Buying guide for best weightlifting gloves

People of all ages can reap health benefits from working out with weights. But you don’t have to be deadlifting two times your body weight to wear weightlifting gloves, and you don’t have to be an Olympic weightlifter to appreciate callus- and blister-free hands. Wearing gloves will protect your hands whether you’re using a rowing machine, doing pull-ups, or swinging a kettlebell.

You can find weightlifting gloves online, at shops inside gyms and health clubs, and in just about any store that sells athletic equipment. The choices seem endless, so how do you choose?

If you’re ready to buy some weightlifting gloves, check out our top picks in the product list above. If you’d like to find out more about weightlifting gloves in general, keep reading our shopping guide.

Lifting weights offers lots of health benefits, from burning calories and building lean muscle mass to improving balance and increasing your strength for everyday activities like picking up a child or moving a sofa.

Who needs weightlifting gloves?

No matter what your age or physical ability, you can benefit from strength training. Lifting weights or using weight machines two or three times per week can boost metabolism and improve balance. Stressing bones strengthens them, and you burn calories to boot. What’s not to love? Weightlifting gloves are useful additions to your gym bag no matter what your preferred exercise.

• BodyPump and other vigorous, high-rep barbell workouts

• Pull-ups

• Rowing machine

• Circuit training

• CrossFit and other high-intensity workouts in which you switch from swinging a kettlebell to doing pushups on a concrete floor to climbing a rope

• Olympic lifting

• Powerlifting

Benefits of weightlifting gloves

• Prevent calluses, blisters, abrasions

Your hands will toughen up if you lift weights regularly, but that doesn’t mean you have to go around with painful blisters on your fingers or hard calluses adorning your palms.

• Keep a firmer grip

The very last thing you want is to lose your grip on a heavy barbell you’re holding over your chest or toes – or head. Hands can get sweaty when you’re working out, and weightlifting gloves help keep your grip secure.

• Lift heavier weights

Gloves can enable you to lift more weight or lift for a longer period of time (do more reps) by relieving the pressure on your hands.

• Support the wrists

Compared to your thigh or torso, your wrist looks pretty fragile. Many weightlifting gloves have built-in straps that wrap around the wrists for added stability You might not need wrist wraps if you’re lifting five-pound dumbbells, but you’ll be glad you have them when you’re bench-pressing a 150-pound barbell.

Types of weightlifting gloves

Weightlifting gloves run the gamut from minimalist palm pads to lightly padded fabric and mesh to thickly padded leather with wrist wraps. The type of gloves you choose will depend on the exercise you do and the intensity with which you do it.

• Minimal grips: Some weightlifting “gloves” are not full gloves. These cover from about mid-palm to the first finger joint (the area of the hand that lifters usually cover with tape).

  • Made of neoprene, leather, Lycra, mesh, sometimes with silicone on the palm for added grip strength

  • Unisex sizing

  • Very lightweight

  • Good for CrossFit

  • Good for people whose hands sweat a lot

  • Good for people who don’t like the bulk of full gloves
     

• Palm pads with wrist wraps: The hand curls over the bar, the pad curls up under the bar, so the hand grips the pad-wrapped bar. The pads and wrist wraps function as lifting straps, leaving the backs of the hands exposed.

  • Can replace tape and lifting straps and hooks

  • One size fits all (usually)

  • Good for people whose hands sweat a lot

  • Good for serious lifters lifting heavy weights
     

• Gloves with 1/2 or 1/4 of fingers exposed: These weightlifting gloves include many materials and configurations of coverage, mesh, and padding.
   

• Gloves with built-in wrist wraps: These weightlifting gloves also include many materials and configurations, with the addition of attached wrist wraps.

  • Added support for wrists

  • Good for serious lifters lifting heavy weights

Weightlifting glove features to consider

Size

You can find weightlifting gloves in unisex styles (grips), and models sized from small to extra-large (and larger). Look for ease of movement – not so loose that they slip and not so tight that you can’t bend your fingers. If you have long fingers, some gloves may not provide the coverage you need. Check customer reviews to make sure the weightlifting gloves you choose run true to size.

Padding

You’ll find a variety of padding, from “open-cell” foam to “silicone-printed” neoprene. Check the thickness and location of the pads to make sure the gloves will protect the areas on your hands where you need it most. Many lifters like to be able to feel the bar, so the thickness (or thinness) of the padding is crucial.

