A piece of gym equipment that is sometimes overlooked is a good pair of workout gloves. They help improve your performance and can also offer some protection for your hands. There are a number of different models available, each offering their own benefits and we cover the best weight lifting gloves in this guide.
If you’re looking for a new pair of weightlifting gloves or are interested in investing in your first pair, consider what separates the top brands from the not-so-good ones so you can make an informed purchase decision instead of blindly buying a product that might be just what you are looking for.
Weight Lifting Glove Styles
There are different kinds of workout gloves that have unique features and offer specific benefits for specific workouts. One glove may be able to be used across different exercises, but some people prefer to have multiple pairs of gym gloves made for specific purposes.
- Weightlifting gloves (with straps): These gloves feature a Velcro strap that wraps around your hand to reduce friction and fatigue and offer a more secure fit as well as strong wrist support and grip strength. They’re ideal for lifting heavier weights.
- Strapless workout gloves: simple gloves that offer protection, free mobility, and some grip improvement but without additional support. They work for all exercises but may not give you the support you’re looking for when lifting heavy weights.
- Fingerless gloves: with your fingers exposed, you have more mobility while still having a layer of protection to prevent calluses and blisters. More so, you can still use a touch-screen cell phone or MP3 player if necessary. If you’re looking for more mobility and aren’t as concerned about rigid support, these are a good option.
- Wrist wraps: these are aimed mainly at powerlifters for exercise such as deadlift. They wrap around the wrists and then around the bar reducing the chance of the bar slipping from their hands.
The Top 5 Workout Gloves
Glove | Review Summary | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
#1 | Elite Leather Gym Gloves | Click For Elite Leather Glove Price | Best overall. Extremely comfortable to wear and looks great too. | |
#2 | Fit Active Weight Lifting Gloves | Click For Fit Active Price | Designed exclusively for ladies. Has a very secure fit and plenty of storage. | |
#3 | Trideer Workout Gloves | Click For Trideer Workout Glove Price | Easily adjustable weights and a snug fit. | |
#4 | Harbinger Power Glove | Click For Harbinger Power Price | Created for females with sand weights and reflective strips. | |
#5 | Bionic Cross Training Gloves | Click For Bionic Glove Price | Very adjustable for a wide range of body types. |
There are countless workout gloves on the market all having their own benefits, drawbacks, and unique features. Some are more popular than others and have garnered positive reviews. These well-received options are a great place to start your search but clicking through long lists of top-rated products can be tiresome. To help you find the best pair of gloves, the top 5 workout gloves have been compiled and reviewed here in one convenient place so you don’t have to scour the web and click back and forth between browser tabs comparing items.
#1 – Elite Leather Gym Gloves
These are some of the best workout gloves for men and women. They increase your grip strength while also providing more stability and support to reduce the chance of an injury. They are made of durable leather and also feature rubber insulation that provides comfort without too much bulk so you’re still free to move. The gloves also feature sturdy leather wrist straps that you can tighten to help you lift heavier weights with ease making these great for bodybuilding as well as powerlifting.
Don’t been fooled by their rugged appearance, they make great weight lifting gloves for women as well as for men. The rubber padding not only provides comfort but also enhances your grip strength and helps prevent calluses, blisters, burns, and similar abrasions by adding a layer of protection between your skin and the equipment. While a lot of workout gloves are hard to get on and off in part because of their tight-fitting designs, these particular gloves feature loops and pull tabs that you can easily grip to take them off after your workout. They’re available in a wide range of sizes from small all the way up to triple extra large and come in three different color options to please all styles. There is also a 60-day money back guarantee and 1-year warranty.
The reviews for these gloves are quite positive with a number of benefits listed including:
- More durable than comparable top brands
- Won’t inhibit mobility and flexibility
- Helped improve performances in the gym
No product is totally perfect and there are some cons worth noting including:
- Padding feels uncomfortable for some
- Seams started ripping with consistent use
- Velcro straps tend to loosen or pop open
#2 – Fit Active Sports Ventilated Weight Lifting Gloves
Made of silicon printed neoprene with attached wrist straps, these gloves offer comfort and support along with a strong grip. They offer full-palm protection to prevent blisters and calluses while leaving your fingers uncovered and free to move so you can still feel the equipment in your hands giving you more of a sense of control. Since they don’t cover your hand completely you sweat less, too. In turn, less sweating means you can get away with washing them less frequently which will save you the effort and also help them last longer since washing workout gloves can sometimes cause them to deteriorate faster.
