What is a static hold?

[BallZach]

I know this may be very n00b of me asking but I have searched and didn't find the anwser.

 

 

Thank!

[VeganEssentials]

Happy to help with this one -

 

A static hold would be where you would just hold the weight at the top position of a lift for either a specified amount of time (like 30 seconds) or for as long as you can. So, for a deadlift static hold, you'd typically want to lift the bar as little as possible to get it to the lockout position at top, standing erect, so usually you'd want to pull from a high setting in a power rack. If nothing else, just deadlift it from the floor, and when you get to the top, hold on as long as you can. You can do the same type of thing with a squat - set the pins high in a power rack so you only have to squat the weight up a few inches, and hold it until you can't keep standing any longer. They're fun finishers, but for the deadlift style, it's known for really helping to aid in grip and will help you hold on to the bar longer and with heavier weights over time.

 

Hope this explanation helps!

[BallZach]

Thanks Ryan. I am actually doing your power training routine.

[Couture547]

VE, what do you think of heavy duty grippers? Do you think there needed or are heavy static holds and deads enough? btw what weight do you train with for static holds?

[VeganEssentials]

Thanks Ryan. I am actually doing your power training routine.

 

Glad to be of help! Let me know what you think of the program - it's still the one that gave me the best results, and one day this spring I'll go back to it again and see what it can do for me again

 

 

Couture547 - Grippers are fun, but the crossover to holding on to a bar is pretty bad, really. Usually, guys who can hold on to heavy weight easily are usually decent on grippers when they get started, but rarely vice-versa. Thick bar work will have a better carryover, but if you want to be able to hold on to heavy weight, the more you do it via deadlifts and static holds the better you'll get. Grippers are more comparable to doing barbell finger curls, where you just let the bar roll down your hands in front or behind you and curl it back up with finger strength - a decent general grip builder, but it doesn't give the closed-hand strength you need to fight for a heavy deadlift.

 

For static holds, I'd usually do sets of 20-40 seconds with 500-600 lbs. but for my best when my grip was getting solid, I did 500 lbs. for 60 seconds with a bit of chalk and managed to keep something like 855 lbs. for a whopping 3-4 seconds before I lost it. No idea how someone like Andy Bolton can casually hold 900-1000 lbs. for 10 seconds without it forcing his hands open in a flash. When I was doing lots of heavy low-rep deads, I'd always end my sessions with static holds and found that it definitely made it so that I never lost my grip pulling off the floor.

[Couture547]

Since i do Deadlifts with overunder grip should i practice the static holds the same way or should i work the other overunder and standard grip as well?

[VeganEssentials]

If you only want to maximize your hold with the mixed grip, then by all means, put most (or all) focus on it. Doing work on the double overhand will definitely be a good thing, however, if you don't plan on using that grip for deadlifts and don't have a problem with it for other movements like barbell rows, then put most of your work into the mixed grip (over/under) for the bulk of your static holds. If anything, put one regular double overhand set at the end with maybe 50-60% of your mixed grip holds as a finisher and you'll still get to work it a bit. Hope this helps!