If you’ve ever done bodyweight exercises on a pull-up bar or with other types of equipment such as rings, then you know the struggle. Because of the tension between your hands and the bar, you’re starting to get bubbles or bleeding in as a worst-case scenario.

An excellent solution for this is to use calisthenics gloves explicitly made to protect your hands when you do calisthenics.

It might be tempting to go for the cheapest pair of calisthenics gloves, but there are some fundamental reasons why you shouldn’t. You will need gloves that provide you with enough friction, protect your hands well, are properly ventilated, and are easy to wash and use.

The choice narrows down to a few of the best calisthenics gloves out there on the market that we’ve found. Read on to find out more about them and how to decide which ones to buy.

Don’t Want to Wait? Here’s Our Favorite

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Our favorite calisthenics gloves are the Simari workout gloves. They’re gloves that will provide you with a good grip, and will help you make sure you don’t get blisters as you perform calisthenics exercises. Also, they’re not very expensive so they provide you with good value for money.

Simari Workout Gloves – Best Overall

The Simari workout gloves are a fantastic choice no matter what your skill level is. They will protect you from blisters and ripping with the extra foam padding. They also have gel padding which will enable you to have a good grip while you do calisthenics. They’re also affordable. Read the review for more.

Review

The Simari gloves are among the most affordable gloves you can buy for calisthenics at the moment. They represent the best value for the money from what we’ve found on the market, and they’re versatile so you can use these for both calisthenics and weight training.

Thanks to the foam padding on the gloves along with the silica gel on top, these gloves will protect you from blisters and pain, while also enabling you to have a strong grip. And they are great for almost anyone who does calisthenics. No matter your hand size, they’ll fit right in and you can always adjust the size with the velcro fitting.

At the same time, these gloves feature a breathable design that’ll prevent your hands from sweating too much when you wear them. All of these above qualities make these gloves a great affordable option that will serve you well for almost any type of workout – for calisthenics, weight training, but also for CrossFit and even biking.

Pros

• The Simari gloves represent an excellent value for money, as they are among the most affordable and versatile gloves out there
• A good design with foam padding which enables you to protect your hands from blisters
• The silica gel provides you with a strong grip
• Very versatile
• They’ll fit tightly onto any hand

Cons

• Might get worn out quickly if you use them often
• The padding is somewhat thin

JerkFit WODies Hand Grips – Best Grips

If you want something a bit more lightweight and breathable, the JerkFit WODies hand grips will be the right choice for you. They feature a lightweight design that enables better breathing for your hands, but still strong enough to protect you from pain and damage to your hands. The WODies are one of the best-selling gloves in the market and for good reasons.

Review

The JerkFit handgrips are made in the US. They are primarily designed for weightlifting but also for calisthenics. They’re slightly different from other standard gloves. These will provide much more breathing space to your hands and they’re far more lightweight. They give you more freedom as you do your workouts.

At the same time, they provide you with enough protection against blisters and hand aggravation. They also tighten your wrists, enabling you to keep them safe as you go through your workout. It’s crucial that you measure your wrists before you buy these, though. You’ll want to have them tight, but not too tight.

One thing we must mention with these grips is that they don’t have leather or silicone grips on top of the gloves, which might make it harder to perform certain exercises. They’re a bit more slippery, but once you get used to these, you’ll see that they provide more stability than most gloves out there.

Pros

• Very lightweight and breathable
• They provide enough support to your hands and wrists as you do your workout
• They’ll protect your hands from blisters and potential injuries
• 100% made in the US
• A design that’s built to last

Cons

• Slippery grip for some exercises at the start such as pull-ups
• They need to be snug tightly or else they’re ineffective

JerkFit RAW Grips – Best Leather Gloves

If you’re after leather gloves, then the JerkFit RAW Hand Grips will be right up your alley. These gloves are very similar to the WODies grips we’ve discussed above – the main difference here is that this product is made from leather. Leather grips are often preferred for their comfortable design and their longevity, and these are no different.

Review

Even though these gloves might look like they’re not covering your entire hand, this sort of design can actually benefit you greatly. Think about it – with most exercises, you’ll mostly need to worry about your palms and your wrists, while your index finger will be mainly inactive. The JerkFit RAW Leather Grips make sure they protect the essential parts of your hands, which are your palms and wrists.

The key difference between these gloves and most other types of gloves is in the material. They’re made of leather, which will help you get a better grip. And they’ll only protect you the parts of your hand that get the most stress during the workouts – your palms and your wrists.

One thing to note here: you need to make sure your hands fit the gloves completely. So measuring your hands before buying is an important step. Because the velcro on these gloves is relatively poorly made, and if your hands don’t fit the gloves completely, then the velcro will also start failing.

But if you’re looking for something a bit more natural, with a lot of breathing space, and a decent grip and protection, you can’t go wrong with the JerkFit RAW Leather Grips.

