Hook grip is a method of gripping a barbell used in many strength-related sports such as Olympic weightlifting, Crossfit, and powerlifting by overlapping the index and middle finger over the thumb. On power movements and on lifts that start at the front rack or back rack. You’ll still grip the bar tightly with the hook grip, but any CrossFit workout with high rep cleans or snatches is bound to do a number on your grip.. For a workout like Grace or Isabel, you will save a lot of energy and decrease the chances of wearing your grip out in the middle of the workout. The traditional grip, while more comfy and natural, is highly susceptible to fatigue. (As you’re reading this, do you find yourself making one of those fists that you should never throw a punch with? [GET MY PREWORKOUT] http://gnosisnutrition.com [GET MY TRAINING PROGRAMS HERE] http://kizentraining.com/ [WEAR MY APPAREL] http://raskolapparel.com/ The transition to using the hook grip can be a little uncomfortable, just like any other transition we make in the gym. When I do shrugs I tend to use it, work sets hanging around 405. It is the strongest grip available to you! 5 Squat Cleans (135/95) Click any item from the menu to see completes product … It will also keep. The hook grip becomes increasingly more important when pulling heavy loads and controlling the bar during the rapid hip extension involved in the clean and the snatch. It’s all about having a solid, firm grip on the bar when you’re pulling it from the ground. Tips for mastering a hook grip. If you do use tape at first, use it on your heavy lifts. Then you must learn the hook grip. Think about a bench press, shoulder press, back squat, or deadlift. How To Turn Added Weight Into Muscle – Body Recomposition Plan, The Best CrossFit Cardio Workouts To Improve Your Endurance. The hook grip is a grip used to help you improve your technique and grip strength in weightlifting. Slow and controlled movements don’t require a hook grip to secure the barbell. While it can be uncomfortable to learn, it is a much stronger grip than holding the bar with a traditional grip. Look, Optimists — I get it. Be sure that you’re doing it correctly. Here’s how to perform hook grip deadlifts: Stand with your feet about hip to shoulder-width apart, toes beneath your barbell. You know, a fist with your thumb inside? When simply squeezing the bar with a normal grip, it can be extremely difficult to allow your arm to remain straight. I help college athletes maximize their 4-year sports window and succeed after graduation. Not releasing the hook grip in these positions will put extra stress on your wrists and shoulders. 12-25-2010, 12:47 PM. Dollars to donuts, it was a moderate to heavy load and you weren’t using the hook grip. If you were in any of my classes that day, you heard me stress the importance of what’s called the ‘Hook Grip’. You’ll still grip the bar tightly with the hook grip, but any CrossFit workout with high rep cleans or snatches is bound to do a number on your grip. In this post I wanted to briefly cover the hook grip, provide some basic instruction on how to incorporate it, and finally encourage you all to give it a try in your next lifting session. Home » CrossFit » Training » The Hook Grip: How, Why, and When For CrossFitters. Suffice to say, being able to hook grip is imperative to your development as an athlete. However, it is crucial that you learn to release the hook grip once you’ve caught the bar in the front rack or overhead. Before we get much further, let’s do a quick review about what, exactly, the hook grip is. There’s not an elite-level CrossFitter or Olympic Lifter in the world who doesn’t use this grip. The “Hook Grip” is a technique meant to prevent or delay the fatigue that causes your grip to fail. Releasing tension on the forearm muscles, helping keep the arms straight through extension of the hips, and preserving grip are just a few of the positives from the “hook grip”. Do you have ambitions of becoming a competitive CrossFit athlete? Simply put, the hook grip is the strongest grip available to you as a CrossFitter or Olympic weightlifter. For Time, Weight and Reps (with a partner) 0:00-10:00. Everyone I teach tells me it feels unnatural and weird and I have to remind them to hook … ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, The Hook Grip: How, Why, and When For CrossFitters. CrossFit Discussion Board > CrossFit Forum > Exercises > hook grip, kills nerves? I can hook grip up to 100lbs more [from the rack] than what I can lift with a mix. It’s best when you’re working light or moderate loads with several repetitions to use a clean grip on deadlifts (including the hook), but as the load increases, you’ll likely find yourself switching to a mixed grip, where one hand remains in the clean position and the other is backwards. So, why is that grip that your coaches are always harping about so important? Although it feels very odd at first, persevere, and in a matter of weeks it will become natural for you and your body. For the pulling portion of a clean or snatch, Olympic weightlifters and CrossFit athletes should use the hook