[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]StateOfPsychosis wrote:
CT, do you still use a false grip when using a regular bar? [/quote]
Yes for both the bench press and military press[/quote]
Used the false grip for the last few bench sessions and I am noticing the positives.
Also the best thing I did for bench was dumping flat benching all together and using slight decline exclusively.
Shoulders have never felt better!
@ CT:
Broom Stick Man.
[quote]TheTrueLife wrote:
Yes same thing here, i start using the thumbless grip after seeing Arnold using it in the bodybuilding encyclopedia and i really feel less stress on the shoulder. I wouldnāt o back.[/quote]
Me too, 'cept my āArnoldā was seeing Thibs using it in all his pressing videos a few years ago.
My shoulders have never been healthier or better, and I press heavy, often.
CT, what about the grip for doing parallel bar dips, does this matter as much?
And what about the grip for pulling exercise?
[quote]Daichi wrote:
And what about the grip for pulling exercise?[/quote]
Personally, Iāve found that I prefer a thumbless grip on all vertical pulling exercises because I can contract my lats much harder.
I like the normal grip on horizontal rowing though. I donāt really do horizontal rowing with an emphasis on lats. I do it for the middle traps, rear delts, etc. And whether or not the thumbs are wrapped around the bar hasnāt seemed to make a huge difference to me.
Iād love to hear from CT about this.
[quote]StateOfPsychosis wrote:
CT, what about the grip for doing parallel bar dips, does this matter as much?[/quote]
Not at all
[quote]Colbstar wrote:
[quote]Daichi wrote:
And what about the grip for pulling exercise?[/quote]
Personally, Iāve found that I prefer a thumbless grip on all vertical pulling exercises because I can contract my lats much harder.
I like the normal grip on horizontal rowing though. I donāt really do horizontal rowing with an emphasis on lats. I do it for the middle traps, rear delts, etc. And whether or not the thumbs are wrapped around the bar hasnāt seemed to make a huge difference to me.
Iād love to hear from CT about this.[/quote]
Thunbless grip for pulling, yes. But I do not really like using a fat bar for pulls. Sue you can argue that it will build your grip BUT you will use less weight which will make it an inferior exercise to build muscle. If you want a stronger grip you can always add some grip-specific work.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]Colbstar wrote:
[quote]Daichi wrote:
And what about the grip for pulling exercise?[/quote]
Personally, Iāve found that I prefer a thumbless grip on all vertical pulling exercises because I can contract my lats much harder.
I like the normal grip on horizontal rowing though. I donāt really do horizontal rowing with an emphasis on lats. I do it for the middle traps, rear delts, etc. And whether or not the thumbs are wrapped around the bar hasnāt seemed to make a huge difference to me.
Iād love to hear from CT about this.[/quote]
Thunbless grip for pulling, yes. But I do not really like using a fat bar for pulls. Sue you can argue that it will build your grip BUT you will use less weight which will make it an inferior exercise to build muscle. If you want a stronger grip you can always add some grip-specific work.[/quote]
What are some of your recommended grip strength exercises?
Grip is limiting me on both deadlifts and carries, 2 of my favorite exercises. I currently start out pulling overhand until that fatigues, then go to mixed, and finally I strap up to finish the set(s). With carries, Iāll do 2-3 sets of farmers that are lighter to burn the grip, then finish with 2-3 sets of heavy with straps to work on the rest of the muscles.
Iāve got FatGripz and use them when I can for pressing (taking a break now that Iāve started your program to see how recovery etc. is), but my wrists/forearms have always been quite small. Thanks for any tips from CT or anyone else.
Best to train grip specific to a movement in which your grip strength is weak. For deadlifts: overhand deadlift holds for time, one arm deadlifts, strapless shrugs, karwoski shrugs, and kroc rows. All of these could be done with or without fat grips. Personally I really like weighted hangs for time from a chin up bar too, a favorite of Jouko Ahola.
You can also use a stronger grip method, such as a hook grip.
