Nick—January 4, 2013
They arrived in the mail today, and I was immediately surprised by how much sturdier and heavier than I thought they would be. They look like they're made to take a beating, so quality seems like it will be a non issue but if there ever is one it seems like the company prides itself on customer service and will send new ones without questions based on what I've read. I also decided that there would be no chance in Hell I would be able to use the extremes, so I would HIGHLY recommend just starting with the normal ones to see if you have the hand size. After doing my first workout with these I was shocked by how effective they were. My grip and forearms were dying after my first couple sets. They will definitely take some time to get used, but I could see this being immensely beneficial to forearm development and grip strength. Because it made my lifts more challenging though, I had to drop weight and my form wasn't exactly the best. I'm not sure what the standard protocol is on when to use them, but I think they would be best used in rotation to make sure the forearms and hands are getting time to recover and to focus on form. For the first month I might use them in the majority of my workouts to make the adjustment, but I myself will probably go on and off with my weeks when I use them. Another thing to consider is that if you're someone who likes to superset like myself, you might want to consider getting two pairs. Maybe they'll go on easier after I break them in, but I found myself playing around to get them on the bar longer than I would like. Remember though it's not proper etiquette to hog equipment, and I found myself drawing a lot of attention using them so there's always the possibility someone might try and steal them. My final opinion is that they are awesome. Immediately felt the effects of them, and they are really well made. I've been lifting for probably 10 years now, and I don't think I've ever experienced something that worked my grip and forearms this way. Even my buddy who is a personal trainer at one of the top clubs in Minneapolis had nothing but good things to say about them, and he told me research has shown they enhance muscular development. They might seem a bit steep in price, but I figure an investment on bettering yourself pays back more than what it costs. Read more
Reasonable Expectations—July 19, 2015
I ordered these on Prime day and saved a few additional dollars. I just finished my first arm workout with them and I was impressed. I've worked out off and on for 25 years. Religiously for about 10 years and then sporadically after marriage and my career took up more of my time. I can't remember when I had a better biceps pump after a workout. Fat gripz challenged my arms in a completely different way than what I am used to. Some free and hopefully helpful advice and my thoughts on some of the reviews and comments I've read here. First, a few people have used the term "snake oil" to describe this product implying that it is fraudulent. I believe continued use of these will give you very good results. I've been lifting long enough to be able to tell if something will work for me fairly quickly. That being said - in lifting like most all things in life positive results do not come overnight. You have to consistently put in the time and effort. Aside from training hard you also need plenty of rest and good nutrition to get the most out of your body. If you haven't been lifting very long you should probably stick with the basic dumbbell and barbell curls until you gain strength and arm development. I would then try these after you reach a sticking point in your arm training. You get bigger and stronger by confusing your muscles i.e. when they begin to adapt to an exercise and load you do something different. I used these on an Olympic barbell and a set of York dumbbells. No slipping on either one but there was a small gap in the fat gripz that didn't affect me at all. I lifted with the gap out of contact with my hands and also with the gap touching my hands and it didn't make a difference to me. I typically use chalk when I work out and these have a nice tackiness to the material that is easy to grip without chalk, resin, etc. Elite level lifters in a variety of strength sports have been using thicker (larger diameter) bars for some time now to increase strength. Those bars can cost hundreds of dollars. You can get most of the same benefits with fat gripz at a fraction of the cost. These aren't essential to getting big and strong. You can definitely get there without fat gripz but I like them and feel they are well worth the cost as an addition to my home gym. I also do grip strength exercises and feel these will help in that area as well. Bottom line for me - adds a new dimension to my workout program, seem to be very durable, and are not too expensive. I don't regret my purchase at all. I went from being pipe cleaner skinny in high school (135 lbs) to 6'5" 275 lbs thanks to working out. I'm far from an expert but do know a thing or do about lifting - most of the negative comments about this product seem to come from people who may not know as much about lifting as they like to think they do. I rely on reviews when purchasing products. These have almost 1500 reviews with the majority of them being overwhelmingly positive. That tells me something. These also come in a package that states - "For maximum results and safety do not use these until you visit fatgripz.com/secret. That is the only part I'm not satisfied with. If they have information they want to share they should include it in the packaging. I went to the website and they want you to download a file to view the big secret and learn how to use these safely. Well, I'll pass on the download. I think I can get the results I expect and frankly, if you can't figure out how to use these safely you might want to pursue a hobby that doesn't involve lifting heavy weights. Read more
