Have you ever noticed the burly guy strutting about the gym with his big gym bag? Seems to be a bit unnecessary at first glance, but in fact he probably carries the tools of a bodybuilders/athletes trade, which are proper fitness attires, weightlifting belts, lifting straps, wrist wraps, and other various types of performance workout gear for men.
Athletic Clothing
Clothing is actually one of the top priorities for a man looking to train in fitness. You do not want clothing to loose fitting since you could snag your shirt or pants on a weight machine, or even worst trip and fall over carrying heavy free weights. That is why you want your clothing to be just a bit loose, or you could even invest in compression types of clothing. Compression helps with blood flow, which is drastically increasing as you perform your exercises for the day.
Heavy training regimens are going to heat your body up since your blood flow has increased, and a good article of clothing would be the Better Bodies Gym T-Back from GASP. This shirt is like a tank top, but has a great T-Back to allow more air flow. Plus you can show off your amazing trap muscles, which enhances your confidence. The reason more athletic men prefer this type of clothing is because compression feels to tight and annoying.
$32 – Gymstar.ca
Athletic Shoes
This type of performance workout gear is essential for a proper workout just like clothing. You never want to have shoes on that flop around on your feet. They need to be tied and fit snuggly around your feet, but about an inch of space in front of your toes. Improper garments have caused thousands of serious injuries, so keep this in mind while purchasing your next set of athletic apparel. You can look into great brands such as Nike, Puma, and Reebok when it comes to athletic footwear.
Weightlifting Belts
The weightlifting belt is the most common type of performance workout gear since it helps keep your lower back protected. Deadlifts, squats, lunges, and standing dumbbell military presses place a lot of pressure on your lower back during performance. Squats and deadlifts require you to bend at the hips while keeping your back straight, which is where the second benefit of weightlifting belts comes into play.
($49 – Gymstar.ca)
You want your back to remain straight to prevent injury, and when a belt is placed across your lower lumbar, you force your body to remain straight and in proper form. Then you have lunges and dumbbell military presses. They require a straight back, yes, but while performing the exercise with heavy loads you will notice your body naturally arching back, which is prevented with the weightlifting belt.
Other exercises to try this type of performance workout gear with are:
- Good Mornings
- Farmer Carry
- Cleans
- All squat variations
- Barbell biceps curl
Lifting Straps
The lifting strap is your next top pick for performance workout gear guaranteed to benefit you. These straps are placed through a hoop, which allows your hand to be placed through them. You then wrap them around any type of bar or dumbbell to help lift or pull heavier loads. For example, you can dumbbell curl 50lbs., but once you hit 55lbs. the grip around them is just not there.
Lifting straps help prevent this loose grip, and will allow you to easily increase your weight load 10 plus pounds. Another benefit is for those with a weaker grip. You want to naturally build your grip strength, and the lifting strap is going to do this for you while also allowing you to keep proper form and posture, which is a necessity for fitness training.
Lifting Wraps
This piece of equipment is more of a personal preference. Those with weaker wrists use them for support while pressing heavy loads during exercises such as the barbell chest press. They work by being tightened around your wrists, which applies pressure to your bones. These wrist wraps are a great way to prevent bone fractures under heavy load bearing.
You can also benefit from them while performing exercises such as biceps curls, triceps extensions, and shoulder presses. Wrist wraps basically keep your wrists straight during workout. You cannot place lifting straps over your wrist wraps. Doing so could result in serious injury.
Knee Braces
Your knees are one of the first areas to become affected after long periods of physical training. Sometimes it has to do with improper distribution of force, which means bad form on your part. However, you can use them as a performance enhancer by allowing your knees to remain under tight pressure, which assists you with exercises such as squats and lunges. Equipment that prevents a serious injury should always be thought of as performance enhancing.
Increase Performance and Safety
Never sacrifice safety for enhanced performance. You either want both of them together or just safety by itself. The performance workout gear for men discussed in this article allows you to be safe; so-long-as you practice proper form and posture. Never use lifting straps during the barbell chest press since you can tip over and remain connected to the bars, which also applies to the standing barbell shoulder press. Think smart and always remain safe!