How To Hook Grip With Small Hands

Today's post is the near complete guide to the weightlifting hook grip.

In this new guide, you lot'll learn the answers to the most popular questions about hook grip technique.

Whether you're a beginner lifter to the claw grip or a veteran omnibus seeking to increase your weightlifting knowledge, you'll get a lot of value from today's guide.

Here's a summary of what we'll cover:

• What does a claw grip expect similar?
• How do you make a hook grip?
• How the claw grip works
• Why is the hook grip better?
• Is hook grip ameliorate?
• How long does it have to learn the hook grip?
• Can you hook grip with small hands?
• Are hands too small-scale for hook grip?
• Is the hook grip supposed to hurt?
• Does hook grip thumb hurting ever go away?
• What tape practice weightlifters use?
• Is claw grip necessary?
• Should you claw grip deadlift?
• Bonus: Releasing the hook grip?

Permit'south get started.

What Does a Hook Grip Look Like?

Basically, the claw grip looks like a fist with the thumb tucked within. But the actual representation depends on factors like:

1. your pollex length,
2. your thumb girth,
3. tendon flexibility in your thumb,
4. the length of your fingers, and
5. the girth of your fingers.

For case, hither are iv different representations among professional Chinese weightlifters:

You tin come across differences in how far the thumb moves across the palm.

Differences in which fingers wrap effectually the thumb.

Differences in how many fingers wrap around the pollex.

And how much the palm folds onto itself.

The point is in that location is no single way the hook grip should expect.

When learning or teaching how to hook grip, in that location will be private differences only they all should follow the same process.

How Do You Make a Hook Grip?

To make a hook grip, follow this four-step procedure:

1. Keep your arms relaxed as you lot printing the spider web betwixt your thumb and index finger deep into the bar. Yous'll notice your thumb begin to internally rotate from this motion.
2. Next, wrap your thumb around the bar every bit far as possible. This "hook" creates a shelf to rest the bar and use force from the pollex.
3. Then, wrap your fingers around the outer border of your pollex and bar. This pace creates a second "hook" where the fingers compress the thumb to prevent it from externally rotating.
4. This office is optional: gently tug on the barbell to avoid resting the bar straight on a bony surface area or blood vessel, ensuring the compression on the pollex feels comfy.

Depending on the shape of your hand, you might wrap one – 3 fingers around the thumb.

And then, your remaining fingers will wrap around the bar to provide support.

In People's republic of china, some weightlifters will wrap their alphabetize and middle fingers over their pollex.

But other Chinese weightlifters will wrap their middle and ring fingers over their pollex.

There is no unmarried fashion.

The most important aspect is to grip comfortably rather than forcing your hook grip to wait similar someone else'south.

How the Hook Grip Works

Regardless of what your claw grip looks like, the claw grip creates a secure grip past:

1. Assisting internal rotation of your hand and forearm.
2. Producing a shape change in the hand for your thumb to employ force into the bar directly.
3. Creating a double layer of resistance confronting the bar.
4. Creating an interlocking system to forestall the bar from rolling.
5. Equalizing pressure in your manus to restrict the bar'south motility.

Allow'south get deeper into each of these mechanisms.

Weightlifting Hook Grip: Mechanism 1

I fashion the hook grip works is by helping produce internal rotation in the hand and forearm, which produces more than force into the bar.

To understand this, hold your arm in front of you with your thumb pointing to the ceiling.

And so internally rotate your pollex into your palm until your trunk reaches its terminate range of motion, similar this:

Observe how leading with your thumb induces your wrist, elbow, and shoulder to follow.

This internal rotation frees your elbows and/or shoulders from internally rotating as much to secure the bar.

Weightlifting Hook Grip: Mechanism two

Another way the hook grip works is by producing a shape change in the hand.

This shape modify lets you access a space where your thumb tin internally rotate and employ force to the bar.

This image shows the excursion of the pollex equally information technology externally rotates and internally rotates across the left palm.

The red space is where the thumb produces more of an internal rotation (IR) force.

The blue space is where the thumb produces more of an external rotation (ER) force.

And the deeper your thumb can reach into this IR space, the more your palm will fold.

