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Sometimes the one thing we need to up our game in the gym is the right accessory. Our hands get a lot of use on a daily basis even before we get into the gym. A pair of gym gloves is not only going to help you keep it tight in the gym, they’ll also prevent injuries to one of our most valuable appendages. Read on to learn how to use gloves to take your training to the next level.
Added Grip
If you’ve ever worked out in a bodybuilding gym you might have seen a mess of chalk on every piece of equipment. Bodybuilders dust their hands with chalk before a big lift to improve grip. The chalk absorbs moisture from the hands to stop bars from slipping. You need to be sure when you lift heavy weights that they will be safe and secure through each rep. Weight lifting gloves significantly improve your grip on the bar without all the mess of chalk. Some gloves are even designed to offer more grip than you’ll get with the skin on your hand for even more security.
Protect Your Hands
Keep your hands safe and healthy to stay in the gym. In addition to giving you a secure grip, wearing weight lifting gloves will also protect your hands from the friction of the bar. Calluses might be a badge of honour for some bodybuilders, but they can hurt and keep you from finishing a workout. Many gloves also keep your hands healthier long term by cushioning them from the hard grip of the solid bar. Joint and nerve injuries are reduced and soothed by the use of weight lifting gloves.
Right Gloves For The Job
Don’t just wear your favourite mittens to the gym. If you want to see any significant improvement by wearing gloves in your workouts then you need the right gloves. Weight lifting gloves can come in a number of different designs and materials including suede and leather. The most important feature is the fit. Wearing a glove to improve grip is not helpful if it slips off mid lift. There should be a secure strap that fastens the glove around your wrist. A lot of fitness gloves are fingerless. This isn’t totally essential but leaving the fingers exposed may contribute to some much needed dexterity. More than anything you need a glove that is going to provide additional grip and comfort when you pick up heavy weights.
When To Glove Up
You could wear your training gloves for the entire time you spend in the gym if you wanted. There’s no good reason not to use your gloves throughout your whole workout but it’s not entirely necessary. At the very least you want to make sure you’re wearing the gloves for the important exercises. Deadlifts are probably at the top of this list considering how much of the exercise is riding on a firm grip of the bar. Any exercise where grip strength is critical can benefit from lifting gloves. That includes pull-ups, biceps curls, skull crushers and a whole host of other exercises. You could take them off for something like a squat where your hands are only really guiding the bar, not gripping it, but once again it can’t hurt to keep them on.
Fits Like A Glove
A quality pair of gym gloves could be exactly what you need to elevate your weight training. Not only will they give you the stability and security you need to lift safely, they’ll keep your hands healthy to carry on with the rest of your day after a tough workout. It’s the simplest fix to such a critical part of weight lifting.
