Is there a problem with lifting aids (gloves, pads, etc...)

[midevilironsmasher]

the only aid I see acceptable is straps if your in the middle of a strongman competition and your grip is already spent. Of course if they allow it. Gloves... Michael Jackson wore them. Pads........Gayest thing ever invented. Even if you have weak back muscles, if you learn how to keep your upper back super tight then the bar will rest easy. Also... i dare you to put something over 405 with the pad on your back and see what happens. Chances are, that thing wont stay on your back. I use a belt on any big lift that is over 80%.

 

[DravenCarey]

Hot damn I love this forum. The other one I'm on was just a bunch of bashing and telling me how gay it all was. This actually has some people with backable opinions. For the person asking about my sport it's Discus Throwing (Track and Field). So gloves will play a big part in hindering the growth of my grip strength? I've heard it quite a bit, but why is that? Also, with the squat pad, if it gets to the point where the discomfort is holding me back, should I just toss the pad on for the last few sets? I'm doing my best to wean myself off it (with all my warmup sets) but it gets to a point where it's just incredibly uncomfortable. I'll start working on not using my gloves. I think the only thing I'd "need" them for at the moment is deadlift because it puts such a strain on my hands (and I'm new to the left) but I'll stop using it for most of my rows/bench and stuff like that. Thanks a ton guys and keep it coming.

 

[Youngncurious]

unless you are going for pure strength when you workout and do not care about development and are doing insane amount of weight then you shouldn't use any of those.

i wore gloves for a couple years straight and my forearms and wrists did not grow like the rest of my arms. this ended up costing me as i started having wrist and forearm problems.. i dumped the gloves and a few months later my problems went away. the only thing you will see me go to the gym with is my headphones and water bottle.. thats all.

these young guys who take the entire sports section with them will learn the hard way as they get older. and then you have the older guys with those huge beer guts walking around the gym with a belt the whole time. their back is probably in such bad shape that without a belt they would be crippled trying to push heavy weight .. i was squatting 460 X 6 for 3 sets and some kid came up to me and was like "i have a belt in my car" and I told him straight up I don't use belts. he looked at me funny and walked away. I am not gonna give someone a lecture on why they shouldn't use belts at all, if you want to use a belt then by all means do it.. its your body. if you want to have a crutch at 22 years old and be dependent on using a belt for the rest of your life then go for it. its like the people who you see at walmart using wheelchairs to shop when they have 2 legs, they start doing it then they continue doing it.. and pretty soon they will become so lazy that they will be in a wheelchair all the time.

so in conclusion if you are in your teens and still growing then it would be extremely detrimental to use accesories. if you are 60 years old and you need to wrap your body up just to get out of bed then might as well use them.. hell you don't have upside at that age anyway

next time you are at the gym look at who has gloves and who doesn't. its usually the guys who don't workout often or newbs. the experienced guys have figured out that gloves are detrimental. also the guys who use belts are the guys who are overweight usually. and the guys who have straps are either trying to do way more weight than they should or have pounded away for years and their joints and cartilage look like swiss cheese (sadly i know a guy like this and he takes ibuprofen before his workouts which will cause even more damage)

So damn true. Love this post.

 

[shirlene29]

Hot damn I love this forum. The other one I'm on was just a bunch of bashing and telling me how gay it all was. This actually has some people with backable opinions. For the person asking about my sport it's Discus Throwing (Track and Field). So gloves will play a big part in hindering the growth of my grip strength? I've heard it quite a bit, but why is that? Also, with the squat pad, if it gets to the point where the discomfort is holding me back, should I just toss the pad on for the last few sets? I'm doing my best to wean myself off it (with all my warmup sets) but it gets to a point where it's just incredibly uncomfortable. I'll start working on not using my gloves. I think the only thing I'd "need" them for at the moment is deadlift because it puts such a strain on my hands (and I'm new to the left) but I'll stop using it for most of my rows/bench and stuff like that. Thanks a ton guys and keep it coming.

your discus throw has more to do with centrifugal force than grip strength..Im not sure grip strength beyond average or slightly above is going to be a problem..but forearm strength could be...I dont have a discus to throw to think about it..haha

lose the squat pad..I tend to think it causes more of an instability than it helps
if the bar hurts it is a. too high up on your traps and too near your neck anyway which isn't good (what happens if that weight rolls forward cuz you lose it) b. you're not locking your back in at the beginning like you should...really flex those traps and you'll make a natural cushion even with thin muscle on your back

you can pay attention to where you're getting callouses too...it will tell you if your grip is incorrect

 

[midevilironsmasher]

your discus throw has more to do with centrifugal force than grip strength..Im not sure grip strength beyond average or slightly above is going to be a problem..but forearm strength could be...I dont have a discus to throw to think about it..haha

lose the squat pad..I tend to think it causes more of an instability than it helps
if the bar hurts it is a. too high up on your traps and too near your neck anyway which isn't good (what happens if that weight rolls forward cuz you lose it) b. you're not locking your back in at the beginning like you should...really flex those traps and you'll make a natural cushion even with thin muscle on your back

you can pay attention to where you're getting callouses too...it will tell you if your grip is incorrect

Piggy Back on this one... ^
Imagine someone is touching your spine with their finger. Squeeze their finger with your shoulder blades and flex all of your upper back muscle as hard as you can. Also squeezing the shit out of the bar with your hand helps lock everything in, Stick your chest out and have a neutral head position or something near it. The bar should rest across your rear delts. P.s. Who all agrees that shirlene is BAMFing chick.

 

[DravenCarey]

your discus throw has more to do with centrifugal force than grip strength..Im not sure grip strength beyond average or slightly above is going to be a problem..but forearm strength could be...
I gotcha, and yea there isn't a whole lot of grip strength needed for discus (there will most likely be a good deal involved in the hammer throw which I plan to pick up).

lose the squat pad..I tend to think it causes more of an instability than it helps
if the bar hurts it is a. too high up on your traps and too near your neck anyway which isn't good (what happens if that weight rolls forward cuz you lose it) b. you're not locking your back in at the beginning like you should...really flex those traps and you'll make a natural cushion even with thin muscle on your back
Yea, I think I'll be putting in alot more reps without any pads. I can easily see the problems there.

Thanks

 

[shirlene29]

welcome