Author: Ihor Shymechko (26 years of Oly Lifting & Training experience)
Reviewed by: Oleksiy Torokhtiy (Olympian with 21 years of Oly Lifting experience)
The best gymnastic grips can be made of various materials, but preferably leather, as it’s more durable and stronger than most other materials. These hand grips for functional fitness should protect your palms completely, while also adding support to your wrist.
This will allow you to perform all the different exercises and WOD movements that are necessary for a cross training program. Lastly, best fitness hand grips come with additionally stitching to prolong longevity of the grips.
In a hurry?
In a hurry?
In a hurry and can't keep reading? How about you check out the WBCM Leather Hand Grips.
The WBCM Leather Hand Grips offer durable comfort, customizable fit, and reliable hand protection for various exercises, with simple maintenance for lasting durability.
Top 7 Best Gym Grips Reviewed
1. WBCM Leather Hand Grips – Top Pick
- Type: 3-hole hand grips
- Size: S – XL
- Length: Adjustable strapw ith full length velcro of 20”
- Material: Genuine leather
- Closure Type: Hook and loop
- Color: Green, grey, orange, navy, yellow, pink
The WBCM Leather Hand Grips are the best there are and, as a bonus, their price is super reasonable. They’re made of real leather and they are 1.8 mm thick, so you get a balance between durability and comfort.
Once you break them in, they are very comfortable to wear, but keep in mind that these are leather, so you’ll need to break them in. This is completely normal for leather accessories and, even though it’s not ideal at first, with time, they’ll mold to your hands and they’ll be surprisingly comfortable.
Not to mention how durable leather is – you won’t need to change these for quite a while because they won’t wear out as fast as some synthetic grips would.
The design is 3-hole with an adjustable strap and a full-length velcro, so the fit is very customizable and it works for hand sizes ranging from S to XL, and you can choose between 6 vibrant colors.
They’re very versatile and you can use them for cross-training, weightlifting, gymnastics, or other exercises like pull-ups, snatches, and deadlifts. These grips are reliable and offer support and protection for your hands.
Maintenance is another great thing about them and it’s very simple. All you need to do is to use a mild soap and water to remove sweat and dirt after you finish with your session. If you’re tempted to throw them in the washer – don’t because you’ll damage them.
You won’t find much to complain about with these. They’re durable, customizable, really comfortable once broken in, and you have lots of colors to choose from.
Positives:
Very durable because they're made of genuine leather
6 colors available
Great value for money
Could be better:
They need to be broken in before being fully comfortable
2. PicSil RX Grips – Runner Up
- Type: 3 Holes Hand Gymnastic Grips
- Size: S to XL
- Length: 2.9 to 4.9 inches
- Material: Carbon Fiber
- Closure Type: Hook and Loop
- Color: Black and Orange
The PicSil RX Grips are made of a patented fabric that makes them the first synthetic leather gymnastic grips available in the market. The carbon fibre used in the making of these grips makes the product lightweight and comfortable to wear, while protecting your skin and hands. They also give you a better grip, so the weight or the bar doesn’t slip from your hands when reliably doing exercises like Pull-ups, Muscle ups, Chest to bar, Knees to Elbow, Toes to Bars, Deadlifts, or Kettlebell exercises. So, if you’re looking for pull up grips, you can’t go wrong with these.
The wrist portion of the grips is made of high resistant velcro, to provide more comfort to your wrist so that nothing digs into your skin when you’re performing the listed exercises. However, velcro wears down quicker than a buckle, so that’s something to keep in mind.
The design of the grips comes in a 3 hole fashion, with each hole being 1.8 mm in thickness. That should be plenty for most people, but is something to measure before making a purchase order. The design also features several colour combinations.
They also come with cool packaging, which includes a carrying bag, so you can carry your grips without them getting dirty. The bag is 100% fully biodegradable, as well.
The grips are a little overpriced, but they come with a warranty of up to 6 months with a money back guarantee in case any of the stitching or other parts of the product wear down sooner than you’d like.
Positives:
Synthetic grips that are lightweight and flexible
Soft wrist strap for more comfort
6 month warranty with money-back guarantee
Could be better:
Velcro straps wear down quicker than buckle straps
- Type: 2 or 3 hole hand grips
- Size: S to XL
- Length: 3.75 to over 5 inches
- Material: Carbon Fiber
- Closure Type: Hook and Loop
- Color: Black and Orange
First of all you have plenty of variety with the Bear KompleX hand grips as you can pick between different hole options, colour ways, and sizes. It is made out of carbon fiber, which is supposed to be thinner than leather. However, if you think that might mean more wear and tear for your hands, you would be mistaken as the carbon fiber is flexible and forms to your hand well.
