If you’ve ever torn your hands during a CrossFit® workout, you know how brutal it is. Pull-ups, barbell cycling, and any sort of grip-intensive work becomes a nightmare—and sometimes completely off-limits.
After 17 years of trial and (very painful) error, here’s the most up-to-date hand care strategy I use to prevent rips, protect my hands, and heal them fast if they do tear.
This 3-step process—Prevention, Protection, Healing—has changed everything for me. Let’s walk through it.
1. Prevention: Manage Your Calluses (Don’t Remove Them)
Calluses are not the enemy—poorly managed calluses are.
Thick, dry, bulky calluses are what lead to tears. But small, soft, pliable calluses actually protect your hands. The key is not to shave them off completely, but to reduce their thickness and smooth them out.
What I use:
- The SandBar – It’s a sandpaper-coated metal tool shaped like a pull-up bar. Grip it the same way you’d grip the bar, rotate it 5 times in each direction, and you’re good to go.
- Mini SandBar Keychain – For touch-ups on finger pads, which are notorious rip zones.
When to do it: Use it just like you brush your teeth—daily. At night, after washing your hands with warm soapy water, use the SandBar when your skin is soft, then follow up with lotion or healing balm.
Bonus: You can grab the WODprep Hand Care Bundle (with discount code WODPREP20) for everything I use.
2. Protection: What to Use During Workouts
Let’s be honest—no matter how well you manage your calluses, certain workouts (especially in the Open) can destroy your hands. Protecting your hands during high-rep gymnastics is non-negotiable.
A) Grips
If you’ve never used grips before or use them incorrectly, here’s what you need to know:
What I use: RX Smart Gear Alex Smith Leather Grips
How to wear them:
- Tighten them on your wrist.
- Chalk them up heavily.
- Throw the grip over the bar and choke up so the leather covers your palm.
- Most of your body weight should hang through your wrist, not your fingers.
This transfers the pressure off your hands and into the wrist strap, saving your skin from friction and shearing forces.
B) Thumb Tape
Barbell work (especially with hook grip) will absolutely trash your thumbs if left unprotected.
What I use: Element 26 Thumb Tape (code WODPREP10)
- Why this tape? It’s stretchy, sticky, and stays on even with sweaty hands.
- How to tape:
- Start on the inside of your thumb.
- Wrap semi-tight 2–3 times.
- Finish on the outside.
It protects against painful calluses and lets you maintain a strong hook grip with full range of motion.
3. Healing: What to Do If You Rip
Rips still happen. So when they do, your goal is to minimize downtime.
Here’s my healing protocol:
- Clean the wound: Wash with warm, soapy water
(yes, it’ll sting—but infections are worse). - Remove dead skin: Use a SandBar or file to trim excess skin around the rip without touching raw skin.
- Apply healing balm:
- I use SandBar’s Salve (think: chapstick for calluses). It promotes healing, reduces inflammation, and keeps your skin pliable.
- You can also use standard lotion, but avoid greasy ointments right before workouts.
This same Salve can be used preventatively, too. If a callus is looking angry, apply it the night before to keep it healthy.
Final Tips Better Hand Care
Torn hands ruin workouts. But the good news? Ripping is completely avoidable with a smart plan.
If you:
✔ Use the SandBar nightly to keep calluses manageable
✔ Wear grips and thumb tape during high-volume workouts
✔ Treat any rips right away to speed up recovery
You’ll stay in the gym, keep progressing, and never miss an Open workout due to bloody palms.
Everything I use—grips, thumb tape, sand tools, healing salves.
Use my codes to save some cash and take care of your hands like a pro.
Your hands don’t have to be the limiting factor anymore.
Let’s rip less, train more, and dominate this year.