If you CrossFit for any period of time, you’ll know how hard CrossFit is on your hands, from constantly being dried out with chalk to the bars tearing into you and the motion of pull ups on the rig. You are bound to rip at some point in your CrossFit workouts.
TIPS FOR HELPING YOUR HANDS HEAL FROM RIPS
- Once you rip, immediately wash with water, apply a disinfectant, and bandage up. You’ll want to cut any loose skin away from the wounds to help with healing.
- Wait a few hours and then remove bandages. There are two schools of thought here: either keep the wounds moist to facilitate healing or dry out the wound to let it heal. I always let mine dry out.
- Be extremely careful for the next few days. Depending on the severity of the rips, try not to do too much with your hands.
- Showering will be painful, but it’s good to rinse your wounds and keep them clean. You may want to skip shampooing for a few days.
- Tape up when you decide to work out again. This will protect the wounds from infection but mainly from being damaged any further.
- Avoid the rig, ring work, handstands, pull ups, rope climbs, or any other movement that will further cause damage until your hands are completely healed up. Barbells and dumbbells are usually okay as long as you’re taped up.
- Let time do it’s thing. Your hands heal really quickly so in a week or so, you’ll be back at your regular CrossFit workouts.
Ripping is never fun, but it’s usually inevitable if you end up doing CrossFit workouts with high rep counts of pull ups or chest to bar or muscle ups. For me, I have been doing strict only. This eliminates the back and forth motion that causes rips. However, when it’s the CrossFit Open or any other kind of competition, I kip because I’m competing. That is why I ripped.
Keep these tips in mind, and get back at it!
My Journey to the CrossFit Games 