Talk to me about calluses
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ck09ck
Posts: 13 Member
Hi!
I've been strength training for about six weeks now and I think I'm in it for life. Lifting heavy is amazing! Talk about a rush!
That said, I have calluses upon calluses... And I don't find gloves all that great for my grip.
What do you do about them? Or do I just need to love and accept them?
I've been strength training for about six weeks now and I think I'm in it for life. Lifting heavy is amazing! Talk about a rush!
That said, I have calluses upon calluses... And I don't find gloves all that great for my grip.
What do you do about them? Or do I just need to love and accept them?
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Replies
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I have never tried any gloves, though it crosses my mind on occasion. I don't mind the calluses except they ache during lifting sessions and are a slight distraction. People's opinions seem to vary on the callus and gloves topic. Many say just live with them. Others prefer to wear gloves. I think it in part comes down to personal preference.0
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DawnEmbers wrote: »I have never tried any gloves, though it crosses my mind on occasion. I don't mind the calluses except they ache during lifting sessions and are a slight distraction. People's opinions seem to vary on the callus and gloves topic. Many say just live with them. Others prefer to wear gloves. I think it in part comes down to personal preference.
Drat - so there's no magic solution?
I think I'll just learn to love them. Like you say, they ache intermittently and are a distraction.
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Get the gloves that are leather, they fit really tight on your hands and are difficult to put on. But they'll prevent (most of) the calluses and give great grip: Harbinger Power StretchBack Glove (Black, Large) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00074H73C/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_0KnGvbJ4Q6K280
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A MFP friend who is physically active and lifts recommended chalk, "The chalk allows for a better grip & less tearing of the skin on the knurling of the bar." It's my next purchase, and trying chalk used my gymnast...shaped like a ball...hopefully it helps...0
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Thanks the the glove and chalk recommendations! My gym doesn't allow chalk, sadly, but going to get those gloves!0
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I wear gloves. Our gym doesn't allow chalk. I didn't wear gloves the first few months I started lifting, and the hands were totally ripped to shreds, bled sometimes and can be a point of discussion in a business meeting that you don't want to talk about.
That being said, I got some leather Nike gloves because my hands are tiny (size 3.5 wedding rings tiny). I lost a little bit of ability for a few weeks adjusting to the weights with gloves, but got it back and now it's a non issue.0 -
The gloves have helped a lot. I don't start bleeding spontaneously at work now 0
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My hands sweat like crazy. It's annoying. So I have to wear gloves for lifting and some other exercises (biking and rowing come to mind.)0
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I bought some gloves from TJ Maxx and while they do help a little, I'm going to look for a different pair. These are thin and don't fit very tight so they slid around a bit. They're good for my sweaty hands, but not much help against calluses.0
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I shave mine off with a callus shaver, you can get one at drug stores or probably Walmart. It's a 6 inch handle with a razor on the end, the razor, of course, is protected by hardware similar to ones you use on your legs, but it's a single blade. I CrossFit, so between pull ups and dead lifts, l develop calluses weekly that need a shaving. I learned this from my coach, who has been lifting for 15-20 years. You definitely want to maintain your calluses because if they get too big and you lift a heavy load, you risk tearing them off, with is really nasty and painful and you get blood on the equipment. Shaving really works and is fast and easy. You will still get a nasty callus from time to time that will sting, maybe even break, but it reduces the overall discomfort and you don't walk around picking at your hands all the time.
When you can catch your callus with a fingernail, it's time to shave. Think smooth, you want to remove the dead skin and make the little pads smooth. Be careful not to shave too deep. You'll get the hang of it an know when enough is enough. Basically, just extend your fingers back as far as you can and go to town, just shaving the little pads smooth. Groom those babies. My coach recommends a lotion as a followup, but I don't and I'm fine. I don't use gloves, I understand that to improve grip strength, use bare hands.
I also find it to be an effective way to get a pesky office neighbor to leave me alone, I just bust out my shaver and get to work. It bothers him, so he goes away.0 -
Chalk, careful attention to grip, and a recognition that having some calluses is a good thing. There are some good posts on stronglifts.com about using the right grip for a given lift - search there and you'll probably find them in no time. Basically, you're trying to avoid catching skin folds and/or letting the bar slip much.0
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I like gloves. I use the Femme Fitale ones. I find they are the best I've tried. I've tried others but didn't like them and they seemed to affect my grip.0
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I shave mine off with a callus shaver, you can get one at drug stores or probably Walmart. It's a 6 inch handle with a razor on the end, the razor, of course, is protected by hardware similar to ones you use on your legs, but it's a single blade. I CrossFit, so between pull ups and dead lifts, l develop calluses weekly that need a shaving. I learned this from my coach, who has been lifting for 15-20 years. You definitely want to maintain your calluses because if they get too big and you lift a heavy load, you risk tearing them off, with is really nasty and painful and you get blood on the equipment. Shaving really works and is fast and easy. You will still get a nasty callus from time to time that will sting, maybe even break, but it reduces the overall discomfort and you don't walk around picking at your hands all the time.
