# Hammer Grip vs. Regular Grip



## kiko (Dec 3, 2007)

Is there a difference in effectiveness between hammer grip and regular grip in exercises such as dumbbell bench press, rows and over-head presses?


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## Gazhole (Dec 3, 2007)

Aside from variation for the sake of enjoyment, no. Not really.


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## Minhkey (Dec 3, 2007)

What about when just curling ?


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## Gazhole (Dec 4, 2007)

Minhkey said:


> What about when just curling ?



Curling is less important than benching and rowing in general, so what grip you use will mean next to nothing.

If you want to change grip to keep your program enjoyable, go for it. Its one of the many things that you can change to keep things fresh. But in the grand scheme of things, its a minor detail that really wont make any difference.


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## fufu (Dec 4, 2007)

Minhkey said:


> What about when just curling ?



With a neutral(hammer) grip you almost primarily engage the brachialis taking alot of stress off the biceps brachii. Atleast if I can remember my anatomy correctly.

However, you are 15 and that is the least of your training worries.


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## PreMier (Dec 4, 2007)

fufu said:


> With a neutral(hammer) grip you almost primarily engage the brachialis taking alot of stress off the biceps brachii. Atleast if I can remember my anatomy correctly.
> 
> However, you are 15 and that is the least of your training worries.



anyone else comment on this?


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## Witchblade (Dec 4, 2007)

PreMier said:


> anyone else comment on this?


It's a fact. Although I wouldn't say 'almost entirely', rather 'more'.


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## PreMier (Dec 4, 2007)

thats the muscle kinda under the bicep.. right?  i know the biceps respond to heavier weight due to their fiber type.. but whats a more effective grip?   isometric elbow flexion(neutral) or dynamic elbow flexion?


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## Witchblade (Dec 4, 2007)

As Gaz mentioned, changing grip is good for variety, but it doesn't really matter what grip you use. Same with fiber type really. As for the iso- vs dyna- question, you probably want to stick to dynamic movements 90% of your time. Isometrics have their place, but they're not really vital for bodybuilders.

In _theory_, a seated dynamic (eccentric focused) supinated unilateral preacher curl is 'best' for biceps hyperthrophy. 

I prefer standing hammer curls with a natural tempo though.


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## Minhkey (Dec 4, 2007)

So preacher curl is best for bicep hypertrophy?

Does lifting 6-8 reps of a heavy weight apply to all muscles if I want hypertrophy and strength?


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## Mista (Dec 4, 2007)

Minhkey said:


> Does lifting 6-8 reps of a heavy weight apply to all muscles if I want hypertrophy and strength?



No.


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## cpa55 (Dec 4, 2007)

So, can someone tell me why I can do my max curl weight with dumbells, EZ bar, straight bar or preacher curls but if I try hammer curls I have a pain from my left elbow down the underside of my arm like there is a crack in the bone? My left arm become very weak.  What gives?


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## VILBAUGH (Dec 4, 2007)

cpa55 said:


> So, can someone tell me why I can do my max curl weight with dumbells, EZ bar, straight bar or preacher curls but if I try hammer curls I have a pain from my left elbow down the underside of my arm like there is a crack in the bone? My left arm become very weak.  What gives?




too many freakin' curls.


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## Minhkey (Dec 4, 2007)

So how many reps should I do if I want hypertrophy in my biceps?


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## DOMS (Dec 4, 2007)

Minhkey said:


> So how many reps should I do if I want hypertrophy in my biceps?



I'm willing to bet that at your stage of development, you don't need to do any direct biceps work.  Stick to compound movements like rows.


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## fufu (Dec 4, 2007)

Witchblade said:


> It's a fact. Although I wouldn't say 'almost entirely', rather 'more'.



It's subjective on both parties. I say almost primarily because I know of a case where someone tore their bicep brachii but was still able to perform elbow flexion tasks fine in a neutral wrist position. That leads me to believe that depending on the mechanics of the person, alot of the tension can be transferred to that muscle with similar strength. Although when I think about it it does not seem that likely and I don't remember how comparatively strong he was then before he tore it. He didn't know he had torn it but said it felt strange and uncomfortable at times. When asked to perform elbow flexion from a supinated wrist articulation he could not. So whatever.


