STOP RIPPING YOUR BLISTERS WHEN YOU ARE GRIPPING WITH WOD & DONE

It wasn’t long after Eva began the sport of gymnastics that we were told to expect blisters. It’s just supposed to come with the territory. But why? Do blisters somehow prove your level of grit? Are they to be shown off on the gym floor like a badge of honour? If my gymnast blisters more than your gymnast does that mean she’s working harder? Blisters are painful! Wod & Done has found a way to prevent blisters and protect hands with their dynamic and cutting edge product – Handguard Tape!

LET’S TALK BLISTERS

Simply put, blisters happen because of the friction created when a gymnast is swinging and rotating his/her body around the bars. There is no amount of chalk and no special handguard that can completely prevent blisters. The trouble is, gymnastic handguards aren’t predominantly designed to prevent blisters, they are primarily designed to help keep the gymnast on the bars. For as long as we’ve known the sport, the answer to blister “prevention” was to actually just accept the blisters and allow hands to develop tough calluses.

Blisters can be one of the most debilitating injuries in the sport of gymnastics. Ever been hiking and develop a blister on the back of your heel? There is nothing that makes you stop in your tracks or want to call it quits quite like a blister. Every step is excruciating. A blister, on the hands of a gymnast, is no less painful. But unlike blisters, that we might get over time from our feet rubbing against our shoes, gymnastic blisters can happen in an instant.

WOD & DONE HANDGUARD TAPE

Handguard Tape - isn’t a handguard. They are designed to be a barrier between the skin and the bars that helps absorb the friction and keeps the skin from rubbing against the wooden or metal bar or the handguard.  Handguard Tape can be applied before an athlete starts his/her bar/ring session, or it can even be used like a large plaster, covering a painful blister, allowing the gymnast to continue practicing without added injury or pain.

Wod & Done Handguard Tape is a single-use, base layer that can be used alone or under gymnastic handguards. They are extremely light, thin, and feel comfortable against the skin. Wod & Done Handguard Tape are easy to apply as well! Here’s how to put on your Handguard Tape including how to use the extra adhesive.

HOW TO APPLY

Eva’s squad train for four hours at a time. Typically, her group will spend at least 45 minutes to an hour on bars. I wanted to be sure that regardless of the amount of chalk, sweat, or friction that took place, the Wod & Done’s would stay in place and do their job. We elected to apply an extra adhesive to Eva’s hands before putting on the Handguard Tape. This not only helped to keep the product in place, but it provided peace of mind that she wouldn’t have to worry about a tape peeling off (which would mean she’d have to waste practice time putting a new one on). The extra adhesive was a very simple and quick, extra step but so worth it for a gymnast!

It took Eva less than five minutes to apply the extra adhesive and a Handguard Tape to both hands. Then, she was ready for her bar session!