Lifting with gloves

I know the advice from Rip on lifting with gloves is to make sure they match your purse, but as I am lifting in an unheated garage in northern Minnesota I need them. I have poor circulation to my hands so trying to keep them warm is very difficult and holding a cold bar even for a set is painful.

I am just restarting my LP but my main worry is dealing with not developing calluses as the weight increases and having issues once it is warm enough again to not need the gloves.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks

Use extra chalk.... and get a portable propane heater or two. I use them in my tree stand whenever it is cold.

Wrap the bar in heat packs before warmups and apply between sets.

Read Bill Starr's article. Training in Cold Weather | Bill Starr

He doesn't advocate against gloves in the cold, just notes that it didn't work for him. If you need them, wear them. A light pair of mechanic's gloves for the set and maybe a warm pair of choppers in between. Your callouses will come back quickly once it gets warm.

Thanks for the suggestion. I already have a good sized heater, unfortunately it takes a long time to make a dent in the temp in my garage especially when it is well below 0.

Have you given any thought to moving?

I second the propane tank heater suggestion. You can put it right in front of your rack for 15-20 min before training to hit that area. If my bar is in the rack, it gets warm enough too, doing this, most of the time.

On a few occasions when it was subzero outside and I am impatient for the heater to do its job, I have used some thin gloves, as the freezing bar really does hurt. Worked fine.

You can also bring your bar indoors when not in use. I think there are a few forum posters here who sleep with their barbell under the covers next to them, which probably keeps it toasty warm!

Best thing I have ever done when it comes to training in cold weather is to keep my barbells in a Titan Fitness bar holder near my side door. When I go outside to train (below freezing most mornings), I carry the bar outside with me. I have a blanket to lay over the top of the bar during rest periods. I place my hands in North Face skiing gloves during rest sets. On squat, press, bench press, if my hands get really cold, I wear a pair of Spider gloves that are essentially fleece with some small rubber grip material sewn into the palmar surface. This allows me to grip the bar without adding significantly more girth to the bar. I've actually gotten to the point where I very much enjoy training outside in the cold.