Hand care
ItsCasey
Posts: 4,021 Member
What does everyone do to protect their hands?
I have tried gloves and tape and moleskin, but I still find it difficult to do high rep swings and snatches without ripping callouses. I know a true, hardcore KBer would never use anything but chalk, but I'm a chick, and I don't want man hands.
Has anyone solved this problem yet?
I have tried gloves and tape and moleskin, but I still find it difficult to do high rep swings and snatches without ripping callouses. I know a true, hardcore KBer would never use anything but chalk, but I'm a chick, and I don't want man hands.
Has anyone solved this problem yet?
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Replies
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I don't. I like to get my hands hardened in my workouts. But I think this is not true for ladies.
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I try to trim the calluses down but haven't actually come up with a method that works. Usually stuff gets ripped off & that's no fun. Right now my calluses are just there & not causing grief (because i've not been doing snatches all winter), but since the club i go to has just started up again, this will soon become a problem again.
I use this trick sometimes when things get bad: http://tracyrif.blogspot.ca/search?q=sock+sleeve . For some reason they're not as frowned upon as gloves.0 -
This! Ever since I pulled a muscle in my right leg late last December and couldn't deep squat properly I switched to a snatch only program and since the first of the year I've done thousands of reps. Although I'd seen Tracy's sock sleeve solution years ago somehow I didn't think it would work, (without having tried it of courseI use this trick sometimes when things get bad: http://tracyrif.blogspot.ca/search?q=sock+sleeve . For some reason they're not as frowned upon as gloves.
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I was using fitness gloves for awhile. I thought that the padding in the palms would be the perfect solution. Although it does work to shield the hands from friction of the bell handle the added bulk, (i.e., thickness), of the padding affects grip strength over time when doing high rep snatches. The sock sleeve is barely noticeable and does the job nicely.
I also keep my calluses trimmed by using a large toe nail clipper. When my calluses get hard and develop an edge I just use the clipper to trim that off. Then in addition to the sock sleeve I use the round spot band aids over the calluses before I put the sleeve on and then pick up the bell and snatch away.0 -
I forgot to mention that if my calluses do get ripped off, i'll usually throw some sports tape over top of them. It doesn't always hold in the hot weather though, but sometimes it helps. I've heard of people filling in the trimmed calluses with crazy glue but i've not gone that far...0
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I'll give the sock thing a try. That should make it easier to slide the bell from the hook of my hand to the base of my palm. I've heard that the brand of kettlebell matters, too. I have Muscle Driver bells, but I read the other day that the newest RKC Dragon Door kettlebells have handles that make snatching barehanded a lot easier.0
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I use a pumice stone in the shower. This has really kept mine in check, it doesn't remove them but it also allows me to keep my hands looking healthier and not so tender.0
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I use York kettlebells & often they come with burrs, snags, ridges, etc. I've destroyed my hands in mere seconds before realizing that one of those ridges or burrs was hiding out on the underside of the handle.
The sock trick should help - the key is not to make it too big. I did that the first few times & i didn't have enough control over the 'bell.
The pumice stone in the shower sounds like a great idea, will try that. I don't care what my hands look/feel like so much as i hate not being able to train due to the pain that comes with having a chunk of your hand ripped off.0 -
I try to trim the calluses down but haven't actually come up with a method that works. Usually stuff gets ripped off & that's no fun. Right now my calluses are just there & not causing grief (because i've not been doing snatches all winter), but since the club i go to has just started up again, this will soon become a problem again.
I use this trick sometimes when things get bad: http://tracyrif.blogspot.ca/search?q=sock+sleeve . For some reason they're not as frowned upon as gloves.
Tried the sock sleeve thing today. I was doing a swing only workout so it was useful but not a necessity; but I will absolutely be using these with snatches.
Thanks for posing this!! It got me searching for more info on Tracy Reifkind - she is fantastic!0 -
I use York kettlebells & often they come with burrs, snags, ridges, etc. I've destroyed my hands in mere seconds before realizing that one of those ridges or burrs was hiding out on the underside of the handle.
The sock trick should help - the key is not to make it too big. I did that the first few times & i didn't have enough control over the 'bell.
The pumice stone in the shower sounds like a great idea, will try that. I don't care what my hands look/feel like so much as i hate not being able to train due to the pain that comes with having a chunk of your hand ripped off.
When you say not to make the sock sleeve "too big," do you mean too big for your hand, causing it to slide around, or covering too much of your hand? I have seen these two pictures. Not sure which would be more effective.
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I mean that i only want to cover the area that i need to & no more. I get blisters at the base of my fingers & sometimes on the outer side of my pinky. The first pictures that you have there (from the blog) are the way i do it.
Initially, i made the sock things big enough that they covered the bulk of my hand (like the blue ones in the bottom picture) but i found i had less control over the bell during snatches, swings, etc. Less friction meant the 'bell would slide around a bit too much for safety's sake. And really, if someone's going to do that, they might as well just wear gloves.
I only ever wore them when my hands were shredded (i.e. calluses got ripped off during training).
I hope that all makes sense.0
