You don't have to lift weights for very long to realize that it's great for the muscles, but absolute murder on the hands.
Callouses, abrasions and slippage are all things you'll have to contend with if you decide to take on your workout facility with your bare hands.
The obvious solution is to use a pair of lifting gloves. Lifting gloves come with several advantages and only a few disadvantages.
PRO'S:
If your hands need to remain soft, supple or sensitive - perhaps you're a musician, a surgeon or you just don't want sandpaper hands - then gloves will protect them from callousing.
The padding effect of gloves may give a slight ability to lift more weight, since they allow less shock to be transferred from your hands to your wrists and forearms.
Deep crosshatching on weight handles can help keep dumbbells and barbells from slipping out of your hands. But said crosshatching can also bite uncomfortably into the soft skin of your palms. With a pair of lifting gloves though, no worries.
Gloves offer some degree of protection from the nastiness of a gym environment - sweat and germs on the handles of machines, dirty floor surfaces and the body oils of those who've used a set of weights before you.
Speaking of oils, your own palms can secrete quite a bit as you train, potentially making it more and more difficult to maintain your grip. A good set of gloves forms a dryness barrier between your hands and the weights or machine handles, allowing you to get a better grip.
CONS:
Because of their small size, lifting gloves are easy to forget, misplace and lose.
You risk becoming psychologically and physically dependent on wearing gloves. The first time they go missing while you're at the gym, you may not be able to get into the groove of your workout because your hands feel "naked."
For these reasons, more than a few self-described "hardcore" gym goers discourage wearing gloves. Ultimately, it's a personal decision.
If you do decide to wear lifting gloves, look for these features:
Vented or breathable main glove body. The glove may have a fishnet webbing sewn into its design or it may be constructed of a special moisture-wicking material. The important thing is that it has some means for perspiration to escape and evaporate.
Fingerless design. Aids in ventilating moisture and allows fingers to maintain dexterity.
Optional - Re-inforced padding and protection for the palm area. For some lifters this might be overkill. But for those who handle very heavy weights it makes sense. The padding will help you focus on performing the movement rather than how uncomfortable the weight feels in your hands.
