gymnastics and hands

[a thing]

Have any tips for keeping hands in best condition possible while doing gymnastics (specifically rings and high bar)? I have been using aloe vera, moisturizing lotion, and olive oil.

 

[veRGe]

I was a competitive gymnast for most of my life. I used emu oil for my hands when they were still soft and ripping a lot. You can order it online. Breaking a vitamin e capsule and putting it over your hands before bed and wearing gloves when you sleep will help as well. New Skin can also help if it's not too deep of a rip. Hope this helps.

 

[Rabbi]

Tape, tape, tape, and more tape. I do a good bit of ring work (muscle ups, dips, an push ups. I'm not a gymnast), and lots of pull ups, so I beat up on my hands a lot. Tape up your hands, and use plenty of chalk. Also, don't let your callouses get out of control. Use an emory board to file them down when necessary.

 

[mrs_mia_wallace]

Don't be a baby!

Basically, if you want to be a good gymnast accept you're going to have nasty callous-ed hands and it will suck and be painful in the beginning, but it's only the callouses that will actually do anything in the long term (and they'll break at times and that will suck more, what a wonderful sport it is). My hands are disgusting after 18 years of gymnastics but bars don't bother me anymore. It just takes time.

I never really got into tape, but I know some people use it. I've always just used chalk and just moisturized afterwards with a non-scented basic lotion. Aoe vera helps as well if you're hands are particularly raw after a practice.

 

[a thing]

I just tried a new idea: filling a sink with a little bit of hot water (just enough to cover hands), ripping a bag of green tea, dumping it in, and soaking hands in the tea. I wonder how this will turn out.

 

[Dtergent]

Over-moisturizing your hands used to give them more tendency to blister, in my experience. Tape would work-- but I've never used it. Chalk up well. I know it sounds kind of gross, but making my skin tough on the hands used to make things much easier for me when I was a gymnast.