Rubber, fabric, leather… oh my!  There are more grips weight lifting choices than there are exercises to use them for!  So what’s the best?  Here’s a breakdown of some of the most popular lifting grips along with their pros and cons.

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Rubber Grips Weight Lifting

Rubber grips can be made from natural or synthetic rubbers.  Those with latex allergies should check the product manufacturing specifications before buying.

Pros:  Rubber grips weight lifting offer a lot of cushion and support for heavy lifts and the tacky rubber surface grips weights well.  They’re compact design doesn’t inhibit movement as they fit in the palm of the hands.

Cons:  Because they don’t allow for natural hand rotation around the bar due to the stickiness of the rubber, they tear apart easily.  There is no way to wear them on the hands to they require constant on and off.

Best Rubber Grips Weight Lifting

Grip Power Pads

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Neoprene Grips Weight Lifting

Neoprene is a synthetic fabric material commonly used for scuba diving gear because of it’s natural aversion to absorbing liquids.

Pros:  Neoprene Grips Weight Lifting act as a barrier between the weights and your hands which helps to avoid friction causing calluses. They’re very light weight and easy to use.

Cons:  Fabric lifting grips don’t hold their shape well and tend to fold and bunch up in the palm of your hands.  With only 3 finger loops they don’t offer the stability they could.

Best Neoprene Lifting Grips

Gripads

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Lifting Grips With Straps

Weight lifting grips with straps can offer the hand protection of a lifting grip with the added stability of a weight lifting strap.

Pros:  With the free moving addition of a flexible strap-like piece of material to protect the palms, serious bodybuilders can get both hand protection from calluses as well as the wrist support of lifting straps.

Cons:  They’re pretty much limited to heavy lifts and weight lifting. The non slip material doesn’t allow for the natural hand rotation needed for body weight exercises like pull ups.

Best Lifting Grips With Straps

Versa Gripps

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Lifting Grips for Cross Training

Because bootcamp and circuit style training like Crossfit requires quick movement between exercises, lifting grips made for this purpose have a minimalist design so as not to impede movement.

Pros:  The minimal amount of fabric allows for the highest range of motion.  The fabric does a great job of protecting the hands from calluses and can offer additional grip when needed.

Cons:  Just like a pair of socks tends to slide down and bunch around your ankles, during a grueling workout these can slip around too much.  They’re not designed for weightlifting and are made from synthetic microfiber.

Best Lifting Grips for Cross Training 

Fit Four Anti-Ripper Gloves

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Leather Lifting Grips

Made from genuine cowhide leather, leather lifting grips will be the most durable and long lasting.  Leather naturally conforms to your hands and is moisture resistant.

Pros:  Allows for natural hand rotation around bars and weights while protecting against friction causing calluses.  Versatile for weight lifting and bodyweight exercises. 4 finger loops keep the grips in place.  Slightly padded palm.

Cons:  Leather is naturally a bit slick when brand new.  Requires are few workouts to break in and become custom fit to your hands.

Best Leather Lifting Grips

GymPaws