If You Can't Grip It You Cant Rip It!

 If you Can't Grip It You Cant Rip It!

I would like to talk about a sensitive issue for CrossFit athletes. Sometimes this comes up often and sometimes people avoid the conversation because it makes them feel uncomfortable. I want you to know it's ok to talk about your calluses. All around the world Barbells, pull up bars, Kettlebells, and Dumbbells ale left sitting because their owners can't lift them because of PCHS (Painful callus hand syndrome). This needs to stop now!

It's true that constant gripping, friction, pulling, and rotation can be painful on your hands especially if you haven't been taking care of them. I get asked a lot about what I do to keep my hands ready for action at any time. To be honest, I file them down 2-3 times a week depending on how hard and elevated the calluses get.

Here are two photos of my hands one before and one after the "filing". I use a standard cheese grater type foot file. Make sure it has a fine and a course side to it. Some say to soak your hands first but I find that starting with the fine side on dry hands works better as it will shave off the excess callus and once you get it going flip it over the the course side (if you're in rough shape) then finish off with the fine side to smooth things out.

Before the filing (too much action)

After the filing (ready for action)

When filing your hands down make sure to leave some of the callus so that it protects your hands. If you get rid of all of the callus then you will expose fresh flesh to our harsh training environments.

After a good filing I like to use Glysomed hand cream to add some moisture and TLC to the area you just mined for dead skin.

Taking this approach on a consistent basis will help you to train consistently and not tear open which can slow down your training progress for weeks if it's bad enough.

Post any other suggestions that work for you and lets see if we can continue to train hard with soft hands.

Posted by Paul

Test, Mobilize & Retest. Did it Make A Difference?

Once upon a time there was a very tight man. To protect his identity we will call him Miguel
(or Migs for short).

So "Migs" was in for Saturday's workout which included some overhead squats. He asked me if he could do Front squats instead because he has trouble dropping more than 4" with a 35lb bar overhead. I told him it was ok as long as he stayed after the workout to work on some restrictions for that overhead position.

After the workout Migs went to the rack and threw a bar overhead for the squats. He dropped down to his 4" depth and and held it there. I asked him where he felt the most restriction was. He said his lower back. I had him doing a Side lying "T" & Lumbar spine rotation stretch which he held for 2 minutes per side (should have taken a picture of this). Once he had done both sides he retested the overhead squat position and BAM! He dropped to about 8" in depth That's 4" deeper in his squat than he was prior to the stretch (ladies please refer to a measuring tape to see what 4" looks like don't ask your man).

If you know you have specific restrictions in movements find a way to make it measurable on your own or with a coach perform a mobility exercise and test the movement. If you made gains then hooray! It worked. If you didn't see an improvement then try another mobility exercise and retest.

If you don't know where to start or what to do ask one of your coaches and they should be able to get you on the right track. It may be a little trial and error and depending on the situation mobility takes time bout you should be getting some results from the time you are putting in to the drills. If you're not seeing a difference then try something else.

My favorite place to for mobility ideas and videos is mobilitywod.com always great stuff from Kelly Starrett

Posted By Paul
   

 

"Look Great Gert A Date" And the winner is...

Well our final results are in and here are the top five from the 60 day challenge.

1st Place Brooke Pluta 13.29% for a total of 35.8lbs Takes home $300
2nd Place Randy Amaral 9.28% for a total of 22.6lbs Takes home $200
3rd Josee Lavalee 5.68% for a total of 8.8lbs Takes home $100
4th Eric Sagenes 6.6% for a total of 6.6lbs
5th Bernie Rogocki 4.69% for a total of 9.4lbs

Just a little on what I saw from our top five people

A little motivation for one of the last workouts before the final weigh in!

Brooke made some drastic changes to her lifestyle to end up where she did. She has lost over 70lbs since starting here. Like a run away freight train she looks like she won't be slowing down anytime soon. Brooke would drag her butt out of bed come in and bust her ass in workouts after putting in late hours at school for her play and working part time as well.

Randy would come in and pull double classes once a week and stay after every class to work on core work or throw in that extra bit of work. He has come such a long way since he started here and he is only getting better. I knew Randy since high school and and he's an amazing guy... We're lucky to have you Randy. Congratulations.

Yes those bells are 110lbs each (still too light if she's smiling like that in my opinion) 

Josee is a one of a kind girl who will run to and from the gym for her workouts (no matter what the weather). She has been progressing her skills and always seems to amaze me with how quiet and humble she is. Her success has a lot to do with her never ending list of goals and events which she PR's on a regular basis. This girl never quits.

Eric was one stiff man when he came here and has since loosened up. His mobility and strength has improved immensely and with that comes constant progression with challenging movements. I have been so proud to see Eric breaking parallel on his squats, gaining better positioning in movements and wearing looser shorts since starting here. I look forward to seeing how much further you can go!

Bernie has only been with us for a short time but he has come a long way with his physical and mental strength. He has had two knee replacements and was worried about doing classes here as he thought it was a "younger" persons gym. With proper progressions he has shown that this gym can be for anyone if they are willing to make the time and accept the challenge of being challenged.  


I have seen changes in everyone who took part in the 60 day challenge and the best part is that everyone had different ways about getting the results they received. I will be adding some posts from  people I saw make some great changes. Hopefully what they share can help motivate others to reach their goals or at least help get them started! Different things work for different people and what worked for them might work for you.

The next 60 Day challenge starts in January 2015. Are you in?

To Belt Or Tot To Belt?

Sometimes I get asked "Should I be wearing a belt?" The answer depends on what your goal is.

Lets look your first priority (pressurizing the torso)  then adding the belt to the movement. When moving weight with the barbell we teach people to "stay tight" through the movement and breathe when the joints are all stacked in a safe position.

For example when you pull the bar from the rack for a back squat you brace your torso by taking a breath and driving up under the bar, take a few steps back, exhale and inhale when in position to start your squat and hold your breath on the way down to the bottom and back up to the top. You might let out a noise (and I don't mean a fart) or grunt on the way up or exhale slightly when you get closer to the top to release some pressure. Once you reach the top you will exhale and inhale to re-pressurize then start your next rep (unless you were aiming for one repetition).

Taking that breath, pressurizing your torso, and firing your deep and superficial abdominals will help to create a pressurized and more rigid torso throughout your lifts. Pressurizing the torso works with heavy loads in front, back, and overhead squats, deadlifts, cleans, snatches, & heavy presses to name a few of my favourites.

Adding a belt to your heavy lifts will help to compress the abdominal musculature and cavity (as you expand into it) to create a more rigid torso and provide more stability for the spine. When you wear a belt during your lifts it will help to contain that musculature in a smaller space rather then letting it spill out which allows slightly less rigidity of the spine.

You might be thinking "This all sounds great, Should I wear a belt all the time when training?" Unless your name is Hans or Franz you shouldn't be relying on a belt unless you need that extra bit of support. Save it for your heavy lifts when you need that support or when you are doing higher reps with challenging loads and there is a chance that your core musculature will fail before you are going to stop. I use a belt on heavy lifts having broken vertebrae in my lumbar spine rock climbing almost 10 years ago and it helps a lot when I get to the heavier loads. It also helped me in the CrossFit Open workout 14.3 with the deadlifts & box jumps.

Using a belt all the time can lead to less core development and false sense of security if you rely on it all the time. Use it as a tool to help you move more weight and not as a crutch so you can be slack with your form and awareness.

If you plan on belting it up make sure you try it at a sub maximal load to make sure you understand how to fill it out and feel supported in it rather than trowing it on just to try for a new PR.

Posted by Paul