Deadlift Grip Types: Double Overhand vs Mixed vs Hook Grip vs Straps

Your deadlift can only be as heavy as the weight you can hold. For many lifters, grip is the first thing to fail when the bar gets heavy, long before the legs and back give out. Choosing the right grip, and knowing when to switch, can add real pounds to your pull. This guide compares every common deadlift grip and explains how chalk and straps fit in.

Why Grip Matters on the Deadlift

On a squat or bench, the bar sits on your body. On a deadlift, the entire load hangs from your fingers. If the bar rolls out of your hands, the set ends no matter how strong your hips are. Grip also affects your setup: a confident grip lets you create full-body tension before the bar leaves the floor.

1. Double Overhand Grip

Both palms face you.

• Pros: symmetrical, keeps shoulders even, and builds grip strength.
• Cons: the bar tends to roll out of your fingers as weights get heavy.
• Best for: warm-ups, lighter working sets and grip training.

Most lifters should pull double overhand for as long as they can before switching to something else.

2. Mixed Grip (Alternating Grip)

One palm faces you, the other faces away.

• Pros: the opposite hand positions stop the bar from rolling, so it is much more secure.
• Cons: creates an asymmetry. The underhand arm's biceps is in a more exposed position, which is why many coaches recommend keeping that arm straight and relaxed. Some lifters also alternate which hand is underhand between sessions.
• Best for: heavy sets and competition attempts for lifters who do not use a hook grip.

3. Hook Grip

Your thumb wraps around the bar first, then your fingers wrap over your thumb.

• Pros: very secure and symmetrical. Weightlifters use it for cleans and snatches.
• Cons: it hurts, especially at first. Thumbs need weeks to adapt.
• Best for: lifters willing to tolerate discomfort for a secure, even grip.

Our full guide to the hook grip covers how to learn it step by step.

4. Lifting Straps

Straps loop around your wrist and the bar, transferring some of the load away from your fingers.

• Pros: grip is no longer the limit, so you can train your back and legs with heavier loads or more reps.
• Cons: not allowed in most powerlifting meets, and overusing them means less grip training.
• Best for: high-rep sets, back-off sets, Romanian deadlifts, rack pulls and training days where grip is not the focus.

Bay Gear Co. padded lifting straps are 24" long and $19.99. You can see every color in our lifting straps collection.

Grip Width and Hand Position

For conventional deadlifts, hands usually sit just outside the legs. For sumo, hands go inside the knees, about shoulder width. Wherever your hands go, place the bar low in your fingers near the base, not deep in the palm. If the bar starts deep in your palm, the skin folds as you pull and can tear calluses.

How to Stop Your Grip From Slipping

1. Use chalk. Dry hands hold more. Bay Gear Co. liquid chalk dries quickly and stays on through several sets. (Liquid chalk is not returnable.)
2. Squeeze the bar hard before you start the pull.
3. Keep the bar low in the fingers to reduce rolling.
4. Train your grip directly with holds, carries and double overhand work.
5. Switch grips at the right time, not too early.
6. Clean the bar if it is caked with old chalk or rust.

When Should You Switch Grips?

A simple approach: pull double overhand until your grip starts to fail on a working set, then switch to hook or mixed only for the heaviest sets. Use straps for higher reps or variations where grip would cut the set short. This way you keep building grip while still lifting heavy.

Grip Training to Support Your Deadlift

• Farmer's walks: heavy carries for distance.
• Dead hangs from a pull-up bar.
• Double overhand holds at the top of a deadlift for time.
• Fat grip training using thicker handles.

For a complete plan, see our guide on how to improve grip strength for deadlifts.

Grip and Competition Rules

In most powerlifting federations, straps are not allowed in the deadlift, but chalk is. Both mixed and hook grips are legal. If you compete, practice your meet grip regularly so it holds under maximal loads.

A Four-Week Plan to Fix Grip Failure

If your hands keep opening up on heavy pulls, try this simple block alongside your normal deadlift training.

1. Week 1: after deadlifts, hold your last warm-up weight double overhand at lockout for three sets of fifteen seconds. Add two sets of dead hangs for as long as you can.
2. Week 2: extend the holds to twenty seconds and add two rounds of heavy farmer's walks for thirty meters.
3. Week 3: pull your first working set double overhand, then switch to hook or mixed grip. Keep the holds and carries.
4. Week 4: reduce the grip work by half and test a heavier working set to see how your hands respond.

Most lifters notice a difference within a month. Grip strength responds quickly to frequent, focused practice, so keep a small amount of this work in your program even after the block ends.

FAQ

What is the best deadlift grip?

It depends on your goals. Double overhand builds grip, hook grip is secure and symmetrical, mixed grip is secure and easier to learn, and straps take grip out of the equation.

Is mixed grip bad?

It is widely used in competition. The main concern is the asymmetry, so many lifters keep the underhand arm straight and alternate sides.

Does hook grip get less painful?

Many lifters report that it becomes more tolerable after several weeks of regular practice.

Should beginners use straps for deadlifts?

Beginners usually benefit from building grip first, then adding straps for specific sets later.

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