GRIPAD ® Blog

GRIPAD Launched in Turkey

For all the Turkish fitness enthusiasts, GRIPAD has just launched its local operations based out of Istanbul.

Please visit www.gripad.com.tr or email info@gripad.com.tr for more information.

Gripad Workout Gloves Revisited

Are you tired of your old, stiff leather gloves?  Have you tried going without gloves at the gym only to have your hands get torn up on the process?  What’s the solution? Some of your favorite exercises or workout methods are doing a number on your hands and your leather gloves aren’t the answer. Maybe it’s time to come over to the Gripad side of things.

No calluses or blisters..?  Check.  No sweat or bad odor..?  Check.  Men’s and women’s sizes and in different colors to boot..?  Yep.  No sizing issues..?  No.  And you look good with the Gripad weightlifting glove on your hand..?  In short, yes.  How about a glove that doesn’t actually feel like a glove?  As per the testimonials page, Gripad workout grips are the perfect alternative to bulky, uncomfortable, hard to remove, sweat stained, rough on the hands, unwashable, behemoths of gloves that detract from what we’re trying to do in the gym. 

With Gripad weightlifting grips, the palm of you hand and the beginnings of your fingers are covered.  With some small straps that go around every finger but your pinky, you have a glove that doesn’t overwhelm your hand, yet still provides the maximum amount of protection for the toughest of lifts.  And Gripads aren’t just for normal strength training.  They can be used in such a variety of activities; it’s amazing the versatility of the glove.  Through a light workout at the gym on free weights to a pulse pounding, shed the fat from your body marathon that is CrossFit, the Gripad gloves can do it all.  Add in a low price, happy customers from around the world, and you’ve got yourself a growing company that offers a product that actually helps people get to the gym more often and allows them to lift more for longer amounts of time thanks to the fact their hands aren’t failing them.  Plus, 10% of the pink Gripads’ revenues will be donated to the Breast Cancer Foundation.  Try a pair today.  We guarantee you’ll never work out with leather gloves again – Or with bare hands for that matter.

More Tips for Increasing the Effectiveness of your Workout

High intensity workouts – As is the norm, check with your doctor before embarking on any form of exercise to make sure your heart is healthy enough for the activity.  One must also ease into a regimen – Take it slow.  But for those experienced souls looking to push themselves into new arenas of fitness, a high intensity workout is a way to burn calories faster and turn your workout into a “carving your body out of stone” sort of deal.  Look to interval training, CrossFit, rowing, cycling, swimming, basketball, running, jumping rope, and more, in order to push your heart rate and your caloric burn to full throttle.

Lift slowly with heavier weight? – This will allow you to isolate the muscle groups and focus.  Or will it..?   According to the long held thought process, lifting more slowly will help to burn more calories and get you bigger.  Now listen to this — It is actually in the lowering phase of the weight in which you can actually gain the most amount of growth in your muscles.  The up phase of the lift should be done with quick speed while the lowering of the weight should be slowed down for maximum effect.  Try this new technique and see if the results speak for themselves.

Protein, water, and carbs – Our body takes a few hours to absorb the water we drink, so we need to drink throughout the day, and not just right before our workout.  Carbohydrates and protein are also important parts of successful workout plans.  A whey or protein shake before and after strength training can help to repair and rebuild the muscles we’ve taxed that particular day at the gym.  In addition to the protein shakes, try to include a snack of carbohydrates, like a banana, orange, or bag of mixed nuts.  Many experts actually believe a weightlifter should have a post workout shake containing three parts carbs and one part protein.  The carbs will help to fuel you through your workout while the protein will rebuild and repair muscles.  

3 (Final) Surprising Benefits of a Regular Workout

In our past look at the sometimes unexpected health benefits of strength training and cardiovascular exercise, we found exercise helps with a myriad of issues.  It helps you sleep better, slows the aging process, improves brain functioning, can improve one’s sex life, combats against chronic diseases, and can even boost your immune system and energy level.  As we end our segment on the benefits of a regular workout, here are three final reasons a good exercise regimen can help you feel better, get healthier, and look at yourself in a new light…

Reduces stress, depression, and anxiety – Did you know that regular exercise can actually help in treating clinical depression..?  Endorphins – released by your body when you exercise – help to trigger a feeling of euphoria and can also act as analgesics (which means they can diminish feelings of pain).  Medical research has shown that exercise can be an effective treatment for mild to moderate depression.  It can also help to promote relaxation and cut down on anxiety and stress in everyday life. 

