Deadlift grip

I'll preface this by saying that I don't deadlift anymore because of multiple back injuries, and I would like to avoid having back surgery in the future.

Has anyone here gone to using a double overhand grip when deadlifting? I read an article a while back that said that the new "correct grip" for deads is double over, instead of the traditional over/under. There were several reasons, but the 2 main reasons were that it doesn't cause left vs right side imbalances like using an over/under grip can if you don't switch hands regularly.

The other reason, and the main reason I'm even posting this, is that it helps prevents bicep tears during heavy pulls. I just watched a 5 minute YouTube video of bicep tear compilations, and that shit was gruesome. And ever single time, it was the arm with the underhand grip that popped the bicep. A couple were from atrociously bad curl form, and one from arm wrestling, but primarily from deadlifting.

When I did deadlift, I always used a double overhand grip. The over/under always felt wrong to me, and i could feel the imbalances in my body when I was pulling with it. Because this board has more vets and focuses more on long term health, I would highly encourage anyone that still deadlifts to try switching their grip to a double overhand grip. Biceps tears can be truly catastrophic injuries that many never truly recover from. Some injuries are going to happen no matter what, but if we can make small changes that can help prevent them, it's foolish not to try.

I know it's all family here, but let's not turn this into a debate over the merits of deadlifting. That's another discussion for another thread. And besides, Psych seems a little cranky today. He might get his feelings hurt. Wait, do powerlifters even HAVE feelings?

psych said:

Bicep tears happen when you dont keep your arms locked.....

Click to expand...

I don't know Psych. I agree that they definitely can happen from not keeping your arms locked, but I wouldn't go as far as to say that that's the only time they happen. There's enough anecdotal evidence to indicate that it might have something to do with the grip.

I've never known or seen anyone that pulls double over that has torn a bicep mid pull. Nor have I ever known or seen anyone pulling over/under that has torn the bicep of the hand with an overhand grip. Obviously my sample size is small, and my memory is fallible, and other people have known way more dead lifters than I have. I'm not saying they don't happen, I just think they are probably much more rare. If anyone has seen those things happen, please speak up.

I know that if I just out my arm straight out in front of me, palms down, I feel virtually no stress or strain on my biceps. But, just rotating my hands to a palms up position automatically creates a slight stretch in the lower biceps. And when coupled with large amounts of weight, I personally see it as a recipe for disaster.

Do I think that if someone lifts with a double over grip it's impossible to tear a biceps during a lift? Absolutely not. Do I think that someone that only lifts over/under is guaranteed to tear a biceps at some point? Absolutely not. Do I think that is might be safer, even if only marginally, to pull with a double over grip? Absolutely.

One thing I know for sure is, no matter what age we are, we're all getting older. And with that, comes an increased risk of injury and longer recovery times. And sometimes it even means that we'll never really recover from certain injuries. Staying healthy, active and injury free is much more important to me know than it ever was when I was young and indestructible, especially since I've had a few injuries that have negatively impacted my overall quality of life.

I'm not trying to preach to anyone, just throwing something out there to think about. I believe heavily in personal responsibility. In the end, we all have to make our own decisions and live with the outcomes. I just hope everyone stays safe and lives to lift another day. :action-smiley-030:

Here's the video I referenced above. I know it's not "proof" of anything. But, watch and tell how many of these guys you see that are bending their arms while pulling. And a few of these guys are world class deadlifters. And there's one in there during a stone lift, Psych. That's not ur buddy, is it?

[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pZgxkE-2QAw[/ame]

I tried to embed the video, but I have no idea how.

Never mind. Figured it out on accident.

Like I said, I wasn't submitting that video as absolute proof. And I went back and watched it and a few were definitely starting to bend their arms. But, and this is the most important part to me, how many of them would still have torn their bicep if they were using a double over grip? I'm betting it would be few to none. In every single case, it was the underhand grip arm that tore.

Psych, if your nephew/cousin/someone that you knew well and cared for came to you and asked you to teach them to deadlift, what grip would you teach them?