With these Fit Active gloves, you can push yourself harder without worrying about injuries since you’ll have the support and protection of the Velcro wrist straps and neoprene grips. The lifting straps will help stabilize your wrists so they don’t roll while lifting weights while the grippy material will help you securely hold onto weights or pull-up bars without slipping. They’re versatile too so you can even use them on equipment other than weights like Olympic rings, cable machines, and kettlebells.
Some of the pros reported by users are:
- Available in multiple sizes fit for men and women
- Less washing required thanks to reduced sweating
- Velcro makes the gloves easily adjustable
There are some sore points that some unsatisfied customers pointed out:
- Lack of padding in the palms
- Velcro can dig into skin
- Sizing is confusing
#3 – Trideer Workout Gloves
Made from the well-known sports equipment company, Trideer, these training gloves offer a strong grip through silica gel palm pads and stable support through adjustable wrist straps. They’re ideal for weightlifting, pull-up bars, ring sets, and general fitness workouts that require gripping equipment securely. The gloves are made from a breathable, lightweight microfiber with mesh vents and pull tabs for easy removal, too.
The gloves look to make your workouts more comfortable as well as safe by lowering the potential risk of injury by supporting your wrists better and helping limit muscle fatigue. The high-elastic fabric along with the silicone design and honeycomb pattern on the palm padding creates more friction against the equipment to ensure a no-slip grip while you work out, too.
According to user reviews, there are a lot of bright spots worth noting including:
- Fabric is durable enough to withstand frequent use
- Mesh material makes gloves more flexible
- Outstanding customer service for replacements/exchanges
Not everyone has been satisfied, however. Some cons worth considering include:
- Sizing is difficult to get right
- Must be hand washed to prevent deterioration
- Wrist strap seams fray and tear
#4 – Harbinger Power Non-Wristwrap Weightlifting Gloves
Harbinger is one of the most popular brands for fitness gloves with many customers returning to them for their new products. Their power weightlifting gloves are plain and simple without any wrist wraps (other than an adjustable closure) for additional support and stability. They feature mesh material on the back of the hand as well as in between the fingers to help increase flexibility as well as breathability. Leather on the palm helps protect your hands while also increasing friction against anything you grab for a stronger, more secure grip.
The fingerless design helps you maintain mobility while lifting while also giving you more control over what you’re grabbing. The exposed skin will also help keep your hands cool since they won’t be fully covered. Despite this fingerless design, you’ll still feel comfortable thanks to the open-cell foam cushions on the palms and fingers which aim to limit the chance of developing blisters and calluses.
Verified users have made reviews citing noteworthy benefits including:
- Clean, nice design
- Made by a trusted brand
- Very comfortable
Sadly, despite Harbingers’ good name, there are a lot of issues with their gloves according to users:
- Velcro closure pinches the skin
- Black dye stains the hands
- Not durable enough for constant use
#5 – Bionic Gloves Men’s Premium Full Finger Fitness Gloves
These fitness gloves by Bionic are meant to be versatile enough to use for all kinds of workouts including cross-training. Their goal is to provide a more secure grip while also limiting hand fatigue while working out. This is done by Bionic’s patented anatomical pain relief system that uses relief pads to help prevent calluses and blisters by evenly distributing pressure on your hands. The quality leather palm offers more comfort and grip while also making the gloves more durable than comparable models.
The gloves also feature a pre-rotated design on the fingers that allows your hands to naturally move for more comfort and flexibility by adapting to the curving motion of your hands. This also helps improve your grip strength. To help your hands feel cooler while wearing the gloves, they feature terrycloth pads to absorb sweat while you workout. Similarly, the thumbs of the gloves feature a Polytowel material to absorb any sweat you need to wipe away on your face. Premium Cool-On material placed in the back of the glove and Lycra in the fingers of the glove adds breathability as well as flexibility, too.