Improves confidence – This one’s pretty simple…  You look at yourself in the mirror and you might not like what you see.  A few extra pounds here…  A bulge there…  After a few weeks of proper nutrition, strength training, and cardio work, you look again.  Now we’re talking – Improved confidence…  Check.  Exercise can improve your mind set, your belief in yourself, just like that. 

Builds healthy muscles, bones, and joints – In both men and women, as you age your body begins to lose bone density.  Your joints – as some of you well know – become more brittle and much less flexible as you become older.  A regular exercise program can actually help you to fight back against muscle, bone, and joint issues as you age.  If you start young – with a moderate to rigorous workout every three to five days out of the week – you can actually maintain, and even strengthen, your whole body as you age.   

New Gripad Testimonials from More Satisfied Customers

Who’s happy with the Gripad weightlifting grips..?  Well, by the looks of it, many of you.  Gripad’s own testimonial page is chock full of customers who have literally fallen in love with the workout gloves.  Here is a small sampling of our ecstatic customers…

Jim Lang – Jim writes about the speed in which he received the Gripad weight lifting grips.  He says, “…I have never received a product so quickly…what a great service.”  He liked the gym grips so much that at the gym he was a marketing force for them.  On countless occasions, Jim was asked what the gloves were, who made them, and more.  With a market this large for gloves that fit, feel good, and get the job done, Jim thinks that the sky’s the limit for Gripad workout gloves.  And the low price doesn’t hurt either… 

Samuel Blue & Swann – These two Gripad users loved the ease of which the glove came on and off.  Unlike leather gloves, their Gripads didn’t turn to rigid plastic after every use and the weightlifters could actually get the glove off after their workouts without a fight.  The protection is there but the feel of a glove is not – That’s what makes Gripads so fantastic. 

John D. – How’s this for changing a person’s mind..?  Prior to his Gripad days, John literally hated wearing gloves while lifting.  He despised using gloves, period.  So John took a chance with the Gripad gym grips and has never looked back.  “I have to say I love your product!”  He writes they are very comfortable and have a great overall concept – They are his perfect alternative to wearing gloves, because Gripad gloves don’t feel like regular gym grips.  John even receives compliments from his fellow gym rats on a regular basis.

So, there you have it.  These are real life testimonials on a product that is sweeping nation, and world.  Gripad weightlifting gloves offer everything other gloves do not, with none of the negative side effects to boot.  So it might be time to try your first pair of Gripad gloves…  We’re certain if you do you’ll never go back to your old leather gloves again.

The Obesity Epidemic – Part 2

To help change the tide of obesity in our country – and world – it would help to target younger kids in an effort to instill good habits of proper nutrition and exercise at an impressionable age.  Yet, this is tougher than it sounds, as almost a third of kids between the ages of 2 to 19 are already overweight or obese.  As is the case, younger people are now having to deal with health problems usually associated with older individuals, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol.  So, how do we change something that has been so ingrained in our society and from such a young age…?

What can be done to change how you eat and how you exercise?  For starters, the program you implement should be about the long term…  There are no short term quick fixes, as people who take part in those usually fall off the bandwagon and end up right back in the same position.  For eating tips, watch the type of drinks you are putting into your body, no matter what your age.  Sugary sodas and other such beverages can pile on extra and unnecessary calories.  Eat a fruit or vegetable (more than one) instead of snacking on a bag of chips.  Try to stop eating when you feel full.  Simple tips but things necessary to get a much needed start on the new you.