The high quality material combats slippage well as it’s sticky even without the use of any chalk, which makes them the best pull up grips on the market. This way, you can do any exercise you wish to without the fear of tearing your skin.
The carbon fibre material is also lightweight and breathable, so there is plenty of comfort built into the product. Along with an adjustable wrist strap that keeps the buckle from digging into your skin.
In terms of design, the hand grips cover most of your hand from the base of your palm to the bottom of your fingers. The design is also sleek as the different material gives it a fresh look compared to other, more basic hand grip looks. However, some may find it awkward at first that one of the 3 holes covers your index finger, which isn’t typical.
Another feature that makes these grips well worth the price is that it comes with quadruple stitching. An issue other hand grips run into is that the constant high volume of workouts can break down the equipment quickly.
But the quadruple stitching is done to give the hand grips more longevity and make them more durable. So, the Bear KompleX hand grips will last you a long time.
The grips also come with a nice packaging, which includes carabiners, so you can easily carry the gymnastic grips around. These are the best option for price and quality.
Positives:
Extra sticky hand grips for a firmer grip
- Carbon fiber material is extremely lightweight
The quadruple stitching for longevity
Could be better:
Might take some time getting used to the atypical 3 hole design
- Type: Fingerless Hand Grips
- Sizes: S to XL
- Length: Up To 4.5 to Longer Than 5.5 inches
- Material: Leather and Carbon Fibre
- Closure Type: Buckle Hook and Loop
- Color: Green, Black, and Pink
As the name suggests, The LYFT-RK Hand Grips come without any finger hole options, which can be a positive and a negative. Some lifters prefer to not use the finger holes even when they have the option and simply like to throw the flap over the bar and grip it the bar that way. However, you can always do that even when you have the finger hole options. So, lacking one reduces your options.
But despite that, the grips cover most of your palm and have a 2mm thickness that keeps your hands and skin protected when you reliably do all the various exercises and workouts. But you do only have a single sheet of carbon fibre between your hand and the bar or barbell, so there could be concerns about blisters and calluses still. Especially after a few months of using the product.
The wrist strap has both a velcro and steel buckle component to it and comes double stitched to add to the durability of the grips. The stitches are to the outside part of the grips, so you don’t feel them when you workout. That’s a bonus for comfort.
One reason it is a fingerless design is to add to the transition between exercises. When you go from one workout to the next, all you have to do is fold the flap down and it will stay bent, or you can seamlessly rotate the gymnastic grips around so the flap is on the back of your hand. This way you can continue with your supersets or WOD workouts wasting no time.
They are also consumer friendly as they offer several colour options and a money back guarantee if you’re not satisfied with the product.
Positives:
Easier to transition between exercises and perform circuits
Grips have 2mm thickness
Double stitched for durability
Could be better:
Only a single sheet of carbon fibre
No finger hole option
- Type: Hand Grips
- Size: S to L
- Length: 3.75 to 4.5 inches
- Material: Nylon and Leather
- Closure Type: Hook and Loop
- Color: Black
The WOD Nation Grips are made out of leather and nylon. Leather is used for the grip itself, which is a big plus because leather is the strongest and most durable material you can use for grips.
Plus, the type of leather they use is thinner than normal, so you almost get this glove-like feeling when you wear the grips. While the nylon part is used for the wrist strap, which adds to the comfort and feel of the strap, without giving up too much in quality.
Leather grips are reliable for essentially many workouts and training regimes, especially ones that involve barbells. Leather material allows for a firmer and more complete grip on a barbell.
The grips also come with a triple stitching for the wrist strap to prolong both the longevity and durability of the grips. But an area they do lack is in sizing options. They only have 3 sizes available. They also only offer 2 finger hole grips, which means there is less overall protection to the palms and skin compared to a 3 finger hole grip.
However, perhaps due to the limited options and 2 finger hole grips, they are selling the grips at a lower price point compared to most of their competitors. They also have an aesthetically pleasing design to them, but it’s not too different from other grips. While the packaging is not eye-catching as it’s transparent and simple.
Positives:
Nylon wrist straps for added comfort
Leather grips and triple stitching for durability
Lower price point than most other grips
Could be better:
Only 2 finger hole option
Limited sizing options
- Type: 3 Finger Hole Hand Grips
- Size: XS to L
- Length: 3.5 to 5 inches
- Material: Leather
- Closure Type: Hook and Loop
- Color: Black, White, Brown, and Grey
The AEOLOS Hand Grips are great gymnastic grips made of premium leather, which ensure that the grips will be tough and durable enough to protect your hands and skin. What makes it even more unique is that it has a 2 layer leather system to add more safety. However, the extra thickness could interfere with properly gripping the bar or barbell.
