Callus Management

Why is it important?

Regularly trimming the calluses on your hands will help prevent ripping the skin on your palms during CrossFit workouts. It is common to rip the skin on your palms in the middle of a workout with movements such as pull-ups, toes to bar, bar muscle ups, ring muscle ups, and rope climbs, occasionally you might rip when doing olympic barbell lifts. It hurts, sometimes stopping your workout in its tracks, and can take weeks to heal if not managed properly, further limiting your training. Many of us have the preconceived notion that calluses make our hands tougher and allow us to do more but it actually acts as an additional friction point and leads to deeper skin tears when the whole callus tears off.

How to trim your calluses

Equipment needed

• Cuticle trimmers
• Sand block if you want a nice smooth finish

Where to trim

How to

1. Take hot shower, bath, or sit in hot tub to soften the skin on your palm
2. Use cuticle trimmers to remove excess skin
   
   • Start with a little and work deeper but avoid going too deep, no bleeding should occur
   • If desired, use sanding block to smooth out

1. Perform once per month or every other month
   
   • If you see a workout with higher volume pull-ups, etc. programmed and you are due to trim, prioritize getting it done a day or two before the workout

What to do if you rip?

1. Let the coach know so they can help clean up any blood and sanitize the equipment
2. Clean: rinse with water for more than 1 minute, remove any debris, wash with soap around the wound. Don't use hydrogen peroxide or iodine or rubbing alcohol as this can irritate the wound and kill viable healthy cells around the wound which could slow healing
3. Keep covered/bandaged and reasonably moist to prevent cracking
   
   • Supplies
     
     • Bandaids ie hydrocolloid
     • Can sleep with nitrile gloves and thicker lotion bag balm or petroleum jelly can be very effective
     • If excessive redness/pussy discharge, may need antibiotic cream or seek out professional medical care
   • Change dressing every 1-2 days
   • When you discontinue using a bandage, be sure to keep hands moisturized to prevent cracking of the wound and further bleeding/tenderness

Hand Grips

1. Can be used to decrease friction on hands but it is still possible to rip with grips
2. Many different brands and styles
   
   1. Popular brands
      
      • Victory grip
      • Bear Komplex
   2. Styles
      
      • Fingerless
        
        • Allows for easier transitions between barbell movements and gymnastics movements (don't have to remove your fingers from the holes). You can use the 2 or 3 hole designs similar to the fingerless design and not put your fingers through the holes
      • Finger holes (2 or 3 hole)
   3. Materials
      
      • Synthetic
        
        • Personally I haven't loved the carbon material from Bear Komplex because it feels slippier even with chalk on the grips
      • Leather: probably the most grippy but may not last as long or be as durable as synthetic options

*There will be a lot of personal preference and may take trying one type verse another to decide what you like best

If I were to buy another pair, I would likely go with a fingerless Victory Grip option and hope their synthetic material is more grippy than the carbon material Bear Komplex uses or the leather Bear Komplex and often use them without my fingers in the finger holes.