This fold increases the relative length of the pollex and its leverage to utilise forcefulness.

Just during a normal grip, much of this IR space is not available because your fingers are in the way.

While the palm does fold during a normal grip, it is more than limited than a hook grip.

And if you endeavor to internally rotate your thumb in the same way as a hook grip, and then the folding will deform your fist.

This difference makes the hook grip a superior grip.

Weightlifting Hook Grip: Mechanism 3

A third way the hook grip works is by creating a double layer of resistance against the bar:

This organisation works by positioning your thumb and fingers to apply force to the bar.

Internal rotation is how your body produces force.

When yous hold a barbell with a normal grip, just your fingers are in the red internal rotation (IR) space.

And so you only have one layer of resistance to counter the downward force from the bar.

And notice how your thumb is near the blue external rotation (ER) space.

In this location, your thumb is more prone to opening rather than applying strength.

You lot can endeavor this yourself.

Try pressing your thumb towards your fingers, and you'll feel a weak force.

However, with a claw grip, your thumb enters the ruddy IR space every bit it wraps underneath the bar.

This orientation forms another layer of resistance.

And you'll experience your pollex proceeds a greater ability to apply force.

Merely that's not all!

Weightlifting Hook Grip: Mechanism iv

Your thumb and fingers open/externally rotate in reverse directions.

And during a hook grip, your thumb interlocks with your fingers, like this:

This orientation makes it harder for the bar to open up your paw.

But during a normal grip, your pollex lacks this capability.

And then your fingers must do all the work to prevent the bar from rolling.

Weightlifting Hook Grip: Machinery 5

The last way the hook grip works is past equalizing pressure in your thumb to prevent its movement.

During an Olympic lift with hook grip, the bar compresses the inner border of your thumb pad as yous first to lift.

This compression moves the fluid in the thumb pad toward the outer border and causes it to expand.

It's like pressing on ane side of a airship and causing the other side to aggrandize.

And your thumb volition move in the management of this expansion unless you tin close this space.

Now, since your fingers wrap along the outer edge of your pollex, they are positioned to block this expansion.

As your fingers compress against this expansion, the fluid in your thumb volition move dorsum toward the inner edge.

You tin test this yourself past pressing your left fingers onto the outer border of your right thumb pad, similar this:

And the further you wrap your fingers around your pollex during the hook grip, the more than surface surface area padding they can press against.

This fluid shift increases the pressure level confronting the bar, which prevents it from rolling.

It also prevents your thumb from moving, which helps preserve your grip.

Why is the Hook Grip Better?

Given the mechanics described above, the hook grip is better than a normal grip because you lot can:

1. Grip the bar more securely compared to a normal overhead grip.
2. Reduce the need for a compensatory strategy.

Because the hook grip changes the shape of your hand to utilize greater force and creates a system to forestall the bar from rolling, it is a much more secure grip.

But how does a hook grip reduce the need for a compensatory strategy?

Unproblematic.

Basically, if you tin't produce strength in 1 surface area, you must produce forcefulness elsewhere.

Otherwise, you won't exist able to lift the weight.

Think, your thumb internally rotates to create a hook grip, which helps drive internal rotation in the balance of the arm.

Without the claw grip, it is easier to rely on compensatory strategies to secure the bar.

There are many compensatory strategies discussed in our Chinese weightlifting book, but here are several mutual ones.

Why Hook Grip: Bounty one

First, some athletes volition actively point their knuckles to the floor or flex their wrists to increase their wrap around the bar. Similar this:

However, wrist flexion moves your artillery away from your torso and alters your movement strategy for the snatch or clean.

If you can't maintain wrist flexion during the snatch or clean, then your wrists will straighten and create down + frontward momentum.

In this case, you must prevent the bar from pulling you lot down or frontward.

And the mutual strategy to produce force is concentrically orienting your back muscles and rear deltoids excessively.

But what if yous're actually strong and can maintain your wrist flexion?

In this case, the bar will attain your contact point early on.

During early contact, your legs aren't in an optimal position for the extension.

So, your upper body must practise more piece of work to lift and take hold of the bar.

Why Hook Grip: Compensation 2

Another mutual compensatory strategy is flexing the elbows, like this:

Flexing your elbows is a similar strategy to flexing your wrists and sometimes occurs together.

