Advice about weight lifting gloves

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daydreams_of_pretty
daydreams_of_pretty Posts: 506 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Today I noticed that I have little blisters from my weights forming on both of my hands. :\ I like for my hands to be soft, so I'm not really excited about this.

I'm planning on buying some weight lifting gloves, but I'm not sure if there are different kinds. Do you use gloves, and if so which ones? I don't want to buy a pair that isn't going to help.

If it matters, I'm a girl, and my hands are really small.
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  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    I don't use gloves, they impact my grip. That's a big deal when I'm cranking a deadlift that's 90% of my max.

    If you are going to get a silly set of gloves, get the smallest that you can fit on. Note, they don't need to be comfortable, just the smallest and least likely to compress you can find. That should impact your grip the least.
  • rogerOb1
    rogerOb1 Posts: 318 Member
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    Gloves are not silly - they serve an obvious function, and if you get the right ones, they do it fine with minimal impact on grip strength. I recently got a pair of Lonsdales for about 5 pounds. They seem to do the job so far.
  • xsmilexforxmex
    xsmilexforxmex Posts: 1,216 Member
    edited October 2014
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    I bought mine from a sporting goods store... just tried on the options they had. Weren't expensive at all, like $10. They did impact my grip so I don't use them anymore but I decided I don't care about calluses. That being said, the gloves never completely prevented them for me either, just moved the placement. I have very small hands and a x-small women's pair was even a bit big for me though so that may be why...
    11. This is pretty similar to what I had but this is a men's version I think... http://www.amazon.com/Harbinger-Power-StretchBack-Glove-Black/dp/B00074T85W/ref=pd_sim_sg_ef_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1AFJXDKPZP40PZS0WQYF
  • La5Vega5Girl
    La5Vega5Girl Posts: 709 Member
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    Danielle_Husband wrote: »
    Today I noticed that I have little blisters from my weights forming on both of my hands. :\ I like for my hands to be soft, so I'm not really excited about this.

    I'm planning on buying some weight lifting gloves, but I'm not sure if there are different kinds. Do you use gloves, and if so which ones? I don't want to buy a pair that isn't going to help.

    If it matters, I'm a girl, and my hands are really small.

    i got nike brand and they are wonderful - i cant' lift w/o them b/c i too get blisters and i have some wrist issues (past sprained wrist) so i also got some "wraps" that go around my wrists on top of the gloves. :smile:

  • daydreams_of_pretty
    daydreams_of_pretty Posts: 506 Member
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    I'm going to go today or tomorrow (hopefully) and try a bunch on. Hopefully I can find some that are tight enough. I wouldn't have thought to look for the tightest gloves, so thanks!
  • WillLift4Tats
    WillLift4Tats Posts: 1,699 Member
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    I have a small pair from Academy Sports store that work fine. My advice is to try them on first. They should fit very snug, but not so much that they restrict movement. I also didn't like the ones with extra padding. Those are the kind that impact your grip too much. Try on a few pairs and you'll quickly learn what feels right.

    I would hardly call them silly. If you want gloves, get them. If not, don't. Some people don't want to deal with callouses. Nothing wrong with that.
  • berkayaliulker
    berkayaliulker Posts: 43
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    use chalk instead.
  • perfectlytrained
    perfectlytrained Posts: 83 Member
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    When I started developing blisters, I used lifting gloves for a few months. I've since moved on to hand wraps (started learning how to box) and prefer those so much more. Even the smallest sized lifting gloves were too big for me. With the wraps, I can wrap my hands and wrists for support and protection to my liking.
  • daydreams_of_pretty
    daydreams_of_pretty Posts: 506 Member
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    perfectlytrained wrote: »
    When I started developing blisters, I used lifting gloves for a few months. I've since moved on to hand wraps (started learning how to box) and prefer those so much more. Even the smallest sized lifting gloves were too big for me. With the wraps, I can wrap my hands and wrists for support and protection to my liking.

    Where do you get your hand wraps?
  • daydreams_of_pretty
    daydreams_of_pretty Posts: 506 Member
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    berkayaliulker wrote: »
    use chalk instead.