In terms of exercising, build muscle.  There is strength training, Pilates, resistance training, and other exercises to go along with your cardio work of running, walking, swimming, kickboxing, etc.  Change things up…  Run first one day, do weights first the next.  Change up the muscles you work – alternate muscle groups every day – in order to let them rest and repair.  With more muscle, you will burn more fat and lose weight, even at times of rest.  Try walking or riding your bike to work or school.  Take the stairs.  Try new things and learn more about yourself in the process.  If you don’t, we may be looking at a debilitating scourge of obesity that won’t just affect you… but your kids, our healthcare systems, and our world.

The Obesity Epidemic – Part 1

Did you know that over 66 percent of U.S. adults are overweight or obese..?  One out of every three adults is classified in our country as obese – Which means they are at least 30 or 40 pounds over normal weight classifications for age and height.  Obesity has been declared a national health threat by our officials – 75 million adults in the U.S. alone were obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2010. 

Did you know that 20 percent of children and teenagers ages 6-19 are also classified in our country as overweight, many dangerously so?  The actual medical cost of childhood obesity has risen from $35 million in 1979-81 to an astounding $127 million from 1997-99, according to the CDC.  As is the case with the young, the obesity epidemic is affecting the elderly as well.  Over 20 percent of people over the age of 65 are classified in our country as overweight.  The obesity epidemic crosses age lines, socioeconomic levels, gender, race, and more. 

Overweight adults find themselves more likely to suffer from debilitating diseases such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, certain forms of cancer, type 2 diabetes, and premature death.  There is a reduction in the overall quality of life and a social price to pay, as well, with discrimination rampant in our society against those individuals.  So, what can be done about this..?  Obviously it’s a complex task that needs to start at the individual level if it hopes to succeed.  If we focus on the individual, and not the whole, we can make small, necessary, and ultimately life changing fixes to the way we live our lives – One step at a time.  Nutrition and regular exercise are the first steps toward a better future, and in the next installment we will cover ways in which you can implement these changes to create a better you, and a better and healthier society as a whole… 

3 (More) Surprising Benefits of a Regular Workout

Here is the second part of our look at the sometimes surprising health benefits offered by a regular course of exercise…

Helps you sleep better – Studies have shown that working out at a clip of 20- to 30- minutes a day, for three to four times a week, will help to improve your sleep situation.  Working out – whether it be weightlifting or cardiovascular activity – will assist you in nodding off easier and staying in the deepest stage of sleep, which is known as Stage 4, or Delta sleep.  Exercise will allow you to stay in the deep form of sleep for longer, which means you will be less likely to be awoken at night.  Overall, exercise can help to improve the quality of your sleep, as long as it’s done during the morning or afternoon hours, and not at night. 

Helps to improve brain functioning – A regular workout can also help to improve memory function and reaction times.  As well, concentration in people who exercise has been shown to be improved by a workout regimen.  In technical terms, a good workout helps to stimulate the middle-frontal and superior parietal regions of the brain.  These sections of the brain are what are responsible for individual goal-setting, focus, and attention span, among other important duties.  It seems going to the gym doesn’t just improve your appearance and make you stronger, but can affect mental acuity as well…

Slows the aging process – We all know about the benefits exercise confers on bones, muscles, and the body…  What’s interesting is that working out can also improve skin tone, increase flexibility, and help to reduce many nasty diseases as well.  People tend to lose about 10 percent of their aerobic capability each year after the age of thirty, according to medical experts.  Exercise, though, can actually help to reverse this process and keep your fitness level at a steady plateau – or even improve it – as you age. 

What Weightlifting Offers Men..?

Weightlifting is a pastime…  We go to the gym to workout, get stronger, and feel better about ourselves.  It helps us to forget our work week or our troubles for a few hours at a time.  Weightlifting is a natural way to get fit, get bigger, faster, stronger, and feel a whole lot better for it.  Here are three reasons you may just want to get to the gym a few more times this upcoming week…

Increased strength – For men, weightlifting can be more beneficial than at first thought.  It can not only boost your strength, but can help to increase your metabolism and up the levels of testosterone in your body.   Testosterone is one of the more important factors in muscle growth and recovery after an intense workout session.   For those men with a limited range of motion and/or pain in the joints, weightlifting can help to improve the overall range of movement by strengthening their problem joints.   Weightlifting confers benefits above and beyond just strength. 