If your arms are unable to stay flexed during the deadlift portion of the snatch or clean, then they will straighten and create downwards momentum on the bar.

But there's some other event.

Since y'all're aptitude over the bar, flexing your elbows concentrically orients your dorsum muscles and creates a rowing move.

Rowing the bar as you stand can increase the standoff between the bar and your hips.

This collision can transport the bar forrad and throw off your grab.

Why Hook Grip: Compensation three

Another common compensatory strategy is internally rotating your elbows excessively, like this:

This move increases your pronation capability to aid your grip.

However, it also eccentrically orients your mid-dorsum muscles and rounds your spine.

This position reduces the force capability of your mid-dorsum.

And then, what must do more work to raise your trunk?

Your lower back and neck.

These compensatory strategies all reduce your strength transfer during the snatch and clean.

Only a hook grip helps you relax your arms and avoid these compensatory strategies.

Is Hook Grip Better?

Yes, inquiry indicates a hook grip allows you to lift more weight and optimize the force you can transfer into the bar.

A pocket-sized study by Oranchuk et al. (2019) shows yous can lift a higher 1RM power clean using a claw grip compared to a normal grip.

This college 1RM occurs in several ways:

First, the bar moves substantially faster during the ability clean at most intensities with a hook grip than a normal grip (see the outset chart).

Second, power output increases substantially when your intensity reaches 80% or higher with a hook grip than a normal grip (see the second chart).

This is normal because:

power = force * velocity

So, you lot should expect more power if your velocity increases, even if your force stays the aforementioned.

Finally, every bit the intensity increases, athletes who utilise a hook grip tend to catch the bar at a substantially higher forepart squat position than with a normal grip (run across the third chart).

This result makes sense considering it is easy to catch the bar at a high front squat position (regardless of grip) when the weight is light.

In another version, Oranchuk et al. (2018) found small differences in summit vertical displacement (0.95 – 1.94%).

This consequence ways athletes lifted the bar to nearly the same height regardless of the grip they used.

It makes sense considering you need to create plenty space to catch the bar, no affair what technique yous utilize.

Only how are athletes able to motion the bar faster and catch the bar 4.35 – 12.35% college with the hook grip?

It could exist that the hook grip immune athletes to sustain good posture during the deadlift phase.

Or it could be the claw grip prevented the bar from slipping during the extension, which allows the athlete to continue accelerating the bar.

The study did not examination those issues.

However, the results suggest athletes used a different movement strategy between grips.

And the compensatory strategy with a normal grip delayed their timing to pull under and dampened their catch.

Not only does this delay affect your technique, but information technology too affects your connective tissues.

How?

If you dampen your grab, then you tedious the charge per unit of loading on your connective tissues.

So your tissues will train to exist less potent and less apt to produce strength.

The upshot is a negative effect on maximizing your power clean.

And if you're using the power clean every bit role of a vertical jump program, it might non improve your jumping.

Information technology might even exist counterproductive!

How Long Does information technology Take to Learn the Hook Grip?

Learning how to hook grip is very like shooting fish in a barrel and usually merely takes a few sets to understand information technology.

However, getting accustomed to the pressure level and friction from the hook grip takes about two weeks.

The primal is to use the claw grip frequently to shorten the fourth dimension to acclimatize your easily.

In China, beginners larn how to hook grip equally they brainstorm learning weightlifting technique.

Beginners can apply a PVC or kid'south bar and add together weight gradually before moving on to a women'southward bar or men'southward bar.

This progression can ease the pressure on their thumbs.

Merely what if you can't frequently train your weightlifting technique?

No worries!

You can learn how to hook grip past increasing your exposure during bodybuilding movements, such as hook grip rows, hook grip pullups, etc.

Can You Hook Grip With Minor Easily?

This is a common business concern among men, only yes, yous tin can perform a hook grip with small easily.

A study by Shuai (1991) recommends a minimum thumb length of 5.91cm +- 0.15cm to perform a hook grip comfortably with an IWF men's barbell.

How did he find this?

Shuai examined the thumb length of 154 professional, male, Chinese weightlifters.

