In part three of the “Equipment Series” I am going to get granular about the most understated and often underappreciated piece of workout gear I consider necessary equipment. The ever-so-humble t-shirt. You read that correctly. Choosing the right t-shirt is just as important of a tool for proper strength training as are the right shoes or the correct lifting belt. Choosing the correct t-shirt is of particular importance for barbell related strength training. Specifically, powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting.
It is not necessary that the t-shirt you will strength-train in be trendy, flattering, or fashionable. It will be an added bonus if it is any of those things, but they will always be of secondary importance and far, far behind the main priorities of functionality and safety. A t-shirt you are going to strength train in needs to be made of 100% cotton. There are cotton/polyester blends that may suffice in a pinch, but nothing can really compare to the good, old-fashioned, 100% cotton t-shirts that have become somewhat less desirable in recent times. I would agree, there are more comfortable blends of different fibers available today for even basic t-shirts. They wick sweat and help keep you drier than an all-cotton shirt does. The newer fabric blends offer a better fit, hold their shape better and sometimes wash-and-wear better over time as well. One thing they do not do as well, however, is hold chalk the way an all-cotton shirt does and provide friction between you and the barbell. The importance of this often escapes notice until something goes wrong during a training session. When training with barbells, something going wrong is rare, but it doesn’t mean there is no risk. Unfortunately, when something does go wrong during barbell training, it can be bad, and when you begin regularly handling hundreds of pounds at a time, it can get “ugly-bad” very quickly.
What to Wear During Strength Training
So, you may be thinking, “What’s the big deal? Why must I be so insistent on a cotton shirt? Aren’t I just making much ado about nothing?” Let’s delve deeper. Due to the fact that more people have begun training in private gyms like mine as well as public independent gyms that tend to have a more-relaxed dress code than a big-box commercial gym, it has become popular in recent times for the girls to strip down to a sports bra and the guys to train with no shirt at all. These gyms are often less climate controlled and can get uncomfortably warm in hot weather. While it may be fine – even advisable – to strip off clothing during certain phases of training like deadlifts, conditioning or isolation work, I highly recommend you not only wear a cotton shirt for barbell training but to have an extra one to change into in the event it is very warm and you soak the first one with sweat before the session is over. When it comes to back squatting, bench pressing, front squatting, or doing cleans and jerks , unless you can keep your skin completely dry and chalked up, you need to use an all-cotton shirt that covers your shoulders. Tank tops, sports bras and going shirtless are not safe. When your skin gets sweaty, it gets slippery and slippery is bad when you need to hold a barbell loaded with hundreds of pounds securely on your shoulders as in the back squat, front squat, clean and jerk or any snatch complex where the bar must start or be reset and caught on the shoulders. Even on the bench press, a cotton shirt will help hold your body in position on the bench as you drive through your legs and feet, better than shirts made of other fibers. The cotton shirt also holds chalk far better than other blends. You should apply the chalk to the shoulder region of the shirt, either front or back, at the start of training when the shirt is dry. Use a generous amount wherever the barbell or bench will contact you. Once applied at the start of a training session, it should not need to be reapplied. If the shirt gets soaked with perspiration, it’s advisable to change into another dry shirt, reapply chalk and resume. When you wear a thick, 100% cotton shirt and embed it with chalk when it is dry, it is remarkable to feel how much more secure the barbell feels resting on your shoulders.
In contrast, I’ve trained in t-shirts made of other blends and learned this lesson the hard way. I’ve not only experienced this myself but witnessed a few of these training mishaps due to a poorly held or “caught” barbell due to slippage from shirts made of materials that offer less friction than all-cotton or bare, sweaty skin. Luckily, I’ve escaped serious injury, but I am aware of how it could have been much worse. While I’ve managed to salvage a few sliding barbells with only some bruises and sore shoulders it made for a pretty wild ride that I’d rather not repeat. I’m sure you too might also prefer to avoid a mishap and potential for life changing injuries.