161012 - CrossFit | Wednesdays with Coach Lauren

Dispelling MYTHS surrounding CrossFit HANDS!

MYTH - Giant calluses, big blisters, and bleeding rips ARE SO COOL and BAD@$$!

TRUTH – Although #rippedhands has over 10,000 posts on Instagram, these gruesome images are definitely NOT a good thing. You might think you’re hardcore when you rip your hands to pieces BUT if you don’t rip, you are actually more hardcore because you can continue doing more reps. Big calluses don’t protect you from tearing, they will cause you to tear! It is important to have healthy hands so you can be a productive and effective athlete! So take care of those hands!  

MYTH – The best way to get rid of calluses is to pick at them until you pull them off! 

TRUTH – This is less of a myth and more of a self-admitted bad habit for people (including myself) but it is definitely worth confronting. Our skin is layered like shingles on a roof, so when you start to pull on a piece, it digs deeper and deeper into your epidermis! Some of you may have experienced this and know how painful it is. INSTEAD, try shaving your calluses down. About twice a week before I get out of the shower, I use my normal 5 blade razor to shave down my calluses. The first couple of times it seems scary, but believe me your hands can take it and will thank you for it later!  

MYTH – The more chalk the better!

TRUTH – Nope! Chalk is tool we use to cause friction between our hands and the bar. It is meant to help us grip when we might be getting a little sweaty and slippy. Friction HOWEVER is the reason that hands rip SO make sure you don’t go chalk happy every time you head to the little silver bucket. Dust the palms of your hand and any other area coming into contact with the bar…that’s plenty! 

MYTH – A loose grip will prevent you from tearing your hands! 

TRUTH - We do farmer’s carries, dead hangs, sled pulls, and rope climbs to strengthen our grip. SO USE IT! The tighter you hold on to the bar, the less your skin will get pinched and pulled. It is better to hang on tight and rotate at the wrist instead! Along the same lines, it is better to grip with the top of your palm instead of in the center. This will also prevent a large chunk of your skin from getting pinched under the bar which could cause bad blisters and tears. 

HIGH FIVES FOR HEALTHY HANDS!!!

WOD
AMRAP 15:
10 deadlifts 225/155
10 handstand push-ups
10 box jumps 24/20