Lifting weights and exercising in general can be a dangerous game.
As well as using good technique and performing the exercises properly there are other things to consider when getting the most out of your workouts and training safely.
Workout & exercise safety accessories
Weight lifting support belt
If you use good technique a support belt is not always required for most exercises, it mainly comes into play when you lift heavy with exercises such as the Deadlifts and Squats. It’s very important to keep you back straight and your core tight, and a weight support belt can help with that. It may be common knowledge that weight belts are designed to keep your lower back straight, they also have a second job which is to compress and apply pressure to your abdominal area which helps to stabilize your core. The most effective belts will be the ones which have an equal amount of width for the entire belt to provide full support to your mid section.
Clothing
Your workout clothing should be comfortable, well fitted to your body type, and it should allow you to move freely. There also shouldn’t be any items that are dangling that could get tangled up in any equipment.
Decent footwear
Wearing suitable footwear is extremely important if you plan on performing any exercise that requires you to stand up, especially if you are lifting heavy weights. Two exercises that this really applies to is the Deadlift and Squats, you really don’t want to be performing either of these exercises with poor quality or badly fitting footwear. Ideally footwear should fit you perfectly to allow for good balance, soles should be in good condition to allow your feet to be perfectly level with the floor.
Weight lifting gloves
A decent pair of weight training gloves will offer improved grip when lifting those weights. The gloves are usually well padded which will take some of the pressure off your palms which will prevent too much pressure from being a applied to specific areas of your hand, which should help to reduce injuries and strains to the tendons.
Chalk
This offers improved grip, especially helpful if you have a tendency to get sweaty palms and you like to lift heavy. Chalk is often used by lifters when performing the Deadlift as a good grip is very important with this exercise when lifting heavy. Improved grip will also help with many other exercises with both performance and injury prevention.
