Love Handles are the brainchild of industrial designer Chris Corrigan and his company Warcry WODtech. As a practitioner of strongman, powerlifting, and CrossFit training, Chris felt a need for a better grip training system than he was finding available.
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The Love Handles are a simple, yet effective solution to the problem. Made from laser-cut steel and birch wood, this device provides a challenging, but not irritating handle. From the metal triangle attached to the handle, you can easily hang weight plates, kettlebells, or almost anything through the use of chains, straps, or bands. And, in addition to traditional grip exercises like farmer’s walks, the Love Handles can also be used to level-up on your pull ups and ring rows.
About This Product
The Love Handles come in three sizes:
- Small (1 ⅛″ diameter) – $55.00/pair
- Medium (2″ diameter) – $65.00/pair
- Large (3″ diameter) – $80.00/pair
Obviously, the greater the diameter, the more challenging the handles are to grip. We were sent all three sizes to test, and I would recommend you purchase the full set of handle sizes if your budget allows, as well.
Having all three sizes available will enable you to use them on all sorts of different exercises, to accommodate different sized hands, and to create levels of difficulty even within one workout for yourself. Buying the full set all at once also saves you $15.00.
“Rather than spend money on axle bars, farmers walk handles, and an assortment of other odd-shaped and challenging-to-store devices, an easier solution would be to get a set of Love Handles.”
Warcry WOD used to sell chain and carabiner sets to go with the Love Handles, but due to the fact people could typically find chain for less expense in their own area, Warcry has ceased to carry these items. But if you’re really stuck for finding some good chain, they have assured me you can still reach out to them for help in that department. (They did provide us with chains and carabiners for our testing, and they were easily adjustable and incredibly sturdy.)
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Downsides
It’s hard to come up with anything negative to say about this product. The only thing we could come up with is that if you try to do curls or other movements that require the Love Handle to rotate as you move, this can be hard to accomplish with heavier weights and the thickest handle size. But really, that’s a tiny thing to complain about and not relevant for 99% of what 99% of people are going to do with this product.
Purchase Options
If you are a gym owner looking to equip your gym or offer Love Handles to your clientele, Warcry offers bulk pricing for orders of ten or more of the same item. They also provide custom price quotes on orders order $1,000. In addition, military personnel can receive 10% off any order, regardless of size.
“From the metal triangle attached to the handle, you can easily hang weight plates, kettlebells, or almost anything through the use of chains, straps, or bands.”
If the price of the Love Handles seems to steep for your budget, the company does also offer used handles on clearance. These were used in competitions and may look a bit worn, but are still in good shape. Given how sturdy these products are, I doubt it would be any problem at all to buy them used.
My Recommendation
Rather than spend money on axle bars, farmers walk handles, and an assortment of other odd-shaped and challenging-to-store devices, an easier solution would be to get a set of Love Handles. They are far more versatile and, based on our experience, will last a very long time.
