When you feel motivated doing Crossfit, you end up enjoying all those pull-ups, kettlebell movements, bar lifts, rings, and a myriad of other movements. Whether you are a beginner or an expert in CrossFit, you will have noticed that your hands suffer the consequences: you get calluses, the skin peels off, you get wounds, etc. so you have to protect them to be able to continue training and improving your performance.

 The best solution for this is to use grips. You have probably heard about what they are or you are currently using them, but you surely have some questions that we are going to answer. 

What are grips? 

The first thing is to know what grips are and what you get out of them when you use them. 

"Grips are a protective item for your hands, commonly used when doing exercises involving intense friction." 

They cover the palm of your hand, which is the part where calluses and wounds appear, and they are attached by 2 or 3 holes that you put your fingers through. In some cases, grips have no holes and are loose. Grips also have a wrist band with additional support and Velcro fastening to protect the wrist joint. 

Grips minimize friction in the palm of the hand, improve hold, and support the wrist so that you can maintain your natural grip, maintain strength, perform more repetitions in a row to optimize execution time, and perform your movements more safely and correctly. 

What to look for when choosing grips: 

What Picsil grips have in common is: 

• Holes at the top to fit the fingers. 
• A smooth and elongated part to protect the palms of the hand. 
• A fastener on the end to secure the wrists. 

• Hypoallergenic. 
• Vegan friendly. 
• Handmade in Spain. 

Optimized functional training and CrossFit hand grips have been created to suit all athletes, so there is a wide variety of grips to choose from. 

The differences between Picsil's range of grips are: 

• The number of holes 
• The material they are made from 
• Their thickness 
• Different colors so you can choose the ones you like the most 

Types of Picsil grips:

• Raven Grips: These are the thinnest grips in the Picsil range, having a thickness of 1 mm. They are made of synthetic leather. They are available in two colors and with 2 or 3 holes. They are very light and offer good protection, resistance, and durability.  You will feel contact with the bar at all times. No natural grip is lost. 
• RX Grips: These grips have a thickness of 1.8 mm. They are also the first ones in the world to be made with synthetic fabric (carbon fiber). This material ensures maximum durability and resistance. They are available in two colors and with 2 or 3 holes. They may be a little hard at first, but they easily mold with use without losing their strength and durability. These are slightly heavier than the Raven Grips. 
• Falcon Grips: These grips are an evolved version of the RX Grips. A 0.08 mm soft touch inner fabric has been added, making the total thickness 2 mm. Available in one color and with 2 or 3 holes. They are made of patented carbon fiber fabric that ensures maximum durability and resistance. They are less light than RX Grips and are used all over the world on a daily basis by athletes. 
• Azor Grips: These are very popular among professional CrossFitters, both in their training and in the most demanding CrossFit competitions. Athletes such as Sam Briggs, BK Gudmundsson, and Jen Smith have released a special edition of Azor Grips with Picsil. They are made of a special patented synthetic fabric that ensures lightness, as well as the best protection and resistance. They have a soft inner fabric to protect your hands and a thickness of 1.8 mm, which makes their durability slightly less than the Falcon Grips and RX Grips. They are available in three colors (apart from special editions) and with 2 or 3 holes. 

• Eagle Grips: These grips are thin, soft, resistant, and offer an extreme hold thanks to the Micro Diamonds Tech fabric, which is a technological breakthrough in grips. By incorporating magnesium into these grips, the hold is spectacular. Their protection, strength, and lightness are extremely high and their durability is slightly less than Falcon Grips and RX Grips. They are 1.1 mm thick and are available in black and with 2 or 3 holes. 

Grips with 2 or 3 holes. Which is better? 

This is the million-dollar question. How do you choose between two-hole and a three-hole grips? 

This choice is up to each individual, but to help you make this decision you should take into account the size of your hand. 

The 2-hole grips are enough for most people, but if you want extra coverage for your hand, the 3-hole grips should be the ones you choose as they cover the whole palm of your hand. 

If you have a large hand or if you need more protection, we recommend the 3 holes. 

Most CrossFitters stick their fingers in the holes; however, there are some who are more comfortable not sticking their fingers in the holes. It all depends on the type of exercise you are doing. As they say in these cases: to each their own. 

What size should I choose? 

To choose your size, the first thing to do is to measure your hand. Measure from the base of the wrist to the beginning of your hand and leave a few millimeters of margin so that the grips are not too tight and allow you to easily open your hand. 

Picsil has 4 different sizes in all its models: S, M , L, and XL. 

The type of grip you are going to have will make you decide on one size over another: If you want to use your grip the normal way by inserting your fingers, you should choose the size that corresponds to the size of your hand in accordance with the size guide. If, on the other hand, you prefer to protect your fingers a little more when doing the famous "muscle ups" and you choose to do the gymnastic fold with your grips –or even prefer not to insert your fingers–, you should go one size up from what is shown on the table. 

For example, if the measurement you have taken is 9.5 cm, you should choose an M (Size 1); but, if you want to make a fold, you should choose an L (Size 2). 

Many CrossFitters recommend doing the fold for a better grip, but you need to decide depending on what you are most comfortable with when you do the exercises. 

How to clean your grips 

• Do not wash them  
• If they are sweaty or wet, let them dry. 
• Hook them with a carabiner to your backpack. 

If the grips start to smell and you want to get rid of the smell, we recommend putting them in the freezer. You will notice the difference when you take them out. However, if you want to wash them because they have a blood stain, you can wash them by hand, taking great care. 

When they are sweaty, wet, or you have washed them, it is very important to let them dry. It is always a good idea to carry them on the outside of your backpack, as you've probably seen the pros do.  

Do not wash except when strictly necessary, for instance to remove a stain. And it is very important to never machine wash them. 

How to use grips correctly 

Grips are used by inserting the fingers into the holes in such a way that you always have some slack in the palm of your hand, and it does not remain tight and impede mobility in the hand. As mentioned above, some people prefer not to put their fingers in, which is also an option. 

Using gymnastic folds is a personal choice that some CrossFitters make be more mobile. In this case, they make the fold where the fingers join the palm of the hand and so further protect the area where calluses appear, preventing injuries from appearing. This grip is widely used in pull-ups or muscle-ups. 
 

Many comment on the importance of the wrist strap in providing support to the wrist, making sure that it is securely fastened. 

Picsil has created new Velcro straps that are more durable and provide more safety.