Updated on June 14, 2023

How to Improve Deadlift Grip Strength?

If you're looking to improve your deadlifts, a crucial aspect is grip strength. This part is often overlooked, and we will be taking a look at all effective tips to help you improve your deadlift grip strength. Let's discover how to improve deadlift grip strength.

If you want to know how to improve deadlift grip strength, focus on the movements that strengthen your forearms and hand muscles. Exercises like farmer's walks, plate pinches, towel pull-ups, gripper exercises, barbell holds, and fat grip training are great examples. You'll prevent losing grip on deadlift and be able to lift heavier.

WBCM How to Improve Deadlift Grip Strength

What is deadlift grip?

For those who don't know what the deadlift grip is and how to improve grip strength for deadlift, the grip is how you hold the barbell while performing a deadlift. A strong grip is essential for keeping the barbell stable and in control while performing the exercise. There are two main types of deadlift grips:

Double overhand grip: In this grip, the barbell is gripped with both palms toward the body. It is the most basic and symmetrical grip since the weight distribution across both hands is the same. This grip is ideal for beginners or for people looking to build their grip strength. The double overhand grip might be challenging to maintain as you increase your lifting capacity, especially if you have weaker grip strength.

Mixed grip: There are some limitations to the double overhand grip, which is where the mixed grip comes into play. One palm has a pronated grip, while the other palm has a supinated grip. The mixed grip creates a rotational lock on the bar, and it reduces the chances of the barbell slipping out from your hands. This grip is highly used by experienced lifters, and it helps them lift heavier weights.

Developing grip strength is very important to prevent grip fatigue and maintain control over the barbell. Frequently incorporating exercises that will strengthen your grip will positively impact your deadlift performance.

By incorporating grip-strengthening exercises and regularly working on these aspects, your deadlift grips would be better, and you would be able to handle and control more weight while preventing grip fatigue. Always know that these things take time and consistency.

Why is deadlift grip strength important?

Having a strong grip is very important for your deadlift performance and also to maintain safety. It has a direct impact on your ability to control the barbell and lift heavy weights. Let's take a look at the benefits of improving grip strength for deadlift.

1. Enhanced lifting performance

Having a strong grip lets you exert maximum force on the barbell, which lets you lift heavier weights with better efficiency.

2. Improved control and stability

When you have high grip strength, you can control the barbell and keep it stable throughout the lift. It reduces the risk of the barbell slipping or rotating out of your hands.

3. Reduced risk of accidents

Because the chances of you losing your grip on the barbell are minimized because of high grip strength, the risk of injuries or accidents is also reduced significantly.

4. Increased muscle activation

The muscles in your upper body, hands, and forearms are greatly engaged when you tightly grip the barbell, which leads to increased muscular development.

5. Strengthened forearm and hand muscles

The strength in your muscles and arms also increases when you challenge your grip strength regularly, which increases your overall upper body strength.

6. Transferable strength gains

These strength gains aren't just useful only for deadlifts. It has a positive impact on all other exercises that require good grip strength, like pull-ups and rows.

When you focus on improving your deadlift grip strength, you'll be able to lift heavy weights with better efficiency, and the chances of you getting injured due to grip-related limitations will also drop significantly.

How To Test Your Grip Strength?

Testing your grip strength is a great method for determining your existing level of grip strength and pinpointing areas that need improvement. Here are a few effective ways to assess your grip strength and establish a baseline:

Hand dynamometer: A hand dynamometer is a tool that measures the strength of a person's grip. Squeeze the dynamometer as hard as you can while holding it in your hand. The dynamometer will show the force applied, giving you a numerical assessment of how strong your grasp is.
Pinch Grip Test: The pinch grip test measures how well your fingers and thumb work together. Squeeze together your thumb and fingers while holding a pinch grip meter between them. Your pinch grip strength will be indicated by the meter's readout of the force applied.
Bar hang test: This test evaluates both grip power and stamina. Find a sturdy overhead bar or pull-up bar. Then, grab it with an overhand hold, and hang on it as long as you can. Your grip endurance will be stronger the longer you can hang.
Pinch grip test: Take two identical weight plates in your hands. Then, pinch them together between your fingers and thumb, and hold them there as long as you can. The pinch grip test measures the strength of your fingers and thumbs and reveals how well you can pinch anything.
Grip squeeze test: Use a hand gripper or grip strengthener and squeeze it as firmly as you can. This is the grip squeeze test. Your grip strength will be measured and the device will offer resistance accordingly.

Focus on workouts and strategies that primarily target the hand muscles to improve your grip for deadlifts. Common examples include farmer's walks, plate pinches, towel pull-ups, gripper exercises, barbell holds, and fat grip training. Your performance in deadlifts will surely be increased by these workouts, since it puts pressure on your grip and works to increase overall grip strength.

You can monitor your development and modify your training by regularly evaluating your grip strength. Plan accordingly to strengthen your grip over time, and keep an eye on your progress to make sure you're on the correct track. To maximize your lifting potential, put time and effort into developing your grip, since it is a crucial aspect of deadlifts.

How to build deadlift grip strength?

Building a strong grip for deadlifts is essential for reducing the risk of injuries and maximizing your lifting potential. So, here are some effective strengthening methods and tips on improving grip strength for deadlift.

1. Use a double overhand grip for warm-ups

It is better to use the double overhand grip during warmups because this grip challenges your grip strength. It will have a more intense impact on your grip strength.

2. Incorporate mixed grip for heavy sets

When the weights get heavier, you can switch the grip to a mixed grip. It will let you lift heavier weights while also reducing the risk of the bar slipping out of your hands.

