Why do we perform so many fundamental exercises out of rigid, straight bars only? Look at and think about your body: You are not made to move in one-size-fits-all equipment like robots for decades - at least according to countless third-party studies and the currently best coaches. It seems that (home) gyms have a problem - and so do you.

Sure, certain machines offer grips that are freely moveable, but you cannot freely choose the grip width (and, machines aside, what about bar(bell) movements?). Also, machine handles are often slippery or just bad (and with it, your pulling power). Or worse, you waste your workout time looking for the right handle only before realizing someone is already using it (with their sweaty hands, obviously.)

Coming back to the primary issue. 1 in 3 lifters has suffered from shoulder pain, not to mention all of the other affected joints like wrists and elbows from the overuse of straight bars and handles. Here is why: From a biomechanical perspective, our hands should move freely while lifting to choose an arm path that minimizes joint stress and maximizes muscle contraction at the same time.

The most affected exercises? Those that you can’t replace with dumbbells and those that are heavy, so actually, almost all pull movements: pull-ups, deadlifts, machine rows and pulldowns  So far, our Italian startup (founded by a lifelong gymnast Simon), has helped to solve this problem for over 70,000 athletes.

D-handles are not bad. However, our handles simply are better for pull movements - actually 10-20% better according to our tests.

More function: First things first - and probably it was clear to you already: You cannot place D-handles on fixed bars to solve the problem mentioned above as those handles would just slip away.

In rare cases like using them with a Z-bar on lat pulldowns, they might not slip, but a) you cannot rotate them given the strap comes from the sides, not from the handle's center and b) they would break quickly with high loads.

More pull power: Why using Angles90 Grips on cable machines or low row machines where you typically already have D-handles available? It's about the increased pull power and increased grip strength. The reason? Angles90's ergonomic handle form and the fact that its surface is non-rolling - unlike every other surface of cable handles!

This leads to less involvement of your forearms, shifting the load towards your target muscle, the back.

More range of motion: While the length of almost all D-handles perfectly works for push/shoulder movements, it is not sufficiently long to perform bilateral pull exercises like pulldowns or face pulls in a joint-friendly and muscle-growth-friendly way. 

By the way, we see tons of clients either substituting or even extending rope handles with Angles90 grips for face pulls or triceps pushdowns. The principle remains similar: More ROM and better grip!