How to Do a Hook Grip

Co-authored by Souad Gharib

Last Updated: October 26, 2019 References

The hook grip is a gripping technique used in various strength sports, including weightlifting, powerlifting, and bodybuilding. To perform the hook grip, wrap your thumbs around the underside of the bar, then curl the rest of your fingers over the top and “hook” them firmly into the crevice created by the forward edge of your thumbs. When performed correctly, the hook grip will allow you to handle more weight with less performance-affecting fatigue to your forearms, upper back, and other interdependent muscle groups.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Taking a Proper Hook Grip

1
Adopt your preferred stance for the lift you’re about to perform. The exact stance you take will depend on the version of the lift you have programmed. Set up the same way you ordinarily would, running through a mental checklist of cues like width, foot placement, toe and shin angle, and proximity to the bar.^{[1]
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- Many athletes reserve the hook grip for heavy deadlifts, but it’s also an indispensable technique for achieving maximal force output in the two main Olympic lifts, the snatch and clean, and can even be used for rows and presses.^{[2]
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- There’s no one “correct” or “best” stance to pair with the hook grip. It will be just as effective when employed from a narrow, conventional, wide, or sumo stance.
2
Place your hands a comfortable distance away from one another over the bar. Like your stance, you grip will mostly be determined by your physiology and the mechanics of the lift you’re performing. In general, however, a slightly narrow or conventional grip width will allow you to cinch in your hook grip better than a wider hand placement.^{[3]
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- If you’re not sure where to put your hands, let them hang free by your sides while standing normally, then touch them down on the bar at the same width. You can then shift in or out a bit as needed until you find your sweet spot.^{[4]
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- Your hook grip will be strongest when your arms are perfectly perpendicular with the bar. The further out you move your hands, the more of an angle your arms will form with the bar, causing you to give up security and control.
3
Drape your hands loosely over the top of the bar. Extend your fingers and press the webbing between your thumbs and index fingers into the upper part of the bar. Make sure there’s no unnecessary space at any of your contact points. The entire curve of your hand should be flush with the bar in a “C” shape.^{[5]
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- Keep both palms facing you. The hook grip is only effective in a pronated position—it won’t work with a supinated (palms forward) or mixed grip.
Keep the inner edges of your hands pressed firmly into the bar and try to point the tips of your thumbs at the wall in front of you. At this point, your thumbs should be the only thing touching the bar. Your fingers should still be free, ready to lock in the grip.^{[6]
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Tip: The key to an iron-tight hook grip is to keep your thumbs as perpendicular to the bar as possible. If you simply smash them parallel against the bar, it will just feel awkward, weak, or even painful.
5
Curl the rest of your fingers around the bar and “hook” them onto your thumbs. More specifically, latch your index and middle fingers onto the first knuckle of your thumbs. Positioning your thumbs in this way creates a kind of ridge for you to dig your fingers into, providing far more traction than you would otherwise get on the smooth, round bar.^{[7]
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- With most standard grips, the bar is in danger of slipping out of the weak spot between your fingers and thumbs once your forearms start to tire. The hook grip makes this weak spot less of a liability, enabling you to hold the bar tighter for longer.^{[8]
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- Be careful not to let your thumbs shift or tilt as you close your hands around the bar. Doing so could compromise your grip, making it harder to keep hold of the bar and putting you at risk of injury.
6
Keep your grip firm and steady as you initiate the lift. Once you’ve got your hands where you want them, try not to adjust them or lose tension. If you loosen up too much, you’ll leave yourself vulnerable to excess movement, which will threaten the stability of your grip and therefore your overall performance.^{[9]
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- If you notice the bar beginning to slip down in your hands once you get the weight off of the floor, you’re probably starting off with it too high on your palms. Try resetting your grip, making sure that your fingers are in a good place to really squeeze the bottom of the bar and prevent it from moving.
- There's no need to squeeze the bar any harder than it takes to hold onto it. One major benefit of the hook grip is that it decreases the strain on your forearms, giving your hands a bit of a break while you focus on the lift.^{[10]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Training the Hook Grip Safely

1
Practice extensively with lighter weights. The hook grip may feel a little strange at first, as it’s less intuitive than the double-overhand and mixed grips. When you’re first getting used to the technique, start with loads well below your max. You can then begin adding weight gradually as it becomes more natural. Like anything else, the more you do it, the better you’ll get.^{[11]
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- There’s no need to even experiment with the hook grip on a barbell. If you like, you can try it out with a curl bar or pair of dumbbells first and see how it feels before making the transition to a full-sized bar.^{[12]
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- Jumping straight to heavier weights could increase your risk of sprains, tears, or other injuries around the thumb joints.
2
Stretch your thumbs prior to using the hook grip if you experience discomfort. In the hook grip, the weight of the bar exerts direct pressure on the thumb joints. This could be painful for lifters with limited mobility in this area. To ease the strain, curl your fingers into a mock hook grip with your hands empty, then tilt your thumbs away from you to gently stretch the tendons and ligaments around the base of each digit.^{[13]
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- Get in the habit of stretching for 1-2 minutes before and after lifting with the hook grip. You’ll likely notice an immediate improvement in terms of comfort and mobility.
3
Tape your thumbs to prevent rips. Another potential downside of using the hook grip for heavy lifts is skin rips. The best way to avoid shredding your thumbs on the bar is to tape them up prior to heavy sessions. Tear off a 12–18 in (30–46 cm) strip of athletic tape and wrap it around either side of the knuckle of each thumb in a figure-8 pattern, leaving the knuckle itself exposed to give it room to bend. The tape will provide a protective buffer between the bar and your skin.^{[14]
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- If possible, use elastic tape rather than ordinary athletic tape. The superior flexibility will keep the tape from inhibiting your range of motion in the joint, which is a common factor in sprains and other injuries.^{[15]
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Tip: If you don’t have any elastic tape available, another option is to tear a strip of regular athletic tape lengthwise down the middle to ensure that it doesn’t cover the knuckle.
4
Throw some fat grips on the bar to challenge your grip even more. Fat grips (also known more generally as “thick-grip implements”) are designed to snap into place around regulation-sized barbells and dumbbells to essentially make them wider. Since a wider bar is harder to hold, the extra girth will really force you to pull your thumbs in deep and give your forearms a killer workout in the process.^{[16]
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- You can buy fat grips in various sizes, styles, and thicknesses online from vendors that carry specialized weightlifting accessories.^{[17]
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- Drilling the hook grip with fat grips will improve your technique faster than working with the bar alone. The grip strength gains you make will also translate to your conventional grip, making it a win-win situation.
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Tips

The hook grip can make a convenient and highly-effective alternative to wrist straps if you prefer to lift without equipment.

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The hook grip is especially useful for maintaining control over the bar during movements that require lots of torque and rotation, such as the second phase of a snatch or clean.

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Warnings

Your hook grip probably won’t feel right on your first few tries, but if it feels wrong, stop and put the bar down immediately. Otherwise, you could be putting yourself in the crosshairs of an injury that has the potential to take you out of action for weeks or even months.

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