Question: Do you do anything special for your hands?

Good day!

I’ve been lifting for about a year and a half now and i’m just concerned that I might be doing something wrong with my hands. I never used to have grip problems but lately it’s been getting harder and harder to hold on to the bar on deadlifts and even low rep pull/chin ups. My arms and back don’t hurt but i feel that my hand grip can’t take the load.

My singles at rpe 8 aren’t bad but performing 3-4 reps of a weight that I never had issues with suddenly really hurts my hands. I’ve torn calluses on each hand in the last 3 weeks too. Is there something I should be doing?

Many thanks!

Are you just using an overhand grip? If your grip is starting to limit your deadlift, maybe try throwing in some sets with alternating grip instead, or even straps.

I do overhand for 5s till I reach 315 then move to alternate till I hit my rpe 8 for a single and then I do my 4s with alternate as well.

But they’ve been hurting more than usual. Should I cut my calluses? Some female friends say I should moisturize but I’m not sure if that will help.

It’s likely that you are holding the bar too far up in your palm. You should not feel like the bar is trying to rip your callus off. Look at this video:

Thanks for this!

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This. What came to mind first.

I hook grip from about 120kgs onwards (circa 264lbs).

Are you using chalk? Not only does it make gripping better but the more secure grip is also easier on the hands.

How many sets of pulling are you doing per week? There is no shame in using straps whenever your hands need a break.

My general rule of thumb (and this is just MY strength) is double overhand until about 315. Then hook grip with chalk as much as possible. If I am mid set and I feel like my thumbs are going to fall off, I will quickly switch to alternate grip but that doesn’t happen very often. Also, I perform all my dead lift alternative movements with straps (i.e. rack pulls and pause dead lifts)