Kettlebell Stop calluses from getting soft after time off?

[LejonBrames]

So recently I injured my finger on my left hand and took a week off from S&S.

I started swinging again today, and noticed the bell is a bit more painful on my hand, and seems to be re-forming the calluses almost. I've taken a week off before here and there, but have been working up to a heavier bell, and was surprised this occurred.

Has anyone else run into this? Do you step back to a lighter weight, even if you've only had a week off, and then work back up over a few days? I'm trying to figure out a way to keep my calluses tough.

 

[Steve Freides]

Everyone is going to be different. A good guiding instruction might be: use a weight you can perform with in good form. If the difference in your calluses means you can't swing the heavier weight in good form, so be it, and go lighter.

You might also consider what in your technique could be improved. For me and many others, the best weight is one you can "finger hook" at the bottom" and "spear hand" at the top, and if you do this right, the wear and tear on your calluses will be greatly reduced.

A Google on this:

kettlebell callus site:strongfirst.com

will give you some reading you might find helpful. You can restrict it further by adding "/community" to the end of that search string and you'll then only see forum results.

[RAMBLE]

I have only recently begun snatching a kettlebell again, and I'm using a 12 kg, even though I've snatched up to a 36 kg in the past. I am looking for perfect technique on every rep, and enjoying the fact that the light weight is letting me move into decent volume pretty quickly. I'm looking for the perfect posture at the back that loads up my hips and hamstrings so that the bell flies up to lockout almost on its own; perfect form in how I tame the arc; perfect timing of the punch through; perfect posture at lockout; a perfect drop into a perfect fingerhook catch to start the next rep. Every rep, every time, with as much brain power as I can muster, I'm trying for those things, and I have almost no wear and tear on my hands to show. My goal will be to continue with perfect form and what I will call beautiful explosiveness as the weight continues, each increase in weight starting with low volume and relearning what perfect form feels like on that weight.

It's a journey; it doesn't matter where you start after a layoff. It matters that you're back on the paved road and not the bumpy side path that's close to it in some ways but nonetheless not really where you want to be.

[/RAMBLE]

-S-