GET A GRIP
Grip has always been a sign of strength. One of the key aspects of a strong man competition is the measure of grip. Also, look at the American Ninja Warrior. Those people hang on for life and usually, it's when the grip fails that they fall into the water.
For us, even though we're not picking up cars or hanging from the monkey bars, our grip will factor into our performance. When at the gym, if our grip isn't sufficient, there is no way we're going to be able to focus on the muscle being worked let alone perform the lift to maximum intensity.
There are two solutions here. First, increasing and improving grip strength is always a great goal. The second aspect is to get gripping assistance. Examples are chalk and straps. Reinforcing your grip might seem counterproductive. But if your grip is a limiting factor, you won't be able to target the muscle and get as much out of the lift and/or have a higher risk of injury.
My recommendation is to try to use your grip as much as possible, however, the time to get help is when your grip fails before the muscles do. If your gym doesn't allow chalk, my favorite brand is Schiek Sports when I need straps or other grip tools.
While your goal might not be to win a thumb wrestling or grip competition, let's continue to seek to improve our grip, it can only be beneficial and helpful, especially when trying to open that pickle jar.
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