​Types and Benefits of Wearing Weightlifting Gloves

Wear gloves to protect your hands during yard work, dishwashing, floor cleaning, auto repair, house painting and hair coloring. So, why don't you wear gloves to protect your hands during weightlifting activities? Lifting weights requires a lot of use of your hands as you slide a weight plate up and down, grab a barbell, move a dumbbell or swing a kettlebell. The enjoyment of these activities should not be compromised by injury or irritation, such as abrasions.

You can choose to wear lifting gloves to avoid calluses, but weightlifting gloves have many benefits beyond protecting your hands and can even help you break through workout plateaus. The right pair of gloves for you will fit easily into your gym bag, absorb sweat, go on and off easily, and provide odor protection.

Types of sports gloves

1. Half-finger gymnastic gloves

As you will see below, most of the best gym gloves are half-finger. Cut off at the knuckles, half-finger lifting gloves are designed to improve flexibility with weights or barbells and provide better breathability.

Half Finger Fitness Gloves

2. Full Finger Exercise Gloves

Although less common, certain types of lifters prefer full-finger gym gloves over half-finger counterparts. Often sold among those newer to weight training, full-finger fitness gloves are also better suited for outdoor training; during which you are more likely to use fewer traditional weights and need better grip.

3. Hand Grip and Wrist Wraps

Not a fan of gym gloves but still need to up your grip game? CrossFit athletes often prefer grips, which are ideal for those who want to avoid blisters or calluses during pull-ups and deadlifts. Typically, they loop around your fingers and cover your palms with a tacky material. Likewise, wrist wraps - a longer material designed to provide extra support for your wrists, especially when pushing the movement - are another option for building strength. Conveniently, many fitness gloves include these as part of their design.

Not a fan of gym gloves, but still need a boost in your grip game? Hand grips, usually favoured by CrossFit athletes, are the ideal option for those wanting to avoid getting blisters or calluses on pull-ups and deadlifts. Usually, they'll loop around your fingers and cover your palm with a grippy material. Similarly, wrist wraps — a longer piece of material designed to offer additional support to your wrists, especially in pushing movements — are another option for bolstering your strength. Handily, a lot of gym gloves include these as part of the design.

Fitness Gloves

Benefits of Wearing Weightlifting Gloves

1) Exercise gloves reduce calluses

Calluses are small rough spots that accumulate on your hands due to friction. Friction occurs when the handle of a barbell repeatedly rubs against your palm during a weightlifting session. While calluses are not dangerous, they can become painful, crack or split if you continue to work out without protecting your hands.

These injuries can delay your fitness progress because you won't be able to use proper form when lifting weights. Weightlifting gloves prevent calluses from developing by providing a layer of protection between your hands and the rough exercise bar. You don't have to spend hours caring for calluses or waste energy worrying about tearing them off. Instead, your mental focus can stay on your workout session.

2) Exercise gloves add stability

Weightlifting gloves provide stability for your hands, and some types even add security for your wrists. If you have previously injured a finger, hand or wrist, you may need this extra protection. Even without an injury, gloves can provide strong support for your weightlifting movements.

Half Finger Fitness Gloves

The gloves add a thin, stable platform around your hands to increase your grip stability and help you hold heavy weights longer. This results in increased strength improvements, improved muscular endurance and enhanced grip strength. If you pair the gloves with a wrist strap, your forearms will also be stabilized to help you control weight-bearing movements and maintain proper technique.

3) Weightlifting gloves protect your fingers

Lifting heavy weights on inexperienced hands can put stress on the tendons of your fingers. Often, the middle finger bears the brunt of the stress, and if the tendons are overstressed, you may experience symptoms of tendonitis. These include swelling, pain, inflammation, tenderness or an inability to bend your finger. Even a minor injury or painful sensation can affect your workout progress.

Wearing exercise gloves can provide extra support for your hands and fingers. Rather than completely touching the weight of your fingers, gloves provide a protective barrier. While gloves do not allow you to lift heavy weights, weightlifting gloves protect your fingers from stress and help you gradually increase the weight you are carrying.