Our gym doesn't have the girls use the grips until they can do the first part of the level 5 bar routine cleanly and with no stops. I was excited to start using them, but when I first put them on after I broke them in I did not like them at all. I started out with routines on the pit bar, and then I gradually started liking them. Now, I don't know how I didn't use the grips before. With grips its a lot easier not to split, and it's easier to rotate your hands more smoothly. I would recommend trying to do some routines on the low bar, and pit bar. But if you decide to use grips, I would keep that decision. If you tried to get used to grips while switching back in forth, it would be really hard to get used to grips. Good luck!