He measured the altitude from the tip of the thumb to its metacarpal joint (come across the cerise line below):

And then he recorded his findings over various weight classes and found the average thumb length in the 52kg class to be near five.91cm +- 0.15cm.

Shuai worried if any outliers were driving the results.

So he then measured the thumb length amid Chinese national and earth snatch champions from 1984 – 1986.

Detect how Qiu Yuanfu (52kg) could snatch over double bodyweight with a thumb length of v.5cm!

Meanwhile, Zeng Guoqiang and Zhang Shoulie (52kg) have half dozen.4cm thumb lengths!

5.5cm and vi.4cm are well-nigh three standard deviations away from the average Shuai calculated, which is exceptional even among elites in lightweight classes.

Since the outliers are evenly spread, Shuai recommends a thumb length of 5.91cm as a comfortable minimum for adult men.

So, next time y'all wonder, "how to hook grip with pocket-size hands?" mensurate your thumbs to brand certain you really have small-scale hands.

Are Easily likewise Modest for Hook Grip?

If your hands are small-scale (i.due east., shut to 5.91cm or below), then you lot can enhance your hook grip with:

1. Grip Aligning
2. Grip-enhancing agents such as:
   • Chalk
   • Liquid Chalk
   • Liquid Resin

Claw Grip Pocket-sized Hands: Grip Adjustment

In that location's no denying it: the claw grip is more than effective with a longer thumb.

Shuai (1991) plant having a longer pollex (hence, a more effective hook grip) highly correlates with better snatch performance.

But with small hands, it'due south difficult to rely on the length of your fingers and pollex to secure your grip.

Fortunately, at that place's a solution.

You tin try adjusting your grip by internally rotating your pollex farther beyond your palm, like this:

This grip adjustment folds your hand further to increase the relative length of your pollex.

And this alter in relative length gives your thumb more than leverage and moves it deeper into the IR space (run across Weightlifting Hook Grip: Mechanism ii).

Claw Grip Small Hands: Grip-Enhancing Agents

Some other solution is to employ a grip-enhancing agent such as chalk or liquid resin.

Chalk and liquid chalk claim to increase the coefficient of friction past drying the peel.

Liquid resin claims to enhance the adhesion between the peel and surface.

Which should you lot employ?

The respond depends on the moisture of the surface and your peel.

A instance study by Carre et al. (2012) measured the change in friction using various grip-enhancing agents on a steel surface.

Here are the adapted results:

Example 1: Dry Hands and Dry Surface

If your hands are dry and the surface is dry out, chalk does NOT provide the best grip for deadlift, snatch, or make clean variations.

In fact, you're better off using your bare peel!

The reason?

If at that place'southward no moisture to dry out, then chalk acts as a solid lubricant.

By dissimilarity, liquid chalk increases friction substantially better by creating a glutinous solution.

And liquid resin performs best in a dry out environs because it is mucilaginous and tin can adhere to your skin.

This effect supports enquiry translated by Charniga (2007), claiming the force applied to the bar is fifteen% stronger with the employ of resin.

So if you lot want the best grip for deadlift, snatch, or cleans in dry conditions, then use a liquid agent.

Example two: Wet easily and Dry out Surface

The story changes if you increment the moisture of your hands through sweat or spray with h2o (middle chart).

In this example, the solid chalk provides the all-time grip for deadlift, snatch, and clean variations.

The reason is the chalk particles tin bind to the moisture and form a viscous solution.

And this solution increases the friction confronting steel, which enhances your grip.

But if you have sweaty hands, you lot DON'T desire to use liquid chalk or liquid resin.

Y'all're better off using your own skin (if you don't take dry chalk).

The reason?

These agents already take water, then if your pare is moist, they won't bind to it effectively and volition only increase lubrication against the bar.

Case 3: Dry Hands and Wet Surface

Finally, what if yous elevator in a humid environment?

In this instance, the contact surface (i.e., steel) is moist rather than your hand.

If the bar is damp, then all grip agents go less effective compared to a dry out surround.

But something is meliorate than nix.

Then, if you lot elevator in a humid environs, your best strategy is to dry the bar equally much equally possible with a dry out cloth.

