Lifting gloves more often than not get a really bad reputation.
I’m here to help you make an educated decision on whether or not you should be wearing lifting gloves. Typically, this is an opinion based question but there are real pros and cons that you should consider if you’re an avid lifter.
The goal is to always provide enough evidence for our readers to make their own educated choices!
The manly men in the gym who wouldn’t go near a lifting glove give it a bad name. Somehow, lifting gloves are considered to be used by the weak or feeble.
If you’re someone who feels that way, you probably didn’t even bother clicking on the post. So if you’re here, you most likely believe in lifting gloves or are curious about them.
In reality, lifting gloves have a variety of benefits that could improve your lifts. However, we will also consider why people dislike lifting gloves.
In fact, people dislike lifting gloves so much, that they make fun of them. Let’s always remember to respectful and kind to others. Also, if you’re the type of person to judge someone else at the gym, you shouldn’t be there. Here’s more on gym etiquette.
After sifting through the pros and cons of wearing lifting gloves, I will leave you with my opinion and I’d love for you to comment your opinion as well!
Let’s get started with the pros.
Pros of Wearing Lifting Gloves
There are a few pros that really stick out as the most important reasons why people wear lifting gloves. It is obviously to aid the lifting process, not to be worn as a fashion statement and for others to make fun of them.
If you haven’t given them a try yet, perhaps this will be eye-opening for you! 
First: Blisters and Calluses
Lifting gloves can really help avoid burning blisters and torn open calluses. The extra padding and material protects the palms and fingers from burning blisters. Breaking open a callus or having a blister can be extremely painful and can keep you out of the gym. Wearing lifting gloves can be very protective of the skin on your hands and ensure you stay in the gym.
If you’re prone to ripping open a callus or having blisters then I think it’s important for you to try wearing lifting gloves. The extra padding can be very beneficial to the health of your hands.
Even if you already have a ripped open a blister lifting gloves can help. When I last had an open blister on my hand I simply bandaged it up, added some tape to it for padding, and put on a lifting glove. My workout was almost pain free and successful.
Second: Grip Strength
By wearing lifting gloves your grip strength will be considerably better. Some see this as a bad thing, but by having increased grip strength during a lift you can potentially perform a few more reps than usual.
How can you possibly perform more reps by wearing lifting gloves?
Well, it’s quite simple. Have you ever had to quit a lift because of the pinching or tearing of the skin on your hands? This has happened to me on many occasions and it is really frustrating.
It’s frustrating to know that my muscles could lift more, but my hands couldn’t continue.
This is why I began using lifting gloves in the first place. The padding and material allow for a pain free grip for whatever exercise you are attempting.
Now I don’t have to worry about the pain in my hands. Instead, I can focus solely on the lift at hand.
For example, I personally think lifting gloves are so important when performing weighted pull-ups. Instead of tearing at my hands, feeling pain, and losing grip, I can perform this exercise with ease.
Third: Wrist Protection
The last main benefit we’re going to discuss is wrist protection. Many lifting gloves have extra wrist support or even wrist straps. This can be important because serious wrist injuries will definitely keep you out of the gym for quite some time.
The reason that people often begin to have wrist injuries is because they are using incorrect form. If you lift a heavy amount of weight and your wrists are crooked instead of holding them straight, you will begin to experience wrist pains.
This happened to me and what really helped is the fact that my lifting gloves have wrist straps included.
Not only did I utilize these wrist strips to help with pain and prevention of further injury, but I focused on proper lifting form as well. With this combination I cured my wrist pains and haven’t had them since.
Cons of Wearing Lifting Gloves
Although I believe that lifting gloves are beneficial and an important asset in the gym, it is always important to consider the opposing view.
By considering the opposing view in any scenario, we are enabled to solidify our thoughts. Whether it be our topic today, education, politics, life decisions, etc, it is always important to consider the thoughts of someone we disagree with.
By considering opposing views it is then possible to build a solid and educated argument or opinion.
First: Weakened Or Soft Skin On Hands 
The first argument we will consider surrounds the idea that if you wear lifting gloves, the skin on your hands will be weaker. Although you may not build large calluses for tough skin, you avoid blisters and ripping open calluses.
As discussed previously, blisters and ripped calluses can lead to time out of the gym.
By protecting your hands, you’re being proactive as to avoid unnecessary injury.
Perhaps if your goal is to build up calluses because you work outdoors or for other reasons, lifting without gloves might be beneficial for you!
Second: Less Natural Grip Strength
Another common argument is that if you wear lifting gloves, your hands will not build up the natural grip strength that you desire.
Grip strength is important outside of the gym for many real world activities including working outdoors around your house.
While natural grip strength is important, I don’t believe that wearing lifting gloves truly leaves you at a disadvantage.
For the purpose of having the most effective workout possible, lifting gloves will allow you to hang on for extra reps and therefore improves your lifts.
However, some people can definitely rely too heavily on lifting gloves. It is important to avoid the mentality where you can’t exercise without them!
Fourth: Money
Lastly (for our benefit, there are many more cons you may discover), lifting gloves cost money.
A good pair of lifting gloves definitely are not cheap. If they are cheap, you might find yourself having to buy a new pair constantly.
You will want to read reviews and make sure that the gloves don’t rip easily, smell horrible after a few uses, or are made of cheap material.
Money definitely can be a reason not to use lifting gloves.
What’s Your Opinion? Think About It!
Based on the previous information, it’s important for you to build your on decision on whether or not you should wear lifting gloves in the gym. 
A huge issue that people have with wearing lifting gloves in the first place, is their fear of judgment from others. If that’s what’s stopping you from wearing them, it’s time to toughen up and stand up for yourself.
You must utilize whatever strategies possible to get the most out of your lifts.
Let’s recap!
1) If you struggle with ability to hang onto your weights because it hurts your hands, then try lifting gloves.
2) If you often tear open blisters or calluses when lifting, then try lifting gloves.
3) If you struggle with wrist pains, then try lifting gloves with wrist straps.
If none of this is true for you, then continue with whatever works for you!
The use of lifting gloves is simply to help enhance our workouts to the fullest potential.
Please comment below and share our thoughts or opinions on whether you think lifting gloves should be used and why!
Thanks for reading,
Russell
Founder of https://myshakercup.com
I enjoyed this. I do wear lifting gloves, mainly just for the reason of blisters. I can’t do more than one pull up without wearing gloves. It seems I just have naturally weak skin, if that’s a real thing.
If I don’t wear the gloves, I’m limited to just 2 days a week of weight training, compared to the 4 I would like, due to the blisters.
Plus, those super good workouts where I’m just pouring out the sweat, they provide a much better grip and I don’t even have to think about what I’m doing.
Hey!
I see exactly where you’re coming from. I can do so many more pull-ups if I am wearing lifting gloves compared to if I am not. Of course, this has nothing to do with strength, but the difference is that my hands aren’t being shredded or in pain.
Thanks for writing!
Russell