There are a few really good reasons why you should own a pair of workout gloves. First is the fact that they provide a superior grip in contrast to bare skin against metal. Then there is the reduced number of calluses your hands will incur (though men don’t really give a shit about this one) and finally we have hygiene. The amount of people that touch weights with unwashed hands is probably staggering. In fact I don’t even wanan know… But the reality does exist, so let’s suck it up and deal with it.

Now this begs the question, what kind of workout gloves should you get? I mean god damn… There are a plethora of choices. Some have wrist support, some have finger support, some are padded, some have hooks, others provide the bare minimum. I myself own like 2 pairs for different reasons… But now I own three. Enter Gripads.

Not only do they address the above mentioned problems, they also take care of a few others… Sweat and odor. I know a few of you out there suffer from nasty sweaty hand syndrome and these might be a god-send for you.

Upon a closer look you’ll realize that these aren’t really “gloves” (as the name rightfully suggests). No, these are weight lifting pads, and this means they are much easier to carry, put on, take off and hey… Maybe even share (as long as your buddy doesn’t get sweaty hands).

Let’s take a look at the official word from Gripad about their product.

Product Claims:

Say goodbye to hot, sweaty palms and hello to callus free hands to match your sculpted body! Thanks to GRIPAD®, you no longer have to deal with your hands breaking sweat as you try to maintain a firm grip while working out!

GRIPAD® provide minimal coverage of your hands while maximizing protection! The cushioning grips are secured to the palm of the hand with finger bands that stretch to fit every individual. Made of neoprene, GRIPAD® provides a firm and comfortable grip while at the same time preventing calluses, heat, and odor usually associated with regular workout gloves.

First Impressions:

Gripad sent me two pairs; one black and one pink so big props to them for that. For the sake of the review I will OBVIOUSLY be focusing on the appropriate color… PINK! Life’s good when you can do whatever you want isn’t it?

It came in this plastic packaging which has a little button so you can re-seal your pads and carry them around with a waterproof type protection. A nice touch. The overall presentation isn’t classy but at $15.99 I wasn’t expecting something super fancy anyways. Luckily for Gripad, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out how to use these and so the lack of a manual is understandable. There are these printed instructions on the back of the cardboard picture. Functionality at it’s best I guess.

For those that have never seen workout pads before, let me start off by saying that they are nothing new. Weight lifting pads have been around for a while, but they are usually these blocks of foam which contort to your grip. This is where Gripad differs because it’s got these three finger loops. So it’s ALMOST like a glove but not really. It’s brilliant.

In fact, the very first thing I said when I put them on was “What the fuck… Why didn’t I think of this? It’s genius”. Yep, I kid you not, Gripad’s sheer simplicity is its major strength.

Next is the material itself. Gripads are made from neoprene and have some top-notch stitching around the edges to ensure that they will last you for a looong time to come. The actual “gripping” part of the pads (where it makes contact with the weights) is has a nice non-slip patter along with a very non-slip type feel to it. It’s also very soft and has the right amount of thickness… This is a major plus.

For shits and giggles I tried them out in different situations… The first being my feet. They don’t really fit but if they did, they would make awesome toe pads cuz they’re really comfy. Everyone makes those stupid heel cushions, but I think there’s money in toe cushions! Now there’s a million dollar business idea from FJ.

Next is typing, for which they are completely useless. Moving on…

Then we have driving, for which they aren’t too shabby. Actually they are TOO grippy. If you drive with your hands in the 9 and 3 position the entire time (you freakin’ dork) then I guess they’ll work. But from time to time I like to palm the wheel or change positions and for those tasks it just sticks like glue to the wheel. So bottom line… Don’t bother driving with em.

And finally we have sign language. Since the only time I use sign language is when I’m pissed off, I decided to test drive it. Hey what do you know… It works brilliantly! You can be safe knowing that if there ever comes a time where you need to express your anger at someone who won’t get off the squat rack… You can give them the finger. Perfect.

