As a beginner in weightlifting, you’ll have to make some investments to improve your performance and provide the results you expect. Like any sport, this translates to having adequate gear, such as durable gym apparel and handy accessories.
Mind you, these aren’t your regular clothes or accessories but are weightlifting specific. Since the options are vast on the market, I’ll focus on some key pieces and delve into why you need them in your gym bag. This also goes for those who prefer to strength train at home instead of at the local gym!
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Appropriate Gym Apparel
You probably don’t think you need to pay too much attention to your gym look, but you should because it affects comfort, safety, and performance. You can’t do weightlifting in your favourite button-down shirt or a pair of jeans, right? Then this means you need the perfect combination of a shirt, shorts, and shoes to make the most of the workouts.
The gym clothes are designed to be lightweight and breathable and offer you the utmost comfort due to moisture-wicking and thermoregulation properties. Instead of opting for the cotton tees you already have in your closet, choose a more durable blend of polyester and cotton, or just polyester and other synthetics like stretchy and form-fitting lycra and nylon known for being high-performance fabrics. Synthetics are also perfect for keeping you cold in summer and hot in winter. In other words, you have optimal comfort guaranteed year-round!
The workout clothing should be the proper length and fit, like a second skin with seams, liners, and features that do not restrict hand, arm, torso, and leg movements which are other reasons in favour of it. You may not think of this as important, but it is when you consider it can protect you from injuries along the way and boost your overall skills and performance.
Moving along with the footwear, again, not just any would do. You need to focus on the suitable designs and features that could help you out with your training. For example, a strong and stable outsole can keep you firm as you do the lifts. Furthermore, for added support and stability, also choose shoes with reinforcement from the heel to the midfoot. Adjustability might come in handy too with a more customised fit and support, in which case you ought to look for a model with straps. And lastly, pay attention to the materials for inner comfort and breathability.
Appropriate Weightlifting Accessories
Once you shop for the essential gym apparels, it’s time to search for fitness accessories which also affect comfort and performance. And, if you think you can do without them, the bonus of having them is protection from injuries by getting a boost in support.
Lifting Belt
Such is the case with this belt, which is just as crucial for pros and beginner lifters. It’s can offer support for the lower back, which is one of the weak points that suffer from weightlifting workouts. Then again, it’s just as essential for the abdominal area.
Other benefits you can expect from wearing such an accessory are getting a proper, safer and stronger lifting technique, increased muscle growth and strength, and better body biomechanics. For easier use and adjustable fit, look for this handy weightlifting accessory with Velcro fasteners and buckles with locking bars.
Knee Wraps and Wrist Wraps
It’s easy to overexert the body with excessive training. It’s also easy to overexert it even if you don’t do excessive training as a beginner. That’s why you need help from suitable accessories like knee and wrist wraps to protect the areas where you’re most at risk from suffering injuries as you do the lifting.
The knee wraps to protect the knees from joint inflammation, and can even prove to be essential in reducing knee swelling and providing pain relief. Although there are sleeves too, most weightlifters prefer the wraps because of the way they assist with moving as much weight as possible and getting a greater momentum.
Still, it’s a matter of personal preference, so you should see if perhaps you’re among the ones who prefer the sleeves for their warmth, compression, and injury reduction. As for the wrists, the wraps are designed to stabilise your wrists thus preventing hyperextending and injuries. What’s more, they can further improve your lifting by promoting proper wrist placement under the bars and even boost the movements and position of your shoulders and legs.
Long story short, you need them in your gym bag! If you’re not old school, you may get one of the newer designs that incorporate the gloves, wrist wraps and power grips all in the same model which is perfect for eliminating grip failure and fatigue.
