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Liquid Chalk Or Magnesium Carbonate Chalk


Sam Radford

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Looking at investing in some chalk for my grippers but undecided what type to go for or what brand? Being in the UK, there are a few Liquid Chalk's but many magnesium carbonate chalk but reviews of it being really crumbly.

Is there a specific brand or website you guys would recommend as looking at the IM certify you can only use magnesium carbonate chalk (unless someone can correct me on this) so would prefer to stick to one type and build from this.

Thanks

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MC is always crumbly and messy. I made a homemade chalk bowl stand with a huge bowl so I could "wash" my hands in MC. It is still messy. That's the nature of the beast. :)

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MC is always crumbly and messy. I made a homemade chalk bowl stand with a huge bowl so I could "wash" my hands in MC. It is still messy. That's the nature of the beast. :)

I've seen a few places advertise chalk balls to reduce the amount of mess created by the MC, are these any better than a block? Have you tried a Liquid chalk?

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I use both. Liquid chalk in the gym and blocks at home. I will always pick blocks over liquid.

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Looking at investing in some chalk for my grippers but undecided what type to go for or what brand? Being in the UK, there are a few Liquid Chalk's but many magnesium carbonate chalk but reviews of it being really crumbly.

Is there a specific brand or website you guys would recommend as looking at the IM certify you can only use magnesium carbonate chalk (unless someone can correct me on this) so would prefer to stick to one type and build from this.

Thanks

Experiment with what feels good to you. If you go to a gym, try the liquid there so no one has to complain about your chalk use. If you are training at home, go with both and note what you like, or hate, and go with that.

If you are looking to certify on the #3 from Ironmind, M.C. is the only thing you are allowed to use. I've seen this talked about a number of times and Ironmind will only allow M.C. to be used.

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Liquid chalk is little bit better than nothing but i agree with EJ. MC wins anytime. Brands i can say that loose chalk from David Horne is good.

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I use both. Liquid chalk in the gym and blocks at home. I will always pick blocks over liquid.

Looking at investing in some chalk for my grippers but undecided what type to go for or what brand? Being in the UK, there are a few Liquid Chalk's but many magnesium carbonate chalk but reviews of it being really crumbly.

Is there a specific brand or website you guys would recommend as looking at the IM certify you can only use magnesium carbonate chalk (unless someone can correct me on this) so would prefer to stick to one type and build from this.

Thanks

Experiment with what feels good to you. If you go to a gym, try the liquid there so no one has to complain about your chalk use. If you are training at home, go with both and note what you like, or hate, and go with that.

If you are looking to certify on the #3 from Ironmind, M.C. is the only thing you are allowed to use. I've seen this talked about a number of times and Ironmind will only allow M.C. to be used.

Liquid chalk is little bit better than nothing but i agree with EJ. MC wins anytime. Brands i can say that loose chalk from David Horne is good.

Many thanks for your help guys!! I haven't tried either so will opt for the MC then look at using a liquid one if lifting heavy weights. I'll check out David's website

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Okay so here's what I do. I train at a commercial gym that doesn't allow chalk so if I'm doing deadlifts, heavy rows, etc, I go with liquid chalk. It is pretty good for keeping your grip on things. But for super grip intensive stuff like pinch and grippers, I train at home and use chalk. There is no substitute for chalk for exercises like those. I usually take the block of chalk, put it in a Ziploc bag and then crush it into a fine powder. Then, like wannagrip said, I stick my hands in the bag and "bathe" them in it. Go with a Swiffer dust mop for the clean up lol.


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Okay so here's what I do. I train at a commercial gym that doesn't allow chalk so if I'm doing deadlifts, heavy rows, etc, I go with liquid chalk. It is pretty good for keeping your grip on things. But for super grip intensive stuff like pinch and grippers, I train at home and use chalk. There is no substitute for chalk for exercises like those. I usually take the block of chalk, put it in a Ziploc bag and then crush it into a fine powder. Then, like wannagrip said, I stick my hands in the bag and "bathe" them in it. Go with a Swiffer dust mop for the clean up lol.

So you prefer to crush your chalk rather than use it as a block to apply to your hands?

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The only thing i found a solid block of chalk really helpful for was chalking my bensing wraps, other than that break it up so it applies on your hands evenly.

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The only thing i found a solid block of chalk really helpful for was chalking my bensing wraps, other than that break it up so it applies on your hands evenly.

Thanks for the tip!

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The only thing i found a solid block of chalk really helpful for was chalking my bensing wraps, other than that break it up so it applies on your hands evenly.

Yep. Use it when you bend on the wraps and then for everything else just crumble it up. Saves a lot of time too.

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First off, I've found that Liquid Chalk is really easy to make with some powdered chalk from a block and rubbing alcohol. It basically just makes a paste that you coat your hands with, then the alcohol evaporates leaving your hands perfectly chalked. It's actually pretty cool (and cold from the evaporation).

I've gone through a few iterations of chalk choice and method for climbing, including liquid chalk, and I've found that Metolius Super Chalk is my favorite. It's very dry and coarse, which I like personally, and occasionally has clumps that I can break up to chalk better. For my bending and gripper work, I prefer the Super Chalk Block, as opposed to the loose stuff, because it's much cleaner. Another advantage of the block is that you can break off a chunk to better fit the curves of your hand, and leave a big square chunk for bending wraps or whatnot.

I've used chalk socks before, even the so called 'eco sock' that has more of a straight drying agent and less powdery chalk, and I gotta say they don't do quite as good a job as I'd like.