    Chalk probably wouldn't work for me right now because I work out at home, and it sounds messy, lol. Thanks, though. I'll keep it in mind for later.
  • dlvuyovich
    dlvuyovich Posts: 102 Member
    edited October 2014
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    From not using gloves, and lifting very heavy, including body weight exercises (pull ups) I ended up with tendonitis in both forearms. As it turns out, a lot of people in my gym, those who are more on the serious side of lifting, have developed this too.

    Yes, building a strong grip is good. However, if/when you start lifting heavier and heavier, the strong grip/tendon strain ratio starts leveraging towards too much strain.

    I never minded the callouses on my hands but, you might, which is ok, personal preference. However, blisters are NOT GOOD. They can easily get infected, expecially at the gym, and can keep you from training.

    I invested on a set of versa grips (got pink, cause I'm a girl) and love them. I use them for all of my 'pulling' exercises. They were also very helpful with training me to be able to do pullups.

    This may not be what you are going for but I just wanted to chime in on the topic in general.
  • daydreams_of_pretty
    daydreams_of_pretty Posts: 506 Member
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    dlvuyovich wrote: »
    From not using gloves, and lifting very heavy, including body weight exercises (pull ups) I ended up with tendonitis in both forearms. As it turns out, a lot of people in my gym, those who are more on the serious side of lifting, have developed this too.

    Yes, building a strong grip is good. However, if/when you start lifting heavier and heavier, the strong grip/tendon strain ratio starts leveraging towards to too much strain.

    I never minded the callouses on my hands but, you might, which is ok, personal preference. However, blisters are NOT GOOD. They can easily get infected, expecially at the gym, and can keep you from training.

    I invested on a set of versa grips (got pink, cause I'm a girl) and love them. I use them for all of my 'pulling' exercises. They were also very helpful with training me to be able to do pullups.

    This may not be what you are going for but I just wanted to chime in on the topic in general.

    Thanks! I'll look for these and see what I think.

    I get what you ladies are saying about the wrists and forearms. I have had a couple of ouchy wrist days already. I'm really careful about keeping them straight and not flopping them, but I do sometimes get a little curious about how they will do as I keep increasing the weight. I really want to lift the heaviest weights possible, but it does make me nervous.

    I realize that lifting heavy weights is great for everyone and that other people are doing it, but my wrists are so small that it kind of scares me because I don't know how it makes sense that they can hold form while lifting (really) heavy weights. I injured both of my wrists as a child, so I might should consider wrapping them as well. I've seen my arm x-rays (broken arms), and the bones in forearms looked like pencils (when I was a teen).
  • perfectlytrained
    perfectlytrained Posts: 83 Member
    edited October 2014
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    Danielle_Husband wrote: »
    perfectlytrained wrote: »
    When I started developing blisters, I used lifting gloves for a few months. I've since moved on to hand wraps (started learning how to box) and prefer those so much more. Even the smallest sized lifting gloves were too big for me. With the wraps, I can wrap my hands and wrists for support and protection to my liking.

    Where do you get your hand wraps?

    these are the ones I have (because purple!):
    http://www.amazon.com/Elastic-Cotton-MMA-Handwraps-Pair/dp/B003U2QZEK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412779215&sr=8-1&keywords=hand+wraps+purple

    my SO (who started me on boxing and has extensive MA training) uses Everlast brand which can be found in any sporting goods store.

    I would strongly suggest that you find someone who knows how to wrap hands show you how to do it effectively.

    but, yeah... I love 'em... I am in full beast mode when wrapped and lifting heavy ;)

    here's a not so great photo of the hand wraps on, it's the only one I have at the moment:

    handwraps_zps3fe82819.jpg
  • daydreams_of_pretty
    daydreams_of_pretty Posts: 506 Member
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    perfectlytrained wrote: »
    Danielle_Husband wrote: »
    perfectlytrained wrote: »
    When I started developing blisters, I used lifting gloves for a few months. I've since moved on to hand wraps (started learning how to box) and prefer those so much more. Even the smallest sized lifting gloves were too big for me. With the wraps, I can wrap my hands and wrists for support and protection to my liking.

