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Hand problems after Deadlifts

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autoexec United States530 Posts June 07 2012 14:34 GMT #1 Hi TL Fitness Section! First post in this part of the forum! I'm 14 years old and have been working out with my (American) Football team over the Summer since school has been out. One things I have noticed is that after doing deadlifts, my hands have large calluses on them and sometimes even start bleeding where those calluses are. I am doing 3 set of 5 or 3 sets of 3 with a hex bar at around 235 pounds. (about 106 kilograms) I'm just starting out and I weigh a little under 160 pounds (72 kilograms) so you can see I'm not very strong but I'm trying to work my way up. Anything you can suggest that can help with my hand problems? Thanks in advance for the advice!

lyAsakura United States1414 Posts June 07 2012 15:14 GMT #2

eshlow United States5210 Posts June 07 2012 15:21 GMT #3 Shave down your calluses -- soak them in warm water and shave, or scratch them off in the shower. You can also use a nail clipper Then you won't have to worry about ripping

Catch]22 Sweden2683 Posts June 07 2012 16:59 GMT #4 Sigh, this is easily fixed. DONT tape your hands DONT use straps until you really need to DO let the bar slide down in your fingers so it isnt resting on a fold of skin.

LuciferSC Canada535 Posts June 08 2012 01:07 GMT #5 Good, valid posts above. Also work with your body's natural ability. Let your skin tissues heal - it's one thing to push yourself hard and the other to do it in smart way. Also getting lifting glove will help you increase your training hours.

autoexec United States530 Posts June 08 2012 01:47 GMT #6 Ok. Thanks for all the solid advice guys! Will try it out the following week while working out!

Obstikal 616 Posts June 08 2012 01:59 GMT #7 Try griping the bar above the palms , more so on the lower part on your fingers. I saw a video with mark ripple toe demostrating how to avoid the calluses. You might not be able to hold as much weight but give it a try and see how you do. I use grip them that way and use wrist straps to help hold the bar. Edit: Also as mentioned above dont get straps until you are finding trouble not lifting the weight but holding onto it. It's really important to build your grip strength and also youre forearms. I dont always use the straps for that purpose.

Ludrik Australia523 Posts June 08 2012 03:18 GMT #8 I had similiar problems with callouses when I first started lifting. Basically I was holding the bar wrong. Rippetoe sums it up better than I could.

phyre112 United States3090 Posts June 08 2012 04:27 GMT #9 If you don't mind me asking, why hex bar lifts instead of standard barbell lifts? AFAIK, because the hex bar is in line with the center of the body, and start higher up it has a different "priority" for the muscles that it draws on. They're both legitimate lifts, I'm just wondering if you have a reason to be picking one over the other, and I've never seen anyone pull a huge weight using a hex bar like I have with a Barbell. as far as the callouses, to stop ripping and bleeding you want to shave them down, as has been said. I typically just pick at them when I get out of a hot shower on the weekend, and sometimes even use a nail clipper if they're getting really ridiculous. No hard work required in this maintenance. As far as stopping formation, you can probably change the way you're grabbing the bar. This is easier to show than tell, but the essential thing is to let the bar rest on the bottom parts of your finger/the knuckle of your hand, rather than in your palm. This way it doesn't need to slide down the hand and pinch all that skin between your fingers and the weight. The videos above are (I assume) talking about the same thing! Love that we're getting more topics in this section rather than just the super-thread. Makes it feel like a real sub forum!

Vitruvian United States168 Posts June 08 2012 21:15 GMT #10 Also: minor nitpick, but I'm pretty sure the suggestion a few posts above to use lifting gloves is poor advice, as they tend to add too much thickness to the bar, reducing your ability to grip it (counterintuitive, I know.)

autoexec United States530 Posts June 09 2012 02:28 GMT #11 @phyre The reason I use a hex bar is because I have a problem with leaning over too much, and using a hex bar seems to help me go down straight and come up straight so I don't hurt my back.

Deadeight United Kingdom1629 Posts June 09 2012 17:23 GMT #12 Get a good grip like people have said above, and also realise that your hands are going to become really tough, which is a good thing. I've had issues in the past (with rowing) with my hands being torn apart and covered in blood, but they grow back harder and haven't had an issue in years.

SometimesIworkout Cambodia75 Posts June 21 2012 06:41 GMT #13 try using some chalk. It helped me a lot

B.I.G. 3251 Posts June 24 2012 14:04 GMT #14 Ok maybe I translate this wrong but calluses are the thingies where your skin grows thicker because of repeated friction right? I thought that was good news for anyone working with their hands so how do they actually cause your hands to bleed?

lyAsakura United States1414 Posts June 24 2012 15:41 GMT #15 The bigger your callouses get, the easier they get pinched by the barbell, pull up bar, etc, and will eventually tear off and rip the skin. Making the callous level with the skin prevents this.

Ingenol United States1328 Posts June 24 2012 22:56 GMT #16 Great advice in this thread, I just wanted to say be proud of your lifts! That's more than I can deadlift and I might even be more than double your age! B.I.G.: if the calluses build up too much the friction on them can sort of "pull" them away from the live tissue and cause big problems. Having some callus is desirable, but if they get too big they start to get thick edges almost that can cause ripping or tearing.

BlackMTsidE United States32 Posts June 29 2012 01:26 GMT #17 1. You get calluses because your body has been exposed to a stressor and is adapting. Same principal we see in weight training. If you stick at it, you'll get to a point where the calluses will be thick enough that they'll prevent any ripping and protect your skin. Until then, use chalk. Not gloves or straps. 2. Hex Bar deads generally turn into a poor man's squat. Learning how to deadlift properly and safely with a standard bar seems like a better idea to me. Especially if you ever want to clean properly (most programs focused on athletic performace incorporate cleans)

decafchicken United States19998 Posts June 29 2012 01:58 GMT #18 ordered the hand lotion that donnie recommends...and shipped it to the wrong address T_T

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