If you’ve ever seen someone choke up before a big deadlift or shoot a big cloud into the air, you might wonder if that’s actually doing anything. However, chalk is a useful tool when lifting heavy objects. So let’s talk more about when you need chalk and how to use it.
First of all, what is lifting chalk?
Gym chalk is made from the mineral magnesium carbonate. Used by gymnasts, climbers and weightlifters to absorb sweat from their hands and increase friction between their hands and what they are holding (barbell, climbing hold, etc.).
There are other types of chokes in the world, but they are not compatible. Standard blackboard chalk is calcium carbonate, and sidewalk chalk is usually calcium sulfate. If you want to buy chalk for your home gym or to carry around in your gym bag, be sure to get gym chalk.
How chalk can help you gain weight
The main reason to use chalk in the gym is because it gives you a firmer grip on the bar, allowing you to lift more. Chokes are most commonly used in pulling movements, such as deadlifts, and lifts that include pulling, such as snatches and cleans.
Chalk adds sand between your sweaty hands and the bar you’re gripping. This is its magic. The combination of sweat and chalk provides a much safer grip than holding the same bar without chalk. as a result:
- Using chalk will reduce sweaty hands.
- Choke increases the friction between your hands and the bar, making your grip more secure.
- Improved grip strength means you can grip the bar or equipment without slipping and are less likely to lose your grip and miss a lift.
- With improved grip strength, bars and equipment can also be May It’s less likely to rub against your skin, reducing the chance of calluses coming off. However, there is a big caveat to this. More on this later.
To put it more simply, chalking your hands up makes it easier to grasp things. In some cases, the limiting factor in increasing your deadlift reps or pull-up reps may be your grip strength, rather than your arm or leg strength. With chalk, that problem becomes less of a problem.
When should you use chalk in the gym?
Chalk is useful, but not necessary for all lifts. I usually only use the choke bucket for my heaviest lifts, and there are many workouts where I don’t use the choke bucket at all. Here are some signs that it’s time to use chalk.
- On a hot and sweaty day
- When I’m nervous and my hands are sweaty (I choke up more in matches than in training!)
- heavy deadlifts, cleans, and snatches
- high rep pull-ups
- Ideal for lifts where hands are slippery
- Places on your body that shouldn’t be slippery, such as your back or shoulders when doing barbell squats.
There are no hard and fast rules about when you should or shouldn’t use chalk. It’s a matter of judgment. You’re not cheating with the choke, and you don’t have to reach a certain level of strength to earn privileges. If you’re not sure, try chalking it up and see how much it changes the stability of your grip.
When Chalk Doesn’t Help
Lifting the chalk isn’t helpful in every situation. Cases where choke is unlikely to solve the problem are:
- On a very dry, cold day, when your hands aren’t sweating at all. (Chalk has little effect unless it absorbs sweat.)
- For push training such as bench press. (Grip is important for pulling movements, but less important for pushing movements.)
- when you want few Friction, nothing more. (That thing you put on your feet when you deadlift? That’s baby powder that helps the bar slide. Chalk is the opposite.)
- When you can’t get a good grip even if you use chalk. (need a strap. )
- If you’re already using chalk and it keeps forming calluses or peeling off. (Choke increases friction and can make the situation worse.)
The last point may be difficult to understand. If you frequently perform exercises like kettlebell swings or toe-to-bar kicks, your hands are probably rubbing against the bar or kettlebell frequently. Chalk makes your grip safer and creates less friction.But if you use chalk and There’s still a lot of rubbing, so you run the risk of irritating your skin more than if you didn’t use chalk.
Manage dead skin properly Chalk can help a lot (just file it down or scrape it off instead of bulking up and tearing it down), but ultimately you’ll have to decide on a case-by-case basis whether chalk will help or hurt your situation. there is. If in doubt, try both methods to find out.
Which type of gym chalk is best?
There are two common forms of gym chalk: liquid and dry. (There is also that ball of chalk powderClimbers often keep this in a belt pouch, but it’s less common in lifting gyms. )
Advantages and disadvantages of dry chalk
Dry chalk or block chalk comes in large blocks. Typically, gym staff will place a block of chalk in a bowl or bucket in an easily accessible location on the gym floor, and you will visit the bucket before starting your lift. He can rub his hands against the blocks, dip his hands into the pile of dust that has collected at the bottom, or do a combination of the two.
Block chalk is inexpensive to buy and convenient to share. Powerlifting, weightlifting, and CrossFit gyms tend to have one or three shared buckets. No need to bring your own. it is provided. If you’ve ever watched a lifting competition, such as Olympic weightlifting, you know this is why athletes stick their hands into a small bowl before approaching the platform.
We’ll discuss chalk bin etiquette later, but many gyms don’t like chalk buckets because they’re messy. Liquid chalk is a good alternative because it tends to stick to your hands easily, get on the floor, and leave less residue on your equipment.
Advantages and disadvantages of liquid chalk
Liquid chalk is also made from magnesium carbonate, but in this case it’s ground up super finely and mixed with alcohol. I usually carry this around in a bottle and squeeze a small amount into my hand a minute before lifting. Rub it into your hands and the alcohol will dry, leaving behind a thin layer of chalk. Some people swear that liquid chalk provides a better grip than dry chalk.
If your gym doesn’t have a chalk bucket, a good option is to provide your own liquid chalk. It also reduces clutter. I’ve heard of some gyms that had a “no chalk” policy, but turned a blind eye when lifters brought liquid chalk and used it sparingly. Ta.
On the downside, I personally don’t like the feel of liquid chalk and I don’t like waiting 30 seconds for it to dry on my hands. Then again, I also don’t like the feeling of reaching into a chalk bucket and getting chalk dust under my fingernails. Ultimately, the type of chalk you use comes down to your preference.
Basic chalk etiquette at the gym
The last thing we need to discuss is how to use chalk without hating it.all you need is chalk in your hands— not on the floor and not suspended in the air. Keep your hands in (or at least above) the chalk bowl or bucket when applying chalk, and rub your hands together when you’re done applying the chalk to allow any loose particles to fall into the bucket. That way you won’t end up with chalk all over the gym. All you really need to do is touch your hands (or the part of your body that’s being choked up) and the bar or weights you’re holding.
And speaking of that bar, you’re going to want to remove the chalk from the bar later. If your gym has a chalk bucket, there’s also a small brush (often looking like an oversized toothbrush with wire bristles) somewhere. Once you’re done training, use a brush to remove the chalk. Knurling.
