Sweaty handles -- solutions?

[damselfly]

Hi all,

I'm newish to rowing -- got my C2 in May and really like it. I'm having a problem with the handles getting slippery from sweat. What do you all do to avoid that?

I row with bike gloves to prevent calluses, and do just hook the handle instead of gripping it with the full hand, so not having issues with blisters or anything. Just the fingertips slipping from the sweat, which is annoying.

Thanks for any and all ideas!

Lisa

[PJM]

I use New Grips..they work great!!

Pat

[Gick]

Wrist bands reduce the sweat running to the hands. I cut the feet out of old socks that have worn the heel. Also use the rolled leg as wrist bands. I enjoy the thought that I am saving money and recycling at the same time!javascript:emoticon(':lol:')

[damselfly]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll have to look into New Grips. I like the idea of using the socks as sweatbands, but it's actually sweat from the fingers themselves, not from above the wrist. Maybe I could just apply the socks to the handle itself tho!

[Alissa]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll have to look into New Grips. I like the idea of using the socks as sweatbands, but it's actually sweat from the fingers themselves, not from above the wrist. Maybe I could just apply the socks to the handle itself tho!

I've seen socks designed for small children used on erg handles. I haven't tried it myself, so can't vouch for it...but something else to try if adult socks don't work for you.

Alissa

[sekitori]

You could try a different approach. Use a fan to create a breeze which will evaporate much of the sweat. Place the fan a few feet away from the rower and off to one side. I have a 16 inch fan about eight feet away and around 30 degrees to the right of my seat on the rower. It's about three feet above the floor. Set the fan to the lowest speed setting. It makes for a pleasant workout into a mild breeze. I used to produce a lot of sweat, some of it coming from my hands. Using the fan, I sweat very little and my hands are quite dry.

[Gick]

Further to my previous post, I use the toes of the sock on the handle and the legs as a wrist band. The wrist band helps reduce dripping onto the mat as well as any run down to the hand.

Check your grip on the handle, as a 'hard' grip will cause more sweat than a 'soft' grip where you just hook the fingers over the handle with the thumbs resting on top. It has the additional benefit of fewer blisters.

A breeze from a fan or window helps the body cool more efficiently than by sweating alone, reducing the problems of dehydration.

Drinking a mug or two of coffee in addition to plain water before a work out helps the body absorb the fluids more readily. With a properly balanced diet, the trace elements that are leached out during sweating will be replaced quickly, but if you suffer cramp after exercise, an isotonic drink may help.

One of the benefits of regular sweating is that the skin becomes more pliable without recourse to Oil of Ulay.

If you regularly consume garlic in your diet (very beneficial to combat the scourge of high cholestrol) sweating cuts down the reek next day.

[marksp]

I use New Grips..they work great!!

Pat

+1

[djh]

I use Nike Fundamental Training Gloves when I row, and I'm very happy with them.

[johnlvs2run]

I reverse wrapped the handle with a pair of white nylon socks and duct tape.

[APM]

Spray my hands with anti-perspirant beforehand.

Never had any problems!

[badocter]

C-breeze instead of fan

[sekitori]

I use New Grips..they work great!!

You could also try these gloves from Harbinger:

http://www.impactfitnessproducts.com/Ha ... parent.htm

I could be mistaken, but I believe that they extend farther up the fingers and thumbs than New Grips do. On my hands (medium size), only about one inch of the end of each finger and 1 1/2 inches of the end of the thumb are exposed.

They're comfortable and they're very well made. I've rowed with my present pair of Training Grip gloves for well over a year and they still show very little wear. This is my third pair of the same model of glove. Each of the previous two lasted close to four years and they were still functional when I got rid of them. The only reason I did was because they began to look pretty well beaten up and I thought that it was finally time to replace them. I never expected to get such excellent wear from a glove I used for an hour a day, six days a week--along with some added use from weight training

[Montanaandy]

"I reverse wrapped the handle with a pair of white nylon socks and duct"tape.

Holy Smokes - It looks like you have a detonator attached to that erg frame and it is rigged to go off

[Carl Watts]

Wear fingerless cycle gloves. The stop damage to your hands and they absorb sweat. You can also wash them in the washing machine. Also they stop your hands from slipping off the handle.

I sweat like you just wouldn't beleive, there is a puddle in the seat back and a trail on the slide at the completion of my 2K CD after a 40min row and the gloves work for me !