Real World Results:

Alright, enough dilly dally, let’s get right down to it. I’ll be going through a bunch of exercises for which I used the Gripads for and will try to sum up the experience in one paragraph or less. Maybe…

Pull ups: Just flawless. The bars at my gym are too thin for my liking and end up putting my fingers through some serious pain. Because of this, I’m never able to perform the amount of pull ups I can at my gymnastics gym. With Gripads though, I was able to crank out 3 extra reps because it made everything so much more comfortable. Nice.

Curls (Preacher or Dumbbell): Another great exercise where the Gripads shine through. They provide the fingers with an adequate amount of cushion, this can help some people lift more than they’re usually able to. Over the years I’ve noticed that thickness of the bar or handle makes a huge difference. If it’s too small or too big, you won’t be able to lift your maximum amount of weight, and because FJ wants peak efficiency, I try and make sure the grip is just right.

Press (Bench, Shoulder): This exercise brings out the little kink in Gripad’s otherwise flawless armor. See, when you put on the Gripad, you’ll notice that around the thumb area it’s coverage is pretty weak. What this mean is that when you perform a bench press with proper form (keeping your wrists straight) the bar is half touching the pads and half resting on the abductor and flexor pollicis brevis (the thumb muscles).

I don’t have to tell you what an awkward and uncomfortable feeling this is. If you have a bad habit and tend to bend your wrist while doing the bench press, the Gripads might work for you. Overall I found the edges of the pads were digging into my hand because of the immense pressure that was being laid upon them. The fix for this problem would be pretty easy > just make the pads are slightly longer and wider… Making sure to cover the thumb muscles. For those of you with smaller hands though, you should have no problems here.

Dead Lifts: Now were back to happy land. Not sure if it was the pads or my recovery (probably a combination of both) but I was able to easily add 10lbs to my max dead lift. What more can I say? It put a smile on my face.

Squats: Meh, they don’t really make a difference here since all you’re doing is stabilizing the bar and holding it in one place… but I guess it’s nice to have a thicker grip to prevent it from falling off.

Push-ups: Just like the bench press, the lack of coverage of the thumb muscles means its completely in-effective for push-ups. If you want to get picky, you COULD say that they take some pressure off the fingers… but that’s insignificant. Luckily, most people don’t need workout gloves to do push-ups anyways, so it’s not a huge deal breaker since the Gripads easily slip off.

So overall, not too shabby huh? I thought so. In fact I was quite happy with them. Let’s wrap this up.

Conclusion:

I can’t possibly list EVERY single weight lifting exercise because my fingers will fall off from typing like a damn maniac, which is why I’ve written about a few key ones to give you a fair idea of what to expect from Gripads.

I must say that they are excellent at preventing odors and do soak up any from of sweatiness that you could possibly experience in the gym. The grip is fucking superb, and this gives you the confidence to push your limits and pack on a few extra pounds to whatever lift you happen to be doing. Yes, they aren’t great for bench presses but so what? Gripads are easy to take off and at $15.99 they can pretty much out-perform most of the other weight lifting gloves or pads available today.

One aspect where I failed to see any information on was the warranty. Personally, I’m pretty damn confident that the Gripads will last you for years to come, but most people like to have piece of mind and know that their ass is covered should anything happen. I will be contacting them about this so expect an update soon.

Here’s something really cool though: Gripad will custom print any logo/picture that you like on the pads (for a different price). This can end up being an excellent branding tool for any business or professional trainers. It’s a sexy touch of marketing by Gripad, and I applaud them for that.

Now the question arises… Should you get these? I think so. There are literally thousands of different weight lifting exercises for which the Gripads won’t fail you. I tried the Gripads with my resistance bands today (a few hours before publishing this review) and it was all honey and rainbows. Unless your entire workout revolves around the bench press, I think these are a great little addition to anyone’s gym bag, for this reason the Gripad gets…

-Fit Jerk
Flawless Fitness Book

Question: What did you think of the pads? Could they could replace your current workout gloves? Speak your mind and show me you exist for crying out loud.

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