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Kettlebell A+A Snatches and Ripped Palms

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AgileAntiFragile

Level 6 Valued Member
Hi gang,

Back into A+A after some time doing other things. Loving the work but I tore my left palm today.

I recall seeing some tips about prevention in the past. Would any of you strong folk have some advice on how to prevent this annoying setback?
 
Hi gang,

Back into A+A after some time doing other things. Loving the work but I tore my left palm today.

I recall seeing some tips about prevention in the past. Would any of you strong folk have some advice on how to prevent this annoying setback?
Based on your user name I would say suck it up. :)

Build gradually into high volume, keep calluses shaved, end a session when they start to go, put on some fingerless gloves mid session to build volume.
 
Back into A+A after some time doing other things. Loving the work but I tore my left palm today.

I recall seeing some tips about prevention in the past. Would any of you strong folk have some advice on how to prevent this annoying setback?
One approach I recommend is doing 1h kettlebell swings with a heavier weight than you're snatching as assistance work.

If you want to drive the point home, do an A+A snatch session with a light-for-you weight and see how your hands hold up - probably very little wear and tear on your palms because you have enough strength in reserve not to use all of it to grip the bell. IOW, the short answer is "get stronger," and you could also try small doses of snatches with a heavier weight than you're used to, too, again as assistance work.

-S-
 
If you have a vid of your snatches we can take a look and tell you what can be done better..

It's usually over gripping and casting the bell on the drop that causes tears
 
I often overgrip a bell I’m not comfortable snatching. If using a lighter bell isn’t an option, you could build up strength and confidence using half snatch…. Provided your clean is good.
 
I recall seeing some tips about prevention in the past. Would any of you strong folk have some advice on how to prevent this annoying setback?
A lot of it is technique. There are a lot of subtle ways to minimize or smooth out the stress on the hands, that you mostly learn by putting in a lot of reps.

Then there's just having a reserve of grip strength relative to the bell you're using so you don't have to overgrip the bell.

And finally, there's being willing to listen to your hands, realize when they're starting to get a little too hot, and having the discretion to stop before you develop a problem.

When I was fist learning (which covers quite a few years), I got thick calluses and occasional tears, and experimented with all kinds of hand protection and hand care routines.

Now, I haven't had a tear in literally years (I can't specifically recall the last time it happened), I don't get very thick calluses and rarely have to attend to them (mostly just a little filing mainly on the middle two fingers of my non-dominant hand, once every few weeks at the most).

BTW, for filing calluses, I highly recommend a glass "nano" foot file. There are many brands available on Amazon that all look basically identical. Make sure you get one that has "nano" in the description. There are also glass files that have a regular emery board texture, but the "nano" files have an etched surface that takes calluses down really easily without being too aggressive and leaves a nice smooth surface.
 
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A lot of it is technique. There are a lot of subtle ways to minimize or smooth out the stress on the hands, that you mostly learn by putting in a lot of reps.

Then there's just having a reserve of grip strength relative to the bell you're using so you don't have to overgrip the bell.

And finally, there's being willing to listen to your hands, realize when they're starting to get a little too hot, and having the discretion to stop before you develop a problem.

When I was fist learning (which covers quite a few years), I got thick calluses and occasional tears, and experimented with all kinds of hand protection and hand care routines.

Now, I haven't had a tear in literally years (I can't specifically recall the last time it happened), I don't get very thick calluses and rarely have to attend to them (mostly just a little filing mainly on the middle two fingers of my non-dominant hand, once every few weeks at the most).

BTW, for filing calluses, I highly recommend a glass "nano" foot file. There are many brands available on Amazon that all look basically identical. Make sure you get one that has "nano" in the description. There are also glass files that have a regular emery board texture, but the "nano" files have an etched surface that takes calluses down really easily without being too rough and leaves a nice smooth surface.
Something like this?

Amazon product ASIN B08P5G55HN
 
@John K

Yes. Mine doesn't have that sort of flower pattern to the texture, but it's exactly the same shape. It also came in a set with a smaller rectangular file with a finer texture that is good for targeting small areas, and works great on fingernails too. Like this, but it had a different brand name:
Amazon product ASIN B092DJ6WSS
61yqX8zlCjS._SL1500_.jpg
 
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