THIS IS NOT COOL... PART II

So now that we have established that torn palms are not cool, how do you avoid them? I've posted on this subject several times in the past, but here we go again in case you have missed the past postings....

AVOIDING TORN HANDS

1. Do more dead hang pull-ups to get stronger. Charlie left the perfect comment about this yesterday: "The whole Crossfit line that kipping is somehow challenging your body more than strict pull-ups is BS. Fact is, kipping is taking easy-to-generate horizontal motion and converting it to harder-to-generate vertical motion." What Charlie is saying is that kipping is basically swinging yourself over the bar. My advice on this is simple... If you can't knock out at least one dead hang pull-up, but you can rattle off a few kipping pull-ups, you likely should not be doing high rep pull-up work without the assistance of a band. The huge kip that you have to do to compensate for your lack of pull-up strength is likely going to leave your hands shredded. I am definitely not saying I am against a kipping pull-up in a workout. I am simply saying that your kip should not be so violent. I did an image search on google. Couldn't find a picture of a gymnast with a kip so pronounced as the one in the picture I posted yesterday.
2. Take care of your callouses. You have to knock those things down. Use a nail file, a pumice stone, a callous shaver, or even a Dremel tool with a grinding tip. Use a good lotion to keep your callouses soft (your significant other will appreciate this!)
3. STOP ABUSING THE CHALK!!! I have no idea whose hands are in the above picture... I found it doing a google search. If this guy/girl was at our gym I would smack him upside his head. I've said this over and over again.... Your hands need to slide around the bar. When you have so much chalk on your hands that they look like powdered sugar donuts, you are not going to get that sliding. Chalk is in the gym to dry your hands, not to become batter for deep frying. Put the chalk on your hands, then clap them together until you no longer see the chalk.
   
4. Learn how to tape your hands properly. A strip around the palm is not going to do you any good. Here is the link to a post from CrossFit Invictus about how to tape your hands properly: http://www.crossfitinvictus.com/blog/2009/06/tuesday-june-2-2009/
5. Protect your hands somehow. Gloves, a patch of leather, a towel over the bar, whatever....
   
6. Get stronger. Oh damn... I already said that... Seriously, I challenge all of you to do some dead hang pull-ups EVERY TIME you step foot in the gym. Try to build up to 20 dead hang pull-ups a day. Your strength will shoot through the roof and pull-up workouts will get WAY easier.

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WORKOUT   2/8/2010

Strength:

Squat 4x4 @ 82% of your 1 rep max.  Press 4/4/4/4

Conditioning:

Complete four rounds for time of: 50' bear crawl/6 broad jumps (6')/25 wall balls (M:20#/W:14#)

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Posted this here once before......

Feeling a little blah during your workout? Maybe you need a little kick...

Comments

[Brian P]

Hey Freddy, I usually just read and leave but this posting is awesome and really gave me a good path forward for my pull up practice and it's a good explanation why I'm so bad at a pull up, moreover a kipping pull up. Thanks for the advice, I'm going to start training on strength w those dead hang pull ups.

-Brian P. from DCF

[Eric]

I have gotten into the chalk debate so many times at the gym I coach at. Me and the head coach/owner have completely opposite views on chalk. He believes in the same thing you do in regards to how much chalk to use, and I believe quite differently. If you look at any gymnast or olympic lifter their hands are chalked to shit.

http://gymnasticscoaching.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/chalk-gymnast.jpg

I know personally when I'm working with a bar (whether it be barbell or pull-up bar) that the more I chalk, the better grip I get. That one picture is just something I found really quickly. You can search any olympic lifter or gymnast and see the same result.

I do agree with the dead hang pull-up theory. I personally believe that most people introduced to CrossFit aren't strong enough in general. I was stoked when I saw you start programming a strength wod ontop of your other work. If you can't strict ATLEAST ten pull-ups in a row, then you really need to forget about the kip for a bit.

[Jerry]

good to see the truth finally come out about Xfit's spin on the kipping pullup. Kipping pullup is a nice way to incorporate pullups into a metcon but in no way are they superior to strict pullup.

[Lancaster]

"Kick Mother Nature your Energy Legs"

[Annie]

400 babies? So that's what my husband is drinking!

[Scott Pauly]

F....ing Hilarious!!!!
Freddy where do you find these videos?

Poi Dog

[Andrea]

Well said. You only left one out - those hands w/o covering are a freaking public health concern. No one wants bar cooties!!

[Iowa]

Wow! I definitely need to get me some Shockolate - PowerThirst. Better watch out come Monday..."Uncomfortably Engergic and Abnormally Fast".