3. Implement barbell holds

Load the barbell with a weight heavier than your 1RM. Then, lift it and hold it at the top for as long as you can. This exercise works on your grip endurance and strength.

4. Utilize fat grip training

Fat grip training is essential as the increased diameter puts more work on your grip strength and activates the muscles in your forearms and hands to a greater extent.

5. Incorporate grip-intensive assistance exercises

Including grip-intensive exercises like farmer's walks, rope climbs, pull-ups, and kettlebell swings would greatly engage your hand muscles and promote grip strength.

6. Progressive overload

Be it any muscle group, progressive overload is key. Progressive overload will help you improve your grip strength. So, slowly increase the weights you lift and challenge your grip with these sets.

7. Focus on grip-specific exercises

Grip-specific exercises like plate pinches would help you improve your grip strength. These exercises target your grip strength directly, so it's essential to incorporate them.

8. Improve overall forearm strength

Strengthening your forearm muscles contributes to better grip strength, so it's better to work on your forearms by incorporating exercises like wrist curls, reverse wrist curls, and forearm squeezes.

9. Avoid relying on straps

Straps are indeed useful for certain situations, don't rely on them while deadlifting since they can hinder your grip strength. Use straps only when you're working on grip-endurance training or performing higher-rep or higher-weight sets.

By using these tips and tricks, you'll see a significant increase in your deadlift grip strength. Always intensify the training gradually and stay consistent throughout the course of it. If you are patient and consistent, your lifting potential and deadlift performance will indeed be enhanced.

Best Exercises To Improve Your Grip Strength

As mentioned earlier, improving your grip strength is not only essential for deadlifts but for many other activities where grip strength plays an important role. So, here are some good exercises that will help you understand how to strengthen grip for deadlift.

1. Crush Grip Exercises

Crush grip exercises are the ones that help improve your ability to squeeze and crush objects. Some common exercises include:

Hand Grippers: Squeezing hand grippers develop your crush grip by working the muscles in your hands and fingers.
Grip Balls: Squeezing grip balls or stress balls with the maximum force that you can apply is an effective way to enhance your crush grip.

2. Pinch Grip Exercises

Pinch grip exercises focus on strengthening your fingers and thumb. Common exercises include:

Plate Pinches: For this exercise, hold the weight plates between your fingers and thumb, either vertically or horizontally. This exercise challenges your pinch grip.
Pinch Grip Holds: Pinch grip holds include pinching and holding onto objects such as pinch blocks or pinch grip plates to improve your pinch grip strength.

3. Support Grip Exercises

Support grip exercises challenge your ability to hold onto objects for as long as you can. Common exercises include:

Farmer's Walks: Carrying heavy dumbbells, kettlebells, or weight plates for a specific distance. It challenges your grip endurance and improves your support grip.
Dead Hangs: Hanging from a pull-up bar or other sturdy overhead bar for as long as you can. It also helps build your support grip strength.

4. Wrist and Forearm Exercises

These exercises strengthen your wrists and forearms, and they contribute to overall grip strength. Common examples include:

Wrist Curls: You have to curl the dumbbell or the barbell with your wrist in this exercise. Perform wrist curls to work the muscles in your forearms and wrists.
Reverse Wrist Curls: These are just like wrist curls, but they target the muscles on the opposite side of your forearms.

5. Thick Bar Training

These exercises involve using a thick bar or using grip attachments on standard bars. It challenges your grip strength since the bar's diameter is now increased, making it difficult for you to hold on.

6. Towel Exercises

As you can guess from the name, these exercises involve gripping ropes or towels. Common exercises include towel pull-ups and towel hangs.

Adding a variety of these exercises would be the most beneficial as they'll all target different aspects of your grip strength. You can gradually make the exercise more difficult by varying things or adding more resistance. But progressive overload and consistency are always the key here.

About the Program

Our Deadlift 2.0 program is a 12-week strength plan designed to boost your Deadlift PR.

The program follows a schedule of THREE 60-90 minutes training sessions per week. The training is scheduled for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but you can adjust the days to fit your weekly routine, as long as you follow the pattern of one training day followed by one cooldown day, with two days of rest after every third session.

The training is structured into 3 main blocks, with each block lasting for 4 weeks:

Who Is the Program For?

The plan is fit for both male and female athletes and is especially good for Powerlifters and Olympic lifters, but also for fans of deadlifting and strength training. All training requires access to basic equipment.

Deadlift Program

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FAQ

Should We Use Straps In Deadlift Training?

It all comes down to personal opinion on this one. Straps are great for targeting the muscles of the back and legs without you losing your grip on the bar. But, relying on straps can negatively affect the development of your grip strength. In our opinion, it is best to only use straps for grip endurance training or sets with higher weights or reps.

How to increase grip strength at home?

If you want to know how to build grip strength at home, you can increase your grip strength at home with the help of simple exercises that can be performed with household items. For instance, towel hangs where you grip a towel that's hanging on a bar or squeezing stress balls. Even pull-ups can be of great help here.

Conclusion

So, these were all the methods, tips, and exercises for improving deadlift grip strength. To have a better deadlift, it is essential to pay attention to this aspect of the exercise. If you have any more deadlift grip strength tips, let us know in the comment section.

12 Week Deadlift Program

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Sergii Putsov

Sergii is a professional weightlifter and National team member in the past. Competed in 94 kg w/c, won multiple medals on national competitions.

Nowadays Sergii is responsible for designing training programs, writing blog articles, doing live commentary of international weightlifting competitions, running different sport & fitness educational seminars, including Olympic weightlifting together with Oleksiy Torokhtiy all around the globe.

Sergii

Putsov

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How to Improve Deadlift Grip Strength?

What is deadlift grip?