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## fufu (Dec 4, 2007)

cpa55 said:


> So, can someone tell me why I can do my max curl weight with dumbells, EZ bar, straight bar or preacher curls but if I try hammer curls I have a pain from my left elbow down the underside of my arm like there is a crack in the bone? My left arm become very weak.  What gives?



You are apparently mechanically weak from that wrist position. Different muscles are engaged in the upper arm with the rotation of the wrist. It could also be a tendonitis issue or a combination of both.


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## fufu (Dec 4, 2007)

PreMier said:


> thats the muscle kinda under the bicep.. right?  i know the biceps respond to heavier weight due to their fiber type.. but whats a more effective grip?   isometric elbow flexion(neutral) or dynamic elbow flexion?



I'm not sure what you mean associating 'isometric' to 'neutral'. Are you talking about the lack of movement from neutral to supinated like a standard curl?


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## fufu (Dec 4, 2007)

Minhkey said:


> So preacher curl is best for bicep hypertrophy?
> 
> Does lifting 6-8 reps of a heavy weight apply to all muscles if I want hypertrophy and strength?



There is no best. A combination of several things is best. But even then, don't worry about that too much. Just switch up curl variations and rep ranges week to week. However, in the grand scheme of training don't focus on curls that much, they are not as important as people make them out to be.


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## P-funk (Dec 4, 2007)

hammer curls will put more strain on the brachialis do to the in efficient mechanical position you are placing the biceps brachii in.


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## Minhkey (Dec 4, 2007)

Besides pull-ups and curls, what works your bicep?


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## DOMS (Dec 4, 2007)

Rows


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## P-funk (Dec 4, 2007)

anything that makes you flex your elbow

pull ups
chin ups
rowing movements
biceps curls


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## Minhkey (Dec 5, 2007)

Alright thanks, what is the difference between a chin up and pull up.


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## P-funk (Dec 5, 2007)

Minhkey said:


> Alright thanks, what is the difference between a chin up and pull up.



chin up- palms facing you

pull up- palms facing away


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## Minhkey (Dec 5, 2007)

K, so doing these four exercises:
pull ups
chin ups
rowing movements
biceps curls 
I can get bigger biceps?


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## ethericgiant (Dec 5, 2007)

Ok, I have to weigh on this.  If you want to know the difference between reverse grip, normal grip, supine grip (palms facing you as in a chinup) and all the different grips.  All you need to do is get in the gym and experiment damnit.  You don't need these people to fill your head with all kinds of misinformation.  Learn from experience.  Next time you're in the gym, do a set of pull ups.  Then, do a set of pull ups with reverse grip (palms facing opposite directions), then do reverse grip again but switch the direction of your palms, then do a set of chinups and then go back to regular grip pull up.  Come back and tell me what you felt in your forearms.

At your age, you should be in the gym figuring out what your body responds to.  Switching up grips is so important because there are about 14 muscles in the forearm, about 14 muscles in the shoulder and they are all tied together in the elbow.  Forget about your biceps and train your whole arms.  Trust me, girls are not impressed by guys with huge biceps and skinny little forearms, they like guys with forearms that are freakish and cut and veiny.  They will balance you out when you walk and make your grip strength strong and give you confidence.


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## Minhkey (Dec 5, 2007)

I think ive experimented plenty, I started workin out a yr ago. I'm jus lookin for ways to bigger arms, cuz im pretty comfortable with my chest shoulders back and legs. The main reason is I'm 190 pounds and i curl like as much as my friends at 135 pounds. I can bench like 225 and them only like 150, but my biceps seem way to weak comparatively.


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## CowPimp (Dec 6, 2007)

I would say that using a neutral grip is beneficial for overhead pressing and bench pressing because it tends to be easier on the shoulders; impingement becomes less likely in this position.


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## MZiggy (Dec 6, 2007)

for some reason hammer curls seem easier for me to do than regular bicep curls. when i move up in weight if i cant stick the 8 im going for my last set ill switch to hammer curls to get it all in.


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