Hand care

Since I am being a big baby about my hand, I have been reading a lot about hand care. I read one scientific article that was completely useless because it talked only about the elderly. I kept reading hoping to glean some insight, but no. I did learn that when I get old I should moisturize a lot. This is completely useless in my current predicament. The best article I found on this actually came from the Crossfit Journal. They say that there are 2 things that lead to ripping:
1) soft hands with little or no callus build-up or
2) too much callus buildup that makes bumps or ridges on the surface of your hands.
You want something in between. The best thing, as we all know, is to have tough but smooth calluses.

Once you get a tear you should:
1) remove all extra skin
2) wash with soap and water (yes, this will hurt like hell)
3) cover with Neosporin
4) put a bandage on and leave on over night
5) when you wake up in the morning wash again and cover with vitamin E
6) from now on, leave in with out a bandage so that it can be exposed to the air

As for prevention, you should do what we all do anyway..... build up calluses and then file them down smooth. Both the Crossfit Journal and the guy from Crossfit Delaware recommend for high reps (like Angie) that you use these:


~bea