Do I Really Need Workout Gloves?

Many serious kettlebellers (mostly the testosterone-rich variety) will tell you that only sissies wear gloves; that if you wear gloves you aren’t “hardcore”.  I say, “So What!?!”  I don’t know about you, but I like having nice hands.  And I challenge them to try one of my workouts and let me know if they think a sissy could get though it, with or without gloves. Which reminds me, before we go any further, let me give me fair warning…

You WILL be sore.

Sore…and tired…and you will sweat.  If that’s gross to you or sounds like too much work, then maybe kettlebells aren’t for you. Maybe you don’t want to change your body badly enough.  If that’s the case, go try some lame cookie/smoothie/popsicle diet for a few months and come back when you’re really ready to change your body.  Because that’s the whole point of kettlebells.  Cardio under load gets you real results.  Vastly improved cardiovascular endurance, increased strength, lovely toned muscles…fast.  But it’s not easy…so get ready!

One more thing on the soreness.  Take it easy on your first workouts, because you are really going to feel it the next few days.  You may find it hard to get out of bed or walk down stairs for a few days.  You will hurt in places you never knew existed (which is why kettlebells get results; they hit you in places other workouts can’t).  But I promise you something…get through that first week and you’ll be over the soreness hump.  It will get easier from there, and yes, you will once again be able to move like a normal human being.

Ok.  So, back to the gloves.  The Pros and Cons of Gloves.

Actually, I honestly can’t think of any cons besides the “hardcore” myth which is completely ridiculous.  But if you choose not to wear them, I can tell you how to best care for your hands.  Because of the way the kettlebell rotates in your hand, you will get calluses.  Much like personal trainers, there are good and bad calluses.  Good calluses are flat and feel like they’re under your skin.  They protect your hands.  Bad calluses form a hard lump that rises above your skin, which makes them prone to tearing open. If they tear, it will…

1.  Hurt

2.  Bleed

3.  Possibly get infected and,

4.  (Worst of all) Stop you from swinging your kettlebell until it heals a bit.

Here’s how you avoid torn calluses.  First soak your hands in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes (during your shower will do), then file the callus flat with a rough nail file or pumice stone.  Remember: a flat callus protects you, so don’t file it away altogether.

As an alternative to gloves, some people use chalk…but it makes a mess. And one of the best things about kettlebells is you can do your workout in your living room and unless you live in a pool hall, do you really want chalk dust everywhere?

If you DO decide to wear gloves, you have a couple of choices:

1.Go to any sporting goods store and get a pair of the “fingerless” gloves that cover your hands to the first knuckle.  You shouldn’t pay more than $10 for them.  You want to make sure they fit comfortably - not tight, but snug (if they are too loose they’ll bunch up on you and drive you crazy).  Personally, I like the ones with leather on the palm-side and mesh on the back.  They protect my hands well and still breathe a bit.

2.Gardening gloves - the thin suede ones.  They’ll protect your hands well and you can get up to three pairs for your same $10. The down-side of these is that:  it’s harder to get a good fit, your hands will sweat horribly, and if you have long nails they’ll rub inside the gloves and annoy you (of course you could cut the ends of the fingers off).

Regardless of the type of gloves you choose, your hands will still sweat and eventually your gloves won’t smell great.  You can wash them, but be careful - the color tends to run and stain everything else.  On the rare occasions that I bother to wash mine, I put them in a delicates bag with 1/2 a cup of baking soda, then throw the bag into my cold wash with all of my black clothes.  Hang them to dry, not in the sun.

Your gloves will last a long time; up to a couple of years.  Unless you are like my client today who wore holes through her first pair, after training three times for over a year.  Well done Malissa!  Was it worth the $10?

- Alysia Gadson

Comments

[Jordan 13]

The administration of the law can never go lax where every individual sees to it that it grows not lax in his own case, or in cases which fall under his eyes. (Mark Twain, American writer)

[Supra Shoes]

Good job.No matter where we are, we must study all the way. As the proverb says that: You are never too old to learn. Thank you for your blog.

[mechanic gloves]

No matter where we are, we must study all the way. As the proverb says that: You are never too old to learn. Article is fine in its features.

http://padana.com