MORE and more people are taking up strength training to reap the health rewards of muscle strengthening, that also means more of us need a good pair of gym gloves for lifting.
Be it deadlifts and weighted squats on legs days, or using dumbbells and kettlebells in a HIIT session, the intense gripping required in all of these can mean exercises take a toll on the hands.
A good pair of gym gloves can help prevent blisters and callouses, but a better grip can also help improve performance. Look for gym gloves that fit well, are made from comfortable materials to avoid chaffing, and gym gloves that are breathable – to swerve super sweaty hands during training.
Most gym gloves for lifting tend to be fingerless to allow for better grip, although some beginners ones can be full gloves, and some gym gloves come with extended wrist straps for added support.
Nike Extreme Fitness Gloves, £16.79
Pros: Lightweight, look good
Cons: A little flimsy for heavy lifts
Rating: 4/5
These are good lightweight gym gloves that allow for a wide range of movement because they’re not bulky like some of the others. But that also means they lack some of the security that comes with thicker gloves, and might give you less confidence on exercises like heavy deadlifts which require more brute force and are tougher on the hands.
We used them for a chest and tricep workout using resistance machines and free weights and a weighted barbell and dumbbell leg workout, and they performed with no problems at all.
The added foam palm was particularly useful for barbell chest press, protecting the palm as well as the fingers. They also performed well at a body pump class that included light deadlifts, shoulder press and bicep curls.
The gloves also didn’t get too sweaty – they come dotted with air holes and are made of a breathable mesh.
Lululemon License to Train Training Gloves, £28
Pros: Comfortable, sweat-wicking, good padding
Cons: A bit lightweight for prolonged heavy lifting, on expensive side
Rating: 5/5
These gloves feel super chic, comfortable on the skin and are a good fit. Even though they look a little small, they stretch to be a pretty much perfect fit, not leaving any gaping.
The velcro closure is solid and sits nicely covering the wrist for added stability. We tested the gym gloves during a short deadlift session, and also a shoulders session that included barbell and dumbbell shoulder pressing and the gym gloves felt solid throughout both, with no signs of blisters.
The padded sections on the palms, which are more considered than on some of the other gloves, provided protection specifically on the pressure points rather than the majority of the palm, this helped to provide good grip during the deadlifts.
They also performed well during a weighted HIIT session, the sweat-wicking and quick dry material was ideal as the workout was quite sweaty. No major downsides to these gloves other than they’re not cheap.
100 Weight Training Gloves
Pros: Very cheap
Cons: Not a perfect fit, less stable than others
Rating: 4/5
For this super cheap price I wasn’t expecting these gym gloves for lifting to be the best, but they were actually very impressive considering.
They are very lightweight and sit above the wrist so don’t really provide any stability for heavy lifting but I think they’re an excellent beginners gym glove.
We tested them during an arms sessions, there were no issues with any of the exercises from using dumbbells or barbells. We also trialled them on a kettlebell workout, that also included some kettlebell deadlifts, and again there were no signs of callouses or blisters, although a little more wrist support would have been good here.
The fact there is no velcro to tighten the fit of the gloves does mean they moved around a little bit and feel a bit baggy in some areas, but the grip on the palm was pretty solid throughout.
Gymshark Legacy Lifting Gloves, £20
Pros: Comfortable, good grip, good protection for hands
Cons: Bit hot and sweaty
Rating: 4/5
These gym gloves feel sturdy, and the velcro around the wrist is super sticky, so there’s no chance of them coming off. In fact, they are such a good fit, it can become slightly hard work getting them off, use the little pull lever material on the fingers to shove them along (most of the other gloves have these too).
We put the gym gloves to the test during a legs session (think weighted squats and heavy deadlifts) and an upper body pull session (pull ups and machines including lat pulldown and rows) and there was no sign of any callouses or blisters afterwards, or any tingling sensation that suggests there may have been some damage.