I've tried a few other brands, and they're just too fine for me. I think I tried the Black Diamond White Gold block, and it just falls apart, which for me defeats the purpose of a block.

Hope this helps!

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First off, I've found that Liquid Chalk is really easy to make with some powdered chalk from a block and rubbing alcohol. It basically just makes a paste that you coat your hands with, then the alcohol evaporates leaving your hands perfectly chalked. It's actually pretty cool (and cold from the evaporation).

I've gone through a few iterations of chalk choice and method for climbing, including liquid chalk, and I've found that Metolius Super Chalk is my favorite. It's very dry and coarse, which I like personally, and occasionally has clumps that I can break up to chalk better. For my bending and gripper work, I prefer the Super Chalk Block, as opposed to the loose stuff, because it's much cleaner. Another advantage of the block is that you can break off a chunk to better fit the curves of your hand, and leave a big square chunk for bending wraps or whatnot.

I've used chalk socks before, even the so called 'eco sock' that has more of a straight drying agent and less powdery chalk, and I gotta say they don't do quite as good a job as I'd like.

I've tried a few other brands, and they're just too fine for me. I think I tried the Black Diamond White Gold block, and it just falls apart, which for me defeats the purpose of a block.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the input, i've seen some of them brands when researching so go have another look!

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I can't find it but somewhere here on the forum - I did a little "chalk shootout" kind of thing - telling my thoughts of different readily available chalks at that time. Maybe your search skill are better than mine - but I'm sure it's here.

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Here ya go - I found it on my hard drive

Two Hand Pinch chalk type experiment – the object is to compare results from lifts done using each chalk and see if any significant differences appear – and if those differences appear related to any particular humidity conditions etc. The apparatus was wiped down completely and then prepped with the chalk for that experiment – then the same chalk was used on the hands. As a rock climber I use a lot of chalk over a year’s time – and buy it at various places depending where I am at the time I run out and need to buy more – so I end up with different stuff all the time.
Different chalks I tried below. Other chalks exist but this is what I had on hand at the moment. I would enjoy testing “your” brand if you send me a piece.
Metolius Super Chalk – Metolius brand chalk with a drying agent according to the advertisement. My favorite climbing chalk for use here in the Eastern United States with its high summer humidity.
Metolius Eco Ball – not actually a chalk at all but sold for climbing purposes by Metolius. NOT LEGAL
Black Diamond White Gold - a chalk by the BD company – I like this one for climbing in the low humidity of the Western U. S.
Bison Chalk – a chalk by Bison – it has shown itself to have a very smooth and slick feel to it in my experiments with chalk using Kettlebells. It is my favorite for KB purposes. Almost feels like talc in the hand – very fine. It felt slick and turned out to be so during the testing..
My Bucket – this is a 2 gallon bucket with the left over’s from various things I have used chalk for – mostly rock climbing chalkbags and left over pieces and parts of blocks over time. Probably more Metolius Super Chalk than anything – it has no doubt chunks of some generic block chalks in it – some White Gold – Endo block and who knows what else I used over time. This is what Kody – Jedd _ and everyone has used at my Gripmas Carol over the last several years
Conclusions
I did this experiment three different times with different temp and humidity levels – and my performance levels varied I think more than just from the weather – and more from my body conditions or good and bad pinch days. The numbers varied but the performance of each chalk was consistent each time against each other.
The Metolius Super Chalk and my bucket (which is primarily Super Chalk) consistently outperformed the rest regardless of temp or humidity and by different amounts depending on the day. The Eco ball did better than I expected. I need to find out exactly what this stuff is. It is NOT legal for competition in NAGS or IGC.
Notes: I did not “wash” the apparatus between chalks but did wipe it off as best I could with a towel. Surface prep was consistent each time – done exactly the same way for all. I did wash my hands with Lava soap between each different chalk. Hand preparation was also the same each time. I think the use of a “chalk ball” versus block chalk is a good idea for the hands – application of the correct amount each time seems easier and more consistent. I use a small piece of block chalk to prep the steel surface and then rub it in and pat it down. I want a fresh but very thin coating of chalk on the surface and hands. Others may use different techniques they have found best for them.
There are many more brands of chalk out there – it would be fun to test them all against each other with multiple testers. Chalk is not all equal for all purposes.
Two Hand Pinch at 52 mm
Temp outside - 56
Temp in garage - 62
Humidity – 81% (raining outside)
White Gold – 219
Metolius Super Chalk – 229
Bison Chalk – 209 barely
Bucket – 229
Metolius Eco Ball – 224


Temp outside - 23
Temp in garage - 62
Humidity – 41%
Metolius Super Chalk – 219
Bison Chalk - 204
Bucket – 219
Metolius Eco Ball - 214
White Gold – 214


Temp outside - 32
Temp in garage - 62
Humidity – 54%
Bison Chalk - 199
Bucket – 214
Metolius Eco Ball - 209
White Gold – 204
Metolius Super Chalk – 209

All lifts with the Bison chalk felt insecure.

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  • 2 months later...

Magnesium chalk is very messy and liquid I find to be very practical, less mess they both work very well. Considering I train on carpet liquid is much better for tidying up pirposes

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Radders,

I believe Strength shop chalk has a reputation for being very crumbly / soft. I get my blocks from a local climbing shop and use whatever brand they have in stock (it's about £1.30-£1.50 a block. Some brands seem variable too. Don't buy too much at once unless you can store it in an airtight container as it can absorb moisture from the air (making it softer & more crumbly). I prefer a firm block so I can apply exactly where I want and it's a bit less messy too.

As far as chalk balls go, I hate 'em but have used them when I cant get blocks.

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