Need advice on barbell grip

[nelmsjer]

hey, blut_wump, I'm curious on your thoughts on the bicep issue. I grabbed that directly from an article by Dave Tate, who mentioned the tricep activation. If your hands are pronated on the bar, and they are pulling the bar apart laterally, that would have to be triceps, right? The only way it would be biceps is if you were trying to push the bar together medially.

Let me know what you think...

 

[ellinghad]

Eh? So to get the best grip I have to get rid of my gloves? Can you still prevent your hands from getting callouses without gloves? (I'm not a very manly man, just so you know. I am notorious for having girly hands/fingernails. It's because I'm yellow I guess)

 

[ellinghad]

I was just gonna say, you lose some of that proprioceptive feedback when you wear gloves. Same thing with cushiony cross training shoes, I hear.

If the bar is too slippery you may want to smuggle in some chalk.

Oh, this gym has a box with free chalk in it, by the way. Maybe that's the best route...

 

[Guinness5.0]

I just started using chalk last week and it's nothing short of incredible - I think it'll have a direct impact on how much I lift.

 

[Cynical Simian]

Eh? So to get the best grip I have to get rid of my gloves? Can you still prevent your hands from getting callouses without gloves? (I'm not a very manly man, just so you know. I am notorious for having girly hands/fingernails. It's because I'm yellow I guess)

If you can function outside the gym and operate things such as doorknobs and keyboards without getting calluses, you should be able to bench without them being a problem. The issue is likely that your improper wrist position leads to the bar slipping and causing folds/abrasion on the skin. If you follow anotherbutters and blut wump's advice and fix that, I'm willing to bet calluses won't be an issue.

 

[Cynical Simian]

I just started using chalk last week and it's nothing short of incredible - I think it'll have a direct impact on how much I lift.

Yeah, your lifts have been great since that "chalk" started kicking in.

 

[Jim Ouini]

Yeah, your lifts have been great since that "chalk" started kicking in.

 

[ellinghad]

Alright, thanks guys! So just to be clear: bare hands for bench press = no calluses? What about deadlifts? Cause that kills my hands even with gloves. =(

 

[Guinness5.0]

Alright, thanks guys! So just to be clear: bare hands for bench press = no calluses? What about deadlifts? Cause that kills my hands even with gloves. =(

Suck it up, Tinkerbell

What do you expect? The bar's knurled and it's heavy. Deal with it or take up knitting or interior design. Just bustin' your balls a bit but you gotta take the good with the bad. IMO the calluses, bloody shins and shit are cool. Why do you want soft, effeminite hands anyway? Just use lotion when boner time comes and you'll be fine.

 

[blut wump]

I don't get calluses on my palm at all from deadlifting. Either that or they get worn off since I don't use lotion either.

Start with the bar near the fingers rather than with the bar in your palm when you are pulling. The bar cannot then roll out of your palm which is the cause of those calluses. I have no solution to calluses on the fingers but chalk is supposed to help a little.

I bought myself some chalk for the gym and didn't really notice any benefit from it. I have dry hands, though, so maybe the chalk had nothing to do. I mostly use it on those days when the bar feels a little 'oily'. Presumably from a previous lifter's lotion residue.

Regarding the triceps/biceps activation on bench. I could be completely wrong but I know that my triceps are already well activated when I bench. I don't always get that feeling of tearing the bar apart but when I do it feels to me as though biceps are being added in.