When you can catch your callus with a fingernail, it's time to shave. Think smooth, you want to remove the dead skin and make the little pads smooth. Be careful not to shave too deep. You'll get the hang of it an know when enough is enough. Basically, just extend your fingers back as far as you can and go to town, just shaving the little pads smooth. Groom those babies. My coach recommends a lotion as a followup, but I don't and I'm fine. I don't use gloves, I understand that to improve grip strength, use bare hands.
I also find it to be an effective way to get a pesky office neighbor to leave me alone, I just bust out my shaver and get to work. It bothers him, so he goes away.
HA HA your coach is "old school" mine used to say the same thing to us back in high school...."cut it off with a razor you'll be fine". I find that for the days I can use gloves it helps on certain equipment. But I also like to go "commando" grip as I feel a better connection to the weight and the muscle being"burnt". Chalk is great if the workout location (gym or other location) has it. For those who are like me who workout at home it is messy. I tried creams also but in the end I just deal with them until I can scrap/cut them down a bit.0 -
I don't care. Urea cream should reduce them a lot, though.0
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Wanted to update. The chalk ball is great! The ball limits the amount of chalk that is released so you don’t have a mess. A great find! Another thing that helps, as soon as I’m done my session I wash my hands and message moisturizer on the area. So between the chalk ball and moisturizer it’s all good!A MFP friend who is physically active and lifts recommended chalk, "The chalk allows for a better grip & less tearing of the skin on the knurling of the bar." It's my next purchase, and trying chalk used my gymnast...shaped like a ball...hopefully it helps...0 -
SyrTigressnla wrote: »I shave mine off with a callus shaver, you can get one at drug stores or probably Walmart. It's a 6 inch handle with a razor on the end, the razor, of course, is protected by hardware similar to ones you use on your legs, but it's a single blade. I CrossFit, so between pull ups and dead lifts, l develop calluses weekly that need a shaving. I learned this from my coach, who has been lifting for 15-20 years. You definitely want to maintain your calluses because if they get too big and you lift a heavy load, you risk tearing them off, with is really nasty and painful and you get blood on the equipment. Shaving really works and is fast and easy. You will still get a nasty callus from time to time that will sting, maybe even break, but it reduces the overall discomfort and you don't walk around picking at your hands all the time.
When you can catch your callus with a fingernail, it's time to shave. Think smooth, you want to remove the dead skin and make the little pads smooth. Be careful not to shave too deep. You'll get the hang of it an know when enough is enough. Basically, just extend your fingers back as far as you can and go to town, just shaving the little pads smooth. Groom those babies. My coach recommends a lotion as a followup, but I don't and I'm fine. I don't use gloves, I understand that to improve grip strength, use bare hands.
I also find it to be an effective way to get a pesky office neighbor to leave me alone, I just bust out my shaver and get to work. It bothers him, so he goes away.
HA HA your coach is "old school" mine used to say the same thing to us back in high school...."cut it off with a razor you'll be fine". I find that for the days I can use gloves it helps on certain equipment. But I also like to go "commando" grip as I feel a better connection to the weight and the muscle being"burnt". Chalk is great if the workout location (gym or other location) has it. For those who are like me who workout at home it is messy. I tried creams also but in the end I just deal with them until I can scrap/cut them down a bit.
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I use some of the grip aids I have for pole dancing, they help with grip (obviously) and the slipping, movement so I don't get calluses hardly ever anymore.0
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My coach prides herself in being "old school". You nailed that one. I've seen another coach pull superglue out of the first aide kit to fix a busted callus. It sounds funny and barbaric, which is why I love it so much!!0
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lol, I'll have to remember that!My coach prides herself in being "old school". You nailed that one. I've seen another coach pull superglue out of the first aide kit to fix a busted callus. It sounds funny and barbaric, which is why I love it so much!!
For anyone who is interested in using chalk but is hesitant like me, wanted to mention that I lift at home, when I first bought it I was worried so I placed it in a zip lock bag, but it has worked out extremely well!0 -
I use wrist straps for all of my heavy lifts, even on dumbbells. Since my gym doesn't allow chalk either - that wasn't an option for me. Gloves were useless to me as they didn't really prevent the calluses from building, or protect them. So one day my best friend was like, "Use my wrist straps for those deadlifts"...and now I use them ALL the time
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