WHY WEIGHT GLOVES = LESS MUSCLE
By The Muscle Nerd, Jeff Anderson
Do you remember when it was “cool” to strut around the weight room wearing your training gloves and that big wide brown leather weight belt?
Fortunately you don’t see too many belts anymore…
(Thought this leaves us with VERY few options for places to draw our skull and crossbones in permanent marker!)…
…but did you realize that weight gloves can actually HOLD BACK your muscle gains?
Here’s why…
When it all boils down, stimulating muscle growth is all about how well you activate your Central Nervous System (CNS).
You see, when you lift any weight, your body uses a vast network of electical impulses to send signals to the brain through your CNS to signal your muscle fibers to contract.
In addition, your endocrine system is triggered to pump out adrenaline, testosterone, and growth hormone along with other “anabolic” responses.
But when you wear weight training gloves, you “deaden” the central point of contact you have with the weight you’re pushing and therefore actually miss out on providing your CNS with full stimulation.
Substandard CNS stimulation equals less neuro-muscular connection…
…which equals less muscle fiber stimulation…
…which equals less hormone response…
…and all THAT equals LESS MUSCLE!
Unless it’s a “grip” issue (such as you’re doing dips and your hands are all sweaty), leave the gloves for the beginners!
