Feel weird using gloves in the gym?

gogophers
gogophers Posts: 190 Member
edited December 26 in Fitness and Exercise
Does anyone else feel weird about using gloves in the gym? I can't put up like body-builder weight, but my hands are starting to get callouses. I just feel awkward about using gloves because I feel like people would think "oh, he thinks he's so cool...he's got the gear and everything".

Obviously, yes, I shouldn't care what others think, but the fact that I know that doesn't change how I think.
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Replies

  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    I have to quote Rippetoe on this one:
    "If you insist on wearing gloves, make sure they match your purse. "

    In all seriousness: Gloves don't prevent callouses, and they hurt your grip. Ditch 'em.
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
    gloves just ruin your grip. You'll still get callouses.

    Embrace them, and ditch the gloves. seriously.
    I haven't seen anyone serious about lifting that actually wears gloves.
  • gogophers
    gogophers Posts: 190 Member
    Any suggestions for preventing them? Does it just get better with time (I'm lifting 6 days a week on a 3 day rotation and I've never done that many days of lifting per week)? Could it be that my grip's wrong? I mostly use dumbbells.

    Also, thanks for the comments (good thing I asked here first-I was about to go today to buy a pair)
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    There's no preventing the callouses. They are part of this.

    Use chalk.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    gloves just ruin your grip. You'll still get callouses.

    Embrace them, and ditch the gloves. seriously.
    I haven't seen anyone serious about lifting that actually wears gloves.

    Agreed!! Only thing I use is Lifting straps when doing heavy shrugs.. I got callouses and wear them as a badge of honor... lol but would rather have them along with grip strength over not.... Best of Luck...
  • nml2011
    nml2011 Posts: 156 Member
    Gloves are a waste of time and money.

    Callouses are caused by the way you grip the bar;

    If you hold the bar in your palm it will naturally slip down (or up if you are doing pull ups etc) towards your fingers creasing the skin and causing the callouses.

    Grip the bar where it normally ends up (where the callouses form) and you will reduce the chances of getting callouses and improve your grip.

    If you can find the video by Mark Rippletoe showing this then it becomes very clear - unfortunately I can't find it right now.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    I've been wearing gloves for the last 3 weeks as I do StrongLifts 5x5.

    I don't care one little tiny bit if someone looks at my gloves and thinks anything. I have soft nice hands and I want to keep it that way.

    They are working for me.
  • Thor2020
    Thor2020 Posts: 41 Member
    I take my wedding ring off for lifting. But no gloves.
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
    Gloves are for women and pansies. Use Chalk.
  • bombedpop
    bombedpop Posts: 2,235 Member
    I use gloves - my hands were raw, now it is just a small callous - I think they are beneficial and don't affect my being able to grip. No one cares if you wear gloves, or not. There are "Serious Lifters" who use use gloves, and some who don't.
  • dlwyatt82
    dlwyatt82 Posts: 1,077 Member
    Your hands are 'supposed' to get calluses when lifting. You'll want to take care of your hands to keep them from tearing too often, though. Donny Shankle put up a great youtube video on that subject: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otorSGl3sG0

    I'd recommend ditching the gloves. They actually reduce your grip strength by essentially making the bar thicker (more crap between it and your hands). If you're lifting so much that grip strength is your limiting factor, you can either wait until it improves, use a different grip (alternate on deadlifts, etc), or just use straps.
  • itsDorian7
    itsDorian7 Posts: 105 Member
    If you feel better wearing them, wear them. Why do you care what other people think ?
  • McBully4
    McBully4 Posts: 1,270 Member
    yea anyone using gloves, weight belt
  • LadyIntrepid
    LadyIntrepid Posts: 399 Member
    Dunno. Maybe because I'm not a guy and therefore not lifting heavy heavy, but gloves have definitely made a difference in my hands callousing or not. Also, they help my sweaty hands not slip, so I think they're worth it. And some brands definitely work better for me than others.
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
    I wear a giant chrome codpiece with a flashing LED on the end.
    No one notices the gloves.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    They feel wrong because they are wrong.

    I don't mind how guys look when they wear gloves because thy don't know better, but when they leave a load of leather in the knurling of the oly bars it ruins grip for everyone.
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
    I wear them and love them. they DEF help with callouses!

    I got some on ebay, used, and I have a nice stable of colors so I can rotate and wash them often.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    Dunno. Maybe because I'm not a guy and therefore not lifting heavy heavy,


    What does your gender have to do with whether you lift heavy ? :angry:
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member
    Gloves are for women and pansies. Use Chalk.

