Hand Maintenance

So you’ve been doing CrossFit or Thrive or you use your hand daily in a way that causes calluses to form.   Have you mastered your barbell cycling, pull-ups, toes to bar, etc (or at least learned how to do them)? You might have started to notice some callus development. While I am very proud of our members when they start developing tougher hands, I also understand they can be a nuisance if they are not properly taken care of.

 

Yes, you want to have tough hands, or more importantly strong hands, but you do not want to get to the extreme of having huge calluses that pinch and rip whenever you hang from the bar or do work with the barbell. This is where we have to get creative with hand maintenance. Myself and a few others have conducted a very scientific experiment on finding the best hand maintenance for calluses. I present to you: three easy steps for maintaining hand health that will leave you with the delicacy of a baby’s bottom while still having the toughness of Captain America’s hands.

 

It starts with the grip.

Although adjusting your grip on the bar won’t completely prevent calluses, it will reduce them. If you currently grip the bar with your palm, try gripping the bar at the base of your fingers. This way less skin is compressed between the bar and your fingers, and you’re able to move with the bar more easily.

“How you work the bar is key, try re-gripping at the top of a pull up and avoid having a death grip on the bar.”  ~Coach Eric

The combination of bars and chalk and friction make the development of calluses unavoidable. The more we work, the bigger and harder our calluses become. Chalk dries out our hands and causes roughness. Rough, hard skin gets caught on the bar and ultimately rips.

 

Step 1

Moisturize daily. The worst thing for your hands is for them to be perpetually dry; your calluses will thrive in this environment!  Applying a moisturizer before going to sleep every night is an easy addition to your routine and very effective. Your hands should be smooth and supple.  Your hands don’t have to be ugly. I apply moisturizer to my hands and feet every night. It keeps the callouses from hardening and adds moisture back into your hands after chalk has dried them out.

Step 2

Shave your calluses once a week. If the callus builds up to be too big, then it can easily pinch when on the pull-up bar or when doing barbell work. You don’t want to over shave, which is why I like to do it once a week right before a rest day (that seems to be the magic number). The best shaver I have found are the ones made from Germany. Purchase extra razors (you never want to shave with a dull razor) and shave your calluses down once a week. Don’t be shy with the shaver, try to get your hand as smooth as possible. If you don’t already have a callus shaver then you can pick one up here:  https://www.amazon.com/Tweezerman-Safety-Slide-Callus-Shaver/dp/B000G62I12/ref=sr_1_9?crid=1NKOOMGCDHZRE&keywords=callus+shaver&qid=1554740123&s=beauty&sprefix=callus+sh%2Cbeauty%2C185&sr=1-9

 

Step 3

Pedi Egg time. You will notice that after shaving your calluses down, there might be some ridges still left. This is where the pedi egg or callus grater or pumice stone comes into play. Try filing your hands down with one of these tools after getting the bulk of the callus off by using the callus shaver. This will help smooth out your hands so that there are no bumps or ridges left. Check out the pedi egg below (whoever invented this was a genius):

http://www.amazon.com/Pedicure-Foot-File-Colors-vary/dp/B00113FENI

Callus File

https://www.amazon.com/Colossal-Remover-Pedicure-Surgical-Stainless/dp/B00VPVEVSK/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=callus+file&qid=1554740204&s=beauty&sr=1-3

Pumice Stone

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Pumice-Stone-Feet-Hands/dp/B010GVEOT0/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_194_bs_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=D1XYQDV4FBWY1K3M38S3

Bam! Three easy steps to beautiful hands that can handle whatever workload you send their way.

Check out our Youtube Video about Handcare:  https://youtu.be/U7Onfk9WjrU 

 

If you have other techniques for callus maintenance then please mention them in the comments below!

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