While the 3 finger hole hand grips cover most of your palm, plus the grips provide unique wrist stability as well.
The wrist straps are ergonomically designed to reduce pressure and the chances of wrist strains while you go through with your workout program and switch between different types of exercises, including gymnastics, which makes them the best gymnastic grips.
The grips also come with a few added benefits. One of them being a free carrying bag and the other being a 100% satisfied guarantee, which means you can either return them and get your money back or swap them for another pair if you don’t like the first one.
The packaging is also a plus for the AEOLOS gymnastic grips as they come with their own carrying bag, so they don’t have to get tangled up with your other equipment. But despite that, they have an old stale odor to them.
Positives:
2 layer leather system to protect your hands
Ergonomically designed wrist straps to reduce wrist pressure
100% satisfied guarantee
Could be better:
Extra thickness could interfere with your workout
Stitching can come undone
- Type: Grip Power Pads
- Sizes: One size fits all
- Length: Up to 8 inches
- Material: Rubber, leather, and neoprene
- Closure Type: Hook and Loop
- Color: Various
The Cobra Grips Pro is made of a combination of neoprene and leather. This is unique because the neoprene creates a more comfortable product that is both breathable and flexible. While the leather component makes the grips stronger and firmer in order to keep your skin healthy and minimize things like slippage and chaffing.
This is one reason these grips are more expensive than others. However, you are also getting better wrist protection with these grips compared to other ones. Also, unlike other grips, these shift the weight that you are using to the base of your hands, in order to maximize strength output and to keep your hand from getting hurt.
These are designed with no holes in them, so when using them for pulling exercises, simply toss the flap over the bar and grip the bar normally. You will feel more at home when using this style if you aren’t used to finger hole grips.
While the grips do come double stitched, they aren’t reinforced. So, there are some concerns that the stitching will wear out sooner than you’d like. But that also depends on how regularly you use them for and which exercises in particular.
You can reliably perform most of the exercises you wish to, especially barbell exercises, as the leather component of the grips will give you a firmer hold on a barbell compared to some other material.
Lastly, the packaging quality is rather poor, and has an odd smell to it. That’s something to keep in mind, as the price doesn’t match with the quality you’re receiving.
Positives:
One size fits all feature
Protect your wrists along with your hands
Combination of neoprene and leather has several perks
Could be better:
Stitching is not reinforced
Don’t have any finger holes option
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What Are Gymnastics Grips?
Gymnastics grips are very useful, and one could even say essential, especially in gymnastics, weightlifting, and other activities based on strength training. They usually have a protective layer (made of leather, for example) that covers your palms and fingers, leaving the fingertips exposed for dexterity.
They act as a barrier between your skin and the equipment, like bars and rings. They reduce friction and prevent blisters and calluses, which often accompany exercises that need a lot of lifting and gripping.
The design is especially important in gymnastics, where athletes frequently perform very intense maneuvers on various apparatuses. Weightlifters use them, too, because they give a secure grip on barbells and dumbbells, and they improve stability. With a pair of grips on, there’s less risk of slippage during lifts.
If you do activities that involve repetitive gripping and swinging motions, you need a pair of gymnastics grips. Take gymnasts for example – they rely on grips to maintain a firm grasp on uneven bars, parallel bars, and rings, so they’re able to do intricate routines precisely and with confidence.
Lifters use them to improve their performance in exercises like pull-ups, deadlifts, and cleans, where you can’t do anything without a strong grip because you need the lift to be both effective and safe.
With a strong grip, you’re at less risk of injury and your workouts are more effective, so if your grip isn’t naturally strong, don’t shy away from using accessories to help you out.
But their uses go beyond weightlifting and gymnastics, and you’ll see a lot of people using them. Calisthenics, Gymnastics & Lifting, and functional fitness all benefit from the use of gymnastics rings.
What Are The Benefits Of Using Workout Grips?
✅ Improves Your Grip
When working out, it’s often the smaller muscle groups and weaknesses that interfere with maximizing your training. An example of this is your grip strength with pull ups or deadlifts. If you have a weaker grip, you will get tired sooner, the weight will shift and move during your set, and even your forearms will get exhausted quicker.
But when you use equipment like pull up hand grips, they can aid with your grip through the material the gymnastic grips are made out of. So, you end up having a stronger and firmer grip, which won’t slip due to things like sweat or muscular fatigue.
So, you end up getting more out of your training.