[quote]mrjasonbbc wrote:
Best to train grip specific to a movement in which your grip strength is weak. For deadlifts: overhand deadlift holds for time, one arm deadlifts, strapless shrugs, karwoski shrugs, and kroc rows. All of these could be done with or without fat grips. Personally I really like weighted hangs for time from a chin up bar too, a favorite of Jouko Ahola.[/quote]
Thanks, I actually just read an article on static hangs and fat-bar training for grip earlier today. Iāll have to give them a shot. Maybe can finally put some meat on my forearmsā¦
[quote]Apothecary wrote:
[quote]mrjasonbbc wrote:
Best to train grip specific to a movement in which your grip strength is weak. For deadlifts: overhand deadlift holds for time, one arm deadlifts, strapless shrugs, karwoski shrugs, and kroc rows. All of these could be done with or without fat grips. Personally I really like weighted hangs for time from a chin up bar too, a favorite of Jouko Ahola.[/quote]
Thanks, I actually just read an article on static hangs and fat-bar training for grip earlier today. Iāll have to give them a shot. Maybe can finally put some meat on my forearmsā¦[/quote]
As it was mentioned, learning how to use (and be comfortable) with a hook grip will prevent your grip from being a limiting factor. I always had grip problems, mostly because Iāve got small hands. But with a hook grip there is not one occurance where my grip failed, if I missed a rep it was never due to losing my grip. Deadlifts in the 600 and high pulls over 350 without any straps are fine for me with a hook grip, but without a hook grip Iād use AT LEAST 100lbs more and likely closer to 200lbs!
Doing grip work wont add that much size to your forearms. Grip strength is at last 80% finger strength. Some of the guys with the strongest grip I know have smallish forearms. Those who have both a super strong grip and big forearms tend to be heavier guys (260lbs+). Similarily, working the forearms wont build your grip strength much either.
The exercise that helped me the most is the pinch-grip deadlift and pinch-grip deadlift hold.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]StateOfPsychosis wrote:
CT, what about the grip for doing parallel bar dips, does this matter as much?[/quote]
Not at all[/quote]
Ok, thanks for the reply.
Thanks CT, didnāt know anything about pinch-grip. Actually found a good article on this site about it:
Bummer about the forearms though, dying to get rid of these twigs.
[quote]Apothecary wrote:
Thanks CT, didnāt know anything about pinch-grip. Actually found a good article on this site about it:
Bummer about the forearms though, dying to get rid of these twigs.[/quote]
From what Iāve seen, the guys with the biggest forearms are just big overall. I feel like just training hard on the basic patterns including bends (deadlifts) and supportive stuff (carries of all types, iso-holds of sorts such as the pinch deadlift or heavy farmers walks) will overtime build forearms of steel.
Regarding size itself though, there are tons of fat guys with bowling pin forearms. But in my opinion, a more vascular forearm will always look more impressive than a big forearm that is not vascular.
[quote]flch95 wrote:
Whenever I try using a false grip I feel extra stress on the wrists. How can I safely use the grip without the added stress?[/quote]
Is the weight directly over your forearm?
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]StateOfPsychosis wrote:
CT, what about the grip for doing parallel bar dips, does this matter as much?[/quote]
Not at all[/quote]
Actually I did find it much better for my shoulders to use false grip with the straight bars and V-shape dip station. I think it might have something to do with the fact that my shoulder also feel a bit awkward when pressing with elbows too close to the body.
So using false grip gave me a bit more natural way of pushing, and i feel my power output grew from it(added fearly easily 10kg to my 3rep max in 3 weeks (+80kg ā +90)
[quote]tsantos wrote:
[quote]flch95 wrote:
Whenever I try using a false grip I feel extra stress on the wrists. How can I safely use the grip without the added stress?[/quote]
Is the weight directly over your forearm?[/quote]
Thatās a good point. Many people put the bar too much in the fingers when using a false grip. It needs to be in the ācushionedā part of the palms (see the pic I posted above).
First time tonight using FatGripz. I have to say they feel very sturdy and I can tell there wonāt be any movement on the bar. Tonight was my arms day for the second week of opposite training but Iām excited to use them for pressing come next week. Just holding a bar with the FatGripz feels much better than your standard barbell.
CTā¦ Would you cycle using FatGripz or is it something that can be used for long periods of time? (i.e. bench press and military press) I know you advocate using fat bars but didnāt know if using FatGripz were any different.