Fat Gripz are intense. Seriously intense.

You might be hesitant to spend good money on what is essentially 2 pieces of rubber, as was I – but these things are a game changer.

Fat Gripz are a fantastic and simple (that’s not to say easy) way to increase grip strength and forearm development. It’s all too easy to neglect your forearms during training, but Fat Gripz basically make the bar harder to grip and when this happens you are forced to engage your sad neglected forearms. It’s not just your forearms, however. Fat Gripz will engage the entirety of your arms, meaning better bicep and tricep development as well. They can be used for almost any exercise and fit on both bars and dumbbells perfectly.

There is a downside to this. Making the bar harder to grip means you won’t be able to lift as heavy. This isn’t a massive problem for exercises like curls or presses, but if you use them for deadlifts, pull ups/chin ups or rows, be prepared for a serious wake up call. You’ll have extreme difficulty getting anywhere close to what you’d be able to lift without Fat Gripz. With this in mind we came up with a solution that means you don’t have to lift lighter weights than you usually would. You can use the routine below on any exercise, though it is best suited to big lifts.

Sample Fat Gripz Workout Routine

This example is using deadlifts. Start at your warm up weight – in this example we’ll say it’s 60kg. Work up to your 1RM dropping the reps as the weight gets heavier, and then work your way back down the weights increasing the reps as it gets lighter.

60kg – 10 reps with grips on. Use the grips for the following weights until you can’t hold the bar – then take them off.

70kg – 6 reps with grips on

80kg – 5 reps with grips on

90kg – 4 reps with grips on

100kg – 3 reps with grips on

110kg – 2 reps without the grips

120kg – 1 rep without the grips

130kg – 1 rep without the grips

140kg – 1 rep without the grips

150kg – 1 rep without the grips

140kg – 1 rep without the grips

130kg – 1 rep without the grips

120kg – 1 rep without the grips

110kg – 2 reps without the grips

100kg – 3 reps with grips on

…. And so on. Finishing with 10 reps of your warm up weight.

By the end of this your forearms should be screaming.

The Bottom Line

Fat Gripz are made of high quality rubber that doesn’t compress or lose shape with use. They easily clip onto the bar/dumbbell and once in place they will not move. Similar products on the market have a reputation for moving during exercise, and you basically have to squeeze them in place. I don’t know about you but I need that like a kick in the nuts. Fat Gripz will improve your workouts dramatically, and due to their high quality there’s a good chance you’ll only ever need one pair.