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Need advice on barbell grip

ellinghad

ellinghad

New member
Hey guys! I was doing my last set of 5x5 bench press at a gym I haven't lifted at in a long time, and for some reason, there was something wrong with my grip. My wrists weirdly flicked backwards and I nearly dropped 215 lbs on my neck (it hit my chest instead!). I think my wrists bent backwards or something, but at the other gym I lift at this has neve even been a possibility.

It's hard to describe, but there's something weird about the grip. I wear the same gloves, it's a similar bench, and the barbell seems identical, but I have a horrible grip on the barbell. Even on the 3rd and 4th set I felt that unease in holding the bar. It's definitely not the weight either, because I've actually been doing less than usual. Does anyone know what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks, God bless, and have a Happy New Year! =)
 
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.
 
really? Cause I use gloves to keep my hands baby-soft lol. I guess I'm a wimp! The thing is, I've never had this problem lifting at my gym @ UF and I was lifting even 235 without a second doubt about my wrists at all! Do I need to strengthen my wrists or anything? It's so odd...
 
Just taking a guess here- It may be you had a poor grip on the bar (probably brought about or aggrevated by those gloves) before you even unracked the weights. What I mean is- it's important to grip the bar as hard as possible when you set up. It's one of the more common errors people make. Next time make sure the bar is flat against the largest possible surface area of your hand as you can get it and then grip the bar as hard as possible. Might do the trick.
 
Dave Tate (of Westside Barbell) states that, during the bench, you should squeeze the bar hard with your hands and then try and rip the bar apart by spreading it apart. Technically, it's a tip to help activate the triceps, but I think it will help you immensely in this situation. Also, add one more to the "ditch the gloves" group.
 
I think that'd be biceps rather than triceps but the technique of trying to rip the bar apart helps with stabilizing it.

Like anotherbutters mentions, the bar should be above your forarms. The plane through the bar leading to the floor should pass through both forearms. Think of them as twin pillars supporting the bar and, as such, they should be directly below the bar. If, while you are lifting, you are aware that this isn't so then try to see why the bar has drifted and correct it. If you tend to press with bent wrists then relearn how to bench

and dump the gloves unless your pantyhose are more important to you than pressing the weight :)
 
They're coming out of the woodwork now. ;)

I really have no idea. I tried some decades ago and didn't like the feel of not being in contact with the bar and never tried them again.
 
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...
 
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)
 
Jim Ouini said:
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.
Click to expand...

Oh, this gym has a box with free chalk in it, by the way. Maybe that's the best route...
 
ellinghad said:
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)
Click to expand...

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.
 
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. =(
 
ellinghad said:
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. =(
Click to expand...
Suck it up, Tinkerbell :D

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.
 
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.
 
blut wump said:
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.
Click to expand...
I just don't think you try hard enough when you deadlift ;)

EDIT: Do you have big hands BW? Because I know you can use a regular grip on your heaviest deads. Just curious, since you manage that and still have dry hands. Chalk makes a big difference for me as I have small hands that tend to leak a lot. My wrists are 7" and the circumference of my clenched fist over the knuckles is 11".
 
I just didn't know what a good way of measuring a hand was :)

So, bigger than mine, but not big like shovels, I guess. My hand's finally recovered from the Ivanko gripper work, so I might hit it up again.
 
I took my COC #1 and trainer home with me over Christmas. The males of the family were gutted to be unable to close the trainer. I didn't bother to show them the #1. My nephew closed the trainer by squeezing it between his thighs and both hands.
 
Hehe, thanks for all the helps guys, even though I have NO idea what you two are talking about! (My innocent ears didn't hear anything =P)
 
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