Grip Strength
Grip is the first thing to fail on most pulling exercises, which means your back stops being trained before it stops being able to train.
Last updated: 1 July 2026
Overview
On most pulling exercises, your hands fail before the muscle you were training does.
That is a problem worth naming, because it means the set ended for the wrong reason. Your back had more in it; your fingers did not.
Quick Answer
Grip is often the limiting factor on deadlifts, rows and pull ups, ending a set before the target muscle is fatigued. Training grip directly with holds and carries, and using straps on the heaviest back work, both solve different halves of the problem.
Key Points
- Grip failing first means the back set was cut short.
- Three types: crush, support and pinch. Lifting mostly needs support.
- Straps are a tool, not cheating, on heavy back work.
- Do not strap everything, or grip never improves.
- Grip strength is also a well-known marker of general health.
Three kinds of grip
| Type | What it is | Trained by |
|---|---|---|
| Crush | Squeezing something shut | Grippers, thick bar work |
| Support | Holding on to something heavy | Deadlifts, carries, holds |
| Pinch | Holding between fingers and thumb | Plate pinches |
Lifting is dominated by support grip, which is why carries and holds transfer and why squeezing a gripper does relatively little for your deadlift.
The problem with grip failing first
Say you are doing a set of eight Romanian deadlifts. Your hamstrings could produce eight hard reps. Your grip gives at rep six.
That set is now a six rep grip set with a hamstring warm up attached. Repeat it across a block and your back and hamstrings received meaningfully less stimulus than the programme intended.
Straps
Straps let the back set end when the back is done. That is what they are for, and using them is not cheating any more than using a belt or chalk is.
| Use straps | Do not use straps |
|---|---|
| Heavy back volume where grip limits you | Every set of everything |
| RDLs, shrugs, heavy rows | Your top deadlift set, if grip matters to you |
| Late sets when grip is already fatigued | Warm ups |
| High rep pulling work | Anything where grip is the point |
The rule that keeps both benefits: strap the volume work, leave at least one heavy pulling set each week unstrapped so grip still gets trained.
Training grip directly
It does not need much. Two exposures a week is plenty.
| Exercise | Prescription |
|---|---|
| [Farmers carry](/wiki/exercises/farmers-carry) | 3 x 30 to 40m, as heavy as you can hold |
| Dead hang from a bar | 3 x max hold |
| Deadlift hold at lockout | 2 x 15 to 20 sec at the end of a set |
| Plate pinch | 3 x 20 sec per hand |
Carries are the best value of these by some distance: they train support grip, trunk stability and general work capacity at once, and they are almost impossible to do with poor technique.
Mixed grip and hook grip
Two ways to hold a heavy bar when a double overhand grip gives out.
Mixed grip, one palm forward and one back, is stronger and is what most people default to. It also loads the two sides of the body asymmetrically and carries some biceps tear risk on the supinated arm, so alternating which hand supinates is sensible.
Hook grip, thumb trapped under the fingers, is symmetrical and very secure. It also hurts a great deal until you adapt to it, which is why fewer people persist with it.
The deadlift is where all of this shows up first, and it is worth watching how the bar is held rather than only how it is lifted.
Why it matters beyond lifting
Grip strength is one of the more widely studied simple markers of general health and is associated with outcomes in ageing. That is an association rather than proof that training grip causes better outcomes, but it is a reason not to treat it as a novelty.
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Why it causes problems | Better approach |
|---|---|---|
| Letting grip end every back set | The back was never fully trained | Strap the volume work |
| Straps on everything always | Grip never develops | Leave one heavy set unstrapped |
| Training grip with grippers only | Trains crush, not support | Carries and holds |
| Always the same hand supinated in mixed grip | Asymmetric loading | Alternate |
| Ignoring it entirely | It quietly caps your pulling | Two short exposures a week |
Frequently Asked Questions
Are lifting straps cheating?
No. They let a back exercise be limited by your back. Keep at least one heavy pulling set a week unstrapped so grip still gets trained.
How do I stop grip failing on deadlifts?
Train it directly with carries and holds, use chalk, and learn hook or mixed grip for heavy sets.
How often should I train grip?
Twice a week is plenty, and carries at the end of a session cover most of it.
Do grippers help my deadlift?
Only a little. They train crush grip; deadlifting needs support grip, which carries and holds train far better.
Sources
National Strength and Conditioning Association - https://www.nsca.com/
American College of Sports Medicine - https://acsm.org/
NHS exercise guidance - https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/