rigeret_bare_foot_snatchWhat kind of gear do you use when working out? Do you use gloves? Do you wear wrist wraps, knee wraps or straps? A weight belt? Do you workout barefoot or in highly cushioned sneakers?

Here’s a list of my recommendations for workout gear and why. Enjoy!

#1) Gloves:
Wearing gloves makes the bar, dumbbell, or handle feel thicker which will place more emphasis on your grip strength and can make the movement more challenging. That is good and bad depending on your goals. There are better ways to work your grip strength without wearing gloves such as using a thicker bar or wrapping a towel around the bar.

By wearing gloves you are missing out on a very important training benefit, “Mind to muscle connection”. By putting a barrier (the gloves) between you and the bar, you are losing that connection and therefore will not be able to radiate as much power and will not work as much muscle.

Now if you absolutely need to wear gloves and will not work out without them, then find the thinnest pair with the least amount of support. Otherwise suck it up and feel the steel!

#2) Weight Belt:
A weightlifting belt has two main purposes. It reduces stress on the lower back while the person is lifting in an upright position and prevents back hyperextension during overhead lifts. Sounds like a good thing right. Well by wearing a weight belt you are also taking away from working on abdominal and trunk stabilization. Which is very important not only in the weight room but in life.

My recommendation is to wear a belt sparingly and when using maximum weights in the big compound lifts like squats, dead lifts and bench presses.

#3) Wrist wraps, Knee wraps and lifting straps:

If you are a beginner to weight lifting then you have no reason to wear wrist wraps and knee wraps for support or use lifting straps. You need to develop your wrist, knee and grip strength. As an advanced lifter lifting maximal weights then using wrist wraps and knee wraps for support and lifting straps to help with grip is fine. But just like the weight belt, my recommendation is to use them sparingly.

#4) Shoes:
A lot of people don’t think about how shoes or lack of shoes play a role in the effectiveness of a work out. I’m here to tell you that they play  a big role. Basically the more support a shoe has the more vulnerable we are to injury and instability.

The best way to workout would be barefoot. Now I know that that would be impossible for those who workout in commercial gyms. So the next best thing is to workout in thin-soled flat bottom shoes. This will cause the feet and ankles to support themselves, which will lead to better performance and less injury throughout the whole body. I have recently purchased a pair of converse “chuck taylors” and they work great.

Here’s a great article on this if you have a few minutes to spare:
Read here===> http://www.dragondoor.com/articler/mode3/513/?c=pbp-175&utm_nooverride=1

There you have it. Please leave your comments and let me know what you think. Thanks.

Think, Look and Be strong!
-Tommy T.