The 10 Best Lifting Hooks
This wiki has been updated 29 times since it was first published in November of 2017. No matter how strong the rest of your body is, if you have a weak grip, it can be difficult to build up to heavy weights on exercises like deadlifts, rows, and shrugs. That's where a good pair of lifting hooks can come in handy. They minimize the pressure on your wrists, prevent chafing and blisters, and reduce fatigue in your hands, allowing you to work out longer and harder without injuries. When users buy our independently chosen editorial selections, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
1. DMoose Fitness 8mm
2. Wyox Sports Gloves
3. Grip Power Pads Pro
Editor's Notes
November 10, 2020:
Lifting hooks are all about providing a secure grip on bars when using weights that may be too heavy for your hand strength alone. Because of this, we made sure to only focus on options that are built tough enough to handle the strain we expect users to place on these items. This means that have to be made with strong metal, durable fabric, and high-quality stitching.
Rod style options, like the Grip Power Pads Pro, Plustrong Gym Power, Lifting Lab Non-Slip, and Haulin' Hooks Ladies are the most traditional. They have been used by bodybuilders for decades, though these days they often feature some kind of grip-enhancing coating on the hooks. While most appreciate this, we realize some may find it makes it more difficult to release bars when finished with a set, which is why we included the Haulin' Hooks Ladies. They don't have any kind of coating on the metal and, though we reviewed the women's model, they can be found in a men's option as well.
Wide, single-hook models, such as the DMoose Fitness 8mm, Wyox Sports Gloves, Iron Bull Strength Steel, RDX Reverse are a newer iteration of the lifting hook and one we personally like better. Not only do they more evenly distribute the weight, but they aren't prone to causing painful pressure points like some may experience with rod style lifting hooks. The RDX Reverse stand out from most others because they have a hook that bends towards the hand, instead of away from it. Some may find this offers a more secure-feeling grip, however, it can make hooking them onto and disengaging them from the bar a bit trickier.
Though the Grip Power Pads Cobra aren't technically hooks, they serve the same purpose. Plus, they offer a lot of hand protection, reducing the chance of getting blisters or unsightly callouses.
4. Grip Power Pads Cobra
5. Iron Bull Strength Steel
6. RDX Reverse
7. MRX Cordura
8. Plustrong Gym Power
9. Lifting Lab Non-Slip
10. Haulin' Hooks Ladies
A wandering writer who spends as much time on the road as in front of a laptop screen, Brett can either be found hacking away furiously at the keyboard or, perhaps, enjoying a whiskey and coke on some exotic beach, sometimes both simultaneously, usually with a four-legged companion by his side. He has been a professional chef, a dog trainer, and a travel correspondent for a well-known Southeast Asian guidebook. He also holds a business degree and has spent more time than he cares to admit in boring office jobs. He has an odd obsession for playing with the latest gadgets and working on motorcycles and old Jeeps. His expertise, honed over years of experience, is in the areas of computers, electronics, travel gear, pet products, and kitchen, office and automotive equipment.