Your hands are strong enough but still seem to be not able to hit that new PR of yours? Huh, what’s going on?
It can happen, it’s not our grip strength itself, that becomes limiting factor.. but the fact how well we are able to grab the object we want to lift. In short: Friction.
The palms of our hands tend to sweat a lot during performing heavy-duty tasks, so it’s only natural that the surfaces of the items you grab, become more slippery.
How to fix that problem? Well, one of the easiest..
..& most logical ways is to use gym chalk blocks.
A small upgrade, but makes very big difference.
Why Should You Choose Block-Type of Chalk?
What are the Pros & Cons with Block-Style Chalk?
Wastes Less & Lasts Longer
Pros:
- Improves Grip Strength – It comes down to simple physics, the key is to add friction between your hands & the object you want to lift up
- Removes Moisture From Hands – The more aggressive your work out regime, the more your hands going to sweat. Chalk helps to dry up sweat
- Block Chalk is Less Messy – The individual packages alleviate messy loose chalk – You can rub your hands against block to get exact amount chalk you need
- Can be Broken Down to Powder – Conveniently packed in block shapes, plus you can choose how to break it down to smaller bits, or powder
- Block-Chalk is the Cheapest – It’s the most basic, traditional form of chalk. It’s usually sold in larger amount, than other types, for convenient price
- Excellent for Every Athlete – It’s great chalk for power lifters, bodybuilders, weight lifters, rock climbers, cross fitters, & weekend warriors.. you name it!
- Conveniently Packed – Usually block-chalk is being sold & comes in 1 lb /450 g box that contains 8 x individual 2 oz / 56 g chalk blocks
- 100% Magnesium Carbonate – Simple yet the most effective stuff available – It’s highest quality gym chalk for removing moisture from hands
- Lasts Longer, Wastes Less – Using individual packages & small blocks alleviate messy loose chalk, making it waste less & last much longer – Months if not even years..
Cons:
- Excessive Use Damages Skin – This one goes with ANY chalk – You need to wash your hands properly each & every time after using chalk. This is no joke, as a drying agent, it will eventually damage your palms of hands, in case you don’t clean them thoroughly enough.
- Causes Little Bit Mess – One of the native, default perks that comes with using chalk – Your hands get covered with chalk & also the equipment you’re using. Situation can get messy. That’s the reason why several gyms won’t allow using chalk in their facility.
- Using Chalk is Not Allowed in Every Gym – Oddly, some casual-style, mainstream gyms might not allow you to use chalk in their training rooms. It’s the policy they use to keep rooms cleaner & perhaps spare some of their delicate machinery in that particular way.
GSC Gym Chalk
92 out of 100
Chalkness Monster
92 out of 100
Ader Gym Chalk
92 out of 100
All Three of these Block-type Chalks are Equally, Highly-Ranked by Amazon Customers
These are 100% Magnesium Carbonate based products
#1
GSC Gym Chalk
100% Magnesium Carbonate
by GSC
- Product: GSC Gym Chalk – 1 lb (8 x 2 oz blocks)
- Price: $9.77 (Retail)
- Cheapest Place to Buy: Amazon.com
- Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
Short Product Description:
- A Pound of Chalk for less than $10 – It’s Almost a Steal! Fabulous Chalk to Get the Job Done
- For Gymnastics & Weight Lifting – Conveniently Wrapped in 2 oz. Blocks – 8 Blocks per 1 lb. Package.
- Magnesium Carbonate – Excellent for Climbers
Excellent weight lifting & climbing accessory to improve your Supporting Grip strength
Why Should You Always Choose GSC Gym Chalk?
Professional Grade & Inexpensive
Chalk connoisseurs, you should take heart, because here is a gourmet chalk for us choosy weight lifters.
If you’re not particular about your chalk you can’t go wrong with this. It’s great for gymnastics & weightlifting..
..it’s also excellent for climbing – There isn’t a much better deal than this stuff.
