What are the best weight lifting gloves for men?  What about the best weight lifting gloves for women;  and is there a difference?  There are so many options available.  Some are leather while others are simply fabric.  Some are fingerless and others are full fingered.  There are more color and design options available than there are muscle groups to train!  So what made the cut as the Best Weight Lifting Gloves 2013?  We’ve read the reviews, wrote some reviews, and even disputed some reviews – this is what we’ve learned:

How You Plan On Using Them Matters

1. Bodybuilding Gloves with wrist support.

These gloves were designed to offer the maximum coverage and support.  They are the high top basketball shoes of the weightlifting gloves world.  Just as high top basketball shoes are designed to offer additional support to the ankle joint, gloves with wrist support are designed to stablize the wrist joint.  (none of these glove styles made the cut for best weight lifting gloves 2013)

Pros:  If you’re an olympic weight lifter and need to condition for a 550 lb snatch, these are for you.  Cons: 99% of us are not, and snatch is an ugly word.  The wrist support will make the glove too hot and restrictive for the average gym goer.

2. Full finger weightlifting gloves and half finger gloves.

Full finger gloves are meant to keep your fingers from freezing in the winter, they have no place in the gym.  Opt for half finger gloves if you’re going to go this route.  They give you more tactile control when lifting because the most sensitive part of your sense of touch isn’t impeded.  In keeping with our gym shoe comparison, these would be the Crosstrainers of the group.  They’re a good multipurpose glove for the moderate to serious weight lifter.  

Pros:  They will offer you more grip and cushioning for heavy lifts.  Look for gloves like The GymRat by GymPaws® that are made of wash and dry Suede and Ventilator Fabric.  Cons:  You don’t lift weights with the back of your hands and you really don’t need the extra fabric here.  The additional materials can make your hands sweaty and it also restricts movement.  They’re not ideal for bootcamp or circuit style workouts as Crossfit Gloves because they’re too cumbersome to take on an off.

3. Grip Pads and Lifting Grips.

In the gym shoe world, these would be the running shoes.  They’re designed to have minimum restriction on movement, yet protect your hands from the pressure and friction of weight lifting.  The issue is that most of them are just that… pieces of material.  The lifting grips made of spongy rubber like material don’t last.  Because they stick to the weight, as your hand naturally rotates it tears the grip apart.  Others that are made from flimsy Neoprene fabric won’t offer the grip you need.  GymPaws® Lifting Grips combine the best of both.  They’re genuine leather so they stand up to tough use, and the neoprene backing keeps your hands dry while the finger loops keep them in place.

Pros: Easy to use as Crossfit Gloves or Weight Lifting Gloves because they offer hand protection with minimal movement restriction.  Cons: Because you’re likely to be taking them on and off more than gloves they can be easy to lose if you don’t remember to stick em in your pocket.

Disclaimer:  GymPaws® Lifting Grips were voted The #1 Best Weight Lifting Gloves 2013 on Amazon.  You can purchase them right here on the site with Free Shipping!

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