We also did Fran the other night and my hands were sore as heck!
I might have to check into some type of grippers. I currently only use the chalk but not liking how rough my hands are starting to get.
I have used Super Advanced Whey Protein available @ Wal-Mart for the last 2 years and I like it.... guess I do not see the need to buy online or spend a lot more money.

I use Nike football gloves for lifting right now. I might look into the grippers the heavier the weights get.

I don't use Protein powder. I try to get my Protein from food.

1- Yes, and train your hands to be tough. I don't know about women because it's different.

2- No Whey Protein. It's not natural. Egg or meats will do the job and far better than whey protein.

1- Yes, and train your hands to be tough. I don't know about women because it's different.

2- No Whey Protein. It's not natural. Egg or meats will do the job and far better than whey protein.

How is whey not natural?

OP - build up and take care of your calluses. Also, for grip strength farmers carries are recommended. Don't overchalk either, that can be just as bad as no chalk at all. If your hands are pretty sensitive, on the verge of tearing, tape up before the workout. You can turn basic athletic tape into gymnastic grips: http://crossfitanaheim.com/2011/07/tape-grip/ They work well to lift and also for pull up/toes to bar workouts.

For whey, look at getting a whey isolate. I try to hit my protein as much as I can with whole foods, but to be honest it's expensive and I'm honestly not a huge fan of one of the cheapest meats, chicken. I hit my goals with usually eggs and some form of meat for breakfast, greek yogurt for lunch, and 4-8oz of meat for dinner, typically supplementing with 1-3 scoops of protein per day. I used to use only Isopure Whey Isolate in Creamy Vanilla, it's good for baking with and mixing in with yogurt and fruit. I just started using Syntrax Nectar Whey in chocolate truffle and also bought Iso Sensation in strawberry. These are all fairly "clean" and low carb protein supps.

GNC is a rip off, see if you can get samples to try from them of any supp you are interested in, then look around locally or look online. I have found a few places that have a better variety of supps and sell them at almost half the cost of GNC.

a lot of women I know tear because they use too much chalk, or (in my case) summer and I sweat , over chalk and tear. Reebok just released a crossfit specific glove http://shopcrossfitreebok.com/accessories/gloves/women-s-reebok-crossfit-gloves.html. I'd try it for bar work/climbing and heavy deadlifts.

$50 for the glove, totally rip off. You could go to homedepot, lowes, autozone, etc to pick up a set of glove for $20 with same quality.

well everything about CF is a bit of a racket, isn't it?

I got some some gymnastic grips from Rogue for about $20-25. This is the company that outfits the CrossFit games. They have lots of useful CrossFit gear. Here is the link: http://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-gymnastics-grips.php

I find they are good for high rep pull-ups. I definitely do not have to come off of the bar as often but they take some getting used to and I am still breaking them in.

As for protein, whey is my favorite in a crunch, like if I don't have time to grab a proper meal within an hour or so of WOD'ing. I used pure whey (not the whey based drinks packed with sugar and artificial junk) and buy it in bulk from Costco where it is really cheap. I also keep egg protein around the house but here is my take on the difference between the two.

1. I could be mistaken but I believe that the body can utilize whey faster than any other protein. Maybe someone else can back me up (or correct me) on this point.
2. Even by itself, whey it taste decent. Egg white protein does not seem to taste as good solo.
3. Whey mixes well with a Blender Bottle which many of us carry to the box. Egg protein tends to lump up into a nasty mess and foams up to the point where by whisk ball won't even swirl through the mixture. You almost need a blender to mix egg white protein.
4. Whey is a whole lot cheaper than egg white protein.
5. Whey is a lot easier to find than egg white protein. You can get pure whey at your local grocery store in most cases. I have seen egg protein in places like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's but it had a ton of crapped added to it. Mostly fillers like sugar, which I suspect is because of the price and taste of pure egg powder.

I hope this helps to answer your questions.

a lot of women I know tear because they use too much chalk, or (in my case) summer and I sweat , over chalk and tear. Reebok just released a crossfit specific glove http://shopcrossfitreebok.com/accessories/gloves/women-s-reebok-crossfit-gloves.html. I'd try it for bar work/climbing and heavy deadlifts.

$50 for the glove, totally rip off. You could go to homedepot, lowes, autozone, etc to pick up a set of glove for $20 with same quality.

well everything about CF is a bit of a racket, isn't it?

Not really. $ Membership with a box is reasonable. All other than that is unreasonable.

WOW, wish my box was cheaper!! almost 2K/yr here!