The padded sections on the gym glove did a good job of protecting all the pressure points and also provided good grip. If we were to point out one negative, the hands did get quite warm in them during a weighted HIIT workout class, and they’re even harder to get off when sweaty – a suggestion could be to go a size up.
RDX Leather Weight Lifting Gloves with Strap, £22
Pros: Very supportive, extra long strap for stability
Cons: Nothing much
Rating: 5/5
These gym gloves for lifting are probably the most technical out of all the ones we tested, and it’s no surprise as one of RDX’s specialities as a brand is gloves – whether that’s boxing, Muay Thai or for the gym.
The gym gloves were the bulkiest pair we tested and that’s partly down to the lengthy strap that circles around the wrist to add some hefty support for heavy lifting. These gym gloves for lifting also offer padding on both the upper and palm side of the glove, adding to the bulk, but also increasing the protection that they provide for the hands.
We tested the gloves on some heavy deadlifts, heavy dumbbell squats, and pull ups, we also tested during a heavy kettlebell workout that included clean and press exercises, and they performed really well.
They can feel a little bulky and heavy at times, so we did take them off between a couple of the final sets of exercises – which was fine as they’re easy to get on and off, and also, I guess you are supposed to get sweaty in the gym when lifting heavy!
Under Armour Weightlifting Gloves, £36
Pros: Wrist strap for stability, lightweight
Cons: Expensive
Rating: 4/5
These are probably some of the best looking gloves we tested, the open upper of the gym gloves means you can see part of the hands which gives a nice aesthetic and makes them extra breathable.
They come with a wrist strap for extra support, although not quite as industrial as the strap on the RDX gym gloves, they do provide ample stability.
The gloves are super lightweight and maybe feel a little flimsy, but the leather palm protection and grip mean they are pretty solid during lifts – we tried them out on everything from deadlifts and upper body resistance machines to a dumbbell and barbell arms workout.
They also have some nice touches, such as the terry cloth thumb panel to wipe away sweat, the little pocket to store locker keys and plenty of leverage points to pull the gloves off after use.
Adidas Training Gloves, £30
Pros: Look good, good grip
Cons: Expensive, no wrist support
Rating: 4/5
These Adidas gym gloves are super lightweight and a nice snug fit on women’s hands, but might be advisable to go up a size for men or they might be a little sticky to get off.
They come with a mesh upper that really helps with keeping them ventilated and a faux leather on the palms which provides a very solid grip, but unlike some of the other gym gloves there isn’t any padding at all.
We tested them on a fully body HIIT weights session that included barbell deadlifts and barbell shoulder press, and they performed really well – the lack of padding didn’t seem too much of a problem, but might be if you are doing a heavy weights session.
We also also trialled them on a chest and arms session, they could have done with a little more wrist support but there were no other problems to report. There were no blisters or callouses after any of the work outs.
Weight Training Comfort Gloves, £9.99
Pros: Cheap, flexible
Cons: Not a lot of support
Rating: 4/5
These gym gloves for lifting are quite malleable, which is good when trying to get a grip around different sized free weights and machines, and the thick palm and finger padding provides good protection in the spots that matter.
There’s some medium level wrist support which will work for most weight training but you might want something more supportive heaviest deadlift and chest press sessions.
We tested them during a legs and shoulders session with dumbbells and they provided a solid grip, with no sign of blisters or callouses afterwards.
We also trialled them during a full body kettlebells session and they did feel a little flimsy on the wrist but did a good job protecting the palms. The gym gloves are super soft and easy to take off, and quickly dry after use.
The prices can really vary depending on whether you’re looking at basic or beginners gloves that are good for lighter weights, or if you want to do heavy deadlifts.
Prices for gym gloves for lifting can start as low as £5 and go up to £40.
The different gym gloves for lifting were tested over a 10-day period by two testers, in a variety of gyms. Both testers are qualified personal trainers.
