What’s the Best Weight Lifting Gear?
Our goal here isn’t to push brands or fads but rather to simply make some brief comments on a few items that we think will provide you with a tremendous benefit in the gym.
There are three basic categories that gym gear falls into:
1) Gear that will help you with your exercises.
2) Gear that will help you stay on task, record your progress, and track improvements or road blocks on your road to meeting your goals.
3) Gear that will make your time and the gym and your training more enjoyable.
First, gear that will help you with your exercises.
First and foremost, just like pretty much any sport, a good pair of shoes will be your best friend at the gym. You will want something that is stable and provides support. Our experience has been that the more cushion that is in the shoe the worse it feels during heavy lifts. These might be nice for landing from a high jump, or for protecting your feet and joints from the constant pounding of a run but the last thing you need when you have 350lbs or so on you shoulders doing squats is squishy shoes.
Actually, we have found that one of the best pieces of foot wear for doing squats, dead lifts or other Olympic lifts is a pair of higher cut work boots.
They are stable, supportive and because of their elevated heel help keep you in good form.
Second, is a pair of wrist straps. It is common for hands to get tired before your leg or other muscles do when you are lifting higher weights especially.
These will allow you to save your hands and push your legs, back etc. to the point they need to be pushed. There is a lot of controversy over back belts. We will deal with them in more depth in another article however.
Staying on task can be one of the most difficult parts of your training. Remember, you’ve armed yourself with knowledge, you used your mind to evaluate and plan the best way to reach your goals, don’t fall short because you aren’t sticking to you plan.
We’re not saying that your plan should be so rigid that you can’t modify it as your body needs it to be adapted. If you don’t start with a plan and stick to it and track your progress you will not know where changes will need to be made to maximize the benefits of your efforts.
You should always have your plan, journal and tracking sheets with you. Whether you record your data during or after your training is up to you. To neglect this important step however, is to leave you own mind out of your development process. Knowledge (known information), is the best way your mind will be able to make intelligent calculated decisions regarding your training efforts.
Finally, you are not always going to be jacked, pumped and excited about being at the gym putting the hurt on yourself. A few things will help to make it a little more enjoyable. An mp3 player with your favorite tunes on it can make your training time fly by before you know it.
We, just like you we’re sure, have found that sometimes the beat or emotion of a song can provide that little bit you needed to get that last rep etc. So, mp3 player. A water bottle will help you to stay hydrated and offers a cool refreshing break from some seriously hard work. Lastly, something to wipe sweat out of your eyes and off your face. That’s right, sweat. It always kills us when we see these guys in the gym for hours at a time and not a single drop of sweat coming off of them. Our mentality is: “Work your A$$ Off and get outta there”. We don’t wanna live our lives at the gym.
We know that this is not ground breaking information but getting the most out of your efforts in the gym doesn’t require yet to be discovered information. It requires consistency in keeping some very simple principals. Now got kick some butt in the gym.