Material

Weightlifting gloves are made of many materials, including leather, neoprene, Lycra, mesh, microfiber, synthetic leather, and silicone.

• The gloves need to be sturdy, tough, and durable because you’re going to be giving them a beating.

• The gloves need to provide support as well as flexibility in order to protect your hands while enabling you to bend your fingers.

• Leather lasts longer. It also breaks in and molds to your grip.

• Some glove materials give off a strong chemical smell at first that usually dissipates over time.

• The material in some gloves is treated with an antimicrobial agent to help reduce odor.
   

Ventilation

There’s no getting around it: your hands sweat with extreme physical exertion. Many weightlifting gloves have vented mesh panels on the backs to improve breathability. Some lighter gloves have even more mesh. The improved air circulation can help reduce odor in the gloves.

Construction

Depending on how strenuously you work out, your gloves can last a short or long time. The quality of the workmanship is an important determinant of the lifespan of your gloves. You should look for double- and even triple-stitched seams, but even that won’t necessarily guarantee glove longevity. Lifters complain about inferior gloves – and even expensive gloves – ripping apart after just a few uses, so inspect the stitching on the gloves you’re considering, and read customer reviews.

Finger length

Various styles of weightlifting gloves cover 1/4 or 1/2 of the length of your fingers. Either might be too long if you’re a woman buying men’s gloves. Try on different styles. It can be uncomfortable and even painful to lift weights if the material bunches up at the base of your fingers.

Wrist wraps

Some gloves come with wrist wraps attached. These provide more stability and support for Olympic lifts, so not everyone will need or want them.

Ease of removal

It might sound unimportant, but it isn’t easy to pull a tight-fitting leather glove off a sweaty hand. Some gloves have strategically placed loops or tabs (such as on the second and fourth fingers) to help you pull off the gloves, and a surprising number of consumers go out of their way to praise this feature.

Warranty

Some manufacturers offer a 60-day money-back guarantee. Others offer a 90-day manufacturer’s warranty against defects. Some give you up to one year to return the gloves if they don’t live up to your expectations. A warranty could be important to you if you pay a lot for your weightlifting gloves and expect them to stand up to punishing workouts.

Tips

• Keep your gloves clean. Hand-wash and air-dry your gloves. And even if your weightlifting gloves are machine washable (and even some leather gloves are), you can help them last longer if you wash the gloves in a separate lingerie bag or on the delicate cycle.

• Try gloves on before you buy. You can find great deals on weightlifting gloves online, but it’s wise to try on a pair in a store before you buy. The fit and comfort can vary widely from one brand or style to another.

• Match your weightlifting gloves to your exercise. Lighter-weight gloves that offer palm protection and improved grip are probably all you need if you lift light dumbbells as part of your strength-training workout.

• Prevent odors. Air-dry your weightlifting gloves after each use to help prevent odors.

Weightlifting glove prices

You can pay anywhere from $2 to $90 (or more) for weightlifting gloves, depending on your needs and the gloves’ features. And you can find almost every type – from grips to full leather gloves with wrist wraps – at every price point.

But buyer beware! Those cheap gloves may seem like a great deal, but the dye can run, the fabric can rip, or the stitching can unravel after just a workout or two. And those bargain gloves won’t seem like such a bargain if you have to buy a new pair every month – or week.

Unless your needs are very specific, you don’t have to spend a fortune on weightlifting gloves. For between $10 and $35 you can buy a sturdy pair of gloves or grips that will last for many productive hours at the gym.

You may think that lifting weights every day will speed you to your goal, but taking rest days is important. It allows microscopic tears to heal, enabling your muscles to grow and strengthen.

FAQ

Q. Can I wear my cycling gloves for weightlifting?

A. The two types of gloves are similar but not identical. Both types are intended to protect your hands and provide grip, but each type has characteristics that suit it for one sport or the other. If you’re an experienced cyclist or weightlifter, you will want gloves tailored to your sport. If you’re new to a sport and just want to try it out, using the “wrong” gloves for a short time shouldn’t be a problem.

Q. How do I find the right size weightlifting gloves?

A. To find the right size gloves for your hands, measure the circumference of your dominant hand at the base of your fingers, just below the knuckles (ignore the thumb). Some experts recommend pressing your hand against a flat surface as you measure to get the most accurate reading. Note that the sizes differ between men’s and women’s gloves. For example, 6.5 to 7.0 inches is extra-small in men’s gloves and small in women’s gloves. If the number falls between sizes, go with the larger size.