Obviously as a Personal Trainer I get a lot of questions about fitness, exercise and nutrition.  Mostly it’s about how to lose weight or build muscle but on occassion my clients will ask me about workout apparel or exercise equipment.  The best gym gloves or most tricked out workout shoes aren’t going to make you get more fit, or help you lift more weight.  YOU have to do that.  However, there is a psychological aspect to these things.  If someone is wearing Crossfit Gloves, they may actually feel like they can perform more reps. If a client is doing pull ups and thinks that the best weight lifting gloves for grip are going to help them pump out a couple of more reps… then these things have already done their job.  Having said that there is some fact and fiction that you need to understand. You can check out this video review / exercise demo video as an example as well.

What Is Grip and What It Is Not

In reference to fitness or weightlifting, the word grip means two things:

1. The strength of the muscles of the hand and forearm which allows you to hold or grab onto something.

2. The surface of an object, piece of workout equipment, or pair of gym gloves that acts as a barrier between your skin and the surface you are holding.

Natural Hand Protection and Hand Rotation

When clients ask me to refer them to the best weight lifting gloves for grip I know what they really mean.  They’re not necessarily looking for something to keep them from slipping off the pull up bar… they’re looking for something that will help them make doing their Crossfit pull ups or workout a bit easier.

Using the pull up exercise is a great example to demonstrate “grip.”

When you’re doing a pull up you rely heavily on the STRENGTH of your grip.  There are a least 35 muscles of the hand and forearm which are responsible for the physical strength of your grip.  When you jump up to hold onto that pull ups bar, your muscular strength determines how well you will be able to perform the movement.

The sensation of feeling like “your grip is slipping” is actually very natural.  Your hands aren’t really slipping per se, but naturally rotating around the bar.  Think of a gymnast working the uneven bars or rings.  Their hands are not “sticking” to the surface.  The exact opposite is true… their hands are naturally rotating around the object.

Best Weight Lifting Gloves For Grip

(Note: check out one of our most popular previous blog posts “What Are The Best Men’s Weight Lifting Gloves?”)

1. Avoid the grip pads and lifting grips made of rubber.  Because they stick to the bar or weight rather than allow your hands to naturally rotate around them, your form will likely suffer.

Check out a pair of GymPaws Leather Weight Lifting Grips.  They have 4 finger loops so they’ll stay on your hands and fit like a pair of gloves, and the natural leather palm allows your hands to rotate around the bar while still helping you maintain a good grip.

2. If you’re opting for weightlifitng gloves with wrist support or half finger gloves you should stay away from gloves made from synthetic leather like material.  They just don’t provide the support or durability you’ll want.

The Swolemate Gym Gloves by GymPaws® are crafted from the same vegetable tanned leather that high end driving gloves are made from.  The tailored fit will eliminate the excess gap and material that can make most half finger workout gloves feel bulky.  These are especially cool if you’re looking for PINK Workout gloves!  They come in Purple too!

The other option could be the V02 Max Workout Glove.  Made from Suede and Ventilator mesh fabric, they’ll not only give you great hand protection, but they’ll allow your hands to breath and not get all sweaty.

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