    Where do you get your hand wraps?

    these are the ones I have (because purple!):
    http://www.amazon.com/Elastic-Cotton-MMA-Handwraps-Pair/dp/B003U2QZEK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412779215&sr=8-1&keywords=hand+wraps+purple

    my SO (who started me on boxing and has extensive MA training) uses Everlast brand which can be found in any sporting goods store.

    I would strongly suggest that you find someone who knows how to wrap hands show you how to do it effectively.

    but, yeah... I love 'em... I am in full beast mode when wrapped and lifting heavy ;)

    here's a not so great photo of the hand wraps on, it's the only one I have at the moment:

    handwraps_zps3fe82819.jpg

    Thanks! (I love purple, too!)
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    dlvuyovich wrote: »
    From not using gloves, and lifting very heavy, including body weight exercises (pull ups) I ended up with tendonitis in both forearms. As it turns out, a lot of people in my gym, those who are more on the serious side of lifting, have developed this too.
    You do realize, that's not how that works right? You go tendonitis because of repetitive use, also known as not doing enough OTHER things. Gloves have zero impact on that. Regardless of what your cousin's uncle's roommate's chiro may have said about it.

    Back to the handwraps, I think that's a great idea, and you should do that. I used to work out at a boxing gym, so we're talking strong guys, good grips, and lots of handwraps. We always loved kettlebell days, because handwraps are so deleterious to grip that those kettlebells would often get launched.

    Hey, if you can dodge a kettlebell, you can dodge a punch.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
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    Danielle_Husband wrote: »
    berkayaliulker wrote: »
    use chalk instead.

    Chalk probably wouldn't work for me right now because I work out at home, and it sounds messy, lol. Thanks, though. I'll keep it in mind for later.

    Get liquid chalk. Not messy, that's why gyms that won't allow regular chalk will allow this.
  • daydreams_of_pretty
    daydreams_of_pretty Posts: 506 Member
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    dbmata wrote: »
    dlvuyovich wrote: »
    From not using gloves, and lifting very heavy, including body weight exercises (pull ups) I ended up with tendonitis in both forearms. As it turns out, a lot of people in my gym, those who are more on the serious side of lifting, have developed this too.
    You do realize, that's not how that works right? You go tendonitis because of repetitive use, also known as not doing enough OTHER things. Gloves have zero impact on that. Regardless of what your cousin's uncle's roommate's chiro may have said about it.

    Back to the handwraps, I think that's a great idea, and you should do that. I used to work out at a boxing gym, so we're talking strong guys, good grips, and lots of handwraps. We always loved kettlebell days, because handwraps are so deleterious to grip that those kettlebells would often get launched.

    Hey, if you can dodge a kettlebell, you can dodge a punch.

    Are you being sarcastic about handwraps being a great idea? I thought you were serious, but then you wrote the thing about the kettlebells...
  • daydreams_of_pretty
    daydreams_of_pretty Posts: 506 Member
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    stealthq wrote: »
    Danielle_Husband wrote: »
    berkayaliulker wrote: »
    use chalk instead.

    Chalk probably wouldn't work for me right now because I work out at home, and it sounds messy, lol. Thanks, though. I'll keep it in mind for later.

    Get liquid chalk. Not messy, that's why gyms that won't allow regular chalk will allow this.

    I did not know that liquid chalk existed. I'll check it out! :)
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    Danielle_Husband wrote: »
    Are you being sarcastic about handwraps being a great idea? I thought you were serious, but then you wrote the thing about the kettlebells...

    I think you should definitely try it out.
  • daydreams_of_pretty
    daydreams_of_pretty Posts: 506 Member
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    dbmata wrote: »
    Danielle_Husband wrote: »
    Are you being sarcastic about handwraps being a great idea? I thought you were serious, but then you wrote the thing about the kettlebells...

    I think you should definitely try it out.

    I still can't tell if you're being serious. I'm not sure if it's because you're doing it on purpose or because I have Aspergers (really) and sometimes have difficulty with things like sarcasm, but I'm being completely honest when I say that I can't tell if you genuinely think that I should use wraps or if you think that I'm going to catapult a weight into my face because I've wrapped my hands.

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