How To Prevent and Tread Calluses When Lifting Weights

March 25 2014

How To Prevent and Tread Calluses When Lifting Weights

When you lift weights for any serious length of time, you will inevitably develop some ‘battle wounds’ on your body, such as the formation of calluses. Depending on the types of exercises you perform, you may notice the skin on your palms and fingers hardening, peeling and cracking. It may start out painful at first, but this usually goes away once the skin hardens and forms calluses.

What Causes Calluses?

Let’s first talk about the causes of calluses, as this will give you a better understanding of how to prevent it. Calluses occurs when the skin is repeatedly exposed to large amounts of friction, pressure or any other type of irritation. Lifting heavy weights day after day begins to take its toll on your skin, causing it to become thick and tough — similar to leather.

But weightlifters aren’t the only group of people who are placed at risk for developing this all-too-common skin condition. Nearly every experienced guitarist has developed calluses on their fingers from pressing down on the strings, and runners frequently develop it on their feet.

Grip Right

If you frequently develop painful calluses or other skin problems after lifting weights, you should take a step back to inspect your grip technique. Gripping weights incorrectly exposes sensitive areas of your hands to pressure; thus, increasing the chance irritation.

The exact method of gripping varies depending on the particular workout, but you can always ask an employee at your local gym for advice. Nine out ten times, they’ll be more than happy to show you the correct grip for your workout.

Wear Weight Lifting Gloves

Arguably, the single most important step towards preventing calluses is to wear weight-lifting gloves. These gloves are designed specifically for lifting weights and feature soft, padded areas that help absorb pressure while reducing irritation.

Don’t just pick up any “athletic” gloves from you local sporting goods store, as they may not offer the same level of support as weight-lifting gloves. Weight-lifting gloves have extra padding to absorb pressure and protect your hands from irritation.

Why You Shouldn’t Treat Calluses

Calluses is actually beneficial, here’s why: calluses develops in response to the constant pressure and irritation placed on your hands. Eventually, the area where the irritation is occurring becomes hard and thick, which essentially acts as a barrier of protection against further injury. If you happen to remove it, your hands will be left exposed to painful injury once again.

Rather than removing the calluses, you should leave it on your hands. Try soaking your hands in warm salt water if you’re experiencing pain, but do not attempt to remove the calluses with a pumice stone, scrub brush, etc.