I highly recommend this chalk to anyone who likes a cheaply priced yet high quality chalk product.
If you’re looking for good chalk that will last you a year with regular use, & more, then you’re in the right place.
GSC Gym Chalk is a easy pick – There’s huge amount of it, plus it’s one of the most inexpensive chalks on market.
You should also know, this chalk is also very brittle, so it’s easy to break down into powder if you want. 2 in 1!
This chalk is competitively priced & conveniently packaged – Great Addition to Your Workout Equipment.
Most of the major manufacturers use the exact same ingredients as this chalk has..
..BUT want to charge you 3 times as much for the same amount!
If you need high quality product, yet price tag must be on inexpensive side, this one can be ideal pick for you.
GSC Gym Chalk is produced from magnesium carbonate, a white solid which occurs in nature as a mineral.
Its inherent structure acts as a drying agent, & it absorbs sweat.
Made of 100% Magnesium Carbonate – Works perfectly for applications since it doesn’t go all over the place
Doesn’t matter if you’re recreational or professional, it’s everything you need to cover your chalk department.
Drying Agent
As you’re getting warmed up, your body keeps producing more & more sweat.
Gym Chalk is great to dry up the perspiration.
It acts similarly to drying agents like baby powder to absorb sweat, but on contrary those also reduce friction between your hands & barbell, making it more slippery.
To get a stronger grip, instead of weaker one, chalk does an excellent job to help you to secure the situation..
..& secures the barbell in your hands.
It’s becoming almost essential part of successful training..
If you’re a climber or gymnast who depends on dry hands while performing your task on climbing holds, ring & bars.
If you’re a pole dancer you could chalk up your feet & legs to get better friction & maintain your position while performing more tricky elements.
When it comes to depending on grip, every little bit helps..
Slipping Grip
GCS Gym Chalk ensures a reliable, strong grip.
If you’re a power lifter, the worst possible scenario is when barbell slips through your fingers & ripping calluses along the way.
Chalk is excellent to prevent dangerous moments, while performing exercise with equipment.
Secure your grip as much as possible for maximum result, while also getting a competitive edge.
Performance
It’s no secret – Grip is limiting factor on many exercises, if not most of them.
By using chalk you can naturally hold the weight longer, which can lead to your peak performance.
Don’t miss out that last pump, use chalk instead & get chance for maximum progression.
In the long run, it will affect your overall strength & training results.
Chalk helps you to prevent injuries & also train smarter.
#2
Chalkness Monster
100% Magnesium Carbonate
by Chalk Ness Monster
- Product: Chalkness Monster – 1 lb (8 x 2 oz blocks)
- Price: $12.25 (Retail)
- Cheapest Place to Buy: Amazon.com
- Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
Short Product Description:
- Premium 100% Magnesium Carbonate – Superior grip at a Fraction of the Price of the Competitors
- Powder+ Chalk Ball OR Block (2 Options) – Chalk Ball + Loose Chalk (56g) OR Chalk Block 1 lbs (8 oz blocks)
- Gym Chalk – Climbing, Weightlifting, Gymnastics
Excellent weight lifting & climbing accessory to improve your Supporting Grip strength
Chalkness Monster Gym Chalk
Product Overview
Chalk Ness Monster is excellent & as good as they come – Gym Chalk for climbing, weightlifting, gymnastics.
It’s premium 100% magnesium carbonate chalk to give you a superior grip at a fraction of the price of the competitors.
If deciding between blocks & bags, always get blocks – Much easier to apply to your hands.
Rub it on your hands & you’re ready. Meanwhile, with chalk bag it takes more time to get chalk stay on your hands.
Chalk Ness Monster is good for all competitors alike – No discrimination here – Excellent for casual workout as well.
This one works as a power lifting chalk, gymnastics chalk, rock climbing chalk, kettleball training or Crossfit chalk, as
long as you are trying to bring the best out of yourself, this chalk is for you.
