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In gymnastics, your hands do a lot of heavy lifting. From endless swings on bars to gripping beams, rings, and rails, they take constant abuse. When hand care gets overlooked, it usually shows up fast: painful rips, cracked skin, missed reps, and frustration.

The good news? Protecting your hands is not complicated. It is about using the right gear on the bars, managing chalk wisely, and taking care of your skin off the bars. Here is how gymnasts at every level can keep their hands healthy and ready to train.

On-the-Bars Protection: Your First Line of Defense

Grips

Grips are one of the most important tools for protecting your hands. They reduce friction, protect the palms, and help gymnasts maintain control during swings, casts, and releases. The right grip should feel secure without bunching, slipping, or pinching.

Fit and break-in matter just as much as the grip itself. A poorly broken-in grip can cause blisters or uneven wear, while a properly broken-in grip moves naturally with your hand and helps prevent rips.

Learn how to break in your grips with our Grip Break-In Guide.

Wrist Supports

Wrist supports play a key role in stabilizing the wrist joint and reducing strain from repetitive bar work. They are especially valuable for athletes logging high training volumes or managing soreness.

Tiger Paws are a popular choice because they conform to your wrists and hands over time, providing a snug, personalized fit. This makes them a favorite among many gymnasts for both support and comfort.

In addition to traditional wrist supports, kinesiology tape offers flexible support during activity without restricting movement. Many gymnasts prefer this option to help stabilize muscles and joints while training. We carry popular options like KT Tape and Thera-Band Kinesiology Tape.

For times when you’re not training but still want to promote wrist recovery and stability, products like the Wrist Widget provide comfortable support to wear throughout the day. This kind of support aids in recovery, reduces soreness, and helps prevent injury during rest periods.

Explore our full selection of Wrist Supports.

Chalk: Helpful, But Easy to Overdo

Chalk is essential in gymnastics because it improves grip by absorbing sweat and moisture. But too much chalk can dry out the skin, leading to cracks, callus tears, and rips.

The key is balance. Use enough chalk to stay secure on the bars but be mindful that excessive chalk buildup pulls moisture from your skin. Paying attention to how your hands feel during and after practice can help you adjust before dryness turns into damage.

Explore our selection of Chalk to find what works best for you.

Off-the-Bars Hand Care: Where Rips Are Prevented

What you do after practice matters just as much as what you do during it. Consistent hand care keeps skin flexible, strong, and less likely to tear.

Hand Balms and Self Care

Hand balms are designed specifically for athletes, helping restore moisture without making hands overly soft or slippery. Applied after training, they help prevent cracking, splitting, and painful dry spots.

We offer a variety of gymnast-specific balms, like the Joshua Tree Gym Balm and Hand-E-Balm, so athletes can find what works best for their skin and training schedule.

Check out our full Self Care collection.

Callus Care

Calluses are normal, and even helpful, but only when they are managed. Thick or uneven calluses are more likely to catch on the bar and rip.

Keeping calluses smooth through regular filing helps maintain protection while reducing the chance of tearing. Think of callus care as maintenance, not removal. Explore our Sandbar Callus Care files and kits to keep your skin in shape.

Rip Guards

In addition to supporting wrists, tape is also effective for rip protection and healing. Athletic tape provides targeted support by reinforcing areas prone to tearing, helping protect vulnerable skin and preventing new rips before they start.

Rip guards come pre-cut for quick, easy protection underneath grips during heavy training or recovery. With 2 or 3 finger hole options, they’re ideal for beginners building hand strength and athletes protecting healing skin. While rip guards aren’t a substitute for grips for experienced gymnasts, both rip guards and athletic tape are valuable tools for maintaining hand health.

Shop our Athletic Tape and Rip Guards to keep your hands protected.

Putting It All Together

Healthy hands are built over time with a few simple habits:

• Grips and wrist supports for protection on the bars
• Smart chalk use during training
• Consistent self care and callus maintenance off the bars

When you take care of your hands, you can train with more confidence, stay consistent in practice, and focus on learning new skills instead of dealing with pain. Strong, healthy hands help you show up ready to train, because in gymnastics, they matter more than you might realize.