What is lifting chalk, anyway?
Gym chalk is made of the mineral magnesium carbonate.
There are other types of chalk in the world, but theyre not interchangeable.
Your standard blackboard chalk is calcium carbonate, and sidewalk chalk is usually calcium sulfate.
As a result:
Chalk makes your hands feel less sweaty.
To put it in simpler terms, chalking up your hands makes it easier to hold onto things.
Sometimes the limiting factor in deadlifting more or doing more pullups isnt your arm or leg strengthits your grip.
With chalk, that becomes less of an issue.
When should you use chalk at the gym?
Chalk is useful, but that doesnt mean you need it for every lift.
There isnt a hard and fast rule for when you should or shouldnt use chalkits a judgment call.
If you arent sure, chalk up and see if it changes how secure your grip feels.
When chalk doesnt help
Lifting chalk isnt going to help in every situation.
(Without sweat to absorb, the chalk doesnt do much.)
For push exercises, like bench press.
(Grip matters for pulling exercises, not really for pushing.)
When you wantlessfriction, not more.
(That stuff people put on their legs for deadlifts?
Thats baby powder, to help the bar slide.
Chalk would do the opposite.)
When your grip is failing, even with chalk.
(You need straps.)
When youre already using chalk, and you keep getting calluses and ripping them.
(Chalk adds friction, which can make the situation worse.)
That last point can be a tricky one to figure out.
Chalk can make your grip more secure, so that theres less rubbing.
When in doubt, try it both ways and see.
Which kind of gym chalk is best?
Gym chalk comes in two common formats: liquid and dry.
Pros and cons of dry chalk
Dry chalk, or block chalk, comes in large blocks.
Block chalk is cheap to buy and convenient to share.
Powerlifting, weightlifting, and CrossFit gyms all tend to have a communal bucket or three.
You dont need to bring your own; it will be provided.
Youll typically carry this in a bottle and squeeze a dollop onto your hands a minute before you lift.
After you rub it on your hands, the alcohol dries, leaving a thin layer of chalk behind.
Some people swear that liquid chalk gives you an even more secure grip than the dry stuff.
Ultimately, the punch in of chalk to use is your preference.
You only need the chalkon your handsnot on the floor, and not suspended in the air.
And speaking of that bar: Youll want to clean the chalk off it afterward.
When youre done with your workout, use the brush to clean the chalk out of theknurling.
