Ready To Splurge On A Pair Of Boxing Gloves? These Are The Best Ones

If boxing is your boutique workout of choice, you probably know how nasty renting gloves can be. Obviously the studios are supposed to clean them, but it can still be somewhat gross to slide your hand inside a sweaty leather chamber. Maybe you're looking to buy yourself a fancy pair of boxing gloves, but where do you begin?

For starters, you'll want to look for training or bag gloves, says Rachel Oyama, a trainer at Rumble Boxing in New York City. "Training gloves are made with a lot of protective padding, perfect for a novice boxer," she says. "Bag gloves, which are meant to be used on heavy bags, have a little less padding in the knuckles so that a boxer can really feel their punches." Stay away from fingerless mixed-martial arts gloves, which could be unsafe for a novice, she says.

Gloves are usually sold by weight measured in ounces, but that really only matters if you're competing, says Lindsay Coke, a trainer at Shadowbox in New York City. People who are still learning or just boxing for fitness should use gloves in the 12-16 oz. range, she says. Try them on and make sure they're comfortable. "Your hands shouldn't be swimming in your gloves, but they also shouldn't lose circulation," Oyama says. The weight can also take some getting used to, because some gloves are knuckle-heavy, and some are wrist-heavy, Coke says.

Finally, you'll need some hand wraps to protect your wrists and decrease the impact on your wrist and knuckles. "Think of using wraps with your boxing gloves the way that you would use socks with your running shoes," Coke says. "It might be fine without, but always better to have them." Most places will let you buy reusable hand wraps, and they're usually only $10.

So, if you're ready to invest in your own pair of boxing gloves, ahead are some great options to try at every price point.