The 7 Best Weighted Gloves
Updated by · How we research
Open-palm fitness mitts, padded bag gloves and basketball trainers, compared by load, padding and fit. The Meister Elite is our pick for most people. When users buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
Most weighted gloves are open-palm neoprene mitts with no knuckle padding, so they're made for shadowboxing, walking and cardio, not for hitting a bag. Experienced boxers suggest a pound or two per hand, since fast punches with more weight can strain the elbow. This list covers fitness mitts, padded bag gloves with removable bars and basketball trainers.
Editor's Notes
October 27, 2026, by Ezvid Wiki Admin:
The Meister Elite keeps the top spot. Its iron sand sits in channels that follow the fist, its long wrist wrap holds steady, and it's still widely sold. Three old picks are gone. The Powerhandz Basketball is currently unavailable, the Title Boxing sand glove we listed is no longer offered, and the FitsT4 Half Mitts carry no added weight at all, so they never belonged here.
The ProsourceFit PS-1161, MaxxMMA Adjustable, Ringside EHW 6 and Ball Hog 2.0 stay. New are the Title Speed-Trax, a padded bag glove with zip-in bars for anyone who wants to hit something, and the Rockhouse Soft Iron for slow heavy-hands work. Evidence in this niche is mostly makers' weight and material claims, so we weighed those against boxing-forum advice on how much load an elbow can take and searched every brand for recalls.
February 04, 2021:
It was a busy round of updates, with half our previous picks losing their spots due to a proliferation of availability issues. The choices we ended up removing were the Fila Exercise, Valeo Power, XtraEdge XE, Sisyama Combat and Empower Women.
With quite a few vacancies on our list, we wasted no time finding several new options to add to our rankings, and ended up focusing on gear that was well suited to martial arts training, recognizing that designs like these had little representation on our list, even though they comprise a large part of the weighted-glove market.
Our new inclusions are the FitsT4 Half Mitts — which are available in black or white and boast breathable terry cloth between their fingers; the Ringside EHW-P — which, at either two or three pounds per hand, are significantly heavier than most selections in this space; and the Meister Elite — a two-pound pair that’s slight enough to slip inside a pair of boxing gloves.
If you’re looking for other ways to add a bit of resistance to your cardio training, we also maintain lists of weighted belts, weighted vests, and ankle weights.
October 30, 2018:
Included options for men and women, as well as gender neutral products. Added two weighted basketball glove choices for those seeking anti-grip palms in addition to resistance.
Special Honors
PowerHandz The best-known name in weighted anti-grip basketball gloves sells its gloves and other ball-handling gear through its own site. Its gloves weren't available from the big online stores when we checked, so look there first. powerhandz.com
Per Hand Or Per Pair: Read The Weight Twice
There's no controlled study of weighted gloves, so the best guide is practitioner experience.
Weighted glove listings mix two numbers. A "2 lb" glove can mean a pound on each hand or two pounds on each hand, and the difference matters once you start throwing punches. Before buying, find the per-hand figure. The Meister Elite and ProsourceFit gloves carry about 1 pound per hand, the Rockhouse 2.5 pounds, and the MaxxMMA lets you go from half a pound to a pound by adding or removing packs.
How much is enough? There's no controlled study of weighted gloves, so the best guide is practitioner experience. In a long MartialTalk thread on shadowboxing with weights, boxers and martial artists settle on 1 to 2 pounds per hand for punching, about 3 pounds as a ceiling, and heavier loads only for slow, controlled drills. Start light and add weight over weeks, not days.
Searches for 10-pound weighted gloves usually mean a 10-pound pair, or 5 pounds a hand. That's dumbbell territory: fine for slow presses or walking arm swings, but too much for fast combinations.
Open-Palm Mitts, Bag Gloves And Basketball Trainers
Most weighted gloves are neoprene mitts with an open palm and the weight across the back of the hand. They breathe, leave your fingers free and suit shadowboxing, aerobics and walking. They have no knuckle padding, so they're not for a heavy bag or sparring. A weighted glove patent makes the case for this design: worn weight spares the grip strain that comes with holding dumbbells.
If you want to hit something, buy a padded bag glove built for weights. Title Boxing makes leather bag gloves with a zippered cuff that takes removable bars, so you can punch a bag with the added load and still have foam over your knuckles. They cost several times as much as a neoprene mitt.
Basketball trainers are a third type. They add only a little weight but use a slick palm that fights your grip, so dribbling and catching take more finger control. Makers credit them with better handles, but no independent study backs that up.
Safety, Fit And Care
The main risk is the elbow. Fast punches with extra weight at the end of the arm can snap the joint straight, and the shoulder tires sooner. Warm up first, keep the arm relaxed, stop short of full extension and drop the weight when your form slips. If you have a joint problem or a tremor, ask a clinician before using weighted gloves; some sold for tremor relief are medical aids, not training gear.
Fit matters more than looks. The glove should sit snug with the wrist strap closed, and the weight shouldn't slide when you shake your hand. Sand-filled gloves can leak or bunch over time, which is why some makers use a soft-iron layer or removable packs instead.
Neoprene and spandex gloves last longer when you hand wash them and let them air dry. Skip the dryer. The hook-and-loop strap is usually the first part to wear out. We checked every brand on this list against the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall list and found no recalls.
How we researched this
We compared 17 weighted gloves and close alternatives, including padded bag gloves, basketball trainers and wrist weights, read the makers' weight, fill and material specs for the 7 finalists, screened owner feedback, read boxing-forum advice on safe loads, and checked every brand against U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall records. We found no independent lab tests of weighted gloves.
Frequently asked questions
How heavy should weighted gloves be?
For punching and shadowboxing, 1 to 2 pounds per hand is the common advice from boxing coaches and practitioners, with about 3 pounds as a ceiling. Heavier gloves suit slow drills and walking.
Do weighted gloves increase punching power?
No study has shown that. They add resistance, which can build shoulder endurance and arm stamina. Many coaches prefer light loads so punching form doesn't change.
Can you hit a heavy bag with weighted gloves?
Only with a padded bag glove made for weights, such as the Title Speed-Trax. Open-palm neoprene mitts have no knuckle padding and are meant for shadowboxing and cardio.
Are 10-pound weighted gloves safe?
A 10-pound pair puts 5 pounds on each hand. That's fine for slow presses or arm swings, but fast punches with that much weight can strain the elbow and shoulder.
Do weighted basketball gloves help dribbling?
They make the ball harder to grip, so the hands work harder during drills. Makers say handles improve, but no independent study has measured it.
How do you clean weighted gloves?
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap and let them air dry. Don't put neoprene in the dryer, and take out removable weight packs first.
