Hand calluses

alereck
alereck Posts: 343 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Can anyone advise on a preventive method for hand calluses due to lifting? My hands are getting pretty bad and being a woman it’s not the most attractive thing to have.

I don’t lift heavy; my chest press is 60 lbs and now and then I’ll do a 150 lbs squat on the smith machine but otherwise I’ll use the same 60 lbs barbell and go at a high speed… anyway, I find gloves pretty cheesy, is there anything else I could do?
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Replies

  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    I have the same issue. I just don't like the way gloves feel, but I have no choice but to wear them at this point. My calluses where so large that the lady that does my Nails had to basically saw them down with a file. Yes, very gross I know. So I'm just wearing the gloves anyway now and then using a good lotion afterwards.
  • NobodyInParticular
    NobodyInParticular Posts: 352 Member
    Well, they may be cheesy but they do work lol
    So you have to pick your poison there.
    You could always use chalk or liquid chalk as a barrier between your skin and the metal.
  • Maleficent0241
    Maleficent0241 Posts: 386 Member
    What about just keeping them in check with a pumice stone? If you don't like the idea of gloves, a quick scrubbing a few times per week would only take a few minutes.
  • MagnumBurrito
    MagnumBurrito Posts: 1,070 Member
    http://www.amazon.com/Tweezerman-Safety-Slide-Callus-Shaver/dp/B000G62I12/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1412481738&sr=8-11&keywords=callus+removers

    Quick and easy
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    aww..are gloves cheesy? I always wear mine. I have enough calluses from playing bass and guitar. I don't need more.
  • 7aneena
    7aneena Posts: 146 Member
    I can't think of anything other than gloves to prevent it, BUT to remove it a friend of mine swears by a homemade scrub of lemon, olive oil and sugar
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Calluses are fine, and representative of some of the effort you are putting out.
  • FitFroglet
    FitFroglet Posts: 219 Member
    I think gloves are the only way but I tried them and didn't like how they felt - I felt less in control.

    I just keep mine down between visits with an emery board followed by hand cream - stops them from getting too bad.
    I don't think it's much to do with the weight, more with the friction (I started getting them when the heaviest thing I lifted was a 4kg kettlebell).

    Good luck!
  • steff274
    steff274 Posts: 227 Member
    Meh I had them anyway comes from shovelling horse **** every day of my life!!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,988 Member
    Here's an alternative to gloves.

    http://www.amazon.com/Firm-Grip-Power-Pads®-Alternative/dp/B007V5CCY4

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • sentaruu
    sentaruu Posts: 2,206 Member
    corn husker's lotion.

    wont prevent the callouses but it does wonders for rough, dry or cracked skin.
  • lynseya83
    lynseya83 Posts: 84 Member
    You could have a look at the hand lotions/balms that you buy for rock climbing. They help to keep calluses soft , and also often antiseptic if you have little cuts too.
  • paj315
    paj315 Posts: 335 Member
    I love my callouses! Reminds of the all the hard work I put in every week! I do have to occasionaly file them down though! I'm currently sport 9 callouses between my two hands :)
  • spoiledpuppies
    spoiledpuppies Posts: 675 Member
    I love my callouses too! Admittedly, sometimes when shaking hands with new people I self-consciously wonder if they notice; but generally, I just feel proud and strong when I feel them. (I also used to think my veins were gross; but once I learned that they reflect my low BF and lots of muscle, I just feel darn proud.)
  • jimvic37
    jimvic37 Posts: 25
    This is a great short video on hand care by Donny Shankle who is a lifting god. I'm known as the hand natzi around our gym since I'm constantly lecturing the members about hand care.

    https://youtube.com/watch?v=otorSGl3sG0
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
    I wear gloves all the time.
  • bagge72
    bagge72 Posts: 1,377 Member
    Use liquid chalk, I haven't had any problems since I started using it.
  • mbam89
    mbam89 Posts: 73 Member
    I agree hand calluses are not cute! Haha. I wear gloves, but I saw a guy with these pads that pretty much only cover the inside of your hand. They look more padded than most gloves, too.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Boom-Pro-Neoprene-Gym-Straps-Weightlifting-wraps-Gloves-Bodybuilding-Rubber-Pads-/161212176207?pt=UK_Strength_Training&hash=item2588fe974f

    http://justliftingthings.tumblr.com/post/52040069781/*kitten*-hands-for-a-sexy-body-is-a-good-trade

  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
    chalk
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    Wish I had that problem. It seems like I can't get any real callouses to form and my hands get torn to hell when I lift. I'll trade you?
  • jodescorinna
    jodescorinna Posts: 57 Member
    I just use a pumice stone to smmoth them out after a training session - that way they are still there - i can see them but they are smooth. Gloves, i find are a pain in the *kitten* and chalk only helps my grip when my hands get sweaty - i dont think either truely prevent callouses.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    chalk
  • berkayaliulker
    berkayaliulker Posts: 43
    op, did you just say you squat on the smith machine? :s also use chalk
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    yes, eek smith machine
  • ValGogo
    ValGogo Posts: 2,168 Member
    I love my callouses.
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
    edited October 2014
    I don't like wearing gloves either, and my hands got soooo gross for a while, and actually started becoming cracked and painful. I finally started researching ways to fix that and I found O'Keefe's working hands cream on Amazon. It's dirt cheap and you only need a dab. I try to at least use it 3x a day after washing my hands. It has helped tremendously...in fact my hands are soft again and I still lift 4x a week.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    I like my callouses. Good snack.
  • threnjen
    threnjen Posts: 687 Member
    I was just admiring my burgeoning callouses today. They are like a badge of honor showing I'm getting serious!
    Maybe I won't feel this way about them when they get big and gnarly though, lol.
  • dazwan
    dazwan Posts: 81 Member
    Climbers suffer massively from callouses and we don't have the luxury of gloves. I remove them not for vanity, but because they are painful after a while and if left too long you can get what are affectionately known as 'flappers', this is basically when the callous tears from your hand and you are left with a flap of skin hanging off your hand that you have then rip or cut off, not pretty and often painful.

    You can use a hand lotion after a workout to try and soften up that skin a little, you can even get ones with 'bits' in that will exfoliate as you rub it in. But for me nothing works better than giving my hands a good soak in warm water (this is to soften up the skin) and then getting to work with a block of pumice. It disgusts my partner when I do this whilst sitting and watching the TV with a bowl of warm water and pumice in front of me.
  • reginastiffler
    reginastiffler Posts: 75 Member
    I second the corn huskers lotion comment.

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