HOOKGRIP: PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
For many beginners, hookgrip can be quite a difficult skill. Especially if those are young athletes and also those who perform in light weight categories with a height below 165 cm.
The main reason why all weightlifters in the world use the hookgrip is that with this method of holding the barbell, the arm muscles, especially the forearms, are not enslaved when performing a power position in a snatch or clean.
For those who are very worried that his palms and fingers are too short, we recall that Halil Mutlu (three-time Olympic champion in weightlifting) snatched 138 kg with a body weight of 56 kg and a height of 150 cm using hookgrip.
What is important to remember when performing the hookgrip?
Taking the starting position to perform a snatch or clean, it is necessary to maximally push the gap between the thumb and forefinger into the barbell, and then grasp it first with the thumb, and then with all the other fingers of the palm. This will help to grasp the barbell even better. It is important to pinch your fingers in the correct sequence: first hold the bar with your thumb, then squeeze your thumb with the other two fingers and scroll it a little more around the bar. Some athletes with a big hand can even grab a thumb with three fingers, and lightweight athletes are forced to press their thumb only with their index fingers, and for this some of them even do a little “secret trick” - they let a nail on the thumb grow on purpose.
Of course, the easiest way to “get used” to the hookgrip is to use it every time you lift the barbell. Over time, the wrists will get used and this hookgrip will be natural and absolutely comfortable.
A question I hear quite often: do I need constantly to keep the wrist in the hookgrip? My answer is the following: the hookgrip is important and necessary from the moment the bar breaks off the platform until the end of the power position. After that, most athletes open the hookgrip and hold the barbell with a simple hookgrip over their head or chest.
I recommend all athletes to constantly work on flexibility and hand (especially the thumb) mobility. One of the ways is the technique that my coach called “girl kick”. The fingers are tightly clenched into a fist with the thumb inside, the wrist is arched toward the elbow - in the opposite direction from the thumb. There should be a stretch around the base of the thumb and a little at the wrist. You can also bend your wrist in this position to get additional and slightly different stretching.
An excellent solution to strengthen the hookgrip - juggling discs. I recommend doing this exercise several times a week after training.
You need to start with disks of 5 kg and carry out 2-3 sets of 8-12 times, first with one hand and then with two at the same time to develop coordination. Perhaps you would not believe it, but at the best of times, I was able to perform these exercises with 25 kg disks.
I also recommend wrapping your thumbs with a lifting thumb tape. It is important to use soft thumb tape so that the joints can move freely. Using the tape allows you to get more connection with the barbell, and hence more sense of security.
In any case, to get used to the hookgrip you need to use it as much as possible and as often as possible. I often recall a funny story when my whole team was on a bus on our way to training and all together held the handrail with a hookgrip, and all the athletes did it just by habit.
TRAIN TOGETHER – TRAIN RIGHT
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