Timeline and Applications

Traveling to the elitefts S4 compound and training during team sessions or visiting for events is always a great time. Spending time with likeminded and strong people is something I very much enjoy. I also get to test anything and everything that elitefts sells, including some things that they are deciding whether or not to sell. Well, earlier this month I had the privilege of trying out the Ript Skin System because I tore my hand open while training at a team session there.

Trauma

Immediate tear

It was 5 p.m. on a Friday night at an Underground Strength Session with team elitefts. It was also my last session of isometric deadlifts before my tapering into my most recent meet. This meant that I had to do four isometric pin pulls of six seconds, each one followed by two speed deadlifts.

Everything was going well until my last set of speed deadlifts with 655 pounds. About half way up on the final rep, I felt the bar slide in my hand, which I knew meant that I had torn my hand open. It was obviously bad to tear my hand, especially close before a competition, but it wasn’t so bad that I tore off my calluses.

12 Hours Later

12 hours

First thing the next day, I got a kit of this stuff. Even though the tear had happened the day before, I tried the “quick fix” portion of the kit. It’s application is simple, with the product contained in a chapstick-like container.

For the remainder of the day, every few hours I applied the daily dose application. It was incredibly easy to apply and it was keeping the skin moisturized and tight.

36 Hours Later

36 hours

As you can see here, that’s what my tear looked like 36 hours after the injury. Everything was healing fine and the daily dose seemed to be keeping everything soft and supple. My max effort bench day was unaffected and everything was feeling good. Even with 500 pounds in my hands, there were no issues with the tear.

After benching I moved on to my assistance work and noticed that my hand dealt with pushing movements much better than pulling ones. However, I completed my pulldowns and low rows without causing any further damage, since the product was keeping my hand in such good shape. As soon as I was done with training, I continued my daily dose every few hours.

60 Hours Later

60 hoursAs you can see in the photo, after a short two days the wound was already healing quite nicely. I didn’t feel the tear starting to dry out, as it normally would without the use of the Ript product. It was of paramount importance to have my hand ready to pull heavy in just another three days. Daily doses continued over these next three days.

1 Week Later

1 week

A full week post-tear, and I could say that it was feeling pretty good. I had trimmed the calluses, polished the dead skin off with a pumice stone, and everything had smoothed out nicely. The damaged skin was yet to dry out or crack, which meant I would be able to pull the next day.

When the next day finally came, it was time to try a heavy pull. I was very worried about making the tear worse, but I needed to pull. I worked all the way up to my planned last warm up of 645 pounds before I had any problem. While that meant I had to stop there, it was heavy enough for the purpose it served and it was certainly much heavier than I would have been able to do without treating the tear.

Overall Rating: A

ript skin

  • The product retails for $21.95 on elitefts.com
  • The quick fix and daily dose prevented my skin from drying or cracking, even after ten days.
  • The pumice stone included in the pack does a good job, but tends to flake off black particles (perhaps after more uses this will stop)
  • The price is a little high, but if you’re in need because of a meet coming up or something, it’s a great way to fast-track your healing.
  • If you use the daily dose more often than suggested, like I did, you will run out of that part of the kit rather quickly.
  • If you don’t have it on hand when you need it, you are already too late.

Overall it doesn’t get a perfect A+ because of the minor negatives that keep this kit from being perfect. But, hey, an A is a damn good score and product I certainly stand behind.

power rack