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Written by Tim HillLast updated on October 3rd, 2023 Gloves For Arthritis
Your hands may be one of the most important tools you use in the gym, so keeping them protected throughout workouts is imperative. Lifting gloves can help keep your skin safe from tears as you’re kicking your deadlift and chin up game into high gear. And though they function primarily as a protective layer, they can also help you with issues around grip, sweat, and general cleanliness, as well.
But what pair of gloves is the perfect fit for you? There are gloves for every weightlifting niche and hand shape, so you don’t want to grab the first pair that pops up when you start scouring the web. When it comes to breaking down the “bests” for full fingers, pull ups, women, and more, we’ve done all the scouring for you right here.
Our top pick stays put and keeps you protected, but isn’t so thick that it impairs grip sensitivity or causes excess sweat.
These gloves are touchscreen compatible, so you’ll be able to use all the apps you need to track your progress mid-workout. The breathable material keeps your hands clean of excess sweat, and these gloves are machine washable, so you won’t have to worry about scrubbing them clean after a messy workout.
With an excellent feature set and great price point, these Mechanix Original Gloves offer great value. Durable but comfortable, you’ll get plenty of use out of this pair throughout your training journey.
Well made, cleverly designed, and machine washable, these gloves score our top placement on this list, hands down.
Grip is absolutely key when lifting. So much so that for many, putting more work into your grip without changing anything else can be a huge factor in increasing your one rep max in a number of movements, like the deadlift where grip strength is paramount. Finding a pair of gloves that can aid your grip — like this pick — is potentially a great way to increase the results of your training.
These gloves have several key features to aid with gripping. They’re fingerless, allowing for greater sensation, have a leather palm that is breathable but not at all slippery, and they have wrap-around thumb protection to keep heavier weights from digging into your hands. While the leather palm is breathable, it’s still a bit thicker, so expect a nice layer of cushion from these gloves.
Grip is a key component for lifting and these Harbinger Pro Wristwrap Weightlifting Gloves will ensure your hands and wrists are protected, without compromising the grip on your weights.
Well-made and supportive, these gloves keep your hands safe without compromising your ability to hold on to your weights.
Though women can opt to use any lifting glove on this list, oftentimes finding a glove that fits more snugly around the hand will make for a more productive workout. With adjustments in sizing and form in mind, this pick caters to smaller hands and is our top choice for female lifters.
This pick is form fitting and made with premium materials, including TrekDry® that helps wick sweat, and keep you cool during intense workouts. The fit is smaller than your average lifting glove, and there are two different color options. In addition, these gloves are machine washable, which will keep your post-workout cleaning routine quick and painless.
With a host of great features, these Mechanix Original Women’s Gloves are ideal for women who want a snug fit and secure grip while lifting.
For women who don’t want to compromise in the gym, these gloves are smartly designed for smaller hands and will fit snugly for a firm grip.
Fingerless gloves are great for those who prefer to feel their weights a little better than they would with full finger gloves. This pick keeps your hands cool and allows for dexterity, making it our top choice in the fingerless category.
Tough yet nimble, these gloves have shock resistant padding on the palms and sonic welded Thermoplastic Rubber to protect the knuckles. The half-finger design means you’ll still be able to perform fine motor skills, and the breathable material will keep you sweat-free throughout your workouts.
For people who want hand protection, but still need full control of their fingers, these Mechanix Fingerless Covert Gloves are a great solution.
We love the control these gloves enable without sacrificing the comfort and safety you need in the gym.
If you are sensitive to cold, want a bit more protection for your hands, or simply find full-fingered gloves to be a little more secure during use, this pair takes the top position in our full-coverage category.
A concern when it comes to full finger lifting gloves is that they won’t allow for as much dexterity as fingerless gloves. These gloves, however, have added spandex to ensure freer movement. The palms are buttressed with foam pads that are great for comfort when lifting, and the hook and loop closure allows for optimal convenience when getting these gloves on and off.
If comfort is a priority, these FREETOO Full Finger Workout Gloves should appeal to you. Ideal for working out in colder climates, these gloves also have excellent padding to prevent heavy weights from digging into your hands.
Lightweight and breathable, yet amply protective, we think these gloves are ideal for anyone looking to keep their hands warm, secure, and fully covered while lifting.
While most gloves can be used with pull ups, the pick we’re highlighting can also handle kipping movements. CrossFit popularized kipping with toes to bar and pull ups. These movements are extra demanding on your skin, and can do some damage if you’re training at volume, have poor form or don’t use protection.
Designed specifically with kipping in mind, these grips are triple stitched for durability. The natural leather conforms easily to any bar you use without causing any slippage. Plus, the combo of the three finger holes and secure (but easily adjustable) wrist strap makes for easy removal and transitions between exercises if you’re putting on a different pair for your post-pull up work.
