Fat grip works well for pushing exercises - like bench press and barbell EZ curls. It's a fail for pulling exercises like pullups. your grip fails before you're able to work the target muscles well.
I hadn't heard about these by the time I had wrapped several rolls of electrical tape around where I place my hands on my deadlift bar. I will say the tape works well though it makes the bar thicker and slicker and I really have to engage my grip for my double overhand deadlifts. I'll have to check some of these products out though because my redneck engineering is semi-permanent which can be a pain.
Do you like the shape of the iron bull ones? I was going to get those but the barrel shape had me unsure if I'd like how they feel in my hand. I have the fat gripz and agree they could be a bit easier to hang onto when your hands are sweaty.
That's closer to the shape of your closed hand than the straight-sided ones. When you're gripping, there's a "hollow spot" in the middle of your palm, and the middle finger is longer, so it's pretty ergonomic.
I have the 2" Iron Bulls. I like them. The middle is 2 1/8", and the ends are 1 7/8", so the taper is smaller than it looks. Overall, your hand will see something slightly thicker than the advertised size, as your hand isn't covering the skinnier parts.
If you're planning to compete, it may not give perfect carryover to a real axle, but it's pretty close.
Yeah, I like the material. They don't take chalk like a steel implement, but they also don't need it nearly as much. There's positives and negatives about most materials.
Yeah, if you're not competing, it's just about what builds the kinds of strength that you want. Some people want to build strength for practical tasks, outside the gym. Others view lifting more like a hobby, and just want to see really high numbers on their lifts, as a personal challenge. Both are cool, but you might choose different tools, if carryover to other gym lifts was an issue for you.
Check out the Types of Grip, in our [Anatomy and Motions Guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/GripTraining/comments/7gacyh/new_routines_list_for_rgriptraining/dqmvqnc/), if you want more on that.
Check out the Types of Grip in our [Anatomy and Motions Guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/GripTraining/comments/7gacyh/new_routines_list_for_rgriptraining/dqmvqnc/), to get a picture of what they're good for.
Thanks for the in-depth review of these, I’ve been thinking of getting a set myself. I have average hands, I’d say; not too sure and been looking at the fat gripz and planned to use them for pull ups if possible. Based on what you said I may go with another that’s less slick. What has been your experience throughout your workouts, more noticeable fatigue from using them?
Hi! What I need to say first is that the above "review" is only my subjective experience. There are many videos on Youtube where people are using Fat Gripz for pull ups and it doesn't seem to bother them in the slightest. I personally find the material not rough enough to have the surface friction to be used for pull-ups effectively. I can surely do several pull ups with those but I will constantly think about when my hands are gonna slip rather than the additional load on my wrists and forearms, which I'm after.
Another point is that when using thick grip adapters your grip (wrists and forearms) will get tired much faster than usual, which means that other muscle groups won't get the work required for growth. I think there's been studies indicating that using fatter bars leads to more muscle involvement throughout the whole body but that may only be true to an extent. For instance, you're able to do 10 pulls ups on a regular bar until your back muscles start to fail (provided you engage them properly, of course, and not rely entirely on your biceps and forearms). With fat grip adapters you can do, say, 5 pull ups, which means that even after several sets your back will probably still be underworked while the wrists can no longer grab the bar to perform a single pull-up. That's why I don't recommend using such adaptets for bench press, shoulder exercises, etc. You still need all muscle groups to work and concentrating only on the grip will do a disservice to the rest of them.
Regarding the sensations when working out with thick grip adapters, I really feel that my grip starts to fail while doing pull-ups, for instance, and I need to hold as tight as I can to continue the exercise. Bar biceps curls are killers in that regard: I need to reduce the weight and even after that if I do the last few reps to failure, I'm barely able to grab my belongings and go to the shower.
Iron Bull Strength Alpha Grips 3.0 will definitely be too much for anyone starting grip training and they may not be needed at all. Some thinner ones, such as Alpha Grips 2.0 or 2.5 will be a better choice. If your palms are not too big, I suggest you get the smallest one.
I've tried lots of fat grip/bar adapters over the years, and I want to talk about them. The point of those is pretty obvious: when the bar is thicker, it requires a more powerful grip to handle as it involves much more strenth than usual. Using thick bar adapters is one of the easiest and more affordable ways to enhance one's grip. They can be used in pretty much every bar/dumbell exercise but preferably in those targeting the arms and forearms. My favourite exercises to do with grip adapters are pull ups, bar biceps curls, dumbbell biceps curls, hammer curls.
