If you are not a gymnast then you may not know what a gymnastics hand grip is, however these are a very important part of a gymnast’s safety equipment that helps them to avoid getting hurt. The main way that they do this is by protecting the palms of your hands from blistering or even from getting friction burns as you rotate around the bar.
My picks for the top 5 gymnastics hand grips are: Bear KompleX 3 Hole Leather Hand Grips, AEOLOS Leather Gymnastics Hand Grips, Reisport Hook And Loop Grips, Gibson Athletic Double Buckle Just Right Uneven Bar Grips, and WODFitters Textured Leather Hand Grips.
While there are more options than these out there that you can choose from, these are some of the most well-known and all around best gymnastics grips that you can get. However, if you are more interested in choosing your own gymnastics grips, I will give you a couple of ideas of things to consider before making your final choice.
Bear KompleX 3 Hole Leather Hand Grips
These grips from Bear KompleX are made with gymnasts in mind, but they can also be used for other things like weightlifting, or simply practicing your chin-ups to a bar even if you are not a gymnast. These do a great job of protecting the palms of your hands without interfering with your movements. The fact that it is made from actual leather helps it to last and makes it feel nice too.
This leather will need to be broken in some, so you should practice with it for a few times before wearing these grips in a competition. They also have black grips that are made of a suede material that will not need to be broken in if that is something that you dislike.
Though the 3 hole option is the one I mention, there is also a 2 hole option which is great if you happen to have narrow hands. They also come in a few different color options so that you can choose what might go with your leotard when you are competing.
It comes in four different sizes and there is even a sizing chart that is there to help you choose which size is the right one for you. Whatever size you need, the wrist straps are designed to be as comfortable as possible and to not dig into your wrist no matter what your hand happens to be doing. This will let you focus more on nailing your routine.
AEOLOS Leather Gymnastics Hand Grips
Like you might have guessed from the name, these grips are also made of leather. Like the last option they come in a few different colors, however these AEOLOS gymnastics grips also have another option to them that can be nice to have.
This is that you can get them with either one layer or two layers of leather. If you want plenty of padding then this gives you a nice, thick option. One the other hand, if you prefer to have a thinner layer of grip so that you can feel the bars better while still protecting your hands, then the thinner option might be just the thing for you.
The wrist straps on these are nice and wide so that they do not cut into your wrists, but there is also some padding there to make your wrists extra comfortable when they are strapped on. Finally, there is not only a sizing chart that you can use, but the double layer grips even come with a small bag to put them in so that you are not as likely to lose one of them.
Reisport Hook And Loop Grips
These Reisport grips come in both men’s grips and women’s grips, with the men’s having three holes and being a bit wider while the women’s have only two holes and are narrower in shape. This company focuses exclusively on gymnastics, and their expertise shows in their great gymnastics grips that they have made.
They are made up of quality leather like the other options on our list, but these are only made out of a special top-quality leather that is designed to have as little stretch to it as possible when it is being broken in. Most leather will have a stretch to it of around 4% but the kind of leather that they use for these grips only has a stretch of less than 1%.
Another feature that is unique to these grips is the dowel rod that is sewn into the grips near the holes for the fingers. This is a great feature that some gymnasts love to have while others dislike having in grips. It comes in four different sizes and it helps you to pick which size is the right one for you.
The wrist strap is not as comfortable or as easy to attach as some of the other options, being a loop and hook design, but it still does a great job of staying securely on your wrist without the strap cutting into and hurting your wrist.
Gibson Athletic Double Buckle Just Right Uneven Bar Grips
These Gibson grips are another great pair of gymnastics grips that are made in the USA. While there are both women’s grips like this one for the uneven bars, there are also men’s grips available for use on the high bar as well. These grips are designed to be extra slim for gymnasts who happen to have tiny or particularly narrow hands.
In other ways it is much like the last option. It is made out of durable leather, with the dowel rod feature, and it comes in four different size options so that you can get just the right size that you need. It only comes in solid white, however, so there are no color options.
The most unique feature that these grips have is the fact that they literally buckle around your wrists. And, not only do they buckle, but each wrist has two buckles on it. This can be somewhat time-consuming to attach on both wrists, but there is absolutely no way that they will loosen or slip like some kinds of Velcro can do.
WODFitters Textured Leather Hand Grips
These grips are another pair that is versatile enough to be used for other things besides just gymnastics. The fact that this leather is textured is a huge help when it comes to avoiding unwanted slipping of your hands on the bars. They also come with a small bag that you can place your grips in when you are not using them.
The wrists straps are not as wide or as padded as they could be, so they are not as comfortable as some of the other kinds that are out there. However, they do a good job of staying on your wrists securely and are not uncomfortable and they are very quick and easy to secure onto your wrists without help.
They come in two different styles, one being grey and the other being more of an off-white color. The straps in both of these are different and have a slightly different feel to them as well. The finger holes can sometimes take a little bit of getting used to, since they are squared instead of having the usual round shape that most finger holes in grips have.
What Are Some Of The Key Things To Look For In Gymnastics Grips
One of the very first things that you should always look at when you are trying to decide on a pair gymnastics grips is to make sure that you get the right size. This is very important, not only to your comfort but also to your safety so that the grips work the way that you need them to.
To help with this you should know a few measurements in your hands. You should also know your own wrist and how tender it is. For example, if you know that your wrist is really sensitive to anything rubbing or digging into it then you should choose a grip that has a nice, wide wrist strap with plenty of padding.