Designed to deal with the rigors of kipping pull ups and more, these Bear KompleX 3 Hole Hand Grips are really durable, easy to use, and most importantly, keep your skin intact through the most demanding workouts.
Ideal for CrossFitters, these grips will work through even the highest rep kipping workouts, unscathed.
Since your wrists are one of your smallest joints, they often don’t get the same attention other parts of the body receive, which can lead to injury. Wrist wraps offer added support, and these gloves incorporate wraps to keep your wrists safe through any heavy lift.
Sporting an additional poly/cotton wrist wrap, these gloves provide fully adjustable support for your wrists throughout training. The reinforced leather wrap-around thumb protection also adds a layer of protection for an area that athletes commonly tear skin. The half-finger coverage also lends to better dexterity and control during heavy lifts.
Grip is a key component for lifting and these Harbinger Pro Wristwrap Weightlifting Gloves will ensure your hands and wrists are protected, without compromising the grip on your weights.
An ideal combination, these gloves will protect both your hands and wrists, offering extra coverage to prevent painful skin tears.
With so many factors to consider and questions to ask before you pick your perfect pair of lifting gloves, we wanted to narrow it down for you. Here are a few of the most important points to weigh before your purchase.
A pair of gloves for general fitness will look very different from a pair that a CrossFitter or armed forces selection trainee would want. For general fitness, anything that is comfortable and protective will be fine. As you start getting more niche in your training, you’re going to want more niche gloves — like those that cater specifically to pull ups, or any other particular exercise you perform regularly.
Thankfully, gloves are fairly affordable. There are price differences, and the more niche gloves tend to be slightly more expensive, but this shouldn’t be ruinous. The main thing we’d advise here is to avoid buying anything too expensive, period.
There are arguments for each style, and this will ultimately circle back to how you’ll be using the gloves. Fingerless gloves are great for athletes who want to feel their weights a little better and have a more adjustable grip on a barbell for exercises like deadlifts or snatches. Full finger gloves don’t allow for as much movement once you’re gripped, keeping you locked in and stable for extra heavy lifts.
However, you should also consider your general propensity to sweat here. Fingerless options are going to be better in the long run if you tend to run hot. Full fingered gloves are better if you’re training in a cold place or just don’t tend to sweat as much.
The main decision here is whether you want gloves made with synthetic material or natural material. The natural material you will most commonly find in lifting gloves is leather, which is hardy but does require a little bit of upkeep. Synthetic materials can include thermal plastic rubber, synthetic leather, polyester, spandex, and more. Synthetic materials vary in toughness, but still require washing regularly.
In general, leather gloves are going to provide you with the most durability, but synthetic materials may be able to provide a stronger grip — materials like silicone or neoprene are particularly useful in this department. In addition, synthetic materials provide more breathability, while leather palms often have some synthetic materials built in around them to allow for the breathability you don’t get through the thick leather itself.
There are pros and cons of buying the most durable gloves on the market. Though you may go out searching for the gloves that will last you the longest, this durability is often achieved by using stronger and thicker material of any kind. This, in turn, reduces sensation and increases the difficulty securing the proper grip.
This is a bit of a balancing act, and one that you will have to experiment with before choosing which direction to go. For some, a thinner glove will end up providing the best training experience even though the product is a little less durable.
At the end of the day, lifting gloves are a tool that is going to help you improve your training, and different people need different tools for different tasks. There are definitely pros and cons to each of these picks we covered, but overall, you’re going to want to go with what makes you feel the most comfortable. If your gloves are comfortable, and they’re helping you accomplish your fitness goals, that’s a win in our book.
No, you can definitely workout without them and many people do. Ultimately, it depends on what makes you most comfortable. If wearing gloves helps you exercise more consistently then you should probably wear them. If your hands are perfectly content running the show without a protective, gripping layer, there’s no need to buy a new pair of gloves you’ll never use.
There are a few potential drawbacks, sweat being the main one. Your hands are bound to heat up a little faster with gloves on, so you will definitely be dealing with more sweat than you normally would when you’re lifting. Gloves also put a layer of material between your hand and whatever you’re holding, which reduces sensation in your lift at times.
Some gloves are thicker and more protective, others are more lightweight and essentially, just prevent skin tears. Leather tends to be thicker, while synthetic materials are a bit thinner. Either way, we wouldn’t recommend dropping weights on your hand to test how good they are.
Tim is the Co-Founder of CrossFit Slash in Beijing, he has worked in the fitness industry for nearly a decade and has dipped his toe into just about every training modality there is. He enjoys playing with his 2 year old daughter and is currently working towards completing the Beast Tamer Challenge https://www.strongfirst.com/achieve/beast-tamer/
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