Ergo shoes and ergo gloves

[KenS]

FWIW, I'm a fan of those Crewstop gloves. They've eliminated the annoying callouses I'd developed and they also help some with grip when my hands get sweaty.

[sekitori]

You don't row in gloves and anyone that argues shoes matter needs to refocus their energy on their training.
Sorry if this comes off as rude or harsh, but it shouldn't have taken this many comments for someone to tell you this.

That statement comes off as both rude and harsh. Just because someone rows without gloves doesn't mean that everyone should do so as well. Wearing gloves, shoes, or whatever when rowing is a personal preference based solely on an individual's needs. Only the indivudual can make such choices. Advice from others concerning those options should have little or no relevance as to what they decide to do.

Let me add to my initial comment. Not only is that statement rude and harsh, it's also ridiculous.

[Quatroux]

That statement comes off as both rude and harsh. Just because someone rows without gloves doesn't mean that everyone should do so as well. Wearing gloves, shoes, or whatever when rowing is a personal preference based solely on an individual's needs. Only the indivudual can make such choices. Advice from others concerning those options should have little or no relevance as to what they decide to do.

Let me add to my initial comment. Not only is that statement rude and harsh, it's also ridiculous.

My statement lacked subtlety which was not by accident. The original post showed an understanding of the controversy associated with the topic and did not ask for input on the practice. However, I provided input on the practice anyway.

Why I would do such a thing? Perhaps I took time out of my personal schedule not to spew "rude","harsh", or "ridiculous" thoughts at a stranger on the internet. Perhaps I had some other goal. What could it be?

My goal was to reinforce that wearing gloves was a diversion from standard practice. I succeeded in delivering that message. I now have no doubt that the decision to wear gloves isn't being made out of ignorance for the norms of the sport.

You argue the rowing with gloves is a personal preference. You are correct. I agree with you. I did not state otherwise.

You state that equipment choice is "based solely on an individual's needs". The "need" to not have blisters? Unfortunately, gloves aren't a reliable way to avoid blisters. This was stated here by others.

I have no ill will towards you, but the only thing that is ridiculous is the belief that any special equipment is needed to row or manage blisters.

[sekitori]

You state that equipment choice is "based solely on an individual's needs". The "need" to not have blisters? Unfortunately, gloves aren't a reliable way to avoid blisters. This was stated here by others.

Blisters were never a problem for me but calluses were. Rowing for many years caused them to be formed across the base of my fingers on both hands and they were quite large. A couple of people even mentioned how rough my hands felt when we shook hands. Others obviously observed it but never said anything to me. In addition, I was a dentist and when I wasn't wearing latex gloves, I'm sure my patients noticed them. They did not detract from my manual dexterity but they did look ugly as hell. Being a dentist and having the hands similar to those of a blacksmith is not a very good idea.

So I started wearing gloves when I rowed. It took a long time, but the calluses finally disappeared. Since I never had blisters, I have no idea of whether or not gloves are a reliable way to avoid them. All I know is that in my particular case, they were extremely effective in getting rid of calluses. I always wear them, have no problems at all with either blisters or calluses, and I don't find their use to be diverting in any way.

I also have no ill will toward you, but I just want you to know that in some situations there are valid reasons for protecting ones hands when rowing. I happened to have had a couple of pretty good ones.

[Quatroux]

I was a dentist

I wouldn't ever give someone a hard time for wearing gloves unless they asked me what I thought. However, I do row with a doctor that wears gloves for the same reason you do. He's a fine man and an example of a quality exception to the norm.

I could name all the exception to every blanket statement I make, but I'd just rather hash those out when someone calls me out. I would get dizzy with special cases otherwise especially since that doctor is the only athlete I know that uses gloves outside of random gym goers at the local YMCA.

[PhilS1961]

I wear Inov8 fastlift 325s with custom orthotics. They work for me. YMMV

Never had a problem with blisters. I have calluses from another sport on my palms but they aren't affected by erging.

Phil

[Andrew Shuck]

Hi, i've just bought some Merrell foot glove 3, wish i'd done this ages ago instead of struggling on with various Under Armour trainers. The Merrells are very comfortable.For non specific erg shoe.

[Dino]

I use some old Hitec Classic squash trainers. They have quite a thin sole and aren't at all chunky. Very cheap too!
Don't normally erg in gloves but did today as have some new blisters in the bubble stage still from long piece on on Wednesday and didn't want to tear them.

[hobbit]

Hi, i've just bought some Merrell foot glove 3, wish i'd done this ages ago instead of struggling on with various Under Armour trainers. The Merrells are very comfortable.For non specific erg shoe.

That's interesting. I just bought some of these in my quest for more stable feet for running. I love 'em. I'll give them a shot for rowing on your recommendation.

[8sWwr2]

I started using Mechanix gloves and they worked well. When I got my own machine, once, I tried bare handed and it started getting slippery due to sweat. I tried a pair of nitrile gloves and they worked great. They were all wet inside at the end of my 24 minute row.

[Citroen]

I started using Mechanix gloves and they worked well. When I got my own machine, once, I tried bare handed and it started getting slippery due to sweat. I tried a pair of nitrile gloves and they worked great. They were all wet inside at the end of my 24 minute row.

You'd be better off with no gloves and a light dusting of weight lifters' chalk. Your hands that have never hauled anchor in a storm [1] will soon harden up.




[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0526720/reference

[Dangerscouse]

Yeah, liquid chalk works a treat for me. It doesn't totally dry your hands up but I find it much better than gloves

[blues_]

Never have used gloves.

Adidas "Samba" works well for me as a rowing shoe on the erg. (And deadlifting if I don't put on my dedicated weight training shoes.)

[8sWwr2]

Tried nitrile gloves and they work well. Just ordered a pair of Crew Stop Scullers.

[jamesg]

You don't row in gloves and anyone that argues shoes matter needs to refocus their energy on their training

Technique too, otherwise it's hard to see how the soft erg handle, straight pull and no grip or feathering can cause problems. Sculling too, the C2 handles cause no more than a couple of days discomfort. Nothing like wooden sweeps that gave us a lot worse than just blisters.