Maybe you hate calluses or maybe you’re a hand model who can’t afford to mess up those pretty digits. Either way, a lot of people like using workout/lifting gloves to protect from getting cut up from a fresh and new 45-lb bar.
Need tips on what makes a good pair of gloves? MaleBasics is here to provide them.
Stay Dry
The first thing you should look for is gloves that are for peak performance in terms of dryness and wicking away sweat just like your favourite Male Basics. Why? If your grip slips that could be the difference between a broken toe and a completed set, or even worse, someone else’s squished body part.
If Your Hands Hurt...
If you are particularly worried about the effects or feel on your hands go for ones with extra padding, but make sure they give you a good grip like these.
As you can expect, the more padding in the way can affect how tight your grip will be on the weights; but if this is important to you then you may have to sacrifice a little.
Thick-padded gloves work best for those who aren’t interested in lifting the heaviest weights.
Fabric Matters
The neoprene gloves can provide a lot of grip, but also can be damaged easier than nylon for example. For leather, great grip, but increase in absorbing sweat and getting greasier than grandma’s coach (intact with original plastic) with a flipped over pizza on it. Leather on the inside of the glove on the palm is going to give you a great grip and is something commonly looked for in a new set of gloves.
While synthetic materials are going to be better at dealing with your sweaty, nervous palms, leather is going to prevent most blisters from heavy weights.
Which means it’s very important to...
Try on Your Gloves
You must make sure they fit. Obviously comfort and the aforementioned fabrics are huge deals, but loose gloves equals loose grip, which turns into less effective training and sometimes accidents.
Just with any good shoe, try on your gloves to make sure they are snug and fit your comfort level. Another thing to think about is: do you prefer an open palm or covered, do you prefer the gloves to fasten with velcro or just slide right on?
A commonality when fitting is checking to see if the glove is far enough down your wrist to stay on. Otherwise you could end up with a pair that slides up to your palm while you work out that could be incredibly uncomfortable. Velcro or simply a glove that's longer on the wrist can make up for that.
Didn't think it would be this complicated did you? Last thing...
Fingers!
Do you prefer gloves with fingers or fingerless? Full fingers will give a little extra grip while sacrificing some sweat. While modern gloves accommodate for the sweat some people will just prefer for their digits to be free. With full coverage you may end up feeling a little restricted and hot.
If you still feel restricted by gloves there's always the option of lifting straps, a more generic and less expensive option if you still want grip, but you're a little old school or not too concerned with all the bells and whistles.
Whether you're chalking up your hands, going fingerless or full coverage, workout/lifting gloves are a solid investment if you find yourself getting unwanted calluses from lifting heavy weights. Shop around and make sure you try them on just as you would a pair of pants or shoes or risk finding out your gloves are child-size.