Hand Care
So you’ve been doing CrossFit for a while now and you’ve heard people talking about looking after your hands, but you don’t really think it applies to you… Then all of a sudden whilst chipping away at some high-rep chest to bar pull-ups, mid-AMRAP, the unthinkable happens; the beloved skin on your chalk covered palms tears open!
Once your hands tear, they can be very sore for around a week and this will interfere with your training, limiting barbell work or hang time on the rig. A little surgical tape, or rock-tape, can fix this temporarily but ideally we want to prevent it where possible. So how do we prevent our hands from tearing when doing high-rep pull-ups, toes to bar, barbell cycling etc? We shave them, we sand them and we moisturize them.
When my former coach at Crossfit Nottingham first advised me to shave my hands, I was in bizarre state of shock too. Who on Earth shaves their hands?! One answer to that question is, anyone that does CrossFit, Gymnastics, Olympic Weightlifting and even Powerlifters who love heavy Deadlifts. If you want to keep those palms intact and keep your training consistent, then it is essential that you look after your hands.
The most effective callus shaver that I have uncounted so far is the Tweezerman Callus Shaver which you can pick up for a reasonable price usually around $25. This little beauty will shave the callus away leaving your palms to rotate freely around the bar, with minimal risk of tearing up. Highly recommended if you’re looking to keep those paws intact.
This shaver above works a treat on the big, hard, calluses, but I would also recommend looking after the palm as well. Because when you start to master movements on the rig that require a lot torque through the shoulder and a twisting motion through the hand, the palm will be generating a lot of newly found friction and you wouldn’t want to lose a chunk of that precious skin. The Scholl Electronic File works extremely well in sanding those hard to reach areas on the palms and is available at most pharmacies. I would advise purchasing the extra course stones and changing the batteries regular.
Another fairly effective method is to use a Pummel Stone, either when in the shower or just after when the skin is soft and supple. I personally find this most effective alongside the Tweezerman. Pummel stones can be picked up from any good local pharmacy. But what if you’ve been doing ridiculously high-rep max sets of super heavy deadlifts and your rock hard callus’s just won’t budge?
The Bodyshop sell a product called Bodyscrub, which exfoliates the hands raising and softening the callus’s; this is another good paw-pruning addition to the armory. The Bodyshop also produce a very unique moisturizer called Hemp Hand Protector which actually soaks into the skin instead of it sitting on the surface, keeping those hands supple after lots of Barbell action.
During competitions or Open workouts, we often push ourselves beyond our usual pain thresholds, gripping the bar for dear life whilst our team mates are screaming at us to keep going. Tears happen, it’s a part of the game.
However to get us back into training as soon possible and minimize that stinging sensation every time we grip anything or take a shower,
Rip Fix offer a great product that aids regeneration of skin; this stuff is brilliant! From my experience I’ve found it best to lather a large amount on the tear overnight and cover it with a band aid, then during the day take it off and let the air get to it. Usually repeating this for a few days heals the skin tears and we’re back in business, pain free.
Bear Komplex offer a great solution to protecting your hands during high-rep toes-to-bar or pull-up work, these lightweight, carbon fibre infused grips are pretty robust and for the price they are well worth investing in. I use them almost every day and they keep my hands in good condition, however you will still, always have to shave your calluses as well. Highly recommended!
You might be reading this thinking that it has absolutely no relevance to you whatsoever, which is understandable. But when you rip your hands for the first time, you may well find yourself searching for this blog post again, whilst muttering a few swear words under your breath, trying not to move your palms as you type away on the keyboard.
Please look after your hands, you’ll thank me for it later.