If last year’s CrossFit Games Open was any indication, your hands are in for a severe beating this year as the WOD Gods program workouts designed to meet and exceed the demands of even the most elite athletes.

In anticipation of this, many smart competitors have begun preparing their hands for battle early. How can you get started with a hand prep routine to make sure you’re not a step behind in the competition? Follow these 3 simple steps:

1) By using a pumice stone in the shower to thin out (but not scrub off) your hard earned calluses, you can keep them tough, but not thick. Thick calluses are what get pinched and sheared off when you don’t get an ideal grip on the bar, or make a bad hand position adjustment during a kettlebell swing.

2) Now that your calluses are thin, it’s time to make them flexible. This is a key step that many CrossFitters over look. Flexible, well hydrated calluses are less prone to tearing just as well as hydrated muscles are less prone to fatigue. Hydration is key, which is why RIPT recommends keeping a moisturizer with you at all times and constantly apply small doses to your calluses to keep them from drying out. This is why our DAILY DOSE product is conveniently packaged in a thin lip balm tube, so that you can pop it in your pocket and apply as needed.

3) The above two steps should drastically reduce the amount of hand tears or callus rips that you experience. We know that you are all hard training athletes though, so blowout will eventually occur.

If you do happen to rip your hands open, the first thing you want to do is seal off the wound from the environment. Tears hurt because of the newly exposed sensitive skin has lost it’s protective layer. If you can quickly fill the hole with something packed full of essential oils specifically chosen to promote the growth of new skin (a la QUICK FIX), you’ve already jump started the healing process and sped up your skin’s recovery time as well as lowered your chance of infection.

Wish you guys all the best in your training for the 2012 CrossFit Games. RIPT will see you in California in July!