I have a question....

[Underdog]

or 3.....I did deadlifts with my palms forward (asif doing a curl) what is the difference with this grip then mixed grip or palms facing back? should I keep doing them that way or should I keep mixed grip or palms back. I liked it but not sure if it will cause problems in the long run... please help. When I do squats the heels of my feet come off the ground and I can't get them to sit flat no matter what I do. How can I correct this? and finally, I wear converse sneakes (old school style flat) should I change to running or cross training?

[bornbad71]

Don't really see where you would have better grip strength with a palms forward grip...you may place more stress on the bicep because of the palms forward grip. I like the mixed grip but have used both the mixed and the regular grip(palms facing the body)...I have much better grip with the mixed thou.



IMHO heels off the floor during squats is not good. It sounds like it may be a flexibility thing or your form may be alittle off causing you to have to full your heels upward to maintain balance.


I wear wrestling shoes to train in..they have pretty good support and the soles have great grip. I wouldn't wear running shoes unless your running. Any sneaker with a good arch and good support should work fine.

[cb25]

i certainly feel like i have better control with a mixed grip. i would imagine that a supinated grip (palms forward) would be the weakest - not to mention create a large undue stress on the biceps tendons. my suggestion would be to try and overhand (pronated) or an alternating (mixed...i.e. one over one under) grip.

heels coming off the floor during squats is definitely not ideal - i'd imagine that it's a form issue. spend a little extra time stretching out your legs/hips/etc before your squat day - and drop the weight a little to work on form. it always helps if you can have someone watch and see what you're doing - not sure of the gym you go to - but most have personal trainers etc that wouldn't mind checking your form on an exercise or two to make sure you don't hurt yourself.

shoes are a matter of personal preference...some people prefer flat soled shoes some don't. personally i like a good cross trainer - something with some good grip/tread on the bottom. JMHO. as they say - "different strokes for different folks" so find what works for you. if you don't feel comfortable with what you have then make a change.

[muscle_n_blood]

You'll never squat worth a damn until you can keep your heels down. It is an extremely common problem, but I've heard a multitude of reasons for it and ways to correct it, some utterly ridiculous.
The most important aspect of doing a proper squat is balance, and the key to that is having control of your center of gravity. Once you unrack the bar on a squat, your body weight and the weight of the bar become a single unit from the standpoint of center of gravity, balanced on the feet. If you are getting up on your toes, you are leaning forward too far. Period. The weight should be evenly distributed on your feet or slightly back on the heels throughout the movement.
You gotta fix this, and the best way to do it is start from scrtach, with bodyweight squats. No bar. Put your ego in your pocket for a few workouts. Start with the lowest bench in the gym or a short box, something you can sit down on and your butt be below your knees. From there, concentrate on having your weight on your heels, hold your arms out to the side, and get up. When you can do 20 reps touching your butt down gently with the weight your heels every rep, get the 10 or 15 lb dumbells. Then the 20's. then the bar. Once you get the feel for this, you can go up in wieght very quckly, but never sacrifice form for weight.

[littleguy]

There is a lot of talk about alternating grips on all exercises, I agree with CB about the stress on the Biceps my suggestion would be to do lower weight with the supinated (palms forward ... leave it to CB to through in the physiology vocabulary) grip until you are able to increase, think of it as a slight bicep workout.

My suggestion for the squats, get on the smith machine. alternate your footing until you are able to do the squats with BOTH feet planted. MnB is right I'd assume that you are bending forward instead of dropping down.

I also use wrestling shoes to lift in, HORRIBLE for running but great for lifting.

[FrkyBgStok]

i use palms facing in as much as I can during deads and exercises like that to put emphasis on the forearms, but when it starts getting too heavy I switch it to a mixed grip.

also make sure you keep your weight on your heels. what I try to do with low weight for warm ups is to try to keep my weight completely off my toes and use only my heels. I feel this gets me to hone in where i need to push from.

i use nice comfortable running shoes when I doing upper body, but legs...i am too cheap to buy anything new so I use good ol' construction style leather boots.

[bornbad71]

I know a couple of ppl that use work boots when doing legs.....might have to try that.

[FrkyBgStok]

I get a lot of weird looks but the ankle support is unmatchable and i don't have to worry about popping the air pockets in some $100 running shoes.

[muscle_n_blood]

Squishy soled shoes don't feel stable under the feet when you have 400-500 (or more) pounds on your back.