FatGripz vs. Grip4orce, A review from someone who actually knows about grip training

One of the most ingenious pieces of equipment to emerge in the last few years are thick handle cuffs which can be added to nearly any piece of gym equipment. I believe these are probably one of the best investments someone can make in order to get a stronger hand without making any major changes to their exercise selection or habits.

The two leaders in this line of equipment are the Fatgripz brand and the Grip4orce brand.

Naturally I have put both grips to the test, and I have drawn my conclusions.

I use both fatgripz and grip4orce in my training. Here is an example with FG for chest supported rows and GF for incline pressing

Fatgripz: These are thick rubber grips which can be attached to nearly any dumbbell, barbell, or machine handle. They are made with a light blue color, which makes it easy to spot them and remember to grab them when your done. The rubber is fairly pliable and soft, allowing your fingers to get some level of penetration on the handle. In my opinion this makes them very comfortable to work with compared to your average 2″ DB handle. The texture of the handles makes them easy to use without having chalk, which is another huge plus for those of you who are stuck lifting in commercial facilities where chalk is banned. They are light weight, and will easily fit in to any gym bag. At $40 dollars they are very affordable for anyone looking to add some thick handle work to their program.

The only weakness to the Fatgripz is they will not fit on every single handle you will encounter, but they will fit on most.

Grip4orce: These are rubber cuffs which fit over a handle and require the user to squeeze them shut. The idea is to have continuous grip pressure on the handles while using them. They are available in two levels of difficulty; standard flex and stiff flex. You can select your color with them too, which I am sure is a plus to some people. The open design of the cuff allows the Grip4orce to fit to all kinds of handles, including some which the Fatgripz can’t. The cuffs have a degree of texture of them, which gives your hands more bite on the handle. I purchased the Stiff flex handles, and they are fairly resistant to being closed and held shut. The Grip4orce is price comparatively to the Fatgripz, and I will mention they have a very polite customer service staff. Strictly from a marketing point of view, the Grip4orce site is really well put together.

Weakness of the grip4orce- lets get to that…

The winner is….Fatgripz.

The Fatgripz are excellent. No two ways about it, the do exactly as advertised. You can throw them in almost any exercise you are doing right now and they will challenge your hand strength.

The Grip4orce handles are cool for pressing movements, and I do like them for doing some curl work. For pulling movements I found them to be a problem. The combination of texture and pressure chews up the hands a bit more than I would have guessed at first glance. There is a big difference between holding on to a fat handle, and having a fat handle trying to tear your hand open. It’s not like using an inch where it spins, it’s like trying to lift holding a pony clamp. I found them to be distracting. My hands are not exactly silky soft either, I do grip work every single day. If something is a problem for me I have to imagine it will give a lot of others issues too. I will continue to use them for my program, but already I have had a number of clients tell me they do not like them at all. The same people who didn’t like the grip4orce generally liked the Fatgripz. Sadly a few wanted nothing to do with either of them

The overall thickness of the Grip4orce is thinner than the fatgripz handles. IMO being thinner but actively resisting being closed is not as useful as just being a big wide handle. I think a lot of grip focused athletes such as Arm Wrestlers and Grip Competitors will dig the Grip4orce, but I think most gym rats will find them collecting dust in their bag after a few tries. Since so many asked for this opinion- I do not think Grip4orce would do a lot for your axle DO numbers, you end up worrying more about dropping big pulls or fucking around to the cuff in a good position for the lift. I do think the fatgripz would help somewhat…but beware thinking your numbers going to be the same on a real axle. The rubber is going to give you more weight than a slick metal bar. In a pinch I would use them for my DO Axle work, but not before a contest.

Ok, so now I got the grips…what do I do with them?

Three drills you will enjoy with your new thick grips- Pull ups (or pull downs), dumbbell clean and presses, and one arm rows. I also must urge you to see how you like pressing with them. I hate most gym dumbbells with the extremely thin handles, the Fatgripz definitely feel better to me.

Check out both types of grips, see which one appeals to you more. In the end for 40 bucks you will not find a better, easier to travel with, simpler way to get in more hand and grip strength. These belong in your gym bag.