    I don't use gloves. (*Looks down*: Yup. Still a woman.... )

    But I do hear the sound of knuckles dragging, when I read this post...
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    This is the vid you're thinking of: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTqNSgCmM2s

    No need for gloves. You're gonna get callouses and there's no way around it. You can trim them/file them to keep them looking better if you like. Just make sure you're gripping correctly and give it time for your grip strength to develop.
  • LottieLou13
    LottieLou13 Posts: 574 Member
    I wear gloves and still have the starts of callouses on my hands. But the gloves to help stop my sweaty hands from sliding when deadlifting although I was on and off with them on Monday because my grip was rubbish for some reason and I could'nt pin point it to the gloves or the sweaty'ness of my lady hands....or both
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Gloves are for women and pansies. Use Chalk.

    Duuuuude. , am I gonna have to come and kick your *kitten*?

    Btw: I don't wear gloves and like my callouses.
  • chrishgt4
    chrishgt4 Posts: 1,222 Member
    There is a lot of elitism in bodybuilding - gloves is one of them.

    I wear gloves most of the time. Ronnie Coleman wore gloves and look how weedy he is...

    2.jpg
  • gym_king_carlie
    gym_king_carlie Posts: 528 Member
    wear them, I never wear them and ive ripped my hands to shreds in the past year lifting heavy, wish I had
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    What?!?!?! GET GLOVES. They do prevent calluses. They don't mess up your grip.

    Everyone at MFP must be at old-school, heavy iron type joints. Because chalk isn't allowed at most commercial gyms (and there's no line waiting for the squat rack, so curl away!) . I'm fairly sure I can lift, grip, pull, and push as most people here, all the while keeping my hands baby smooth so I can rub my wife's feet. Get gloves. Tip: they don't have to match your purse, but they should coordinate with your eyeliner. Kidding! I have always used gloves and haven't gotten a single word of flack about them in 20 years.

    If you want to ditch gear, ditch the lifting straps.
  • nml2011
    nml2011 Posts: 156 Member
    This is the vid you're thinking of: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTqNSgCmM2s

    No need for gloves. You're gonna get callouses and there's no way around it. You can trim them/file them to keep them looking better if you like. Just make sure you're gripping correctly and give it time for your grip strength to develop.

    That's the one... grip like that and you will almost never get callouses, only time I get them is if I haven't taken the time to get the grip right!
  • italiankrystal26
    italiankrystal26 Posts: 59
    There is a lot of elitism in bodybuilding - gloves is one of them.

    I wear gloves most of the time. Ronnie Coleman wore gloves and look how weedy he is...

    2.jpg

    Holy Crap!
  • Z_I_L_L_A
    Z_I_L_L_A Posts: 2,399 Member
    Do what you want dude. Its a preference to most and yes I am old school and prefer not to use gloves. Most social fitness clubs won't have power lifters at them because they don't allow chalk. And squat racks at these clubs are used for other things than squats. Gyms and not fitness clubs allow chalk and use squat racks for squatting. If you lift heavy enough weight gloves or not you end up with callouses. Most power lifters figure theres no avoiding it so chalk up.Its all about what you want not what others think of you.
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
    Does anyone else feel weird about using gloves in the gym? I can't put up like body-builder weight, but my hands are starting to get callouses. I just feel awkward about using gloves because I feel like people would think "oh, he thinks he's so cool...he's got the gear and everything".

    Obviously, yes, I shouldn't care what others think, but the fact that I know that doesn't change how I think.

    I don't wear them for the sake of preventing callouses, but I have been considering using them because my forearms and hands sweat so much while I'm working out that my palms stay soaked, and it often causes me to nearly lose my grip. I've had a couple of close calls recently. I've got a pair at home that have open finger tips so as not to impede my sense of touch, but they keep the palms dry.
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
    Does anyone else feel weird about using gloves in the gym? I can't put up like body-builder weight, but my hands are starting to get callouses. I just feel awkward about using gloves because I feel like people would think "oh, he thinks he's so cool...he's got the gear and everything".

    Obviously, yes, I shouldn't care what others think, but the fact that I know that doesn't change how I think.

    Gloves won't totally prevent callouses but they do help keep them from turning into sharp shards of steel that rip your wife's back when you try to give her a massage. I wear gloves if I'm gripping those diamond pattern etched bars. Yes, I even do dead lifts with gloves and it doesn't make me drop the bar. No shame in wearing them if you want to. Some guys never do and some do. It's personal preference. One of the guys I was working out with last night wears them and he's MASSIVE. Gloves won't keep your muscles from growing and that's the bottom line.

    People need to stop worrying about what everyone else in the gym is wearing. This isn't a fashion show. If I'm wrong tell me and I might actually comb my hair before I do cardio in the morning. I hope it's not affecting my running.
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