Hand Care and Kettlebells

Yes, I feel I should mention it as the issue has come up quite a bit lately with some of my friends. Kettlebells can be tough on the hands. Most anyone who has ever spent a lot of time with a kettlebell can remember the first time they tore a callus. They remember it so well because it hurts! And, it makes it very difficult to train with a kbell once you've damaged you hands.

So, hand care become essential to the kettlebeller. The following tips are tips that work for me. There may be better options, but this is the best I have found for me and my hands.

First, don't white knuckle grip the bell! When you're doing swings, snatches, and cleans RELAX your fingers. You don't need to have a death grip on the bell (unless you're pressing or something like that...). Relax your fingers so the bell can freely move without creating a lot of fire-making friction in your palms.

Calluses will come; don't let them get carried away. Keep them in check. Men, use your lady's pink razor (don't give it back, she won't want it). Ladies, use your razor (you know you've got 20 of them anyway). Those cheap pink razors work great for shaving the calluses on your palm down nice, smooth and flat. BUT, do it at the end of your shower so that your skin will melt away underneath the razor. DO NOT try to shave your calluses off of a dry hand (you can do it, but it is not as easy or pleasant). If you're a big time swinger or snatcher, you may want to do this once a week. Otherwise, just use this trick when you need to.

After you have peeled away the excess callus, use a good hand lotion, creme or whatever. Brett Jones recommends Corn Husker's Lotion. This stuff is awesome. One bottle will last a year - a dab will do ya!

Anyway, these are the tips that work for me. I've never had my hands turn in to hamburger meat yet and I don't ever miss out on training because my hands are sore. Other kbellers suggest using a pummus stone to file away calluses. This works too, but it takes too long for me and the razor does the job so nicely. Use whatever works for you. It doesn't matter how you take care of your hands as long as you take care of your hands.

If you have tips you use or recommend, let me know. I like different ideas.