Gives you confidence – Weightlifting not only frees the mind, but it confers a sense of accomplishment and a renewed sense of one’s self – It gives you true confidence.   To look in the mirror and to not only feel stronger, but to look it as well..?  That’s confidence right there.  It gives the lifter a certain peace of mind to know that your work in the gym is actually still paying dividends, even after your session is over. 

For men over 50 – As men age, their muscle mass declines…  For every ten years in which they don’t exercise, men tend to lose 5 to 7 pounds of muscle.  As is the case with women and the healing power of strength training for osteoporosis, the activity of weightlifting can actually slow down the process of muscle deterioration in men.  And in many cases, it can help to rebuild muscle lost as well.  Weightlifting can lessen, or outright negate, many of the effects of arthritis, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, heart disease, and other maladies.   In addition, weight training can help to strengthen bones and cut down on injuries in older individuals.  In essence, the best anti-aging medicine available may not be taken in tablet form – It’s weightlifting that may just keep you healthy, free of injury, and boost your body and mind by natural means. 

Why Weightlifting Matters for Women..?

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, approximately 21 percent of women engage in weight training during their workouts.   This is a low total for women, and it is surprising, because of the real health benefits that come from an added strength training regimen.  Here are three reasons a strength training course of exercise may be just what the doctor ordered…

Fights osteoporosis – One in five women in the U.S. suffers from osteoporosis, which is a thinning of bone tissue and loss of bone density over the years.  Weightlifting can effectively help to strengthen and maintain strong bone structure in women, thus lowering the risk of the disease or helping to ameliorate the symptoms if osteoporosis is already present.   Younger women – in their teens or early to late 20’s – can lift weights and participate in strength training in order to slow or prevent the disease.  And older women can work through a strength training program in order to halt the losses in bone density that will  occur naturally with age.

Fat loss – As is the same with men, muscle burns more energy than fat does…  A strength training program added on top of a cardiovascular one will allow the user to burn more calories throughout the day – Not just during the workout.  This, along with proper diet, will slim down the figure and tone the body to create a new you.  This can help to reshape your body, boost your confidence, and make you feel better about yourself.

Increases strength and decreases risk of injury – Weightlifting confers a whole heap of benefits to the female user…  It increases stamina, improves energy levels, helps with balance and flexibility, and helps to improve the joints.  In older women, strength training can even help to reduce pain in those suffering from arthritis and can even help to control blood glucose levels in diabetes patients.

For those 21 percent of women using a strength training regimen, keep doing what you’re doing.  And for those who aren’t, take a look at the health benefits above… It might just be time for you to start.

3 Tips for Increasing the Effectiveness of your Workout

Combine exercises – Weightlifters can do what’s known as compounding exercises that can help to work multiple muscle groups at the same time.  Compound exercises involve multi-joint movements that rely on more than one muscle group in order to move two or more joints through a range of motion.  Whereas the bicep curl offers specific muscle isolation, exercises such as the squat, dip, dead lift, bench press, and many others, will offer compound exercises that can give you a full body workout in less time.   

Limit workout to 30-40 minutes – Many people like to try and push themselves to the limit during their workouts.  This is well and good if you are doing so in the 30-40 minute time span.  But if you are going over, you aren’t actually going to see any added benefits from lengthening your workout session.  The intensity level would need to be lowered, whereas with a 30-40 minute time span, the worker could get in a high intensity workout that is even more beneficial.  Studies have shown that as little as a 20 minute high intensity workout can be more beneficial and effective then a 2 hour low-to-moderate workout. 

Lift to “failure” – This is an effective change as well for bodybuilders in which, instead of lifting a set weight for 2-3 reps, one should lift heavier weight in one full set.  The weightlifter will continue lifting until they can no longer (with proper form) lift the weight.  Now, lifting to failure can also have some negative side effects, such as overexertion and a condition called rhabdomyolysis – which is a muscle breakdown that results in muscle fibers entering the blood stream – but these items tend to result from excessive muscle strain or activity.  As is the case with anything these days, consult a doctor before entering into a workout regimen.  Be safe, have fun, and get fit!  And don’t forget to use your Gripad weightlifting gloves to get your body in the best shape of its life.