Since the air is still humid, using solid chalk volition provide the best grip for deadlift, snatch, and clean variations.

In China, weightlifters frequently use weightlifting straps combined with chalk in boiling environments.

Is Hook Grip Supposed to Hurt?

Yes, it's common for the hook grip to feel uncomfortable when learning how to claw grip. This discomfort is due to:

1. Increased fluid pressure level from the bar and your fingers pressing into your thumb pad.
2. Friction on your pollex equally the bar tries to roll off the inner border of your thumb.

In addition to discomfort, these forces tin can create small peel tears along the inner edge of your thumb, swelling, chafing, and cleaved blood vessels, like this:

The good news is these bug are typical.

The bad news is these injuries/discomfort can interfere with your technique or heavier lifts.

And so, what'south the solution?

Use some weightlifting tape to provide a layer of pare protection until your mitt adapts.

Does Hook Grip Thumb Pain E'er Go Abroad?

Commonly, yeah. The swelling and broken blood vessels typically subside as your skin stretches to adapt high fluid pressure in your pollex pad.

And your thumb will become more resistant to chafing and skin tears as your skin thickens.

All the same, you lot might experience persistent thumb pain with the hook grip if you:

1. Press your thumb parallel against the bar.
2. Use your fingers to hook onto your thumbnail.
3. Lack internal rotation somewhere else, such as your shoulder.

Claw Grip Pain #one:

Pressing your thumb parallel to the bar places pressure on your thumbnail and the boney side of your thumb, including the joints.

The trouble is at that place's piffling fluid and room for pinch/expansion on this side, making this placement quite painful and persistent.

This trouble occurs frequently if yous don't learn how to hook grip correctly.

Fortunately, there's a solution.

You can hands resolve this by adjusting your grip to wrap your pollex pad effectually the bar, like the right side of the image above.

Claw Grip Hurting #ii:

Some other consequence is pressing your fingers directly on your thumbnail or its edge.

Because this area is sensitive to pressure, performing a hook grip can feel like your nail is getting pulled off.

It'due south hard to adapt to this, so your best solution is adjusting your grip.

You tin can start over and endeavour to printing the web between your index finger and pollex deeper into the bar.

You can also try wrapping your fingers further around your thumb.

Or yous can endeavor internally rotating your thumb further across your palm.

Just even if yous know how to hook grip, sometimes none of these solutions are possible because your fingers are too short or too thick.

In this instance, using weightlifting tape can provide a layer of protection to dampen the pressure level from your fingers.

Hook Grip Pain #3:

Sometimes athletes experience tightness or pain at the base of the pollex or wrist, shown in the blueish circles below:

The tightness can also occur between the two bluish circles.

Conventional wisdom is to stretch a tight area by performing ulnar deviation of your wrist while maintaining your fist.

Nevertheless, before you go pulling on something that doesn't want to elongate, consider looking more proximally to your torso.

Why?

Because if you can internally rotate your shoulder, pronate your forearm, and pronate your paw relative to your wrist, then you should have all your internal rotation available.

It's rare for 1 segment in the arm to move independently of other segments.

Then, if you accept a problem at the distal stop, you may have something proximal limiting your motility.

First, make certain you're not pointing your elbows back in the start, like this:

Some western coaches teach this external rotation movement to create tension in their midback.

The trouble?

It becomes more difficult to pronate (internally rotate) your forearm when you're already externally rotating it.

And so when you hook grip, yous're doing information technology confronting a muscle being pulled in the opposite management.

And you're forced to go beyond the range available, which can exist painful.

In this case, stretching may provide temporary relief if information technology does anything at all.

Second, consider restoring your pump handle to admission shoulder internal rotation.

What'southward that?

When you inhale, your ribcage (should) expands outward upward, like a pump:

Just if your pump handle stays downwards during inhalation, and so you lot'll have concentric orientation of upper body muscles anteriorly and laterally.

Think tight pecs, serratus, etc.

With a down pump handle, your scapula abducts, and your humerus internally rotates.

So you stop up looking like this:

This position is awkward to lift or walk.

So, yous demand to externally rotate compensatorily to brand use of your hands and arms.

The problem with this bounty is it concentrically orients your shoulder external rotators, limiting shoulder internal rotation.