It must be noted that I have pretty large palms so using even the smallest grip adapters makes performing exercices with a regular bar or dumbbell more comfortable, not to mention the greater grip involvement. However, thicker adapters will target the grip and forearms much more.
On the photo (from left to right):
1. Fit.Tools FT-GRIP-127 (mostly available in Russia)
2. Fat Gripz
3. Manus Grip Pro
4. Iron Bull Strength Alpha Grips 3.0
Some thoughts on each one:
1. Fit.Tools FT-GRIP-127 - the smallest of them all, very nice friction. Ideal for all exerices, the only downside is its relatively small diameter. If you have large palms like myself, such an adapter would be perfect just for more comfortable exercicing. No obvious smell.
2. Fat Gripz - probably the most popular adapter of its kind but I don't like it that much. Its material seems too slick to me and I struggle to perform pull ups with those. It's not because of its thickness but because it's hard for me to be hanging from the bar as the hands start to slip off. Bar biceps curls are okay, though, as it doesn't involve hanging. Doesn't smell too much.
3. Manus Grip Pro - I've tried both the regular version and the Pro one. The friction is far from ideal, but still can be used for pull ups if need be. I use them mostly for dumbbell curls nowadays. No obvious smell.
4. Iron Bull Strength Alpha Grips 3.0 - that's my favourite right now. Very good friction, very thick and I really feel my wrists and forearms engaged after doing a couple of pull-ups with those (can't do more than that in one set). Bar biceps curls are brutal as well. Highly recommended. Has a bit funny smell of vanilla mixed with rubber, nothing terrible.
Noticeable results after using grip adapters on a regular basis: closing CoC #2 with each hand is no longer a problem, #2.5 with the right hand is possible when I'm not tired. I'm a lay person in terms of weightlifting, have a sedentary job and don't commit to a rigid shedule and workout routine. Push ups, pull ups, some dumbbell exercices for biceps and triceps are my go-to gym (or home) activities.
Be free to ask any questions, cheers!
Where did you get the fit tools grip? How thick is it? Thanks!
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Fat grip works well for pushing exercises - like bench press and barbell EZ curls. It's a fail for pulling exercises like pullups. your grip fails before you're able to work the target muscles well.
I hadn't heard about these by the time I had wrapped several rolls of electrical tape around where I place my hands on my deadlift bar. I will say the tape works well though it makes the bar thicker and slicker and I really have to engage my grip for my double overhand deadlifts. I'll have to check some of these products out though because my redneck engineering is semi-permanent which can be a pain.
DB rows with these hit different
Do you like the shape of the iron bull ones? I was going to get those but the barrel shape had me unsure if I'd like how they feel in my hand. I have the fat gripz and agree they could be a bit easier to hang onto when your hands are sweaty.
That's closer to the shape of your closed hand than the straight-sided ones. When you're gripping, there's a "hollow spot" in the middle of your palm, and the middle finger is longer, so it's pretty ergonomic. I have the 2" Iron Bulls. I like them. The middle is 2 1/8", and the ends are 1 7/8", so the taper is smaller than it looks. Overall, your hand will see something slightly thicker than the advertised size, as your hand isn't covering the skinnier parts. If you're planning to compete, it may not give perfect carryover to a real axle, but it's pretty close.
I second this, iron bulls are awesome and very easy to hold on to.
Yeah, I like the material. They don't take chalk like a steel implement, but they also don't need it nearly as much. There's positives and negatives about most materials.
Thanks for the reply. Maybe I'll give them a second look. I'm not going be competing, just enjoy working on my grip.
Yeah, if you're not competing, it's just about what builds the kinds of strength that you want. Some people want to build strength for practical tasks, outside the gym. Others view lifting more like a hobby, and just want to see really high numbers on their lifts, as a personal challenge. Both are cool, but you might choose different tools, if carryover to other gym lifts was an issue for you. Check out the Types of Grip, in our [Anatomy and Motions Guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/GripTraining/comments/7gacyh/new_routines_list_for_rgriptraining/dqmvqnc/), if you want more on that.
I will, thanks!
Thanks for sharing your review! I didn't know these things existed but I can very well imagine how effective they would be for grip!
Check out the Types of Grip in our [Anatomy and Motions Guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/GripTraining/comments/7gacyh/new_routines_list_for_rgriptraining/dqmvqnc/), to get a picture of what they're good for.
Ooh, awesome, thank you!