This gym chalk can ensure your hands stay dry & your grip doesn’t slip. When competing, the last thing on your mind
should be whether your grip will slip out from under you.
The focus should be on the contest, on the preparation that got you to this moment, and the job that lies ahead of you.
Put worry and sweat out of your mind with Chalk Ness Monster. Whether you are…
- Hanging from a rock outcrop & contemplating your path to the peak
- Psyching yourself up for the heaviest deadlift you’ve attempted
- Sprinting towards the vault for a Yurchenko 3/2
- In a Kettlebell or Crossfit workout session pushing yourself farther than you’ve gone yet
It makes life easier in gym, especially with deadlifts – It’s easy to break too if you want convert blocks into powder.
…Chalk Ness Monster will get your back. No slip, all grip.
#3
Ader Gym Chalk
100% Magnesium Carbonate
by Ader Fitness
- Product: Ader Gym Chalk- 1 lb (8 x 2 oz blocks)
- Price: $12.50 (Retail)
- Cheapest Place to Buy: Amazon.com
- Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
Short Product Description:
- Excellent Price to Quality Ration – Works Well & One
of the Cheapest Chalk Available on Market - High Quality, 1 Lbs Box – Great for Bodybuilders, Powerlifters, Kettlebell Users & Rock Climbers
- 8 Blocks – Comes in 8 Blocks, Each 2 Oz (56g)
Excellent weight lifting & climbing accessory to improve your Supporting Grip strength
Ader Gym Chalk
Product Overview
Ader Gym Chalk is also made of 100% Magnesium Carbonate – A high quality chalk that is competitively priced.
Great for recreational & professional athlete alike – No need to look further if you need good chalk for great price.
If you need high quality chalk, yet it must be on inexpensive side, this one can be an ideal pick for you.
Any athlete knows that, how important it is to have fresh & dry hands when performing & working out. It’s true for
gymnasts,weight lifters, pitchers, field athletes, & especially rock climbers.
Regardless of your sport & profession, Ader Gym Chalk is reliable & helps to keep your hands perspiration free.
A lot of great quality chalk for cheap price – Keeps your hands dry for a secure grip.
Did you know that the average human body has up to 3 million sweat glands?
The highest concentration is in the palms of your hands.
With that many sweat glands, it’s no wonder the average person sweats about a quart of perspiration per day.
Crank up the heat and the level of exertion and some people’s sweat level keeps on rising.
Someone who aggressively works out perspires about a quart to almost half a gallon per hour.
- Material: Made of 100 % Magnesium carbonate
- Highest quality gym chalk for removing moisture from hands
- Great for body builders, power lifters, kettlebell users & rock climbers
- One (1) lb box – Contains 8 x individual blocks in total, 2 OZ per block
What if You’re Looking for Another Alternative?
In Case You’re Wondering – Yes, There are Other Types of Chalks Available
3 Different Styles
In this review I’ve outlined the possible Top 3 of Block-Style Chalk brands, but remember..
There are many more of them, & also 2 additional styles of chalk, that are common & easily accessible for you.
One of them is in powder shape & the other, perhaps more modern one, is in liquid shape. Regardless of which one you pick, each one of those are convenient & easy to use. It’s mostly about matter of personal taste, the effects are the same.
This is the one style covered in this particular topic. A regular chalk in it’s most simple form.
This style of chalk is typically shaped & cut into convenient block shapes by manufacturer to make its use more convenient for user.
Nothing complicated, rub it on your hands & you’re ready to lift.
It stays in one piece & if needed can be easily break down into pieces & eventually into powder shape.
Exactly the same stuff as block-style chalk, it’s simply being ground & refined into powder shape.
It’s almost a dust, so it’s messy & easily becoming airborne.
That’s pretty much all that it is. The differences between powder-style chalks are depending on how well refined the powders actually are.