✅ Protect Your Skin
If you’ve worked out long enough, you’ll have experienced your fair share of calluses and blisters. Once you develop them, you can’t train the same way for a couple of days as you have to let your skin heal, otherwise you can further tear your skin.
This is a common issue in functional fitness because of all the pull ups and kettlebell swings, and deadlifts associated with the sport. So, in order to prevent damaging your skin, fitness grips can add a layer of protection between your skin and the barbell, kettlebell, or pull-up bar.
✅ Protect Your Hands
Hand injuries are also an issue that you can face, especially when you’re trying to push your limits in pull-ups or deadlift type of exercises. The reason being, your hands and grip will be tired by that point, so the weight can end up placing pressure on different parts of your hand and even damaging it.
A workout grips can prevent this from happening because the grip keeps you from overusing your hand and forearm muscles and even helps guide the weight to the proper areas of your hand.
When Do You Need Fitness Grips?
1. Recovering From An Injury
It goes without saying that if you’ve had a nasty encounter with blisters or have injured your hand or wrist in the past, it’s a good idea to use equipment such as fitness grips in order to avoid any further or future damage to your hands.
Tips From the Champ
Olympic Weightlifting Champion
2. Specific Exercises
What causes blisters and can harm your hands is swinging type of exercises, or exercises where grip strength matters. One obvious one is pull ups, either with a ring or bar, especially the kipping style that is popular in fitness.
Majority of the kettlebell exercises will require some type of hand protection too because the handle of the kettlebell is often shifting and moving in your palm. Deadlifting is another exercise where grip strength is vital and if you lack it, your form will suffer, so it’s better to use something that aids your grip.
Lastly, Olympic weightlifting style lifts, such as the snatch or clean and jerk, can also put pressure on your hand and skin, so using a gym grips then can be beneficial.
What To Look For In Gymnastics & Lifting Grips?
1. 2 Holes vs 3 Holes
Workout grips either come with 2 holes or 3 holes for your fingers. For picking between these two styles, it mainly has to do with preference. 2 hole grips cover less of your hand compared to 3 holes. However, some people prefer that as it may feel more natural to them. Especially if they are new to using gymnastics grips.
2. Material
Like most gym products, there can be several types of material used to make it. But leather hand grips are generally considered the best option. Leather is the longest lasting and the toughest material. But, a reason other materials are used is to lower the price of the grips. So, it just depends on what you’re willing to spend.
3. Wrist Support
Pull up bar grips also come with a wrist strap. Certain straps are longer and thicker than others, which might take some time getting used to if you don’t wear wrist straps already. So, it’s a good idea to keep an eye out on the dimensions of the wrist strap before making the purchase.
4. Buckle vs Velcro
Another thing to consider is the wrist strap style. Many either come with a buckle option to strap the wrist or a velcro option. Both have their positive and negative as a buckle is more secure, but a velcro one can be more comfortable. However, velcro can wear out quicker than a buckle.
How To Use Fitness Grips?
Step 1:
Buckling or strapping the gymnastic grips around your wrist. These aren’t necessarily wrist wraps, so you don’t want to go too tight. A general idea is to have the grips loose enough that you can still spin them around your wrist.
Step 2:
Whether or not to use the finger holes of the grips. This comes down to preference. The traditional way to use the gymnastic grips is to stick your fingers through the finger holes and curl your fingers to create a flap. However, if the bar still bothers your calluses, you can raise the grips up on your fingers and lengthen the flap. But, some actually prefer to not use the finger grips and simply toss the flap over the bar and curl your fingers over the flap.
Step 3:
Once you’re done performing your exercise, simply open your hand up and release the bar. After which, you can either take the grips off for the time being, or if you weren’t using the holes to begin with, you can simply let the flap hang.
FAQ
What do you use fitness grips for?
Fitness grips are mainly used for protecting your hands and skin when performing high repetition pull up variations, deadlifts, muscle ups, using Olympic rings, and even for exercises that use kettlebells. These types of exercises rub your skin and can cause damage to it.
How big should my fitness grips be?
If you’re new to using grips, your initial reaction might be that the grips are too big for you because there is a lot of slack after you put them on. But that’s actually a good indicator that the grips are the correct size. Another good indicator that the grips are the correct size is if they cover up to the 3rd joint of your finger.
When should I replace my Fitness grips?
It really depends on how much you use them. If you’re regularly using the fitness grips, then every 6 months is a good idea because, by that point, either the stitching or the protective layer of the grip will wear down. But if you are using them say weekly rather than daily, you can probably go up to a year before needing a new pair.
How do you break in Fitness grips?
