Prevent CrossFit Hand Tears

When your hands tear mid-WOD, you have two choices: quit or adapt. Most athletes push through, finishing with bloody bars and wounds that take weeks to heal. But the smart ones tape before the rip happens — and keep training while everyone else is sidelined.

Hand tears aren't badges of honor. They're preventable injuries that slow your progress. Here's how to protect your hands without sacrificing grip or feel.

Why Hands Rip

High-rep pulling movements create friction. Pull-ups, toes-to-bar, muscle-ups — the bar rotates in your grip, grinding against calluses until the skin shears. Add chalk, sweat, and fatigue, and you've got the perfect conditions for a flapper.

The damage usually happens at the base of the fingers, where calluses build up. Thick calluses actually increase tear risk — they catch on the bar instead of rolling with it.

Taping for Pull-Ups

Cover the high-friction zones at the base of each finger. Use thin layers — too much tape and you lose grip. Self-adhering tape stays put through sweat and chalk, unlike athletic tape that unravels mid-set.

Some athletes tape the whole palm. Others just cover the hot spots. Experiment during training to find what works before competition.

When It's Too Late

Already ripped? Cover the wound with a non-stick pad, then wrap self-adhering tape over it. The tape holds the repair in place without sticking to the wound itself. You can finish the WOD, but clean and re-dress properly afterward.

The No-Grip-Loss Promise

The fear with tape is losing connection to the bar. Guard-Tex is thin enough to maintain feel while providing a friction barrier. Many athletes report better grip with tape than without — the cotton surface grabs bars better than sweaty skin.