The more it’s been broken down to smaller pieces the smoother the overall texture likely feels on hands.
This is an interesting one. A chalk that’s contained in a bottle,
to store it in a liquid shape.
It’s made of alcohol, magnesium carbonate, thickener& fragrance. This one is a great alternative to regular chalk to get the job done.
A big plus with this one, it’s not airborne at all, making it one of the cleanest solution available.
If you seek a least messy solution, this is definitely a way to go.
Liquid-Style Chalk is hands-down the cleanest solution since it’s almost non-airborne
Therefore, liquid chalk is usually also allowed in the gyms that won’t allow the use of other regular chalk
Why Some Chalk Products are Twice as Expensive as Regular Chalk?
Additional Ingredients
This is where things get a bit more tricky – Expensive chalks contain & are specifically imbued with essential oils
Why? To spare your hands & contribute into your overall long-term hand health
That fact alone means this chalk likely costs double what regular chalk does.. & for a very good reason. But is it better for you? Absolutely, if you’re an avid weight lifter, climber or gym goer, you’re likely using chalk very frequently.
In some cases, using it almost too frequently, so it’s an upgrade. It’s definitely not mandatory but can eventually come to that point where you should invest smarter & into more sophisticated equipment – Same thing goes with chalk.
This is no secret that chalk is a drying agent that will damage the skin on your hands, if you’re not using it for weeks or months, but year after year. In long-term cases such as this, it’s much better idea to invest into higher quality chalk.
It’s completely optional but in a long shot, highly recommended to prevent an injury or two. If you’ve had experience with torn calluses, then you know exactly how annoying that kind of injury can be – Not only does it limit you, but can disable you completely, & prevent you from doing what you do, plus there’s also associated nagging pain that comes along with it.
So, why not avoid these things altogether as much as possible? The more you contribute into hand health-care, the better your overall performance. If that’s important for you, a high-end chalk imbued with essential oils can be ideal pick.
If longevity is paramount for you, every little bit helps – Getting stronger is marathon no a race
Here’s also an example for you, one of my favorite chalks imbued with essential oils
Thanks for stopping by!
I hope you enjoyed reading this topic & learned something new about different types of chalks along the way.
Have you used these products OR some similar product? Whats your training experience alike?
I’d love to hear from you!
Feel free to ask for assistance & share your thoughts by leaving a comment.
Cheers,
Henry
Hi there, thanks for the great post.
I have to say, chalk blocks does serve its purpose. But if you workout a lot, it might not be a good option. Only because after so long, it will damage your hands. So I would recommend fitness gloves. They are super comfortable and lightweight. Also, they prevent overheating, calluses, and blisters.
Once again, thanks Henry!
Absolutely, there are multiple options for different tastes.
Also, different sports use different tools.
The biggest question is how to effectively implement these tools.
Meanwhile, we should remember, there’s also massive drawback with fitness gloves & a hidden “double-edge sword” that many people don’t even know about:
Excessive use of gloves technically prevents your palms of hands getting any stronger – It’s not good idea to wear them 24/7 – It’s a mistake that vast majority of beginners do.
It’s important to be aware of that.
Fitness gloves companies are more than happy to sell you an expensive pair every single month with an evil grin on their faces. It’s more money in their pockets.
I’d suggest using gloves for rehab purposes only.. if your hands are injured, or to give hands rest.
De-loading, active rest & speedy recovery.
Once hands are healed up, no gloves, to keep progressing & to build up grip strength.
Another thing – It’s considered as “foreign” object..
For example, have you ever seen a dedicated power lifter enter a meet with gloves on? Or strongman? Or Olympic lifter?
Never. There’s a good reason why they won’t..
Yeah, that’s the case: you don’t “feel” the weight. Just exactly like using barbell pads for squat (one of the worst inventions ever)
So many folks use them for very wrong reasons
Just like using chalk excessively has its drawbacks, so does fitness gloves.
