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Hook Grip

I like to do the CrossFit thing with folks at work, in part because it always throws new challenges at me. It always leads to all sorts of amusing stories, though, and this is one of those stories.

First of all, one of the hallmarks of CrossFit is that it the work outs change constantly. You don't necessarily know what the work out is for that day (your mileage may vary, of course), but that means that you're constantly facing new challenges. Long story short, you pretty much always learn something new. To someone like me, that can be a lot of fun.

Lately, I've been doing more Olympic style lifting than before. In that process, I've learned about a new way to grip the bar: the hook grip. That manner of holding a bar gives you a stronger grip and makes it less likely that something will wobble or slide, so it can be helpful when done properly. Unfortunately, I don't necessarily use it all the time. It still feels a little awkward to me, so it's never my first choice when doing any exercise. I still want to get used to it, you know?

Well, that was the plan. I was working out with one of my coach friends watching, and she told me I should practice that hook grip. She didn't exactly call me out, but it felt a lot like I was slacking for not having learned it yet. Well, okay. Time to do something about this. So, I figured if I could get a bunch of practice, it'd start to feel a lot more natural. The problem, however, was that I only do that kind of lifting at most three times a week. It's usually fewer times than that, too, so I realized that wouldn't necessarily get me the reps I needed. Crap.

However, I simultaneously realized that there were plenty of other objects in my life that I needed to grip. For example, a steering wheel should be gripped so that you have full control of the vehicle. I also carry a gym bag to and from the car more often than not, and I need to hold that item somehow. So, I started gripping some of those items with a hook grip. That's really not what it was intended for, I'll be honest. It's a little bit like using a sledge hammer to crack open a walnut. Sure, it technically works, but it's also not the right tool for the job. In fact, I'm fairly certain that some of my CrossFit friends would've laughed at me when they saw this.

Still, it worked. I have a much better handle (pun sort of intended) on the hook grip these days. I still think that I need to work on it, but I'm comfortable enough with it that I can use it for Olympic lifts. The funniest part, however, is that I still use it during my every day life. In fact, I found myself carrying a grocery bag with a hook grip the other day. If gripping a gym bag like that is equivalent to using a sledge hammer for a walnut, using a hook grip for a grocery bag is like using a sledge hammer to eat peas. That's way past overkill.

The worst part was that I did it without thinking. I was walking away from the car, when I suddenly looked down and noticed how I was holding it. Heck, I ended up laughing at myself. You know, for all that this CrossFit thing is meant to be a source of training, it seems to end up as a source of laughs far more often.

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