According to user reviews, there are pros that can help convince you to buy these gloves:
- Machine washable
- Wrist closure adds stable support
- Can be used with touch-screen devices
Some of the downsides worth considering are:
- Towel material on thumb deteriorates quickly
- Velcro closure wears out over time
- Fingers are too tight initially
The Benefits of Workout Gloves
Not everyone uses workout gloves in the gym or at home, but there are some people who won’t start their exercise routine without them. Just like with any fitness equipment such as weight lifting shoes, they can offer a lot of benefits that can help you stay safe while you workout and may even improve your performance.
Improved Grip Strength
Your hands can get slippery as you sweat making lifting weights or gripping any kind of equipment difficult. Workout gloves can eliminate this to create a more secure grip. You won’t have to worry about dropping a barbell or dumbbell or slipping off a pull-up bar when you wear workout gloves. There are even CrossFit gloves that have non-slip finished to give you more grip strength than average gloves.
Prevent Blisters and Calluses
If you regularly lift weights as a part of your workout routine, blisters and calluses on your hands are almost a sure thing. At the very least, these issues are annoying but if and when they both become infected they can be dangerous and even life-threatening. Both are caused by frequent friction between your skin and the equipment. The protection workout gloves provide can help prevent these issues by limiting that friction.
Improved Support
Many workout gloves wrap around your wrist to give you more support as you lift heavy weights. This helps relieve pressure on your hands and wrists while also preventing injuries that can occur when your wrists bend under too much weight and pressure. With this additional support and less fear of injury, you can push yourself harder in your workouts and get more out of them.
Better Workouts
With the improved support and stability, workout gloves provide they also help evenly distribute the weight you’re lifting. Your hands and wrists won’t be doing all the work. Instead, the weight will be distributed across your hands, wrists, and forearms allowing you to lift heavier weights easier. Even if you don’t choose to lift heavier weights, you may have more stamina to push yourself harder in your normal workout.
What to Look for When Shopping for Workout Gloves
Not all workout gloves are created equally. Understanding what makes one brand better than another and what separates the quality products from the subpar ones. Besides thinking about your specific needs and preferences like the aesthetic qualities of the gloves and your budget, consider the features that make up a quality pair of workout gloves.
Breathability
Workout gloves are great but they do make your hands hotter than they’d be without them causing your hands to sweat. A good pair of workout gloves should be made with breathable material or should have breathable vents sewn into the gloves in order to allow airflow and limit your sweating. Mesh patches work well for this as does neoprene which is a breathable material on its own. There are even some gloves that have special materials inside of the gloves to wick away or absorb sweat so your hands don’t feel hot and damp.
Durability
If you work out regularly and strenuously your gloves will put in a lot of man-hours. They have to be durable enough to withstand this kind of use without deteriorating quickly. Look for gloves made of quality materials like leather, neoprene, and nylon. To make sure you always get the longest use out of your workout gloves, be sure to follow the care instructions when washing them. For example, some may require hand washing instead of machine washing or may tell you not to use harsh detergents or bleach.
Flexibility
You want to be able to move your hands freely even with gloves on. A good pair of workout gloves will be flexible enough to allow your hands and wrists to move easily so you can adjust your grip and holds without a problem. The only time you want something more rigid is when you’re performing deadlifts and similar heavy lifting exercises where you’d want a stiffer feel. Here, fingerless gloves are the best option since your fingers aren’t constricted by material but there are full-coverage workout gloves that can offer similar flexibility while also offering overall protection.
Grip
A great pair of workout gloves should have non-slip materials on them in order to give you a better hold on your weights. Some may feature traction patterns (similar to the tread on the bottom of your shoes) that add more grip than the material alone. This is one of the main benefits of using workout gloves so you want to make sure that the gloves you end up purchasing have features that allow it to grip barbells and other gym equipment securely.
Support and Comfort
You likely want your workout gloves to give you added support as well as comfort as you’re working out. There are gloves that have straps for strong support and others that have padding, gel cushioning, or reinforced stitching for comfort while lifting. Strong support and comfort can help you push harder during your workouts with less fear of injuring yourself in the process. Look for a glove that has strong support and comfort without being too bulky that it will affect your mobility and flexibility.
Conclusion
With a better understanding of what workout gloves can do for you and what to look for in a good pair, you can look for your own and make a more informed purchase decision. Use the top 5 workout gloves reviewed here to start your search making sure that you keep your own needs and preferences in mind along with the important factors mentioned here. Once you find the perfect pair of workout gloves, you’ll see how much of a difference they can make for your performance.
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