb into the palm and this will make it more painful.
When you setup, how far around the bar is the tip segment of your thumb?
Is any of your thumb āunder the barā so towards the floor, or is the parallel segment on the side of the bar facing you? Or somewhere inbetween at 45 degrees or so?
Calgary Barbell has a good video on hook grip as well.
It took me 3 attempts to learn the hook grip (kept giving up due to pain). I would stick with hook grip for 3 weeks or so, then switch back to mixed due to pain, and not feeling as strong with the hook.
Finally it stuck. I would not consider going back to mixed. Had two low back tweaks during the time I was mixed grip pulling, and none after. Also, I have seen 2 bicep tears that would not have happened if hook grip was used.
It will feel as strong / stronger once you learn it. It will always hurt, but not nearly as bad as while learning it.
I donāt do what he does but he makes it work and has IPF world records to show for it.
You might be right, I never knew that there was a different way to hook grip for weightlifting. I just tried a few different variations and figured out the way that works for me, plus using a deadlift bar makes it way easier and I can grip way more than I could possibly pull anytime soon. What you are saying is definitely worth considering for someone who is having issues with making hook grip work, maybe you should make a video explaining it since a lot of people can barely read these days and it would be easier to understand if we can see it.
The way I do it my thumb is under the bar, the tip might even be slightly in front. To me it seems like the key is to get your index and middle fingers as far around the thumb as possible.
Upper segment perpendicular, lower half as parallel as it goes and I very intentionally leave it in the knuckles. This feels weird and loose at first but you get used to it. If you have smaller hands you will not get as much of a shortened ROM but it will be a tighter more natural feeling grip.
Video Part 1 is coming soon (uploading but internet is crap).
Am I the only maniac here that uses hook grip even for 5x10 5/3/1 BBB sets?
Prop tip: put leukoplast around the lower segment of your thumb and the skin wont rip.
I also got these marks on the nail of both thumbs?
