by Tyler Quinn
So you’re back in studio and all the things you couldn’t do in your home gym are now in your daily workouts: Pull-ups? Toes-to-bar? Ring Dips? Double Torpedo work? YES. But also, ow. Adding these pieces of equipment and movements is raising the quality of your training experience but there is a downside: an occasional callus is an inevitable reality of any training that includes gripping things. Look, it’s not the end of the world– and I’m here to offer perspectives on how to prevent them, how to take care of them and how to avoid making them worse.
1. Adjust your grip!
A firm but relaxed grip is going to save you some energy for the rest of the workout and reduce the likelihood of a callus forming. Furthermore, when you place the handle of a Torpedo or the pull-up bar across the center of your hand and squeeze, you end up forcing a bunch of skin up toward the fingers under a tremendous amount of pressure. Ever wonder how that callus formed? Now you know. To see what I’m saying, lay your left index finger across the open palm of your right hand. As you slowly close your grip, you’ll notice a bunching of skin forming just below the base knuckles of your gripping hand. That flab is where the majority of calluses form. Now move your index finger (or handle, or pull-up bar etc.) up and inch toward the base knuckles of your open hand repeat the exercise. See how much less pressure and how much less bunching there is? Adjust your grip to minimize pressure on your hand and dramatically decrease your chances of developing a callus.
2. Keep ‘em small.
Ok, so the workout was a big one and now that you’ve gotten out of the shower you notice a callus has begun to form. Use a nail file or small razor to keep the callous smooth and small. File at the callus gently, the same way you would a fingernail and you’ll immediately see the callus reduce in size. Doing this before you workout is a sure fire way to handle the problem before it progresses. Like cool gear and gadgets? Check out this Tweezerman Callus Shaver!
3. Let nature run its course.
It shouldn’t happen often, but on a very rare occasion, when the conditions are right a callus may start to tear. If you’re imagining your hand bursting open and a geyser of life-energy erupting from your palm, you’ve watched too many movies. In fact, you’ll see a tiny little cut at the edge of the callus and that’s about it. But here’s the common mistake people make when a callus finally tears – they want to finish the job. Leave the skin where it is! I repeat: LEAVE THE SKIN WHERE IT IS! You’re body knows how to heal itself better than you think. By removing the skin on the surface of the callus, you create a ridge at the edge of the cut and that ridge is the perfect pressure point for a) a bigger tear, or b) a whole new callus to form.
See? No big deal. Ballerina’s get calluses, cyclists get calluses, weightlifters get calluses, it’s a part of the job when you’re working hard. The fact of the matter is calluses will come and go but instead of seeing them as a nasty thing to hide, remember that a callus is nothing more than a sign you’ve been kicking ass in the gym. They can be managed, and cared for if you take the time to do it. Happy training!
Coach Tyler is a Coach, CEO, and co-founder of Alchemy 365. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, hockey, jiu-jitsu, and gun-slinging.
