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People get offended over simple statements sometimes. I rather like my callouses but I don't sit and obsess over them. I go to the gym to workout and get it done. Callouses are simply rough spots of skin. I don't have issues with people wearing gloves nor do I think they are girly. How come folks get to like tattoos/piercings? I don't have any and don't desire any, but I don't have an issue with folks liking theirs.
I wore padded gloves when working out only for about 6 months, when I had developed some painful thickening of the nerve sheaths in my palms. With the gloves, this condition subsided and has never returned, even though I no longer wear gloves, except on a couple of pull-down exercises that put a lot of pressure on the bases of my little fingers. These heavy gloves have fingers.
I have a hand-cranking machine, with padded roller-grips and friction tape on the outside. If I wet my hands before the exercise, I get a better grip.
Of course, if you lift heavy weight you need gloves. First, it's just stupid to subject your hands to callouses and rough skin, it doesn't strike me as "manly," it strikes me as day laborer hands. No thanks. Second, when you're bench pressing heavy weight or doing quite a lot of other things with heavy weight, it's simply uncomfortable not to have extra padding. Even lightly padded gloves don't work well with heavy bench and if you're stopping a set because your hands are hurting, that's a pathetic reason not to push through another rep. I like a LOT of padding on my palms when I'm pushing up a ton of weight, it's necessary for the lift.
If all you think you'll ever do with your hands is to hold big barbells when building your giant muscle bound body, then go right on ahead and don't use anything to protect them.
I use my hands constantly for fine detail work as a musician, a craftsman, and as an engineer, plus I actually write things with a pen on paper, and I type a lot. I am not interested in running a risk of damaging my hands just so I can seem more studly at the gym. If being studly at the gym is all you've got, then I guess anything's worth it.
Of course, if you lift heavy weight you need gloves. First, it's just stupid to subject your hands to callouses and rough skin, it doesn't strike me as "manly," it strikes me as day laborer hands. No thanks. Second, when you're bench pressing heavy weight or doing quite a lot of other things with heavy weight, it's simply uncomfortable not to have extra padding. Even lightly padded gloves don't work well with heavy bench and if you're stopping a set because your hands are hurting, that's a pathetic reason not to push through another rep. I like a LOT of padding on my palms when I'm pushing up a ton of weight, it's necessary for the lift.
It's not uncomfortable at all for me to bench press without gloves. I do use wrist wraps though. It all depends on the person and your level of training. You aren't going to get callouses and rough hands from benching.
Of course, if you lift heavy weight you need gloves. First, it's just stupid to subject your hands to callouses and rough skin, it doesn't strike me as "manly," it strikes me as day laborer hands. No thanks. Second, when you're bench pressing heavy weight or doing quite a lot of other things with heavy weight, it's simply uncomfortable not to have extra padding. Even lightly padded gloves don't work well with heavy bench and if you're stopping a set because your hands are hurting, that's a pathetic reason not to push through another rep. I like a LOT of padding on my palms when I'm pushing up a ton of weight, it's necessary for the lift.
Gloves most certainly do not improve your grip. That's amateur talk. They create separation between your hands and the bar. That is not a good thing. If you want to improve your grip then simply use chalk. I lift heavy all the time using chalk. So what if your bodybuilder ex deadlifts 500 lbs and uses gloves? I do that for 7-8 reps using chalk with no tears. I guess he didn't want any callouses on his dainty little hands. You can also simply use straps since the deadlift is not a grip exercise.
What works really well for improving your grip on bars and other equipment and also when handling basketballs and footballs, is the pine pitch that was used before thin gloves were adopted by many football players. It came in large tubes. I used it for handling weights and exercise bars, instead of chalk. Two of the brands were "Suregrip" and Firmgrip", which were a light, golden color, not like the mostly black types of pine tar that are sold today.
Last edited by Steve McDonald; 12-09-2019 at 01:31 AM..
Of course, if you lift heavy weight you need gloves. First, it's just stupid to subject your hands to callouses and rough skin, it doesn't strike me as "manly," it strikes me as day laborer hands. No thanks. Second, when you're bench pressing heavy weight or doing quite a lot of other things with heavy weight, it's simply uncomfortable not to have extra padding. Even lightly padded gloves don't work well with heavy bench and if you're stopping a set because your hands are hurting, that's a pathetic reason not to push through another rep. I like a LOT of padding on my palms when I'm pushing up a ton of weight, it's necessary for the lift.
Do you lift heavy? It doesn't sound like it based on your illogical statements here. "You need gloves", lol. I could not disagree more.
. That is not a good thing. If you want to improve your grip then simply use chalk. I lift heavy all the time using chalk. So what if your bodybuilder ex deadlifts 500 lbs and uses gloves? I do that for 7-8 reps using chalk with no tears. I guess he didn't want any callouses on his dainty little hands. You can also simply use straps since the deadlift is not a grip exercise.
Hand size determines grip strength.
I've used gloves and no gloves for months on reverse grip curls; w/o noticing any difference in grip strength/endurance upon performing deadlifts.
My grip always fails before the targeted muscles(shrugs), regardless of training methods.
And the hell w/straps, didn't help; switched to lifting hooks for certain exercises.
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