For years I lifted with straps… I would literally use straps for everything, even curls (ok, not curls, but you get the idea). On back exercises they allowed me to keep my hands relaxed, which in turned left my forearms and arms relaxed, shifting more of the work on the back.
For big lifts like deadlifts they allowed me to use more weight and do the movement more often because of a lowered CNS impact.
Well, after high pulling 170kg I decided, what the Heck, let’s give the olympic lifts a second run.
I found that my mobility was now dismal: much added muscle mass and not any focus on the extreme ranges of motions required of the shoulder and hip joint in the olympic lifts… no worries, I expected that. And with the proper mobility routine I regained olympic-lifting functionality in my range of motion in about 2 weeks.
No, the unexpected came when I tried to do a snatch from the floor with 60kg… now keep in mind that 4-5 months back I could power snatch 125kg from blocks (with straps) and just high pulled 170kg… well I could’t explode with the bar because even with only 60kg, I would lose my grip!!!
I never had a strong grip, but that was pathetic! Turns out that not only my grip became weaker, but it also became ‘‘lazier’’… I basically learned and programmed myself to lift with loose hands over a 5 years period.
So I decided to embark myself in a pretty intense grip work program. So I started out using the same approach as I do with abs: a grip blitz. Basically doing grip work for 20-30 minutes at the end of every workout.
Here are the drills I use:
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Two-hands pinch-grip deadlift holds ( http://www.T-Nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/grip_training_for_the_deadlift )… I lift the weight once then hold it for 10 seconds. I ramp up the weight until I can’t hold 10 seconds, then I back off a bit and do 4 sets of max time with only 30 seconds of rest
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Single hand pinch-grip deadlift hold: same as above, but only one hand at a time.
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Thick bar shrug hold: For some reason my grip is not as strong when my shoulders are elevated (shrugged up), and that is something that happens during the olympic lifts, so I practice holds with a thick bar in that position. I do 10 seconds with a snatch-width grip, no rest, 10 seconds with a clean-width grip. I ramp up the weight gradually until I cannot do the full 10 seconds on any of the two grips, then back off a little and do 4 sets of max time + max time.
I do no.3 on every workout, and alternate no.1 and no.2 on an every other day basis… for example:
DAY 1. 1 & 3
DAY 2: 2 & 3
DAY 3: 1 & 3
DAY 4: 2 & 3
etc.
Within a week my grip strength was back almost to normal. But I will continue to do this for a 6 weeks blocks to get my grip really strong, then will move to maintenance, doing the 3 movements in one workout once or twice a week.
The good news is that grip strength is highly neurological and thus improves very fast.
