Versa Gripps Pro Review: Get a Better Grip and Push Your Lifts Further

I’ve done a lot of different strength training over the years. Whether it’s powerlifting, climbing, rowing, kettlebells, or dumbbells, you will stall out if your grip isn’t up to the task. Your hands contain 34 muscles, and if they’re not up to the task, you’ll find yourself failing your lifts. Versa Gripps are designed to give your grip an assist that helps you push your strength training to the next level, and we had the chance to put the Versa Gripps Pro through some workouts to test those claims truly.

The Versa Gripps Pro are different than “weightlifting gloves”, and they’re different than what you might have seen in old school lifting straps. You’re not completely giving up the tactile feel as you do with gloves, and you’re not tied to the bar like with old straps. Instead, the wrist strap and palm piece work together to provide extra grip tension. Here’s how it works.

First, adjust the wrist strap to fit you so it feels comfortable and stays in place. The palm grip should sit comfortably in your palm, with your thumb landing in the cut-out area. The Gripps are labeled for your right hand so you can make sure they’re on the correct side, but you’d notice if you put it on backward because there’d be no space for your thumb.

Note that the palm grip doesn’t attach to your hands; it just sort of flops there. This lets you tuck it around the barbell, dumbbell, or handle for pulling exercises. You can also let it rest directly against your palm and protect against calluses during pushing movements if you prefer. I liked this because I could turn the Versa Gripps Pro around when not using them and flip them into my palm when I was ready.

The wrist straps have some padding, and the palm-grip material is referred to as a “non-slip” custom-engineered proprietary material. Inside the palm grip is padded where it hits the heel of your hand, as well as where it folds over to lock in for grip.

Everything is stitched impeccably, and the Versa Gripps Pro feel like they could take any abuse without showing wear. They secure with Velcro, but there are no edges that catch or irritate, which is great. No one likes to have an annoying itch or poke midway through a heavy lift.

If you’re more visual, Versa Gripps has a great introductory video explaining them as well:

I tested the Versa Gripps Pro with my home pull-up bar and my adjustable Feierdun dumbbells. My home pull-up setup is…unsteady, so I mostly did some dead hangs and controlled lowers. Still, the Versa Gripps helped a lot. My pull-up bar is old, and the handles are worn, and the gripps are giving it a new life!

With the dumbbells, I used the Versa Gripps Pro as a chance to push my bent rows and deadlifts a little harder. I did a 3-round circuit and completed the first two rounds without the Versa Gripps, using 30 and 35 pounds in each hand. For the final round, I added in the Versa Gripps and also bumped the bent row to 40 Pounds. The difference was notable, especially with the bent rows.

My hold on the dumbbells felt significantly more secure thanks to the grip, which meant that I didn’t have to hold the bar tightly. This took a lot of pressure off my forearms and hands, which made my arms feel less tense. That allowed me to focus on keeping tension where it mattered in my core and back and to lock in proper form.

There are a few caveats to these. One, Versa Gripps Pro aren’t going to work super well with a dynamic movement, because they’ll grip a little too hard. So these work great if you’re doing a static kettlebell deadlift, but you would have an interesting and probably unpleasant experience if you tried to use these for a kettlebell swing. Second, you’re trading a little hand conditioning for extra grip. If you’re doing a movement bare-handed, your hands may limit you.

Remember, those 34 muscles in your hands are tiny compared to the ones in your back, arms, and legs. This is where the Versa Gripps shine, because they remove that weak link and let your stronger muscles push harder. But if you value grip strength and toughening up your skin, you do want to mix in some bare-handed work as well.

This won’t apply to everyone, but if you’re doing a lot of mixed workouts (think rowing machine, kettlebell swings, indoor and outdoor climbing), you don’t want to rely 100% on something like Versa Gripps Pro because bare-handed conditioning matters too.

Overall though, I love the Versa Gripps Pro. I think they’re a creative way to add grip without deeply impeding your hand movements, and for the times when you’re trying to push for that new personal best or just feel more secure in your movements, these knock it out of the park. They’re tough as nails from what I’ve experienced and should last a long time, so the $79.99 retail price isn’t too painful if you think of them as an investment.

The company also thoughtfully includes a drawstring bag, so you can keep them nice and tidy in your go-bag. If you’re doing any kind of lifting, especially pulling movements, these can be the edge you need to take your workouts to the next level!

Versa Gripps Pro sells for $79.99; they are available directly from the manufacturer and other retailers, including Amazon.

Source: Manufacturer Provided Review Sample

What I Liked: Incredibly well-made; Easy to distinguish left hand from right hand; Simple to use; Really does make you feel more secure in your lifts; Can give you a real and perceived confidence and strength boost

What Needs Improvement: It can be awkward to get the Versa Gripps Pro around the bar depending on the size and angle; Once or twice, the wristband accidentally turned off my fitness tracker mid-workout