my workout tonight consisted of

deadlifts
clean and jerks
weighted pullups

i was about 60% through my workout and i got such a bad 'pump' in my forearms that i could barely even move my fingers enough to grip anything.. i couldn't hold myself doing pullups anymore, and i literlaly couldn't hold on to the grip on the BB anymore.

anybody else ever had this happen?/ it was my first time doing weighted pullups along with deadlifts and cleans... it was a major day for grip, i guess.

i can barely type now, my forearms still hurt.

i was about 60% through my workout and i got such a bad 'pump' in my forearms that i could barely even move my fingers enough to grip anything.. i couldn't hold myself doing pullups anymore, and i literlaly couldn't hold on to the grip on the BB anymore.

anybody else ever had this happen?

Yeah I have grip failure a lot with heavy pulling. It's a lot like you describe except I can still move the fingers. But the grip strength goes down to almost nothing. Fresh, I can pull 425# raw (probably a good deal more now), once I get to the failed state (like yesterday toward the end) it is a real struggle to pull 225# raw.

And I get stages - first the forearms get sore during the hard grip, then they get sort of flushed and slightly desensitized all the time, and then the grip strength just goes away. If I put the hooks on I can pull for many many more reps, but without them, once this happens, it's pretty much game over.

You could work on your grip some here and there. I spent some time doing direct grip work at the end of the workout, once or twice a week, a while ago and it seemed to help a lot. You'll want to work on different types of grip exercises too. Fortunately it doesn't take any fancy equipment, you can probably do a lot with whatever is in your gym. I particularly like pinch-plate gripping and static holds (especially with a thick or "fat bar" if you have one). Wrist roller is another exercise that might be of particular interest to you; it'll really burn the heck out of your forearms. :)

deadlifts
clean and jerks
weighted pullups
All three of those are pretty grip intensive. Do them for any fair amount of volume and you'll definitely have a hard time maintaining your grip. So, what you experienced is pretty normal.

pinch-plate gripping and static holds (:)
How do you do these?
also do you know if the hand gripping devices|(the ones you squeeze together) are of any use?


thanks

How do you do these?
For pinch-plate gripping you take a few smaller plates (like 2-3 tens) and hold them together using your hand, like this:

http://www.beastskills.com/plate%20pinch.jpg

You can progress by adding more plates or using heavier ones.

For static holds you just pick up the weight and hold it for time. You can do this with heavy dumbbells, too. If you're feeling zippy, you could perform farmer's walks:

zvMLjg60-hE


also do you know if the hand gripping devices|(the ones you squeeze together) are of any use?
From what I understand, these help to build crushing power more than gripping strength. I don't know what kind of carryover there is.

On random "off' days I "grease the groove" by using one of those "V" shaped hand grippers, doing random reps on them per hand but never approaching failure.

The gripper is "medium" tension type.

However, instead of gripping it "V'" down in the palm of my hand I grip it "V" up.

This way I can focus on the thumb and the muscle beyween the thumb and first finger more .

I think this is imprtant because without the thumb you don't have a grip per se. All you have is four fingers to wrap around an object.

I keep one in my truck so I can do them at random if I'm driving somewhere. Also keep one on the side-table so I can do them when I'm watching T.V. if I feel like it.

I might do 3 or 4 reps then leave it for an hour and some off days I don't do them at all.....got to recover somewhere..

How do you do these?
also do you know if the hand gripping devices|(the ones you squeeze together) are of any use?

*Pics courtesy of defrancostraining.com. :)

THICK BAR HOLDS:
http://www.defrancostraining.com/pics/images/pics/male-college-pro/pic_lhotak.jpg

POOR-MAN'S PINCH-GRIPPING:
http://www.defrancostraining.com/ask_joe/images/pics/pinching_burt.jpg


Also, here's a full grip specialization routine - from that same website - that has you performing grip work multiple days per week and doing multiple exercises:

http://www.defrancostraining.com/ask_joe/archives/ask_joe_04-01-02.htm (2nd question/answer on that page has the routine)


I also like "The Grip Kit" (from www.elitefts.com (http://www.elitefts.com)), or using other blocks hooked to chains that can have plates added to them. Of course this requires unique equipment, but I'd bet you could find some other ways to do these with common stuff you could get from Home Depot. Here is an example:

http://www.defrancostraining.com/ask_joe/images/pics/ryangibbons.jpg

I think static bar holds are great for training grip. In my case, my grip fails if I'm sloppy and I don't grip the bar with my wrist perpendicular to the bar. Last Friday, when I was doing BB rows, I didn't concentrate on getting my grip exactly right, and it rolled in my hand on the first rep. I managed about 4 reps before my grip failed (otherwise I would have gotten 8 reps :mad: ). If I get a good grip from the beginning, then it usually never fails.

do you think if i continue to just give it my all during my grip intensive workouts that my grip strength will naturally come up?

do you think if i continue to just give it my all during my grip intensive workouts that my grip strength will naturally come up?

Yes, it will, but static bar holds have done wonders for my grip strength. Give them a try.

Yes, it will, but static bar holds have done wonders for my grip strength. Give them a try.
Agreed. It doesn't take much either. 1-2 times a week might even be enough. Simply load up a barbell in a rack, grab it, hold on as long as possible and then put it back down on the pins. Repeat 2-3 times.