MetCon Grip

[Zach Mitchell]

I decided to post this question here rather than the Grip Strength thread because I feel like there might be different techniques for building grip strength in a metcon versus weightlifting grip.

Please let me know if I am wrong.

I am just going to share my experience with you:

Yesterday was Fran. I finished in 6:51 so, as you can see, I am a badass My forearms were about to explode. I was doing Pull-ups one at a time for the 9 set because I couldn't hold on to the bar. I realize that everyone experiences this in some form or another so what do you do? Do I specialize my grip training? Do I do Fran once a week? Do I just suck it up and it might take two years?

Maybe the latter answer is what to do and it seems reasonable (aside for the 2 year portion ) but I want to know what the experts say.

Thanks in advance.

Zach
CrossFit Fire

[Gant Grimes]

There are a lot of things conspiring against you on the last leg of Fran, so it's hard to say. Without knowing anything else, I'm going to guess you're gripping the bar too hard.

[Zach Mitchell]

I think we are doing Angie this week... That'll be a good opp to test your theory. Although there won't be the wrist taxing Thrusters, I will opt for more of a hook grip on the PU bar.

Good call Gant, I will let you know how that goes! Thanks for the response!

[Steven Low]

You should more or less be gripping the bar only as much as you need not to fall off (pullup bar) or let go (assuming you're picking up the thruster bar again + holding it).

[Zach Mitchell]

I never got to Angie... but I did an AMRAP last night: 12:00 5 HSPU/ 5 Pull-ups.
I got 11 rounds and 3 HSPUs with blue bands for HSPU assist. Didn't smoke it but I gave it hell.

I tried to be conscious of not gripping too tight. Coach Tucker at his Gymnastics Cert made me do burpees if I didn't have my thumb around the bar so I had to really try.

Not wrapping my thumb around helped me keep more of a hanging grip and saved my forearms.

I also noticed that the leverage I gained on the pull from my thumbs being outside helped out considerably. My pull-ups have been getting stronger lately but toying with grip seems to make a huge difference.

[Derek Simonds]

I have never done thumbless grip p/u's but now that you mention it that is all Jr does. My p/u bar at home is thicker than normal so I will give it a go.

[Allen Yeh]

I like the thumbless grip but I try to do both for dead hang chins/pullups, one day I'll do thumbless and the next i'll do regular grip. For kipping pullups I think I only use thumbless? I guess I'm not thinking about that when I'm doing a met-con, hmm.

[Garrett Smith]

I've heard the best way to do kipping pull-ups is with the bar held mostly in the fingers, with a thumbless grip. One way I've heard to work up to this specific type of strength is to do as many as possible with this type of grip, then switch to the old "palm" grip to finish.

Hook grip or "palm" grip on kipping pull-ups will likely tear up your palm calluses.

I've been doing my straddle-L and L-sit pull-ups with a false grip, both to improve my strength in that position and just in case I decide to enter the novice arm-wrestling comp towards the end of this year...I know, unrelated, but I thought I'd throw it in there.