Deadlifting and assisting tools?

I really need to get some chalk, I reckon it will really help me as my grip is what is lacking. Not so much the strength for grip, but the bar is slipping in my hands on almost the first rep. All the bars have the metal engraved metal grip stuff, but that doesn't help at all if a little moisture gets on the bar. I am one of those dudes that has a sweat patch on the front of his shirt after his first set.

Josh_GTiR said:

I do 4 sets of pull ups, 2 normal and 2 wide grip sets. All sets are 12 - 15 reps depending on how I am feeling. The wide ones SNAP me!

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Maybe add weight? Even just 10kg halved my reps, I'm sure that must help grip. Again, just a thought.

But yeah, chalk's gotta help, too.

I have played around with a 15kg dumbell and man did that make it harder! I also had a bit of an issue stabilising the dumbell. I really need to get a belt that I can hang plates off, I've been looking for a while and haven't found anything that decent. Or the belts are $90 which I think is a rip!

I'm sure you can improvise. PowerPagan, who seems to only have an internet connection every couple of weeks, he raids old abandoned lumber mills for iron axles and stuff like that.

throw some weights in a backpack

hyjak said:

throw some weights in a backpack

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Now there's a good idea

That is a great idea, I just need a good back pack.

My Goodlife one would tear off with a 5kg plate i reckon.

yer and your on your second bag already bro i dont know what you carry in that bag of yours

I personally feel its better to continue slightly upwards without assistance tools. even if it means moving weights up in much smaller incraments. (ie 1.45kg plates)

However in saying that I do use a strap for my left hand wen I do lat p/d's heavy. becos I have severe Golfers in that arm.

thats fair enough being safe and doing it right with technique is what its all about if you got an injury you gotta treat it right

I think you misunderstood Josh, no dramas.

Probably, I am good at that.

Deadlifts are tomorrow night, I'm getting some chalk!

even arnold didnt use straps...

He states how he belived it created poor grip strength.

The man was right!

Im currently sldl 130kg 12 x 2 not much but grip is getter betting each time.

I see people using straps in the gym with 40kg on the bar :|

Oh well each to their own, I want to be strong im not going to be wlaking around in the real world with straps suits pads and rubbish.

Only problem is lately my right finger usingmixed grip after deads is numb for a few days i must be crushing it... It isnt blue or hasnt flalen off yet so not too bad,

PTC said:

The reps are dependant on your goals, but the straps are simply masking a weakness.

This is a contentiuos subject, but I guess your not planning to ever compete, so whats the point of having the strength to pick up an object if you cant grab it.

If you do plan on competing, ditch the wraps. Not legal at powerlifting or Olympic lifting.

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I've been reading all your exchanges here with interest. Markos you're so right when you say that this is a debatable subject. We had two weightlifting coaches at the AIS looking after ten weightlifters, and even they could not agree on this delicate issue.

Having said that, straps were issued to every squad member as part of their weightlifting gear and all 10 weightlifters used them (with one coach always shaking his head at the sight). Straps were not always used but they were used on certain exercises when a weight reached a particular level. Halting dead-lifts was one exercise where straps were used for example.


Fadi.

Look, every tool has a purpose. I watch elite Olympic lifters using them in training. They are pulling weights overhead that regular gym goers will never deadlift.

I still believe that eliminating training aids will make you stronger. On Monday night Max did shrugs with 170kg x 5. He deadlifted the weight up and held onto the bar for 5 reps. His deadlift PB is only 180kg, so he deadlifted and shrugged 95% of his 1RM deadlift without any training aids.

If a 17yo boy can do that, anyone can. He has had to do that since he started. If you guys think I am militant, you should see him. I at least did plenty of bodybuilding movements when I was younger, he never has, and possibly never will.

If your grip is not an issue with your maximum weights, and you simply want to rest it, I cant see it being a big issue. But if your using wraps because you cant hang onto your maximum weight, then there is an issue.

Most here use wraps because they cant hold the same weight without them.

I have made a desicion to not use straps for deadlifts. I want to build my whole body and I want to get strong. If I start deadlifting with straps I am not going to get stronger in my grip or form.

A dickhead at my gym came up and told my bro that he curved his back slightly when we were doing a max on deadlift, at the time it was 140kg. Firstly he didn't as I was watching him as he also watches me, his back was still straight and secondly that little pussy could never come close to deadlifting 140kg for reps. Last night he was there deadlifting after we did our sets. He moved the bar out into the middle of where all the benches are (not in the racks where we deadlift and the other two people at our gym deadlift) but right out in the middle. He proceeded to deadlift 80kg WITH straps with shit form. I wanted to say something but why bother?

Same as another bloke that was deadlifting the same time we were last night. He had a belt and straps, he would have easily weighed over 100kg, he was a pretty big bloke. We were right next to him lifting 140kg and he was lifting 160kg with all those assisting AND the worst form ever. I was waiting for him to hit the ground in pain. Every rep he was jerking 4 - 5 times at the top of the movement to get his back and legs straight. I wanted to say something but didn't bother. I guarantee if there was no straps or belts he would be struggling with 120kg. Sad but true.

Great to see youve come around and can now see what I see in the gym. Its only once you start lifting correctly that you notice these things Josh.

In future you will be able to powerclean these guys deadlift poundage, no words needed lol

Wow, you & Chris are doing really well on the deadlifts then! Mr. Unsolicited Advice sounds like he has a bit of an inferiority complex.

I don't deadlift, so I can't speak on that.

I can however say that your grip strength can increase more than you think. My grip used to fail on the lat pulldown machine. My hands failed before my arms or back did. I changed to chinups.

Now, you'd think that if I couldn't hold the bar on the lat pulldown machine I wouldn't be able to do chinups - but when you're holding your own body in the air, you have more determination, grip tighter and... your grip strength increases. Now my arms and back fail long before my grip does.

I didn't change to chinups expecting to improve my grip strength, but that's what happened.

Obviously there are going to be limits to this. Doing a dozen chinups with your own 80kg-odd bodyweight is different to deadlifting 140kg. However, it does show that your grip can get stronger than you might expect. So perhaps it's something worth considering in your training. Again, this is from a person who doesn't deadlift so take it with a grain of salt.

Kyle, I noticed that you do bent rows yet you dont deadlift due to back issues. I love the bent row, and have done bent rows with 140kg for reps, but we hardly ever do them at PTC as it puts far more load on your lower back than deadlifts, and like I've stated before, I'm not interested in injured clients.

Deadlifts with KB's has the weight travelling through the knees rather than around them, eliminating most of the force on the lower back.

I have on girl, Casey, whose doctor told her she wasnt to lift more than 5kg because of her back condition, some sort of scoliosis.

I told her it would be an issue as I dont have anything lighter than 5kg. She trusted me as I watched her do KB deadlifts with 8kg at first, before finishing with 64kg KB.

She has no issues whatsover deadlifting a 64kg KB off my 32cm blocks.

Something to consider.