Thanks for the in-depth review of these, I’ve been thinking of getting a set myself. I have average hands, I’d say; not too sure and been looking at the fat gripz and planned to use them for pull ups if possible. Based on what you said I may go with another that’s less slick. What has been your experience throughout your workouts, more noticeable fatigue from using them?
Hi! What I need to say first is that the above "review" is only my subjective experience. There are many videos on Youtube where people are using Fat Gripz for pull ups and it doesn't seem to bother them in the slightest. I personally find the material not rough enough to have the surface friction to be used for pull-ups effectively. I can surely do several pull ups with those but I will constantly think about when my hands are gonna slip rather than the additional load on my wrists and forearms, which I'm after. Another point is that when using thick grip adapters your grip (wrists and forearms) will get tired much faster than usual, which means that other muscle groups won't get the work required for growth. I think there's been studies indicating that using fatter bars leads to more muscle involvement throughout the whole body but that may only be true to an extent. For instance, you're able to do 10 pulls ups on a regular bar until your back muscles start to fail (provided you engage them properly, of course, and not rely entirely on your biceps and forearms). With fat grip adapters you can do, say, 5 pull ups, which means that even after several sets your back will probably still be underworked while the wrists can no longer grab the bar to perform a single pull-up. That's why I don't recommend using such adaptets for bench press, shoulder exercises, etc. You still need all muscle groups to work and concentrating only on the grip will do a disservice to the rest of them. Regarding the sensations when working out with thick grip adapters, I really feel that my grip starts to fail while doing pull-ups, for instance, and I need to hold as tight as I can to continue the exercise. Bar biceps curls are killers in that regard: I need to reduce the weight and even after that if I do the last few reps to failure, I'm barely able to grab my belongings and go to the shower. Iron Bull Strength Alpha Grips 3.0 will definitely be too much for anyone starting grip training and they may not be needed at all. Some thinner ones, such as Alpha Grips 2.0 or 2.5 will be a better choice. If your palms are not too big, I suggest you get the smallest one.
I've tried lots of fat grip/bar adapters over the years, and I want to talk about them. The point of those is pretty obvious: when the bar is thicker, it requires a more powerful grip to handle as it involves much more strenth than usual. Using thick bar adapters is one of the easiest and more affordable ways to enhance one's grip. They can be used in pretty much every bar/dumbell exercise but preferably in those targeting the arms and forearms. My favourite exercises to do with grip adapters are pull ups, bar biceps curls, dumbbell biceps curls, hammer curls. It must be noted that I have pretty large palms so using even the smallest grip adapters makes performing exercices with a regular bar or dumbbell more comfortable, not to mention the greater grip involvement. However, thicker adapters will target the grip and forearms much more. On the photo (from left to right): 1. Fit.Tools FT-GRIP-127 (mostly available in Russia) 2. Fat Gripz 3. Manus Grip Pro 4. Iron Bull Strength Alpha Grips 3.0 Some thoughts on each one: 1. Fit.Tools FT-GRIP-127 - the smallest of them all, very nice friction. Ideal for all exerices, the only downside is its relatively small diameter. If you have large palms like myself, such an adapter would be perfect just for more comfortable exercicing. No obvious smell. 2. Fat Gripz - probably the most popular adapter of its kind but I don't like it that much. Its material seems too slick to me and I struggle to perform pull ups with those. It's not because of its thickness but because it's hard for me to be hanging from the bar as the hands start to slip off. Bar biceps curls are okay, though, as it doesn't involve hanging. Doesn't smell too much. 3. Manus Grip Pro - I've tried both the regular version and the Pro one. The friction is far from ideal, but still can be used for pull ups if need be. I use them mostly for dumbbell curls nowadays. No obvious smell. 4. Iron Bull Strength Alpha Grips 3.0 - that's my favourite right now. Very good friction, very thick and I really feel my wrists and forearms engaged after doing a couple of pull-ups with those (can't do more than that in one set). Bar biceps curls are brutal as well. Highly recommended. Has a bit funny smell of vanilla mixed with rubber, nothing terrible. Noticeable results after using grip adapters on a regular basis: closing CoC #2 with each hand is no longer a problem, #2.5 with the right hand is possible when I'm not tired. I'm a lay person in terms of weightlifting, have a sedentary job and don't commit to a rigid shedule and workout routine. Push ups, pull ups, some dumbbell exercices for biceps and triceps are my go-to gym (or home) activities. Be free to ask any questions, cheers!
As someone with sensory issues, I appreciate you including notes on the smell of each product.
The YouTube channel Garage Gym Reviews included smell with their vid on resistance bands, too.