USING A HOOK GRIP

Powerlifters use an alternating grip (one palm facing forward, the other backward) when deadlifting to prevent the bar from rolling out of their hands. Yet Olympic weightlifters lift extremely heavy weights with both palms facing backward, or pronated. What's their secret to holding on to the bar so well? They all use a hook grip. The hook grip is more efficient and allows you to lift much more weight without the use of straps. This grip is a little tough to master, but it is well worth the pain. As you grasp the barbell with a pronated grip, the thumbs wrap around the bar first, and then the first two or three fingers on each hand wrap over the thumbs (as opposed to the traditional grip in which the fingers wrap around the bar first and then the thumbs wrap around on top of them). You have more control with the hook grip because two or more fingers are holding on to the thumb, rather than one thumb holding on to two or more fingers. It's a little painful at first, because the thumbs need to stretch quite a bit and the fingers compress them. Start out by lifting lighter weights and let your thumbs adapt. In a short while you will impress all your friends with the weights you can lift without straps.