These are fascinating topics that both go much deeper into hand-recovery category.
Finding the balance.. knowing what to do & why to do & how to do is the key.
Hi Henry,
Cheers for the great info. I had been experimenting with gloves as I was getting a lot of damage on my palms from weights but i really didn’t like wearing them and found it made it harder to grip. Chalk block is a bit difficult and I know my gym doesn’t really like the use of chalk. I am keen to find out more about the liquid chalk. Does the liquid chalk leave a lot of residue chalk on the equipment after you use it?
Hey Chris, thanks for stopping by
Gloves are very good substitute for dealing with injuries & speedy recovery..
..but once we progress to heavier weights, they’ll eventually get into way & also prevent your palms getting stronger in the first place, which is inseparable part of grip strength.
In fact, liquid chalk is the cleanest one of them all – It still leaves some residue trace but it’s minimal, almost non existent. These are allowed in most commercial gyms that otherwise won’t allow using chalk.
You could also get away with hiding block of chalk into your training bag in gym & use only, to apply the bare minimum amount you need. Well, realistically no one is actually against chalk, it’s just the fact that folks like to get merry & spill that stuff all over the place & this is where it actually really becomes a problem.
It’s understandable why they have to disallow it.
But yeah, liquid chalk is a winner – No mess at all, it’s subtle & highly effective.
Feel free to give it a go..
Would love to hear how it goes for you
Cheers,
I’ve never used gym chalk blocks.
Does it get the equipment all chalky?
Do others that are working out get mad at you after you use it?
I usually don’t sweat a ton when I workout, but I’ll consider it.
I did not know there were 3 types of chalk block, powder, and liquid.
Never? You should try, it’s fun & useful in its own way
Yup, your hands get chalky & equipment as well..
Liquid one is the least messy option.
..it’s rather opposite, folks will notice that you carry some fancier toys with you, so they usually think immediately that you must be dedicated & know what you’re doing.
Be warned though – After hitting your new awesome PR’s..
..they might step by & try to borrow it from you to get their results up too, hehe.
Hi Henry
I’ve been working out for 20 odd years now and have never even been aware of the benefits of using chalk.I don’t lift heavy anymore just maintain tone. I have used gloves before but that was a while ago.I sustained a broken thumb playing footy and part of my rehab involved wrist strengtheners which still play an important part in my routines.
Would you recommend me trying some chalk or should I just keep going as I am.
Thanks Mate
Paul
Hey Paul,
Wow, 20 years.. That means a long time & a lot of experience,
without a doubt you definitely know the drill.
When it comes to chalk I’d give it a try if I were you. One thing, it can be a breath of fresh air for you..
..but from functional perspective more importantly & mainly, because chalk helps you to achieve more secure grip, which in return can greatly help avoiding further injuries.
Longevity is the name of the game.
Mostly, we are used to see folks using chalk for heavier weights, & for a very good reason.
Fortunately, with chalk that goes exactly the same with any lighter weight that is being put into use.
It’s effective to get the job done.
As a result, due to increased friction in your palms, it likely helps you to take some of the load off from hands.
More friction = Less squeezing with your actual gripping muscles = Less stress & less chances for further traumas
Feel free to give it a spin
Would also love to hear how it works out for you
Hi , really interesting comparison on the gym chalks blocks! I have always been into climbing and I always lack the grip strength (sweaty hands) when compared to my peers and hence really glad to run into this post! 🙂
Anyways, would really consider getting one of these! Did not know there was such a thing before I read your post!
Thanks and really looking forward to your next articles!
Fortunately, chalk is made for sweaty hands & you’re in right place to get it under control.
You could also try grip enhancing towels or tacky glue.. but chalk is likely the best pick for a climber.
There’s a large amount of functional & cool stuff to upgrade your grip game..
..something for every taste, & more are adding to this list every day.
Wonderful to connect with you!
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