It will take a couple of sessions to break in your fitness grips. But if you want to speed up the process, you can spend some extra time simply grabbing a stationary barbell with the grips and rubbing the knurling of the bar back and forth, grinding your grips on it. It is also a good idea to do this after applying chalk on the grips.
Are Velcro or buckle grips better?
Velcro grips are quicker to put on and take off, however, the velcro wears down faster than a buckle grip. While with a buckle grip, there are fewer chances of the buckle to spring up, but wearing a buckle grip can be uncomfortable for some.
Conclusion
The best gymnastic grips for fitness need to protect your palms and hands and can even add stability to your wrists. These grips are made of high quality material, while also having a strong stitching pattern. The fitness pull up grips and hand grips which meet these requirements the best are the WBCM Leather Hand Grips.
What movement puts the most pressure on your hands? How has using fitness grips improved your workouts? What do you value most in a fitness grip before purchasing one?
Let’s discuss all of this and any other questions you might have in the comment section below!
References:
- Jamie McKillop “How to Prevent Hand Blisters From the Gym,” Well+Good, https://www.wellandgood.com/what-to-do-when-your-workout-gives-you-blisters/ (accessed March 18th, 2024)
- J.J. Knapik, K.L. Reynolds, K.L. Duplantis, B.H. Jones "Friction blisters: Pathophysiology, prevention and treatment," Sports Medicine 20, no. 3 (1995): 136-147.
- Kiara Anthony “What Causes Muscle Fatigue?” Healthline, https://www.healthline.com/health/muscle-fatigue (accessed March 18th, 2024)5.
- Robert Hicks, Andrew Tracey “The Best Exercises to Improve Your Grip Strength,” Men’s Health, https://www.menshealth.com /uk/fitness/a34411145/grip-strength/ (accessed March 18th, 2024)
- All photos are made by our Torokhtiy Media Team
Why Trust Us?
- Author
- Reviewer
Experience: 26 years
Best Results: Snatch - 208 kg,
C&J - 240 kg
My name is Ihor and I have been a professional weightlifter since 1996. With over 20 years of competition experience, my resume includes European Champion in 2009 and the silver medalist at 2011's Senior World Championships – 105kg division.
I competed at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics.
After hanging up my own competitive lifting shoes, I decided to share my huge background as a coach. I am currently coaching multiple athletes who are competing at national and international competitions.
If you have any questions/suggestions/any other inquiry, you can reach out to us via email - reviews@torokhtiy.com
Experience: 21 years
Best Results: Snatch – 200 kg,
C&J - 240 kg
My name is Oleksiy Torokhtiy. I am a professional athlete with 20 years of experience in Olympic weightlifting. I have won multiple European, and World titles and have taken part in two Olympic Games (Beijing 2008, London 2012).
After finishing my career, I have committed myself to coach, and as of 2022, I’ve hosted 200+ weightlifting seminars all over the globe. I’m the founder of an international sportswear and accessories brand, Warm Body Cold Mind (my motto), author, and creator of a series of training programs and eBooks.
If you have any questions/suggestions/any other inquiry, you can reach out to us via email - reviews@torokhtiy.com
This article was written by our qualified author and proofread by an expert with proven experience. When writing the article we've used our expertise and data from authoritative, scientific, and evidence-based sources. The list of references is provided at the end of the article.
Our team of authors and experts includes professional athletes (Olympians, winners of European and World titles), PhDs in Sports Science, certified coaches, sports nutritionists, CSCSs, physiotherapists, and others. Read more about the team here, and more about how we test here.
Torokhtiy Team
Hi @Grace!
When it comes to weightlifting, the choice between a 2 or 3 finger grip depends on personal preference and the type of exercise you’re doing. Some lifters find a 2 finger grip allows for greater mobility and range of motion, while others prefer the extra stability provided by a 3 finger grip. It’s important to choose a grip that allows for a comfortable and secure grip on the weight, reducing the risk of injury. Ultimately, it’s up to the individual lifter to try both and decide which grip feels best for their body and lifting style.
Grace
Do you wear 2 or 3 finger grips?
Mia
Picsil grips offer the perfect combination of comfort, protection, and grip, making them the ideal accessory for any Crossfit workout. The synthetic leather fabric feels great against my skin, while the carbon fiber material adds durability without weighing me down. Plus, the high-resistant velcro wrist strap ensures that I can wear them comfortably without any digging or irritation. With the 3-hole design, these grips are incredibly versatile and have helped me to improve my performance on a range of exercises, from pull-ups to kettlebell swings. There are a few cons to keep in mind – the velcro wrist strap may wear down over time, but for me, that’s a minor inconvenience compared to the benefits that these grips provide.