The main question I receive from "Crossfit" athletes is: How do gymnasts prevent themselves from getting rips?
Take note gymnasts and Crossfit fanatics (maybe even a few weightlifters) read this carefully because I'm intending to share with you what I've learned the past 17 years as a gymnastics coach about proper hand care. What I have to share is very simple and the point. So I ask of you, once you hear all the crazy measures people will go to know it's not needed.
Why do athletes rip? Simple fact is either their hands can be too soft or too callused. The athlete should have tough not rough hands. Prevention and proper maintenance is crucial for minimizing if not eliminating how susceptible your hands are to ripping. Everyone thinks a rip is just the price to pay for a rigorous bar workout, but that's not the reality.
If you've got virgin hands that are soft and have never seen the likes of a callus be sure to slowly build up your calluses and definitely not overdo the following hand care regiment. You don't want to prevent your hands from having the chance to develop healthy protective calluses. Baby steps baby steps.
Tip 1: Get a hand salve
It's very easy to start off behind the eight ball when all that goes into a workout leads to severely dry and cracked hands. Get a reliable hand moisturizer - I highly suggest something like a heavy-duty salve. A good salve will be made of natural moisturizers and essential oils and aide in replenishing and disinfecting the skin.
Start using your hand salve every night before bed in addition to immediately after workouts. Just before applying the salve wash your hands in warm water to soften the skin and make sure you're not using a soap that's too harsh since it could escalate the severity of dry/cracked hands. Once your hands are warm and the skin softened, rub a good amount of salve onto your hands. Know it'll take several minutes for the salve to soak in so don't go around touching everything at home - ipad killers.
Provided you can begin this regiment early on you'll reap the benefits for a lifetime.
Tip 2: Trim it down
When is comes to good vs. bad calluses you're looking to maintain smooth calluses that protect the hand and not bumpy calluses which create friction between the bar and hand leading to a rip.
Calluses become thicker on particular areas of your hand and not others, which creates the urgency to carefully trim down those uneven areas. The thickness of the skin should be the same all over your palm and as smooth as possible.
The best time to trim your calluses is after a shower when they're soft and swollen. I suggest using a pumice stone or razor to carefully smooth down calluses. Note: you're simply trying to smooth down bumpy calluses don't go too deep thus thinning down the skin... you're putting yourself at risk of ripping.
Upkeep calluses along with the best hand salve is a simple yet effective one-two-knockout for rip prevention.
Tip 3: Remove excess skin
If you do rip be sure to quickly wash your hands and trim off any hanging skin with nail clippers. If you're badass you can pull it off (ouch), just be careful not to cause additional ripping. It's going to sting, but you've got to clean the injured hand to prevent any possible infection.
I often hear of people trying to cover the raw skin back up by somehow securing blistered skin back to the hand. DON'T DO IT. Go ahead and let your injury begin to heal and keep it exposed to the air. Excess skin will quickly harden over the next couple of days and only cause additional ripping to the hand if not removed.
Tip 4: Disinfect and keep moist (ewww moist)
After you've removed any access skin and cleaned the rip be sure to treat with an antibacterial ointment to help the healing process. Each day afterwards you'll want to apply an antibacterial ointment to the rip on a regular basis until healed.
You'll also want to apply your hand salve several times a day to keep the rip from drying out and cracking (ouch). This can lead to several different types of nagging injuries that you'll want to avoid.
Tip 5: You're injured! Let it heal stupid
It's easy to think a rip isn't an injury, but I promise it is. Play it smart and let your body heal. Several ideas and tactics float around out there regarding how people try and keep their rip covered to continue working out, but the only one I subscribe to is the true-and-tried tape grip. A tape grip will keep your rip covered and allow you to continue working out at 100%.
Take note gymnasts and Crossfit fanatics (maybe even a few weightlifters) read this carefully because I'm intending to share with you what I've learned the past 17 years as a gymnastics coach about proper hand care. What I have to share is very simple and the point. So I ask of you, once you hear all the crazy measures people will go to know it's not needed.
Why do athletes rip? Simple fact is either their hands can be too soft or too callused. The athlete should have tough not rough hands. Prevention and proper maintenance is crucial for minimizing if not eliminating how susceptible your hands are to ripping. Everyone thinks a rip is just the price to pay for a rigorous bar workout, but that's not the reality.
If you've got virgin hands that are soft and have never seen the likes of a callus be sure to slowly build up your calluses and definitely not overdo the following hand care regiment. You don't want to prevent your hands from having the chance to develop healthy protective calluses. Baby steps baby steps.
Tip 1: Get a hand salve
It's very easy to start off behind the eight ball when all that goes into a workout leads to severely dry and cracked hands. Get a reliable hand moisturizer - I highly suggest something like a heavy-duty salve. A good salve will be made of natural moisturizers and essential oils and aide in replenishing and disinfecting the skin.
Start using your hand salve every night before bed in addition to immediately after workouts. Just before applying the salve wash your hands in warm water to soften the skin and make sure you're not using a soap that's too harsh since it could escalate the severity of dry/cracked hands. Once your hands are warm and the skin softened, rub a good amount of salve onto your hands. Know it'll take several minutes for the salve to soak in so don't go around touching everything at home - ipad killers.
Provided you can begin this regiment early on you'll reap the benefits for a lifetime.
Tip 2: Trim it down
When is comes to good vs. bad calluses you're looking to maintain smooth calluses that protect the hand and not bumpy calluses which create friction between the bar and hand leading to a rip.
Calluses become thicker on particular areas of your hand and not others, which creates the urgency to carefully trim down those uneven areas. The thickness of the skin should be the same all over your palm and as smooth as possible.
The best time to trim your calluses is after a shower when they're soft and swollen. I suggest using a pumice stone or razor to carefully smooth down calluses. Note: you're simply trying to smooth down bumpy calluses don't go too deep thus thinning down the skin... you're putting yourself at risk of ripping.
Upkeep calluses along with the best hand salve is a simple yet effective one-two-knockout for rip prevention.
Tip 3: Remove excess skin
If you do rip be sure to quickly wash your hands and trim off any hanging skin with nail clippers. If you're badass you can pull it off (ouch), just be careful not to cause additional ripping. It's going to sting, but you've got to clean the injured hand to prevent any possible infection.
I often hear of people trying to cover the raw skin back up by somehow securing blistered skin back to the hand. DON'T DO IT. Go ahead and let your injury begin to heal and keep it exposed to the air. Excess skin will quickly harden over the next couple of days and only cause additional ripping to the hand if not removed.
Tip 4: Disinfect and keep moist (ewww moist)
After you've removed any access skin and cleaned the rip be sure to treat with an antibacterial ointment to help the healing process. Each day afterwards you'll want to apply an antibacterial ointment to the rip on a regular basis until healed.
You'll also want to apply your hand salve several times a day to keep the rip from drying out and cracking (ouch). This can lead to several different types of nagging injuries that you'll want to avoid.
Tip 5: You're injured! Let it heal stupid
It's easy to think a rip isn't an injury, but I promise it is. Play it smart and let your body heal. Several ideas and tactics float around out there regarding how people try and keep their rip covered to continue working out, but the only one I subscribe to is the true-and-tried tape grip. A tape grip will keep your rip covered and allow you to continue working out at 100%.
About the Author:
If you want to learn more on how to prevent ripped hands or how to care for injured hands from Crossfit or gymnastics you should should visit How to Prevent and Treat Hand Rips.
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