Are You Struggling To Hold On To The Bar?

By Coach Elise Perez

The worst feeling ever is when you’re in the middle of a conditioning workout and you start to feel your hands slipping from the pull up bar. 

Whether it be pull ups and their variations, toes to bar, or hanging leg raises; these are movements you know you can perform but you’re forced to continue to come down from the bar, eating up your time and accumulating less reps. 

This happens because sweat causes sliding on the metal of the pull up bar and loss of grip. Along with not being able to hold on to the bar, many WODs require high repetitions and this excess sliding can create friction, causing rips and tears on the hands. 

Don’t sweat it through! Here are some simple ways to get a grip on that bar. 

Manage your reps

Take the first round or two of a workout to establish how many reps of the programmed movement you can perform before having to let go of the bar. Once you have that number, divide your reps into mini sets. Drop down, count to 3 or 5 and get back up. 

Tape your hands

Athletic tape is the most popular method for getting the bar to be more grippy. We recommend Goat Tape and this technique for application before the workout begins. 

Dry your hands using a towel

Bring a hand towel to the gym and keep it close by to wipe sweat from your hands throughout the workout. Hang it from the rig or over a pin for easy access! 

Use chalk

Bring chalk to the gym, including liquid chalk, or use what’s available in the gym bucket. Simply grab some chalk and rub it on your palms and fingers, keeping hands inside the bucket or bag to keep it from spreading. Although this seems to be the go-to method, it’s less preferred. As your hands sweat, chalk wears off and can become muddy. Having to reapply chalk to your hands throughout a workout can also subtract from your time. 

Final notes 

Know yourself and what movement variations will work best for you. Understand the total volume that is required during a workout; a 30 minute AMRAP with 15 Chest to Bar Pull Ups is 90 total pull ups on the high end. And last, those hot humid days in the Brazen box are around the corner, so come prepared!