The best gym gloves – a.k.a. best weight lifting gloves – won't lift the weights for you but they can help you lift more by providing better grip than just your sweaty palms. You don't want to ruin your deadlift PB by not having a proper grip on the barbell, do you? Better invest some money in a pair of weight lifting gloves today.
How do you pick the right gym gloves? Do they need to be fingerless or full-fingered? What's the right material? We'll try to answer all your burning questions about weight lifting gloves and give you a list of the best gym gloves on the market right now.
Building a home gym? Have a look at T3's thematic guides, including best dumbell, best barbell, best pull up bar and best kettlebell guides. And what a surprise, wearing gym gloves would come in handy using all of these home gym equipment. Pun is very much intended.
The best gym gloves, in order of preference
What sets the Bionic PerformanceGrip Gloves apart from all the rest? According to Bionic, they are the only glove brand on the market which has been created by a leading orthopaedic hand surgeon. How about that?
And indeed, the Anatomical Relief Pads smooth out your hands natural peaks and valleys and cut down on painful blisters. This is exactly why people wear fitness gloves so it all checks out for us!
The RDX lifting gloves are made out of cowhide leather, making them durable and a worthwhile investment too.
Even the finger areas are padded to avoid any blistering. The half-finger design makes putting on and taking off the gloves super easy.
And most of all, the extra long wrist support strap keeps the gloves firmly in place while supporting the wrists during those heavy lifts.
Even the stitching is quality grade and won't let the gloves fall apart anytime soon.
A CrossFit favourite, the Bear Grip offers superb ventilation without compromising on grip. Say goodbye to sweaty palms and soggy hands after a strenuous workout.
Adjustable Wrist Wraps integrated into the open air gloves providing extra support during those heavy lifts and giving a secure feel.
If you prefer little to none obstruction between you and the weights but don't like blisters, choose the Bear Grip Gloves.
The Adidas Essential Gloves are made out of lightweight and breathable fabric with suede applied to the palm area for extreme comfort. The gloves can also be easily removed using the ring. These are not heavy-duty lifting gloves; the Adidas Essential Gloves are more suited for lighter exercising and aerobic workouts.
Heat activated BioForm clay contours to grip and absorbs impact, meaning when you grab and hold the bar, the gloves will take up the shape of the bar, making it ever so easy to hold the weights steady.
This effect is further enhanced by the SpiderGrip leather at palms for added grip and control. The BioFlex layered palm design adds some more cushioning to the already very comfortable palm area.
The Dual Closure System offers a customised fit and also support your wrist to avoid injury. This is especially useful for beginners whose form is not perfect yet.
How do you chose the best gym gloves?
Ideally, you would like sturdy gym gloves; no one likes when their newly-purchased exercise gloves fall apart after one session.
Saying that, you don't want them to be too stiff so you can't bend your fingers. weight lifting belts might be supporting as hell, but if you tried grabbing some weights in gloves as thick as weight lifting belts are, you would not have fun in the gym. Also, you'd drop weight a lot more, which kind of kills the point of wearing gym gloves in the first place.
Should you use gloves at the gym?
Hardcore bodybuilders will tell you not to wear gym gloves in the gym. In Arnold Schwarzenegger's words, "If you are gonna wear gloves when you lift, just make sure they match your purse." However, not everyone in the gym is a bodybuilder and not everyone is fond of having calluses on their palms, as cute as that Instagram video is of the Rock's daughter trying to file them away.
Long story short, don't listen to the haters and wear gloves if you want to. For hardcore lifters, we recommend getting lifting straps/deadlifting straps for those really heavy lifts. Using gloves for heavy lifts can actually compromise grip so you're better off using straps or your bare hands covered in lifting chalk.
