Gloves on or off?

If you're a newbie at the gym, you may be wondering why some people are walking around with those crazy, fingerless gloves. Are they all part of some fitness motorcycle gang or something? Well, I suppose they could be, but more likely than not they're wearing those gloves to protect their hands from forming calluses.

What you may also be wondering, having now found out why people wear those gloves, is why everyone doesn't. While there's no one answer to that question, there is at least something to be said about the imbalance some weightlifting gloves may cause in wrist strength.

Most weightlifting gloves will not lead to this particular problem, but the kind that also wrap firmly around your wrists may. Although they are actually designed to protect your wrists from injury, they can also cause your wrists to fall behind the rest of your body in terms of strength gain.

Be this as it may, wearing or not wearing weightlifting gloves is up to you. Though I did point out a possible issue that may arise, chances are you won't experience any discomfort by using them (save for maybe feeling a bit embarrassed when someone looks at you and says your stuck in the '80s).