Today's Workout

Power Clean

3-2-2-1-1-1-1

Then 2 minutes for max reps kettlebell swings

The hook grip is the grip used for Olympic Lifting during the clean or snatch. This is an excerpt from Greg Everett's Olympic LIfting: A Complete Guide For Coaches and Athletes. Learn it and use it.

"The hook grip is a pronated (palms facing the lifter) grip in which the thumb is trapped between the bar and usually the first and second fingers, depending on hand size. For the pull of both the snatch and the clean, this method of gripping is a necessity to maintain control of the barbell during the violent second pull and the powerful turnover of the snatch.

It's important to understand that the thumb is itself wrapped around the bar inside the fingers and not simply pinned perpendicularly to the bar. This arrangement takes advantage of the greater strength of the thumb relative to the fingers–with the thumb wrapped over the fingers as it would be in a conventional grip, it will typically reach only the index finger and have a weak purchase on it.

By wrapping the thumb around the bar directly, we create a powerful hook on the bar, which can be reinforced by the grip of both the index and middle fingers, which serve more to support the hook of the thumb than to grip the bar directly. With two fingers over the thumb rather than only a weak section of the thumb over one finger, we also create far more friction to secure the grip. In short, the Hook grip optimizes the anatomy of the hands for this application."