Pros

• Comfortable and tight-fitting
• Designed to last you a long time
• Keeps your palms and wrists protected
• Breathable design
• Versatility

Cons

• The Velcro on these gloves is not very strong
• The stitching might get undone after a long period of use

GymPaws – Best Glove Alternative

If you’re looking to try something a bit different and you don’t want to wear gloves, you should take a look at GymPaws. They’re exactly what the name says – they’re paws that you simply have to fit onto your palms in order to protect them from any damage you might do during calisthenics. It’s a very lightweight design that will still protect you against blisters and palm damage.

Review

The main advantage of GymPaws is the lightweight design and the ease of use that comes with it. All you need to do to use these is to stick them into your palms, which you can do quickly. It’s a relatively simple design but still one that protects your hands effectively from damage that might happen when you workout.

They’re highly portable, too. You can take them off and put them back on in a couple of seconds at most. This makes them comfortable to wear. But these paws are made with padding so that they protect you from any damage that might happen to your palms as you work out.

For calisthenics, these gloves are perfect. Simply put them on, do your exercises, and put them back off. The grip of these paws is made from genuine cow leather, which is a durable material that provides a lot of grip.

One thing to note is that these paws won’t protect your wrists as normal gloves do. Also, they won’t cover your fingers. Some users also note that they’re slippery at the start, but once they get used to them, they become more effective for grip.

Pros

• Very portable and lightweight design
• You can put them on and off in a matter of seconds
• Great for any type of workout
• Protect your palms from blisters
• Good value for money

Cons

• They don’t protect your wrists
• They can be slippery at the start

Calisthenics Gloves Buying Guide

Having a tough time deciding which gloves to buy? Read our buying guide so you’ll learn exactly what to look for in calisthenics gloves.

1. Material and Build Quality

One of the first things you should take a look at is the build quality of the gloves.

Ideally, they should have thick padding that protects your hands, but still, a strong grip that will help you maximize your gains.

Now, most gloves are made from three types of materials:

• Neoprene
• Leather
• Nylon

The majority of them will be from neoprene or leather, which is because these two are the most effective materials that provide you with a good combination of grip and support for your palms.

Everyone has their own personal preference, though. Choose the material that suits you best.

2. Flexibility and Freedom of Movement

Depending on the design type of your gloves, you’ll have a variety of designs that enable different levels of flexibility.

You have full-on gloves that are made to protect your entire hand. These are great to keep the integrity of your wrists and to protect your hands full. However, they’re not as comfortable as other types and don’t provide a lot of breathing space.

On the other hand, you have grips and paws that will help you complete your workout in the most comfortable way possible. Grips will protect your wrists, while paws come without wrist support whatsoever.

You’ll have to decide what type of gloves you’re after. If you want to protect your entire hand but compromise on flexibility, then go with gloves. If you want more breathability and more freedom, then grips or paws might do a better job for you.

3. Wrist Straps

Now, some gloves will have built-in wrist straps that will help you keep your wrists intact. They’ll provide a bit more integrity for wrists so that you’re able to keep them safe. If you’re struggling with wrist strength and you’ve had an injury recently, then we recommend you buy gloves with wrist straps included.

4. Price

The prices don’t differ that greatly when it comes to calisthenics gloves. But some will be more expensive than others. However, a higher price does not necessarily mean better quality, as the Simari workout gloves show us nicely.

FAQ

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions and answers.

Should I use gloves for calisthenics?

If you don’t like the way your palms look after you finish your workout (bubbles and blisters), then you should get gloves. They’ll protect your palms from any damage and potential pain that calisthenics exercises might cause. Gloves will also provide more stability for your palms and wrists as you do the workout.

Can I use calisthenics gloves for weightlifting?

Of course, all of the gloves we’ve featured here are made for different types of workouts. So you’ll be able to use them for almost any type of workout, including weightlifting, CrossFit, and other ways of building muscle.

Where can I buy calisthenics gloves from?

Amazon is a great place to buy from because they offer good prices and quick delivery. But you can also get gloves from almost any nearby store that offers gym and workout equipment.

Are calisthenics gloves good if I have wrist pain?

One of the main areas calisthenics gloves can help you with is your wrists. If you’ve recently experienced a wrist injury or if you have wrist pain, then these gloves will help you provide some more integrity and support.

Is the glove size important?

Yes, every time you buy gloves from an online source you should measure your palms and hands in order to determine the size you’re going for. Some gloves will fit you nicely, while others have different sizes that will only fit a certain size.

Final Thoughts

Calisthenics gloves can help you protect your palms from any potential damage that might occur when you do movements such as pull-ups. They’ll also help you provide more grip as you do these workouts. We’ve picked the best calisthenics gloves so that you won’t have to crawl the internet to find them.

We believe that the Simari workout gloves provide you with the best value for money. They are quality gloves that help you make sure you protect your wrists and palms as you do the workouts. Check them out on Amazon here!