This equipment review may get sticky! Presenting one of my favorite pieces of Strongman and strength training apparel, the A7 Strongman grip shirt. Available in several different colors, a variety of sizes, and both a male and female cut, this shirt will help you get a grip on your strongman training. My personal grip shirt is the 2019 Stealth model and I will be referencing it for the purposes of our review.
Jumping into this review let us look at the shirt itself. When my wife ordered it for me for Christmas, she had some concerns for the sizing. Sizes are available from small to a four extra-large, this is a strongman shirt after all. After secreting my measurements, she ordered me an extra-large and I could not be happier with it. The chest of the extra-large is listed at forty-five to forty-eight inches. I clock in with a chest around forty-seven inches and this shirt fits exactly how I would like it to.
The purpose of this shirt is to provide grip to the implements you are moving. As such having a shirt that is too baggy would cause the shirt to stick the implement and pull away from your body, thereby negating the purpose of the shirt. What I found with my extra-large is that the fit is comfortable, and the material hangs close to the body without feeling like you are wrapped in sausage casing. When pressing the log, I experienced a tighter hold and faster elbow speed through the lift from the floor with my chest gripping the cylinder as it rolled from the hips.
Feeling the material, it is soft while still having rigidity to it due to the thickness of the base material. A7 lists the material as a cotton lycra blend. In a hot warehouse gym in the dead of summer you will take notice of the thickness. I personally do not find it overly heavy but heavier than my normal gym shirts. I find the thickness of the material to be a double-edged sword. While it was heavier, this shirt serves a purpose. I would hate to have the base material shred on a stone in competition. I have lost too many t-shirts to the knurling of a bar in a back squat to want a thinner material. The thickness of the material gives me the confidence that I will be using this shirt for as long as it fits.
At competition you will here these shirts referred to as ‘tacky shirts.’ While they may not be the most stylish in appearance, and I mean you will look like a rejected sci-fi costume, those stripes are made of silicone. The entire front and most of the sleeve are covered in half in wide silicone stripes oriented horizontally. There is a break in the center of the chest for A7 to apply their logo, which is made of the same silicone as the striping and while ornamental it does not disrupt the function of the shirt.
On the backside of the shirt the is a geometric pattern of diamonds that extends from the traps to just below the shoulder blade. Prominently featured in the center of the back again is the A7 logo. The shirt is blank from the end of the silicone down on the backside of the shirt. They have covered the space on the back of the shirt that would touch the bench in bench-pressing or the path of the bar for a back squat.
So, we have a well-crafted piece of training apparel, is it useful? The answer to that question is a resounding yes. The silicone provides a grip that is both sufficient to grab the implement while being unencumbering to move. Each stripe provides a nice grip without sticking to itself. A log will stay tight to the body as it rolls up and the shirt will release when you punch into your press. Stones will have an extra sticking power as you break from the floor and bring it to the bar. Belts can be worn with the shirt without the fear of damaging the belt or the shirt. Any event that requires you to keep the implement close to the body could be improved by the added traction. That could include events such as husafell carries, keg carry, and Conan’s wheel as well!
Beyond the scope of strongman this shirt is also functional in other aspects of training. I mentioned briefly already about benching and squatting but also imagine machine work! If you are relegated to lifting in a commercial gym that does not allow the use of chalk, the grip may provide useful traction through a sweaty workout on a machine. A7 also offers grip shirts with the silicone strictly on the top of the back if your training does not require the front grip.
Overall, this multi-functional piece of training apparel is always in my gym bag. I will readily admit that I was hesitant at first to use it for fear of damaging the shirt or the shirt doing damage to equipment. Now that I have spent some time wearing it my fears have subsided. For anyone looking to get a grip, I would recommend the A7 Strongman shirt!
CULT-OF-IRON 