The recent surge of eradicated epidermis has led me to believe that there still are some questions pertaining to keep your hands free and clear of torn calluses and bloody palms. Like the expert once said "its easy if you know how". Here's how:
-You have to keep your hands dry. Skin rips when it is wet. Chalk is provided for that reason. Yeah it looks cool to do "the Lebron" out of the bucket, but it's true function is to keep your palms dry. (This doesn't mean that you need it up to your elbows, but I digress)
-Get into a habit of not jumping up to the pullup bar. Use a box or a bumper to get you high enough to set the grip in the best place. You have little choice when you jump. The pressure sits underneath pulling up on the callus; that's how they rip
-Gloves don't help. Sorry. If you are a massage therapist or a surgeon (i.e. you use your hands for a living) then by all means wear them. They will, however, not help you in the good fight against pullups. If they did, your coaches would be wearing them everytime.
-Your hands should move a little as you execute the movement. As they do, set them in the best position possible. A "Death Grip" is not the answer. Look at Speal on his "quest for 100 pullups" video. His hands rotate with the movement. Trust me on this one.
-Last and MOST IMPORTANTLY...MAINTENANCE. Calluses are not a bad thing, but an overabundance of skin is what causes them to rip. Period. You could follow all the tips above, but if you are not putting in a little cosmetic work, they will still rip. Please Listen: go to walgreens or cvs and invest in a "callus/corn shaver". It costs $3. There is a CVS 1/4 of a mile from the gym. Aaron Cave bought me one last AUGUST and I have only ripped one callus in a years time. Check out a picture so you know what to look for
[***The fact that I am not superhuman and have not ripped a callus in almost a year tells me that you can too! I (and the other coaches) have little sympathy for those who read this, disregard it, and still rip. In fact, I think it's hilarious for you to look at your hands 10 times after they rip, just to see if they're still ripped!!]
8 Comments
And here I thought Spencer was going to give us tips to improve our complexion to get that special "Crossfit Glow".
The callus shaver works wonders! My main issue is with keeping my hands dry.
Even with chalk, halfway through a WOD there's definitely sweat on the bar. I'm thinking about trying some wrist sweat bands to see if those have any effect.
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