A protective composition to be applied to exercise equipment for improved grip includes a wax and an antimicrobial agent in an amount effective to inhibit the growth of micro-organisms in the wax in both solid and liquid states. The antimicrobial agent can be in the form of an essential oil suspended in an emulsifier. According to some embodiments of the invention, the wax composition includes an animal or plant based wax that is solid at room temperature, an anti-microbial agent in an amount effective to inhibit the growth of micro-organisms in the wax, and the balance of the composition includes at least one oil that is liquid at room temperature. Numerous other aspects are provided.