grip. Remember the hook grip is used for the pulling portion of these lifts. It allows an athlete to “override” their nervous system and move a heavy barbell without fear of missing the lift. Hook Grip provides bar security through the range of motion for a lift. Simply put, the hook grip creates friction that prevents the bar from slipping out of As a result, your brain essentially sabotages the lift by decreasing the amount of firing that takes place to help you hold onto the bar. Simply unlock your thumbs and grip the bar traditionally as you finish the repetition. © 2020 - ATHLETICMUSCLE.NET. When lifting heavy weights in strength movements, the hook grip isn’t needed. With those heavy loads using a mixed grip, it’s wise to mix up which hand faces forward so that you can balance your strength training and not have lopsided strength. Any Olympic weightlifter or CrossFit athlete putting up considerable clean and snatch numbers doesn’t even consider gripping the bar any other way. In CrossFit the hook grip is with the thumb over the bar and the fingers closing the grip over the thumb. This method of gripping the bar provides a secure bar grip while performing pulling motion with the barbell such as the clean and jerk, snatch, and deadlift. Odds are they weren’t using a hook grip. Don’t make a habit out of using it every time you hook grip. For the pull of both the snatch and the clean, this method of gripping is an eventual necessity to maintain control of the barbell during the violent explosion of the second pull. Applying a layer or two of tape will alleviate some of the pain you experience on your skin. Here are 3: When you grip a bar traditionally, your brain send signals to your forearms if it’s concerned about you making a heavy lift. There’s no need to start a strict, push or bench press, or any squat movement with the hook grip. The hook grip will be uncomfortable until the tendons in your thumb stretch out and the skin develops more calluses. It takes about two weeks for one to grow accustomed to and comfortable with the hook grip. But if your goal is to move a lot of weight, your best bet is to stick with a traditional deadlift grip. The hook grip is used for the pulling portion of cleans and snatches. It should be placed below the knuckle on the lower half of your thumb. I don't know who first used the hook grip, but I asked Tommy Kono—Olympic weightlifting champion in 1952 and 1956 and silver medalist in 1960—when he learned about the hook grip, and he said he used it in 1948 when he took up weightlifting. We like to tape our thumbs or use nubbies for a bit more thumb protection and added grip. For Olympic lifts like the clean and snatch, the hook grip is exponentially better than a traditional grip. In both of these exercises, the hook grip is designed to stop the barbell from turning while gripped in the hands. Depending on how much you practice, it could take between 2-6 weeks before the hook grip feels comfortable. When Shouldn’t You Use a Hook Grip? With a more secure grip on the bar using a hook grip. Why do CrossFitters Olympic weightlifters need to use the hook grip? Normally, the hook grip is most useful for Olympic lifts like cleans and snatches. Is The Hook Grip Better Than Traditional Grip? On the clean-and jerk, athletes often loosen their grip as the bar travels the final distance from the hip to the front-rack position, catching the bar with open hands. And the hook is the most secure grip I can think of. 10:00-20:00. But if you stick to it, over just a bit of time, it will become second nature. View Public Whiteboard. One of the most prevalent faults in these lifts is the early arm bend. For power lifts like a deadlift, the hook grip can turn a conventional deadlift into a useful accessory exercise for your Olympic weightlifting numbers. To hook grip the barbell: wrap your thumb around the barbell, then lock your thumb in place with your index and middle finger. Ruth has eluded to the hook grip in her posts on the Clean and Snatch, but for those new to the gym and for those just staying up with the blog I’ll cover what it is, how to do it, and some advantages over the regular grip and the alternating grip often used for deadlifts. You should be using it too. The Hookgrip brand is well respected among athletes from a wide range of disciplines, and we're pleased to stock some of the most popular Hookgrip gear here, including their compression knee sleeves and Russian Knee Wraps. Give it a try — you’ll love it! When you approach the barbell, get the knots of your shoelaces beneath the bar, and go to grip the bar, you simply wrap your index and middle fingers, at a minimum, over your thumbs. At the end of the day, this is why we use the hook grip in CrossFit and weightlifting. I'm capable of hooking 495. CrossFit Toledo – CrossFit. The correct hook grip method is: Now that you know a bit more about how to use the grips, make sure you put the knowledge to work next time you pick up an Optimistic barbell! 