Hand Health (Calluses)

Raiman

Raiman

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How do you guys avoid tearing a callus and what do you do to help it heal? When you tear one how do you manage your deadlift with a irritating open wound?
 
liquid bandaid then regular bandaid. I don't believe in gloves.
 
Also one of my co-workers taught me this. Lime&Salt. sprinkle salt squeeze lime and after a few seconds of "fuck shit ass!" the pain goes away and it doesn't annoy you.
 
Keep them filed down with a nail file or sand paper. If necessary shave or trim them first. If you're consistent with this, and don't suddenly change or increase exercises involving grip significantly, you should be able to avoid the vast majority of callus tears, and minimize the ones that do happen.

If you tear a callus, clean the area, trim it, and put vaseline on it.

While working out, you can try covering it with medical tape, although it's tricky to get it to stay on right. Just keep a roll in your gym bag so you're prepared. Plus it's also good for taping thumbs and scraped shins.
 
MariusAnil said:
Also one of my co-workers taught me this. Lime&Salt. sprinkle salt squeeze lime and after a few seconds of "fuck shit ass!" the pain goes away and it doesn't annoy you.
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I'll pass thanks though.
 
Theres a really good video of an oly lifter (I think) that talks about hand maintenance. He says to wash hands immediately after chalk sessions and to use a hand wax. Also he describes how to treat problematic calluses.

Sorry I'm retardedly drunken right now but its somewhere around here. Hopefully someone more helpful will come along.
 
Visit a rock climbing forum. They deal with finger tears all the time, chalk included.

I have used lime and don't recommend it unless you are in some tropical location where the water is dodgy. It stings like you wouldn't believe. Effective, but painful.
 
Warren Haynes, guitarist for and singer for Gov't Mule, always wears a glove on his left hand when he showers, to prevent his calluses getting soft. Consider the hygienic implications before following suit.
 
Donny Shankle's video is the best I've found. I highly recommend the Bag Balm he used in the video. I started using it when I found the video, and my hands have thanked me for it.
 
I cut mine off with mustache scissors and I've never had an issue.
 
Thanks for the response. On another topic, because I don't want to clog the board with threads that have already been done, what do you guys use to clean the knurling of your barbells?
 
Raiman said:
Thanks for the response. On another topic, because I don't want to clog the board with threads that have already been done, what do you guys use to clean the knurling of your barbells?
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This is something I've been thinking about a lot recently. In another thread, I asked what was being used at a meet and Arlecchino said it was a wire brush. I'm a little nervous about using one on my brand new bar, so I use a toothbrush as someone else recommended. Seems to work ok.

Edit: I'm not aware that this thread has been done. It certainly isn't one that comes up often. You should start one because I think it's a worthwhile topic.
 
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I know people do it, but I wouldn't take a wire brush to the knurling of my bar.

I use a toothbrush. Works perfectly.
 
scoopj said:
Have you seen any wear and tear? What kind of bar do you have?
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It's an olympic bar belonging to my coach (not sure the brand), I'll join in the bar maintenance discussion though to keep this info in one place.
 
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