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Kettlebell Sore hands

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Jamesjones

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My hands are sore from swings and snatches to the point if I snatch now my skin will tear open iv used a pumice stone and moisturiser any advice ?
 
I agree with @PeterLuffman . Do you use chalk? I have to use a razor type callus shaver to keep things under control, otherwise excess callus get's extremely sore and can tear off - not pleasant!

 
My hands are sore from swings and snatches to the point if I snatch now my skin will tear open iv used a pumice stone and moisturiser any advice ?
Not beating up your hands with KB ballistics is really >99% a combination of technique, programming (working within your capabilities), and long term acclimation and KB-specific strength building. The remaining <1% is hand care.

For a long time (many years), my hands DID get beat up and I experimented with all kinds of hand protection and hand care methods. But it gradually got less and less over the years.

At a certain point, and I'm talking about a decade or more, hand care really became a non-issue. I get calluses, but they stay relatively unobtrusive. I go weeks and sometimes over a month without any sort of filing whatsoever.

Some of this depends on programming. If I'm doing a lot of C&Ps and Q&D (relatively low volume), my hands need very little care. If I'm doing long A+A snatch sessions and pushing the volume, then my hands need a little more attention (including during a session, where I will cut a session short if my hands start to feel hot). At times when I have pushed the density harder, it's been harder on my hands, but I rarely train like that these days.

But I think the biggest factor has been technique refinement over time, and then just long term adaptation. And that includes quite a few long layoffs over the years where I lost most of my calluses, but quickly regained them to my baseline level.

So the good news is that you can train KBs without beating up your hands. The bad news is that it can be a long term process to adapt and refine technique, so you have to use discretion in working within your limitations. If your hands are your limiting factor, just accept it and listen to what they're telling you. It might be frustrating to have to dial it back and do less because your hands are hot, but with time and lots of reps, your capabilities will continue to expand.

On 32kg and up I have to over grip the bell due to my small hands. Any recommendations?
I've always used the hook grip (always = 20+ years) because it keeps stress off the callus line at the base of the fingers and is generally easier on the skin.

However, with the popularity of A+A snatch training (short sets of 5 or fewer reps with generous rest between sets, but with heavier bells), I've seen a number of other people using a deeper grip. So I started experimenting with this and I have come to like it for this application (short, heavy sets of snatches). It takes less finger strength, which can be a limiting factor when the bells get heavy, and you can finesse it so that it doesn't pinch or put more stress on the skin. In fact, with heavy bells it can actually reduce the stress on the skin.

So I started using the deep grip as my regular snatch grip. But recently I've started to incorporate some longer snatch sets, such as Q&D 044 with a 15/2 reps scheme, which calls for two 15 reps sets with the same hand in succession, with about 25 seconds of rest between them. I've also moved up to a heavier bell for my 10/2 Q&D snatch work. And I discovered that as the sets get longer, the deep grip results in a lot more forearm pump than the hook grip. As long as my hook grip is strong enough to hold onto the bell, I can stay more relaxed through a longer set and recover faster between sets. I'm sure GS athletes discovered this long ago and that's why GS technique has evolved in the direction it has.

So currently for me, it's deep grip for heavy snatch sets of 5 or fewer reps with generous recovery and switching hands each set, but hook grip for longer snatch sets of 10 or more reps, and when doing successive sets on the same hand.

I have to use a razor type callus shaver to keep things under control,
I love this tool, was a real game changer for me!
The razor type callus shaver used to be my favorite callus tool.

My current favorite is a glass "nano" file. Make There are a million Chinese brands sold on Amazon, which as far as I can tell are basically all the same (just make sure it's labeled as a "nano" file because there are glass files with just a sandpapery texture that don't work well on calluses). Mine came in a set with a teardrop shaped foot file with a coarser texture, and a rectangular nail file with finer texture. The "nano" etched surface takes the skin off really easily without being too aggressive, and it leaves the skin nice and smooth (it grinds off the outer layer of skin as a fine powder instead of bigger shavings). It also easily rinses clean so the abrasive surface doesn't get clogged up.
 
On 32kg and up I have to over grip the bell due to my small hands. Any recommendations?

I love this tool, was a real game changer for me!
You could purchase comp bells. But I doubt you want to do that with the cost of things these days! You could do additional grip work to strengthen the fingers in the hope that you can continue to use more of an open hand, but this requires buying grippers and adding in more work to your routine. Not ideal. So the last choice is just to go slow with building volume and terminate sessions if things get sticky! I was tempted to recommend the sock glove as posted above, however these bring in an additional element of grip requirement. They make things slippy! Thats ok when doing high volume work with lighter bells (which is what Tracy Rif is known for), it doesn't work out too well with heavier bells though. I've experimented with all kinds of gloves and hand coverings, but in the end I took the same approach you would for a heavy deadlift session. Low volume with plenty of rest between sets. Low volume being something like 5x5 each arm to begin with.
 
