The Best Crossfit Skin Care Practices to Keep Your Hands in Top Shape

30 Apr 2019

Guest post by WOD Welder

Any experienced crossfitter knows that a targeted crossfit hand care system is vital in order to keep your hands in the best shape possible. From grasping bars to prepping the skin with dehydrating chalk, our hands take a beating when we are working out. By not taking care of your skin, you are creating opportunities for your hands to develop tears—which will only keep you out of the gym.

Athletes new to crossfit will most often start out with soft, callus-free hands, which are extremely susceptible to the dreaded crossfit hand tears. Calluses help to create friction, which in turn lessens the impact of physical contact on the skin. When the hands don’t have this protective barrier, they run the risk of suffering from painful rips. As you are building up calluses, it is necessary to take the best possible care of your skin so that you can avoid hand tears.

You might think that you are in the clear once you build up your calluses, but hand care doesn’t stop there—calluses are still prone to rips once they are thicker. More experienced athletes who have thickened their calluses will need to take specific crossfit callus care steps to make sure they are keeping them in optimal shape.

For crossfit athletes, torn skin is annoying and painful. Worst of all, it will keep you from fully being able to give your all during your workouts while you are recovering. If you are looking to avoid hand rips and keep your hands in the best functioning shape, it is essential to implement targeted crossfit hand care steps in your routine. These steps are easy to work into your daily life, and they will make a huge impact on the shape of your hands.

Keep Your Hands Moisturized

Hydration is the key to a proper crossfit skin care system—it allows your hands to function at their best. Well-hydrated skin moves with flexibility and can handle the physical impact that comes with gripping equipment in a crossfit workout. Your skin easily loses moisture throughout the day, so you need to add that hydration back to the skin by using a moisturizer. This w.o.d.welderHands as RX Cream is rich but absorbs quickly so that you aren’t left with greasy skin, and it helps keep skin supple. A crossfit hand cream should be used at least once a day in order to keep your hands at the necessary hydration level.

File Down Calluses

Over time, as you continue to dedicate yourself to your crossfit routine, your calluses will begin to form. Once they become thicker, it is important to dedicate time to crossfit callus care.

Calluses are important for creating friction, but once they get too thick, they are more likely to tear. Calluses need to be filed down so that they are in-line with the rest of your hand, rather than raised above the skin. By doing this, they are much less likely to tear, and they will allow for a more comfortable grip. Crossfit calluses can be easily taken care of by using a tool like a pumice stone or a callus shaver after showering.

Act Fast When Hand Tears Occur

If you do find yourself dealing with a crossfit hand tear, act fast in order to heal the wound as quickly as possible—and get yourself back in the gym. Keep the area clean to avoid infection, and take a step back from any physical activity that could aggravate the tear. In order to promote fast healing, keep the area hydrated by applying a targeted moisturizer. This Solid Salve protects you from infection while stimulating cell growth, which helps the healing process. Dry skin is prone to ripping even further, so make sure you are keeping the tear extra moisturized as it is healing.

CrossFit image at WTC

If you are looking for products to help keep your hands in the best shape possible, check out the w.o.d.welder athlete skin care line. These natural targeted crossfit hand care products and tools help crossfitters and athletes keep their skin in the best possible condition so that they can continue to consistently hit the gym and crush their goals.