The result is the same as you saw in the elbow: when yous hook grip, y'all're doing it against a muscle being pulled in the opposite direction.

So yous're forced to become beyond the range available to pronate, which can exist painful near the pollex.

And so how can you restore your internal rotation?

Use exercises that forcefulness an upwardly-pump handle. For instance, y'all can employ a reject pullover like this:

You can even do some incline, alternating, dumbbell bench press!

Alternatively, you can practice light front squats focusing on keeping your chest out and breathing through your breast.

Effort these movements and see if yous experience a reduction in claw grip hurting.

What Tape Practise Weightlifters Use?

In Mainland china, about weightlifters use a roll of firm cloth weightlifting tape. Similar this:

You lot might be wondering how to claw grip with such a large roll.

Fortunately, this tape tears easily into strips which you can customize for your wrists, shins, hands, as well as your pollex proportions.

Adjusting the width of the tape has several advantages.

First, information technology allows you to tape around the interphalangeal joint of the thumb.

Fugitive this spot is important because if you tape this spot also tightly, then the record volition create too much pressure in your thumb and can foreclose flexion.

Second, adjusting the width of the tape helps prevent slippage during a training session.

For example, if the width of the record is too broad, then any excess record hanging off the end of your thumb tin pull the entire strip during the pull.

Additionally, using a wide strip can crusade the tape to bunch upwardly when you flex your thumb or cause the record to slip off during a elevator.

Third, adjustable strips permit yous to target areas where the pare breaks without having to tape much of the thumb, like this:

This solution is skillful for athletes who don't similar taping their thumbs only need to protect a vulnerable surface area.

Is Hook Grip Necessary?

The claw grip is necessary (but not required) for weightlifting competition. Information technology's also not necessary for all weightlifting training exercises. Hither's a rough guideline of how Chinese weightlifters use the hook grip:

• Frequently used for:
  • Full Snatch
  • Total Clean
  • Power Snatch
  • Ability Clean
• Less frequently used for:
  • Hang Snatch
  • Hang Clean
  • Block Snatch
  • Block Clean
  • Complexes
  • Deadlifts
  • Snatch Pulls
  • Clean Pulls
  • Pressing Movements
  • Bodybuilding pulling movements like rows, mentum-ups, lat pulls, etc.

Of course, in that location are always exceptions. For example, check out this clean complex where the weightlifter uses a hook grip:

And check out this daughter snatching 115kg from blocks with a hook grip.

But still, it looks like Chinese weightlifters hardly apply the claw grip!

What are they using instead?

Answer: weightlifting straps

In general, near weightlifting assistance movements like block/hang/pulls require multiple reps where your grip tin fatigue, even with a hook grip.

If your grip fatigues, information technology can outcome in a compensatory strategy that interferes with your force production.

So, to avoid ingraining bad weightlifting habits, the hook grip is usually reserved for technical movements from the flooring and/or single reps.

When it comes to strength movements, there'south a lilliputian more dash.

Let'due south look at the deadlift every bit an example.

Should You Hook Grip Deadlift?

1. Exterior of weightlifting, since the hook grip is stronger than a normal grip, you should perform a hook grip deadlift if your goal is maximum deadlift force or reps.
2. But in weightlifting, the answer depends on your hook grip forcefulness, training schedule, and movement goals.

Allow'due south look at each of these factors more closely.

Hook Grip Deadlift: Grip Strength

Some Chinese weightlifters perform hook grip deadlift variations because their hands are small, and so they demand to strengthen claw grip.

Other athletes accept an uncomfortable hook grip and cannot adjust their fingers.

In this case, they perform a hook grip deadlift to adapt their hands.

Variations include rounded dorsum deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, and other movements covered in our list of Olympic weightlifting exercises.

The weights for these claw grip deadlift variations are ordinarily close to maximum snatch or clean weight rather than a 1RM deadlift performed with weightlifting straps.

This intensity has two advantages.

1 advantage is there's less injury risk if you lot employ a compensatory strategy as your grip fails.

This reduced risk is considering the intensity is beneath the maximal strength range for your body.

Another advantage is since the intensity is well-nigh your maximum snatch and clean & jerk, using claw grip deadlift variations tin build conviction.

