deadlifting re: hand strength

xshawnxearthx · Post by **xshawnxearthx** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 4:54 pm

hoosegow wrote:I still don't believe you. Send me a sample to prove it.

frogbyte · Post by **frogbyte** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 5:14 pm

Hmm why do people recommend thumb on the same side as fingers for lat pull, but on opposite side for deadlift...

jeffrerr · Post by **jeffrerr** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 6:52 pm

Having the thimb curled around the bar adds strength to the grip, on a deadlift letting go means possibly smashing your knee cap off or the bar rolling away over the top of you or someone else, on a lat pulldown letting go means some weights make a loud noise and you get stared at and maybe a good talking to by a gym employee or fellow lifter, it's mostly about safety really!

As for the chalk, I really can't rate it highly enough now I've started using it! The only calouse (?spelling?) I have on my hands is from playing golf and forgetting to take off my wedding ring, the bar has done nothing to my hand since chalking up! I used to get really bad calouses in the past when lifting, as a nurse I need to keep my hands in good condition to keep up th einfection barrier that the skin creates and chalk is doing it wonders!!!

So does anyone here feel that climbing chalk is just as good? If so that's awesome, I have a good basketball buddy who works at an outdoors store who can get me a good price on the stuff!

John

nygmen · Post by **nygmen** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 9:35 pm

The cool-aide drinkers I am friends with use climbing chalk, doesn't slow them down.

Watching them do a WOD makes me want to passout.

Han · Post by **Han** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 11:30 pm

Anyone know how a typical commercial gym would react to me trying chalk (Fitness First for any Australians)?

Considering I've only ever seen one other guy doing conventional dead lifts, it might blow their minds.

jeffrerr · Post by **jeffrerr** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 12:49 am

Han I'd use some sort of bag that keeps it pretty hard to spread everywhere, if you do that they should be fine! Oh and wipe the bar down afterwards too! However I've never used chalk at a commercial gym so I'm just speculating!

John

Han · Post by **Han** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 12:54 am

Suppose it can't be worse than the time I got blood on the bar. They got a new bar with aggressive knurling right up to the middle and it scraped the crap out of my shins.

The PT who saw me told me I was lifting the bar "too close" to my shins ...

ninjackn · Post by **ninjackn** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 1:31 am

jeffrerr wrote:Han I'd use some sort of bag that keeps it pretty hard to spread everywhere, if you do that they should be fine! Oh and wipe the bar down afterwards too! However I've never used chalk at a commercial gym so I'm just speculating!

John

If you want to spend some money and be all fancy climbers/boulders use these things called "chalk bags" and "chalk pots". Then again an old plastic container works just as well.

Post by **Jungledoc** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 2:58 am

frogbyte wrote:Hmm why do people recommend thumb on the same side as fingers for lat pull, but on opposite side for deadlift...

I've never seen a recommendation for a "thumbless" grip on lat pulls, and I can't imagine a reason for it, except maybe finger strength. In that case it would limit the training of the rest of the muscles involved, since you wouldn't be able to pull as heavy. Try it and see for yourself how it works.

KPj · Post by **KPj** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 4:23 am

Han wrote:Anyone know how a typical commercial gym would react to me trying chalk (Fitness First for any Australians)?

I train in a Fitness First and they're fine with it. It may vary club to club. I actually train betweem 2 Fitness Firsts and chalk's used in both.

If they have DB's over 40KG, Olympic Bars, squat rack and hundreds of KG of free weight, then they should expect nothing less than chalk to get used from time to time.

If you get a tub, and put your chalk in there, you can be reasonably respectfull with it. Chalk your hands in/over the tub. The mess you make is minimal, all you really do is put chalk marks on the bar.

Also, If i were you I would just turn up with chalk and use it like you've used it for years and see what happens. If you ask them directly, you give them a chance to think about, assume you'll be very messy, and say "no". Let them come over and tell you it's not allowed. They probably won't do it. Fitness First staff, unless it's different in Oz, really don't care what you do... I've been to a few up and down the UK and they just let you get on with it.

And if they do moan about the mess, just say, "oh.. Do you not clean the floor anyway?" and put a look on your face like you smell something really bad.

"Manipulating Commercial Gym Staff for Dummies"

KPj

hoosegow · Post by **hoosegow** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 6:22 am

Han wrote:
The PT who saw me told me I was lifting the bar "too close" to my shins ...

BWAH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Did you ask him if he knew anything about deadlifting?

KPj · Post by **KPj** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:30 am

hoosegow wrote:
Han wrote:
The PT who saw me told me I was lifting the bar "too close" to my shins ...
BWAH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Did you ask him if he knew anything about deadlifting?

Doesn't surprise me. I'm doing a course just now and the DL technique is a joke. You 'stand up straight', no one's been told about locking out with the hips and shoulders. Just stand up. And, rounded back DL's are acceptable - if the client finds it most comfortable to be in a scared cat position when down at the bar, then it's fine.

I've also been CORRECTED twice now for NOT hyperextending my neck on a DL. Got to look UP!

Maybe this PT was taught the same technique.

Scraping the shins is a good sign!!!

I find that the bar is in contact with the shins but not scraping when i'm doing perfect reps, but in anything under 3 reps where the shoulders and UPPER back round slightly, that's when I get scraped. I easily get scraped the most doing speed DL's though.

KPj

Han · Post by **Han** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 4:36 pm

KPj, that definitely sounds like the FF trainers that I see. Last night one PT was teaching a guy do do BB bent over rows ... but it ended up being more like an upright row with the body at an incline (if this makes sense).

I actually switched my dead lift days to a different club. They have a bar with gaps in the knurling at just the right spacing for my shins.

Might have to try just rocking up with chalk and see what happens.

Post by **Jungledoc** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 6:43 pm

The knurling is just a bit too narrow for me on most BBs. I've started putting adhesive tape on the first 2 inches or so on each side. After bleeding on bars a few times, I decided that the tape would be better.

xshawnxearthx · Post by **xshawnxearthx** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 7:49 pm

i try and scrape my legs as much as possible, but the comfortable range of motion has it just lightly grazing my legs. no bleeding yet.