Some of this depends on programming. If I'm doing a lot of C&Ps and Q&D (relatively low volume), my hands need very little care. If I'm doing long A+A snatch sessions and pushing the volume, then my hands need a little more attention (including during a session, where I will cut a session short if my hands start to feel hot).
Great post @Steve W.
I was wondering if there anything one can do to cool the skin and thereby delay the end of the session?
I was thinking in terms of fans, buckets of water, ice packs, ...?
 
I was wondering if there anything one can do to cool the skin and thereby delay the end of the session?
I was thinking in terms of fans, buckets of water, ice packs, ...?
I don't think so. The hands feeling hot is more developing irritation than a literal rise in temperature.

Discretion is the better part of valor. Better to be able to come back the next day or session than do some damage that's going to hurt and prevent or inhibit training until it heals.

Taking a break, using a lighter weight, and/or doing fewer reps per set could let you continue a session if you haven't done any real damage, but why tempt fate?

If you have a good sense of what your hands can handle and program accordingly, you should rarely or never have to cut a session short. Nowadays, on the rare occasions when I have to stop because of how my hands feel, it's more like not pushing too far beyond what I planned, rather than doing less than I planned. For instance, if I'm feeling good after 30 repeats in an A+A session, I might decide to do another 10 repeats, but if my hands tell me not to, I'll just call it a day at 30. And if I had to call it a day at 30 one day because of my hands, I might do something with less hand stress the next day (lighter weight, less volume, different drill, day off from ballistics, etc.).

For something with a fixed volume like S&S, the principle of "if you don't have heavy days, you don't need light days" applies. If your hands are getting beat up, then you're not cruising on medium and you need to mix in lighter days (dialing back whatever parameters necessary), or readjust your daily practice so your hands can tolerate it (lower weight, mix lighter and heavier sets in a session, etc.). You'll still make progress over time.
 
You could purchase comp bells. But I doubt you want to do that with the cost of things these days!
I'm a big fan of comp bells.

I have a ton (almost literally) of cast iron DD (some going back the first ever DD production run) and Rogue bells, but I much prefer my competition bells for almost anything. Other than for goblet squats and bottoms up presses, I NEVER choose a cast iron bell over a competition bell (I have a lot of duplicate sizes in both).

I have both Kettlebells USA and Kettlebell Kings comp bells. My favorites are the Kettlebells USA Paradigm Pro Elite comp bells. The 35mm handle is "right-sized," the finish on the handle is smooth, but with a little grain to it that works with and without chalk, and the geometry feels really good. The Kettlebell Kings comp bells have a little smoother finish to the handles that I find less secure, and the paint chips much more easily. 35mm is only very slightly smaller than most cast iron bells. You can definitely feel a difference, but it's not dramatic. There are also comp bells with 33mm handles, and that's obviously a larger difference, and the difference in circumference is greater than the difference in diameter. I've never personally tried 33mm handles.

Although I don't really do any two-hand swings, both comp bells actually have more space under the handle than cast iron bells for two hands, plus the horns are vertical so they don't squeeze my fingers as uncomfortably as the inward curving horns of cast iron bells.

KBUSA has an FAQ page about competition bells compared to cast iron bells for two hand swings:
Competition Kettlebell Handles Too Small?

Another thing I've been doing (based on the recommendation of a poster here, @Brian B ) is using gaffer's tape (Shurtape P-665) on my bell handles. It gives a really nice feeling surface that is more secure than bare metal with or without chalk. Gaffer's tape adheres well, but comes off cleanly, unlike duct tape. It took a bit of experimentation to find a good technique for applying it, but now I really like it and have taped all my bell handles.
 
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using gaffer's tape
Thanks for sharing, I will investigate this. I recently completed my set of cast iron bells, 12-48 so not eager to build a set of comp bells right away.

One of my goals is to reach timeless sinister as well, so sooner or later will have to face the bulldog and beast, which I do not believe are available in comp bells?

Thanks for the feedback overall, very useful.

I feel like that guy with small hands from the BK commercials
 
I will investigate this as I do notice the razor sometimes takes off larger chunks and I would like. Thank you for the recommendation.
I’ve had really good luck with just stealing my wife’s emory board/fingernail file, if I can not pick at my calluses while I’m out in public.
 
I’ve had really good luck with just stealing my wife’s emory board/fingernail file, if I can not pick at my calluses while I’m out in public.
You are braver than I sir!
I actually discovered the glass nano file because my wife got one for foot calluses and I asked to try it. But then I got my own because I'm not brave enough to steal hers, and it's less annoying to both of us to just have my own.
 
I actually discovered the glass nano file because my wife got one for foot calluses and I asked to try it. But then I got my own because I'm not brave enough to steal hers, and it's less annoying to both of us to just have my own.
And more hygienic?
I'm currently using my wife's foot one, but she's not getting it back...
 
And more hygienic?
I'm currently using my wife's foot one, but she's not getting it back...
Probably. One thing I like about the glass nano file is how washable it is. And I wash my hands after using it anyway.

But yeah, I like having my own.
 
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