Barbell Static Holds

[BendtheBar]

What are your thoughts on the value of static barbell holds for grip strength?

Every used them? Think there is a better method to improve poor grip strength?

[LtL]

I prefer moves where you're actually moving the weight. Dumbell rows are awesome for grip. Do them dead stop so you rest the bell on the floor in between rep's which will allow you to push past regular grip failure. Heavy strapless dead's also fixed my grip. Train your grip doing what it's meant to do I think.

LtL

[big_swede]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

What are your thoughts on the value of static barbell holds for grip strength?

Every used them? Think there is a better method to improve poor grip strength?

I do them once in a while and I like em. Overhand-grip DL's and heavy cleans are good to improve gripstrength, I never do much isolation work for the grip, I just never DL with straps and that seems to work so far.

[BigJosh]

I've honestly never tried static holds. However, as of late I've just been doing "heavy" db shrugs with no straps as extra grip training. Seems to work well.

[MikeM]

How big are your hands, though? I think this is a much bigger problem for guys like me that have small hands/smaller bone bodies.

On a normal bar, I can only wrap my thumb under my first finger in a hook grip for example. I can grab it in a hook with my FU finger if I'm not going that heavy, but heavy weights and I can't keep it under, it slides out.

So, if I'm going normal grip, my thumbs are obviously not overlapping any fingers all that usefully, fingers are doing pretty much all the work. And indeed I have pulled off bodyweight and above deadlifts with just fingers on the bar.

I'm just saying grip is way more of problem for smaller bone people, and I've done everything (I think) from DB farmer walks to big bar static holds to stiff deadlifts with overhand grip to timed bodyweight bar hangs, etc.

I'd be willing to bet guys with bigger hands than me have never done as much grip work as I have, but that's not really the point.

The point is what is the best grip exercise? I like the idea of doing the exercise that requires said grip strength, but then again, my grip fails before my strength does. For those of you where your strength fails first, imagine it the other way around. What did you do?

[5kgLifter]

I do static holds at a slightly lower weight than my max.
I also do barbell finger rolls which I think tax the forearm a lot more than the static hold.
And, I also do the deadlifts.


I think the 3 combined all help with grip; I can't say how much each one helps because I do all 3 anyway, so it's impossible to isolate any specific exercise that has improved the grip.

I did read, however, and it is a very pertinent point, if a person is unable to hold a barbell (weighted) for the duration of the time it would take them to deadlift it and set it down, then they will be unable to do the lift; so, for that reason, I started doing static holds at a lesser max but for as long as I could hold the barbell which I think transfers across quite well to the higher load with a lesser time duration, the actual lift itself.

[J_Byrd]

I think heavy rack pulls help a good deal with grip strength. This allows you to handle more weight then you will be pulling. Also make sure you have filed off all the callus off your hands.

[Isaku900]

the only deadlift grip work I do is barbell holds.

I just hold my last few reps for a 10 count when I'm doing speed pulls.

I also hold my last reps for a bit when I'm doing a drop set after a max pull.

[ILoveLifting]

I trained 'static contraction'(only) for about 6 weeks a while back and found as weeks progressed that i was beginning to lose my full range of motion strenght. The position at which i was holding the weight continued to grow stronger though.

[BendtheBar]

I have small hands and grip can be an issue for me. Or was an issue for me.

I don't go out of my way to do extra static holds, but I will hold the bar at the top of a heavy lift, or on heavy shrugs from time to time.