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Axle Grip Width


Climber028

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Gripmas was my first competition with the axle and also my first opportunity to watch dozens of people lift it back to back,  I noticed wide variance in grip width.  Small people grabbing wide, large people grabbing narrow and everything in between.  Some so narrow their hands were touching.  I feel like I don't know where my ideal width is.  Is there any rhyme or reason to hand placement or is it purely personal preference that needs to be dialed in through experimentation?  Appreciate any other input relating to axle setup behind standard deadlift technique.

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Moderators:

I think this post is in the incorrect category, but it is a good question.  

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I found my personal best width the same way I found my best methodology for all events - lots of experimentation.  Probably not the answer you wanted - I don't have a "do this and all will be fine" type answer.  For me personally for both pinch and axle it's all about getting as much as possible out of my ring and pinky fingers - so a grip that allows me to use my lats to sort of rotate my hands into my 2 smallest fingers is best for me.  On the Axle the other thing I try for is to get the bar as "deep" into the base of my fingers as possible.  I stretch my thumb over the bar - get my fingers as wrapped as possible - concentrate on rotating into the ring and pinkie with my lats - do a sort of "standing wrist curl" which is more an isometric than actual movement - then use my best DL form and lift.  For me that meant a Sumo DL with hands maybe 6" apart worked best - but it took a while to figure that out.

None of that probably makes sense - I'm sorry but the best I can explain things

  

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28 minutes ago, richcottrell said:

Moderators:

I think this post is in the incorrect category, but it is a good question.  

Yea idk how that happened,  meant to be in "GripBoard".

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8 minutes ago, climber511 said:

I found my personal best width the same way I found my best methodology for all events - lots of experimentation.  Probably not the answer you wanted - I don't have a "do this and all will be fine" type answer.  For me personally for both pinch and axle it's all about getting as much as possible out of my ring and pinky fingers - so a grip that allows me to use my lats to sort of rotate my hands into my 2 smallest fingers is best for me.  On the Axle the other thing I try for is to get the bar as "deep" into the base of my fingers as possible.  I stretch my thumb over the bar - get my fingers as wrapped as possible - concentrate on rotating into the ring and pinkie with my lats - do a sort of "standing wrist curl" which is more an isometric than actual movement - then use my best DL form and lift.  For me that meant a Sumo DL with hands maybe 6" apart worked best - but it took a while to figure that out.

None of that probably makes sense - I'm sorry but the best I can explain things

  

No that was actually very helpful. Lat activation I get but I think I have a lot to improve with ring/pinky and wrist angle.

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I think it's definitely easier the more narrow you grab it. Unfortunately for me I can't deadlift sumo, I'm really bad at it. I use a slightly more narrow stance when lifting with the axle, so that I can have slightly more narrow grip while still having the hands outside of my legs.

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I've noticed this too, even with a regular bar. I have a better grip with my hands closer together. Here's what I think is going on:

The further your hands move out the more radial deviation is required to maintain your wrap. As you hit the limit of your wrist flexibility you start to lose pressure from your outside fingers. I think your most powerful position is going to be with your wrist neutral allowing a full wrap of all fingers. This is obviously going to vary from person to person. For me personally that's when my arms are roughly parallel. A perfect width for a sumo pull. 

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46 minutes ago, Andrew Dube said:

I've noticed this too, even with a regular bar. I have a better grip with my hands closer together. Here's what I think is going on:

The further your hands move out the more radial deviation is required to maintain your wrap. As you hit the limit of your wrist flexibility you start to lose pressure from your outside fingers. I think your most powerful position is going to be with your wrist neutral allowing a full wrap of all fingers. This is obviously going to vary from person to person. For me personally that's when my arms are roughly parallel. A perfect width for a sumo pull. 

Very well said; I agree.

 

Coming from a Powerlifting standpoint, I can get the best lat tightness and activation by pushing my hands straight down into the bar where they naturally fall, but my grip is not the strongest at that width. I usually go a little bit closer (1-2") than my normal barbell width for the reasons @Andrew Dube described. I can get a bit more wrist flexion and pressure from my ring and pinky that way.

 

Also notable: I may move my left hand very, very slightly off center to put more "weight" into my right hand. I have limited RoM in my right elbow from an old injury, so it helps ever so slightly.

Honestly, it just takes a lot of playing around with to find a happy medium. Looking forward to next year when our axles explode, @Climber028 😉

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4 hours ago, Nigel Blackburn said:

Honestly, it just takes a lot of playing around with to find a happy medium. Looking forward to next year when our axles explode, @Climber028 😉

Let the race for a double body weight axle lift begin. Hopefully @Jedd Johnson will join us.

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