The deadlift has the reputation of being the king of lifts. And if you’ve had even the minimum experience with it, you already know why. Basically, the deadlift is the best feat of raw strength you could perform. Some of its most prominent positive effects include triggering immense muscle growth, especially in the posterior chain, and enabling an excellent carryover of strength into the rest of your lifting.
When it comes to the king, there are three main styles of grip to choose from – the hook grip, the double overhand grip and the mixed grip. As expected, each of these variations offer a different set of benefits and limitations, but none of them has caused as much controversy as the mixed grip. With the hope of clearing some of the confusion surrounding it, in this article we’ll dig in deeper into the importance and usefulness of this popular grip variation and provide some precise answers to your most troubling questions.
So what’s up with the mixed grip?
The mixed grip involves placing one hand over the bar and the other under the bar, which makes it very difficult for the bar to slip out of your grip and enables you to lift more weight. Unlike the double overhand grip, the mixed grip traps the bar in your hands so that you can resist gravity for longer. Most people prefer to place their dominant hand facing up but switch which hand faces up on each set to prevent developing muscular imbalances and injuries. And others believe the mixed grip is dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. Of course, this is completely false. The mixed grip is actually very safe as long as your deadlift form is solid. But if both your form and technique suck, everything you try to do in the gym will be more or less dangerous, regardless of your grip preferences. In addition, you don’t have to alternate which hand faces up on each set in order to avoid muscle imbalances if you’re using the mixed grip properly, i.e. only for your heaviest deadlift sets.
Here are three important things to remember:
#1. The mixed grip improves your grip for deadlifts
If you want to build strength and muscle, you must deadlift heavy. And regardless of how strong your back and legs are, if your grip lags, you won’t get too far. But since the bar can’t rotate in your hands when you use the mixed grip, your grip strength for deadlifts will increase significantly. This means that you can use this grip to deadlift heavier weights when your normal grip fails you. You can also get more reps because it allows you to hold the bar for longer.
#2. Deadlifting with the mixed grip isn’t cheating
Even though the mixed grip increases your grip for deadlifts, you’re still lifting the weight by yourself without using any outside tools. In this respect, it’s much different than using straps, which basically enable you to get away with a weak grip and can weaken it even further over time if used regularly.
#3. The mixed grip won’t weaken your grip for deadlifts
Like we said, it’s just you and the bar, no outside tools. No matter how you grip the bar, the same laws of physics apply to the movement – gravity pulls the bar down and your grip muscles work hard to keep your hands closed. As long as you use the mixed grip properly (on heavy sets), your grip strength will develop even further, so you don’t have a reason to avoid it. Don’t let a bad grip stall your deadlifting progress.
When should the mixed grip be used on deadlifts?
For starters, don’t use it from day one. When you’re new to deadlifting, it’s best to use the normal grip for as long as possible because the rotation of the bar will challenge your grip muscles more, thereby helping you increase your grip strength. Also, if you deadlift with the mixed grip from early on, you’ll have nothing to switch to when your grip fails at heavier weights.
Here are some basic rules for optimal deadlifting results with the mixed grip:
- Don’t use the mixed grip on every set. The best way to increase grip strength without performing additional exercises is by using the normal grip for most of your sets because it allows the bar to rotate. This challenges and thereby strengthens your grip.
- You can either warm up with the normal grip, then switch to the mixed grip on your last warm-up set and perform all your work sets with it, or warm up with the normal grip and use it as long as you can, and once you can’t hold the weight with the normal grip anymore, switch to the mixed grip.
- Switch to the mixed grip if the bar slips out of your hands mid-set. That way you’ll increase your grip and get those extra reps that you otherwise wouldn’t.
- Put your dominant hand up and the other one down, and don’t alternate the hands on every set. This will help you reach maximum efficiency in the shortest time possible.
- The perfect grip width should be about shoulder width apart.
- Place the bar low in your palms and wrap your thumbs around the bar. Squeeze the bar as hard as you can to secure your grip.
- Be prepared to feel uncomfortable at first. As with every other change, it will take some time and practice before you get used to it. Just stick with it until it becomes equally comfortable as the normal grip. Practicing with the same hand facing up on every set will speed up this process.
- If you experience shoulder pain when deadlifting with the mixed grip, stop using it for a while. While slight discomfort is normal, pain isn’t, especially if you have a pre-existing shoulder injury, so try switching which hand faces up and don’t overdo it.
