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So ... to be a CrossFit bad-ass, you need to puke at the end of the session and have hands that look like you have rubbed them on a cheese grater ... right? Well no, actually.
Although both of these things do unfortunately occur sometimes as a result of the WOD, they are not ideal, and are certainly not what this coach is looking for. They are both collateral damage, and in my experience, largely unhelpful to what we are trying to achieve. Why? Well whenever I see either occur, I know that for the next one to two weeks intensity is going to drop for that trainee. The irony of this situation is that usually the trainee has managed to lift their intensity to the point that they have busted their hands or lost their lunch. This in itself is often a bit of a breakthrough. Increased intensity is what we should be seeking. However, it takes a superhuman mind to puke or bust your hands, and then want to go to that same place in the next session, or the session after etc. So what happens? That little intensity governor kicks in and the trainee automatically reduces the intensity in the next session so that it doesn't happen again. So in return for one kick-ass session that resulted in an empty stomach and bleeding hands, the coach is left with two weeks of conservatively less intense workouts that cannot include anything that requires gripping a bar. Not really worth it if we are looking for long term progress.
Some people puke, some don't. I am not convinced that puking correlates to intensity. From what I have seen on the gym floor, there are many factors that lead to losing your lunch mid or post workout, but three that seem to be most significant. (1) what you eat before training, (2) being unaccustomed to intensity, and (3) having a weak stomach. My theory is that people that tend to puke in a WOD are the same ones that puke when changing a nappy. I have seen Dougie push himself to near blackout and not come close to puking. Anyone that has seen him attack a WOD will know that there is nothing wrong with his intensity. I have also seen a trainer wandering around in the middle of a WOD dry retching and water puking, making animal noises and holding his stomach, whilst training at Dougie's warmup intensity. And to further confuse things, I also know a trainer that can match Dougie's intensity and is a regular puker. What does this all mean? If you are a puker, take it outside, don't brag about it and build up your tolerance so that it doesn't happen. If you are not a puker, don't feel you should be one.
Blisters are an entirely different story. At some stage we will all get a dose. The only way to avoid ever getting them to avoid using your hands to do work, and clearly that is a negative strategy. When we begin training, typically our hands are unconditioned. In an ideal world, we would do just enough work to build up calluses, but not enough to get a blister. Life is not ideal. Usually our physical progress outstrips the rate of conditioning of our hands and sooner or later in the first couple of months we end up tearing up our hands. Usually this is greeted by knowing smiles from fellow Crossfitters, and the first dose really is a rite of passage. Welcome to the club, now dry your eyes.
Something to be proud of the first time, annoying the second time and a pain in the ring after that. Once you have had a dose, avoid ripping your hands because it stops you from training effectively. Chronic handrippers are not bad-asses. They are simply not looking after themselves. Some workouts will rip your hands more that others. Usually they are the ones with a truckload of pullups, eg Angie, Barbara, Nicole. It is important to protect your hands. The type of workout, the type of bar, the pre-existing condition of your hands, your kipping style and grip strength are all factors that affect whether you destroy your hands in a WOD. Don't be a victim. We want you training every day, not hammering a single session and then being unable to train for a week because your hands are too sore.
CrossFit Virtuosity has a great series of articles on looking after your hands. Please read them and save yourself the frustration of not being able to hang from the bar.
Looking after you hands - part 1
Looking after your hands - part 2
