As a group of adventure seekers who thrive on the adrenaline rush of rock climbing, we know that getting to the gym isn’t always possible. So we’ve started to explore how we can keep improving our climbing skills at home. Maybe you’re like us, looking for ways to stay on top of your game, even when you can’t make it to the climbing gym.
That’s where home pull-up climbing grips come into play. These grips mimic the experience of gripping real rock formations and can be a fun addition to your home training routine. By incorporating these grips into our routine, we’ve noticed a significant improvement in our grip strength and overall climbing technique.
So, if you’re looking to step up your climbing game and bring a piece of the adventure home, consider setting up your own pull-up climbing grips. In this article, we’ll share some of our favorites.
What are the Best Pull Up Climbing Grips?
Below you’ll find the list of the top 5 Best Pull Up Climbing Grips. We compiled this list from pull up climbing grips we have used, asked others about, and researched further to give you the best possible roundup. With many years of experience with climbing grips for pull ups you can be assured that this article will give you what you’re looking for.
We also wrote a buying guide and answered some of the frequently asked questions (FAQs) at the end of this article.
1. Escape Climbing Power Piston Wood Training Tool
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| Price: 💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Weight: 0.9 pounds (0.41 kg) Material: wood Portability: Yes Size: 10 x 3.5 x 1.25 inches |
The Escape Climbing Wooden Pistons are another pull up handle that specifically targets climbers. By reducing the friction on the grip itself, using wood is a quick way to improve your hand strength, which is particularly helpful when climbing on smoother surfaces.
Pros
- Small and lightweight
- Easy to carry around and attach to different machines,
- Wooden design specifically targets grip strength by reducing friction,
- Handcrafted and very affordable
Cons
- Carabiners not included and will have to be provided by the user
2. Metolius Rock Rings 3D
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| Price: 💲💲💲💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Weight: 4 pounds (1.81 kg) Material: Polyurethane Portability: Yes Size: 6.38 x 4.88 x 1.61 inches |
The Metolius Rock Rings 3D are a dynamic exercise tool that can serve a multitude of purposes. They offer three distinct finger ledges plus offer the ability to do pull-ups. They can be a great option to hang in a space that doesn’t provide enough room for a proper hangboard.
Pros
- Easy installation
- Can hang practically anywhere
- Good for training finger strength and pull-ups
- Durable polyurethane material
- Versatile grips
Cons
- Can be a bit unstable due to how you hang them, so maybe not the best for beginners
- A bit bulky/heavy for traveling purposes
3. Pullup and Dip Neoprene Grip Pads
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| Price: 💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Material: Neoprene Portability: Yes Size: 4.72 x 4.72 inches |
Specifically designed for pull-ups and dips, these slip-on accessories are light, quick to put on and pull off, and provide maximum comfort and grip while working out.
Pros
- Neoprene surface gives a large amount of additional grip
- Odorous, durable material
- Easy to put on and take off
- Comfortable grip
Cons
- Might not cover enough of the hand for various types of grip exercise at the gym
4. Letsgood Wooden Pull Up Climbing Hold Grips
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| Price: 💲💲💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Material: Wood Portability: Yes Size: 5.9 x 1.77 inches |
These beechwood training bars are excellent for climbers looking to increase their grip or pinch strength. They come with hanging straps that make them easy to mount in a variety of places, including parks, pull-up bars, and more. They are extremely portable and can be mounted in both a horizontal and vertical setup, making them incredibly versatile. Work on pull-ups or grip strength anywhere with these convenient training tools
Pros
- Great for increasing climbing grip strength
- Lightweight and portable
- Impact resistant
- Versatile
Cons
- Can only be placed on a pre-mounted pull-up bar
- Perhaps more suitable for the more advanced climber
5. ZNCMRR Climbing Pull Up Power Ball Hold Grips
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| Price: 💲💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Weight: 1.3 pounds (0.59 kg) Material: Nylon, stainless steel Portability: Yes Size: 6.2 x 3.9 x 3.5 inches |
Onto something a little more climbing orientated, ball-shaped pull-up grips are excellent training muscles which are needed when bouldering, such as forearm and grip muscles. These pull-up grips are fun to use and train your tendons efficiently to reduce your risk of injury when climbing.