Can the mixed grip cause muscle imbalances or biceps injuries?
One of the loudest complaints certain lifters have about the mixed grip has to do with the creation of muscle imbalances. More specifically, they believe that using the mixed grip with the same hand always facing up will lead to imbalances in the trapezius muscles
The truth is that the imbalances that could develop over time would be microscopic compared to the imbalances that could occur because of uneven foot or hip position and other mistakes caused by bad form. If you use the mixed grip correctly, i.e. only for your heavy deadlift sets and only once your normal grip can’t hold the weight anymore, you have no reason to worry about any muscle imbalances. Besides that, lifting the same way every time increases the amount of practice that side gets, which leads to better technique and increased effectiveness.
However, if you would rather practice the mixed grip by altering the hands on each set, you are free to do it that way. That will lower your chance of developing one side more than the other even further and help distribute the strain on the tendons evenly
As far as biceps injuries are concerned, deadlifting with a mixed grip can’t cause them on its own, while deadlifting with bad form and a mixed grip certainly can. But then again, bad form is guaranteed to result with injury, no matter which grip you use, so you don’t really have to worry about using the mixed grip. Instead, focus on correcting your form and technique. Biceps tendon tears are not the direct result of the mixed grip – they are caused by lifting with bad form, including bent elbows, rounded lower back and leaning at the top, regardless of the grip choice. Unfortunately, only a handful of people will admit they deadlifted with improper form, while the majority will blame the grip for their troubles.
Here are the 3 most important tips that will help you prevent biceps injury:
- Deadlift with straight arms. Don’t bend your elbows – they must be locked from start to finish. The straight arms and locked elbows are the basics of proper deadlifting form.
- Don’t try to pull the weight with your arms. Let your legs and back muscles do the biggest part of the work and use a full range of motion.
- Avoid grinding as often as possible and don’t hitch your deadlifts – these tricks will ultimately keep you weak and they’re forbidden in powerlifting competitions. Also, if you rest the bar on your thighs, then bend your elbows and hitch the weight up, you could cause the biceps of the hand which is facing up to tear. If the bar pauses at any point, consider it a failed rep.
Mixed grip vs. hook grip – which one is better?
The hook grip (both hands face you) has gained popularity among deadlifters during the last decades because it supposedly lowers the risk of biceps injuries and muscle imbalances. But as we’ve discussed before, these two are the result of bad form and overusing the mixed grip on most deadlift sets instead of using it only on the heaviest ones. The second most common argument in favor of the hook grip is that Olympic Lifters use it, but as we all know, the mixed grip doesn’t work very well in their routines and the hook grip is the best option they have (the normal one is simply less secure), so that’s not a valid argument when it comes to comparing these two. Olympic lifters drop the weight on the floor, while deadlifters have to hold the weight in their hands for longer and lower it back down, which is far more challenging for their grip.
That being said, some lifters find the mixed grip uncomfortable or providing unnecessary torque to their backs, while the hook grip feels easier and more balanced. Some even feel that the hook grip enables them to better activate their lats. If you’ve tried both for prolonged periods of time and feel the same way, stick to the hook grip. After all, what is better for one person isn’t necessarily better for the others.
However, the hook grip can become a bit troublesome after a while or when dealing with very heavy weights. The main problem is that your thumbs are stuck between the bar and your fingers for the duration of the whole set, meaning that the bar compresses the joints, nerves and nails of your thumbs. When compared to the mixed grip, the hook grip places far greater stress on the thumbs and can be very painful. And pain isn’t something you should ignore. This however isn’t a cause for concern for Olympic Lifters because of the short duration of their sets. In addition, if you have small hands or short fingers, you may never get used to the hook grip. Many top level deadlifters who have big hands use the hook grip regularly, while others achieve the same great results using the mixed grip, which is undoubtedly safer and at least equally efficient. And it works from day one without any pain.
Final thoughts
Regardless of what others around you say or do, you need to discover what works best for you by yourself. This doesn’t mean that you should disregard all safety warnings because you’re too lazy to put in the effort – it just means that you should listen to your body and trim your routine as you see fit. But before you do that, make sure to do your homework and be prepared for the outcome of your choices. The purpose of this article was to provide you the basic information about the role of the mixed grip in the world of deadlifting and useful tips on how to safely implement it into your deadlifts, not convince you to use it by all means. As always, the choice is only yours. And the consequences, however good or bad, will be only yours as well. So stay safe, watch your form and keep lifting!
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