Hand Care
Grip training requires attention on keeping the skin on the hands smooth and supple. Rough hands are a sign of poor skin care and will be prone to damage during training.
Hand Tape
Hand tape is a strong and durable synthetic tape, with sticky on one side and an easily grippable surface on the other side. Made from synthetic materials, it is built for strength, and can be wrapped tightly to provide hold, or added to surfaces to improve grip. Tape comes in a range of widths and styles, as well as various colors and materials. Tape can be found at any hardware store or climbing shop.
The video below shows how to tape your hands up properly.
Moisturizer
A good moisturiser is vital. This is to prevent dry skin from flaking or getting chapped. It will treat sore skin and keep the hand feeling soft. Any moisturizer will generally do, here are the two brands that are most popular.
E45 moisturizer Hand Cream contains a combination of lipids that restores the skin's natural barrier and re-hydrates the skin. Easily absorbed.
Aloe Vera
The Aloe Vera plant contains number of health benefits that has been used for medicinal purposes around the world for more than 3500 years. This Gel is completely natural, acts as a moisturiser, helps heal burns and speeds up the healing process.
Contrast Baths
This hand health technique involves soaking the hands in alternating buckets of hot and cold water. Starting with hot, finishing with cold. The hot water should be around 45 degrees Celsius. The cold bucket should be around 15 degrees Celsius. Typically hands are soaked for 90 seconds in each bucket, alternating buckets for 3 cycles.
Contrast baths dramatically reduce recovery time after a hard grip workout as it causes the blood vessels within the hand to contract and dilate, allowing more oxygen to be fed to the tissue within the hand.
Chalk
Chalk helps to Improve grip and elliminate sweaty paws of the hand. Chalk can be bought loose, in a chalk bag or as a liquid version, all of which do the same job.
Dexterity Balls
Dexterity balls are spheres ranging in size from 1 inch to more than 3 inches and can weigh a few ounces to 6 pounds or more. Typically used in pairs, the smaller balls are rotated in the hands to develop independent control of the fingers and for active recovery after strenuous grip work. The balls serve to improve hand health by increasing blood flow, stretching the fingers, massaging the tissues of the hand, and strengthening the fingers in all directions of motion.
These provide a wide range of exercises to master. Some of the most common, in approximate order of difficulty, are as follows:
Palm facing up:
- Rotate 2 balls counter clockwise while letting them touch
- Rotate 2 balls clockwise while letting them touch
- Rotate 2 balls counter clockwise without letting them touch
- Rotate 2 balls clockwise without letting them touch
- Rotate 3 balls either direction while letting them touch
- Balance a 4th ball on top of 3 balls while rotating them
For a more intense challenge the hand can be flipped over !
Palm facing down:
- Rotate 2 balls counter clockwise while letting them touch
- Rotate 2 balls clockwise while letting them touch
- Rotate 2 balls counter clockwise without letting them touch
- Rotate 2 balls clockwise without letting them touch