97 A post shared by 크로스핏포스 포스크로스핏 posscrossfit (@posscf) on Mar 15, 2018 at 12:17am PDT. 1-2 layers is enough. The thumb should be released once you’ve caught the bar. If you’re not using it yet, here’s how to start: Every time you pick up an empty bar and the class starts doing drills, do it with a hook-grip (see picture). Heavy Power Clean. Wodify Post October 6, 2020 0 Comments. Today, we want to utilize this tool once more, in order to control our grip. It’s a grip style that can be used by every type of strength athlete and it … From the floor to either the front rack or overhead position, your thumb should be locked into place. Why not let people just use whatever grip they are most comfortable with? Yes, the hook grip can be uncomfortable at first. Embrace this, if only because it’s temporary. Practice higher rep cleans and snatches at lighter weights without tape so your thumbs and skin get used to the pressure of the hook grip position. Oly Grip: Weightlifting Thumb Hook Grip Cotton Tear Stretch Tape (6 Rolls) - Weight Lifting - Crossfit - Gymnastics - Keep Fingers and Hands Safe During Workout 4.4 out of 5 stars 120 $22.97 $ 22 . When should you use it? You are far more likely to miss heavy lifts if you aren’t hook gripping. There is no grip that is stronger and more secure for lifting heavy weights. At first, it can be a bit uncomfortable. The hook grip is a pronated (palms facing the lifter) grip in which the thumb is trapped between the bar and usually the first and second fingers, depending on hand size. The best CrossFit endurance workout won’t just improve your cardiovascular fitness. AMRAP. Before we get much further, let’s do a quick review about what, exactly, the hook grip is. At first, yes. The hook grip can be tricky initially, especially for individuals with smaller hands, but regardless you need to make it work if you want to get better at the Olympic lifts. John Koshy. When you first learn to hook grip, it will be uncomfortable. Designed to stay in place during a workout, Nubs are also easy to put on. Well, it’s not good for throwing punches, but it’s excellent for lifting barbells!) Many moons ago, I was like you: skeptical about my coaches demanding that I use a hook grip any time I pick up a bar off the floor. 1. Taping your thumbs iis okay at first, but practice at lighter weights with chalk so you can go without it, too. This will allow your upper arms to stay more relaxed and the force generated from your legs will better transfer to the barbell. But if you feel more comfortable releasing the grip after you’ve caught the bar, that’s fine too. Hook Grip By Crossfit Coolidge Corner | In WOD | on February 7, 2014 . Others like to let it go as the bar transitions from the waist area to overhead. The menu on this page includes all Hookgrip apparel and products currently available from Rogue. The first few times you practice the hook grip it might feel like your thumb is being ripped out. Have you ever pulled for a clean or a snatch only to have the bar fly out of your hands mid-lift? It will take timing and practice for this to feel comfortable, so try it with lighter weights first. This will allow for the hook grip to be maintained which will help in high rep CrossFit styled workouts. The bar is "trapped" in your hands, eliminating the tendency to have a death grip on the bar and hold excess tension in the arms. The bar should be at about mid-shin... Squat down and hold the bar with a double overhand, shoulder-width grip. And trust me, it will increase the loads you can move. If the body feels that the grip being used is too weak for the weight being lifted, it will not allow the muscles to “fire” aggressively, in an attempt to protect the body. 10 T2B, T2R, or GHD sit ups 9/8 cal row or 7/6 bike 5 snatch grip … #3. Hook Grip Hook Grip. The hook grip is a phenomenal method for promoting a secure grip on barbells and dumbbells. The initial discomfort will be worth it! 20:00-30:00. The hook grip acts as an “override” of sorts, allowing you to move heavier weights without cause for concern. We’ve all been there before: sometimes, after hitting the gym, nothing beats a good meal. The hook grip is the best grip you can have without using straps. If you don’t already use this, then start, and you will see your weights go up. Last week we introduced the Hang Power Clean. If you’re serious about CrossFit or Olympic weightlifting, the temporary discomfort will be worth it. For a workout like Grace or Isabel, you will save a lot of energy and decrease the chances of wearing your grip out in the middle of the workout. You’ve heard us say it over and over and over again. Building up a tolerance to the hook grip is a great thing. HOOK GRIP. 5 Tips For Successful Meal Prep And Batch Cooking, Daniel Martinez Trinity University Strength & Conditioning Coach. Athletes should release their thumb when the bar is caught in the front rack or overhead to mitigate the stress placed on their wrists. 5 Ring Dips. Your thumb serves as the locking mechanism that disables the body’s’ attempt to sabotage a potentially dangerous lift. Always, always, always employ the hook grip when you’re doing the Olympic lifts — the snatch and the clean-and-jerk. 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