Pros
- Easy to install on a pull-up bar or cable machine
- Can be attached to many different objects to complete a variety of different exercises
- Small and lightweight – can be easily taken anywhere
- Size of balls small enough to be comfortable
Cons
- Requires something such as a pull-up bar to attach to
Verdict
Based on all of our experience with climbing grips for pull ups, we found that Escape Climbing Power Piston Wood Training Tool is the best pull up climbing grip available today.
Our Premium Option is Metolius Rock Rings 3D with all the best features and high-quality materials, but that’s only if you have more money to spend.
However, if you are on a slightly tighter budget, you can also consider the Pullup and Dip Neoprene Grip Pads as an affordable alternative.
Our other reviews you may find useful in your research:
What You Should Know Before Buying pull up climbing grips
How to Choose the Best Pull Up Climbing Grips
When choosing pull up balls, the most important factors are versatility, material, and price. The most versatile pull up balls can be hung from a pull up bar at a fitness gym or home gym, then removed when finished. For safety purposes, we advise purchasing pull up balls that can be clamped rather than those with open hooks to prevent falling hazards. We recommend novices to use pull up balls with textured grips or those made of polyurethane to avoid slippage. Most pull up balls range from $20 to $60, with the average price range being $30 to $40 for quality pull up balls.
Advantages and Benefits
Pull up ball training can be more beneficial for climbers compared to traditional pull ups using a pull up bar. While all pull ups and their variations target the back muscles, biceps, and core, pull up balls engage the forearms, hand muscles, and tendons in the fingers as well, which are all vital to develop for climbing grip strength. Pull ups and chin ups using pull up balls force users to focus on their grip more so than traditional pull up bars, increasing engagement of the forearms, hands, and wrists.
Pull up balls are also versatile and take up little space in a home gym. They can be hung from existing pull up bars, or hung directly from the ceiling using eye loops.
Things to Look Out for that Differentiate
The primary differentiating factors between different sets of pull up balls are grip texture and composition material. Pull up balls can be composed of polyurethane, wood, metal, or other composite materials. We advise beginners to use polyurethane pull up balls since their surfaces tend to be less slippery than wood or metal pull up balls. Textured grips on pull up balls will also make them easier to hold on to, preventing slips and falls.
We also urge climbers to pay attention to the size of their pull up balls. Climbers with smaller hands are best suited purchasing pull up balls with a smaller diameter, as larger balls may be difficult to grip.
Setup & Usage
Pull up ball setup is straightforward and fast. Most models can be hung from the ceiling, from support beams, or pull up bars, making them ideal for a home gym or as supplementary equipment that can be brought to a fitness or climbing gym. When finished, the pull up balls can be unhooked or unstrapped, then stored away.
Pull up balls can be used to perform any of the exercises that can be performed on pull up bars, such as dead hangs, hanging leg raises, and of course, pull ups and chin ups with various grip widths. Compared to pull up bars, pull up ball exercises are more engaging of the forearm and hand muscles as well as finger tendons.
Questions and Answers About pull up climbing grips
Is pull up grips better than hangboards?
Pull up grips, such as cannonball grips, and hangboards are both great tools for a home gym. Hangboards are primarily designed for climbers to develop finger strength. Pull up grips, on the other hand, are used to add an additional level of challenge to the classic pull up, which primarily builds strength and endurance in the back muscles, biceps, forearms, and core. Pull up balls and grips are also designed to activate the wrists and tendons in fingers to develop grip strength. Climbers that are looking to improve overall upper-body strength as compared to only grip strength are better suited using pull up grips.
There are climbing hold pull up bars?
While all pull up bars are suitable for developing the back muscles and biceps, climbers are better suited using specific climbing hold pull up bars and grips. Climbing hold pull up bars are specifically designed to strengthen tendons in the fingers as well as recruit hand muscles and forearms to improve grip strength. Pull up grips are generally shaped as small bars or tubes just large enough for a climber to fit an individual hand on. Pull up balls, on the other hand, are spherical and more challenging to grip, engaging the fingers, wrists, and forearms to help climbers effectively increase their grip strength. Climbing hold pull up bars, along with portable hangboards and grip strengtheners, are advisable for climbers to increase their climbing performance.
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