CFQ: Hand Maintenance

After noticing a couple of comments from some of our athletes dealing with torn calluses or blisters, it is worth going over the some basics again just as a reminder.
1. Maintain your hands. Get a scraper, pumice stone, even a butter knife. Soak your hands in hot water, or immediately after a shower, and smooth those calluses out.

2. Chalk can be both a plus and a minus. Chalk absorbs moisture, improving your grip. However on hot steamy days, which are not uncommon here in Virginia, you might be sweating more than any amount of chalk can overcome. In this case it just becomes grit between your soft sweaty hand and the bar.

3. There are several articles in the Crossfit Journal that address what to do when you get a rip. If you are not a Journal subscriber, become one.

4.There are very few things we do in Crossfit that don't require the use of the hands. When you mangle them, you impare your ability to train for at least a week or more. What I have learned is that I need to make a call during a WOD if it is worth it to keep pushing. Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor, to allow you to reach your personal goals. Sometimes you just go for it and leave the blood on the bar. Just food for thought.

5. If you already have rips, you need to let them heal. If you don't, you are blunting your progress. After initial care, apply Vitamin E a couple of times per day. On days with a heavy dose of pullups, you might scale it in some way that is less damaging. SDLHPs are a fair sub, as are ring pull-ups, both of which create less friction than a regular pullup. Appropriate scaling to compensate for an injury just makes sense.

Hang Tough