Hook Grip Deadlift: Preparation Schedule

Most Chinese weightlifters perform at least one type of pulling exercise per solar day, and then they often utilize weightlifting straps for deadlifts. Just it's possible to minimize mitt fatigue from hook grip deadlifts if:

1. You place them virtually the cease of a weight training session.
2. The adjacent day in the training week is a rest day.
3. The next weight training session has few to no pulling movements.
4. The intensity of the next weight training session is calorie-free.
5. The adjacent weight grooming session implements weightlifting straps for all pulling movements.

The betoken is you can train your grip strength with hook grip deadlifts while weightlifting frequently.

You merely need to be strategic about your placement.

Hook Grip Deadlift: Motility Goal

Whether y'all implement a hook grip deadlift or not depends on the goal of your movement.

For case, Chinese weightlifters add an extension during a deadlift to emphasize ability, like this:

While this motility can build snatch pull or clean pull strength, it is very taxing on their hands without weightlifting straps.

Bonus: Releasing the Hook Grip?

All professional weightlifters starting time with a hook grip.

And, so far, we've been talking virtually the hook grip from the get-go position.

But some athletes naturally release the hook as they turn their wrists to catch the bar during a snatch or clean.

For example, you can meet Liao Hui (69kg; on the left) maintaining his hook grip while Zhang Jie (62kg; on the right) opens his hands and releases his hook grip.

Both are world champions.

Both are cleaning 160kg.

So, what's going on?

Recollect, the hook grip produces internal rotation in the arm via pronation.

Simply if you lot don't have plenty access to this internal rotation infinite in a front squat or overhead squat, yous must create space to get into position.

And releasing the claw grip is a strategy that volition bias the wrists towards supination to aggrandize the space.

This movement isn't explicitly taught in China, merely it occurs among men and women, lightweights and heavyweights.

And depending on your power to access internal rotation, you might maintain the hook grip for:

1. Both snatch and clean.
2. Snatch just.
3. Neither snatch or clean.

And then, what should you exercise?

Ask yourself: "Tin I maintain a proper overhead position? Can I do information technology pain-free?"

If the reply is "yes" to both questions, then continue with whatever grip you lot're using.

While maintaining a hook grip tin preserve an undisrupted connection with the bar, information technology's also of import to achieve a hurting-free and proper catch position.

And some athletes release the hook grip because this is the best strategy to apply strength throughout the unabridged system.

For example, they give up internal rotation in the wrist past releasing the hook grip merely they have infinite to produce greater internal rotation at the shoulder or spine.

But if the respond is "no" to either question, then assess you take two options:

First, you can assess your weightlifting technique visually with our Chinese weightlifting book.

Second, endeavor to create a dynamic pump handle to create space for you lot to internally rotate your shoulder (meet Hook Grip Hurting #3 for more info).

If the problem persists despite these interventions, then you should consider releasing the hook grip.

Determination:

Congratulations, you lot are now a master of the hook grip!

I hope you found this weightlifting claw grip guide valuable and interesting.

Now I'd like to hear from you.

Will you endeavour the hook grip?

If yous already hook grip, did you learn anything new?

Is there whatsoever other question you have most the claw grip?

Let me know by leaving a quick annotate!

Sources:

Special thanks to Beak Hartman at IFASTU for guidance.

Bykov, A. P., Y. I. Smagli, and B. Donyets. 1970. "Optimum Width of the Grip in the Snatch." Polytechnical Institute Weightlifting. 63 – 67. Translated by Andrew Charniga, Jr. Sportivny Press. 2007.

Carre, Matt, Sarah Tomlinson, James Collins, and Roger Lewis. 2012. "An Assessment of the Performance of Grip Enhancing Agents used in Sports Applications." Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Function J: Journal of Engineering Tribology. 226(seven): 616 – 625.

Oranchuk, Dustin, Riki Lindsay, Eric Helms, Eric Harbour, Adam Storey, and Eric Drinkwater. 2018. "Hook-grip Improves Ability Clean Kinetics and Kinematics." In Conference: 36th International Society of Biomechanics in Sports.

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Source: https://chineseweightlifting.com/hook-grip/

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