Weightlifting Gear
Optional equipment list for weightlifting. This list is in order of importance.
Start with your connection to the ground - your footwear.
Highly padded shoes will compress under heavy loads and cause your feet to shift. At heavy enough weight this is a safety concern. You don’t need a shoe from the list below, but eventually you will need to lift without shoes or in something flat and stiff - most Vans and Converse will do if you already have a pair of them.
Born Primitive - Flat and wide, many ladies have chosen this brand
NOBULL - More narrow than Born Primitive, stiffer shoe
Flux - Light and flexible
Reebok Nano - I use the old model Nano 2.0
Adidas - The shoes above are very flat, the Adidas are probably the most like a regular shoe but still safe for weightlifting.
Those listed above are multi purpose fitness shoes. Below are weightlifting specific shoes. They are very stiff and have a little heel lift that will help you squat deeper.
Adidas
HYROX shoe list coming soon.
Weightlifting Belt
Like shoes, there are many options here. Avoid buying a “cheap” belt from Amazon, the velcro and design on most of them are junk and you’ll just end up buying another belt in the future. I would also avoid thick leather belts, they do not seem to fit ladies that well. The original Rogue belt we suggested seems to be discontinued. The Schiek belt listed below is similar to that Rogue belt. 2Pood has more style options but they are not tapered. The 3” 2Pood is quite small, it should be a good fit for most ladies. As long as your hips and ribs are not too close together you can also consider a 4” belt.
Lifting Straps
Eventually your grip will be a limiting factor in deadlifts. We do not use the mixed grip for a few reasons. One, it will create a shift to your lift and the bar will swing as you lift it. Two, if you always mix grip you lose out on improving your grip strength. Three, the chance of ripping a bicep is greatly increased with the hand that is gripped underhand. To negate these downsides of the mixed grip, we use straps when grip fails.
Gymnastics Grips (We use them as weightlifting straps. Size down, they run big.)
We do have some donated belts and straps for you to try out. Just ask next time you are in class.
Knee Sleves
For anyone with knee issues knee sleeves might be first on your list of gym gear. Go with a neoprene product of 5mm, and size down. They will stretch out some. Full sleeve, no open knee.
Gloves
If you can not use chalk gloves may be useful, especially for deadlifts. Find something thin with full fingers and a leather like palm. I would not use anything with additional palm padding.