Rowing Calluses

[old] nebula 3 · Post by **[old] nebula 3** » September 26th, 2004, 9:22 pm

Hi there, At the recommendation of some friends, I've recently taken up working out with an erg. I had a girlfriend who was at Syracuse on a rowing scholarship who taught me proper technique, but I've noticed something strange occurring. I have calluses forming on the middle-ring-and pinky finger bases on my palm. MAJOR calluses. I make an effort not to use a wrist-twisting motion when I pull, but even still...the calluses are ROCKIN! A buddy of mine who started at the same time as me two weeks ago has the exact same condition in the exact same place. Any idea what causes this? Thanks!

[old] Bill · Post by **[old] Bill** » September 26th, 2004, 11:07 pm

Hello, I have a big callous caused by my wedding ring and the erg handle pinching the flesh at the place where my finger joins the palm. Otherwise callous free. Do you have rings near the mystery callouses ? Detective Bill

[old] TLCoons · Post by **[old] TLCoons** » September 27th, 2004, 7:26 am

Neb3, I, too, developed a lot of callouses on my hands in the first month of rowing -- 7 on my left hand (4 at base of finger and palm and 3 the next knuckle up from there) and 4-5 on my right hand (similar placements). So, my left hand was also taking the brunt of the wear and tear. I figure that this is because I am right handed and the left hand was less 'weathered' for the heavy use. My quite necessary solution was to purchase a pair of weightlifting gloves (leather lightly padded palms, half finger coverage) to use while rowing. They make all the difference in the world. As a woman, I'm not interested in having well-calloused hands. I just want the exercise... tlc

[old] raverlaw · Post by **[old] raverlaw** » September 27th, 2004, 4:52 pm

I am also developing callouses, and don't particularly mind, but I was wondering why I had twice as many on my left hand as on my right. I am right handed, also.

[old] gorow9 · Post by **[old] gorow9** » October 17th, 2004, 5:12 pm

If u'r not erging and r in a sweep boat starbords will get callouses more on their port hand and ports viceversa... but it's to be expected. U could try losening grip on the recovery that helps a lot they also make gloves but they're not highly recomended... but might be fine erging. Hope that helped ~Sara "Life's short... row hard" "Real athletes row, the rest just play games" "Shut up and row"

[old] Pete Marston · Post by **[old] Pete Marston** » October 18th, 2004, 12:01 pm

I wouldn't wear gloves on the erg personally. Two things to concentrate on if you don't want your skin getting wrecked are: Relaxed grip on drive and recovery. Don't let the handle twist in your hand on the drive. I've only ever had this problem before when rowing long distance, ie 75mins +, when my hands get very sweaty and it gets harder to grip towards the end of the workout. Concentrate on being relaxed and not letting that handle slip inside your hand and you should be ok on rowing less than 60mins. Pete

[old] King0Gus · Post by **[old] King0Gus** » October 19th, 2004, 12:32 pm

I've heard holding tea bags in your hands is supposed to help, never tried it myslef ive just gotten used to em

[old] nkoffler · Post by **[old] nkoffler** » October 19th, 2004, 6:17 pm

I've been erging for a while and have some calluses on both hands. They develop on the friction points in my grip. They are realtively under control and the suggestions about a relaxed grip and avoiding twisting are right on target. You can also file them down and treat the area with lotion. That said, you're likely to have some points at which the skin will toughen up. Mine don't bother me and I had similar ones (in different places) when I played a lot of tennis. As for the person with the ring callus, I take mine off. It's easier on the ring and your hand. Neil

[old] gman953 · Post by **[old] gman953** » October 19th, 2004, 9:44 pm

ya i have quite a few calouses myself, tea bags do help with forming callouses i saw it on row2k

[old] gorow9 · Post by **[old] gorow9** » October 21st, 2004, 9:49 am

Tea bags after erging or what? I find that when I'm sculling I tend to get a blister on the top of my righ hand, I guess that my left oar isn't going deep enough... but I also seem to have problems with digging my left oar too deep. Could it be the rigging or is it something I'm doing wrong, the blister's from my left oar/hand rubbing on my right one. Any advice I'd appriciate ~Sara

[old] phowd · Post by **[old] phowd** » October 21st, 2004, 3:37 pm

Sarah, I'm no expert, but one solution is to nest your hands so that the heel of your left hand rests on top of the back knuckles of the right hand when they pass - another way to say that is to keep your left hand always 3 or so inches in front of the right (at all stages of the stroke and recovery.) That eliminates the left handle or fingernails scraping across the top of the right hand. Hope that helps. Peter

[old] gman953 · Post by **[old] gman953** » October 21st, 2004, 10:47 pm

with the tea bags, I take 2 and pour hot water on them and let them kind of brew and cool down. Then I put them on blisters and my hands where callouses would form and some acids or something in the tea cause the skin to thicken up....Helps alot to put them on blisters and broken blisters to help harden up the skin.

[old] lowwall · Post by **[old] lowwall** » October 29th, 2004, 2:02 pm

I get calluses all the time on both hands, especially when doing daily rows of an hour plus. I just snip 'em off with fingernail clippers when they get annoying. I bought the kind that have a convex edge. Now that I think about it, they haven't bothered me since I started wrapping the (D model) handle in <a href='http://www.walgreens.com/store/product. ... =sku304679' target='_blank'>Mueller Sport Care Pretaping Underwrap Wrap</a>. The stuff is cheap and handy, I also fold it in half and use it as a sweatband. It's a lot cooler than tennis headbands (temperature wise, not style - my wife thinks I think like a sushi chef when I wear it) . Note the stuff is not that strong, you'll have to replace it every couple of weeks. One of the tennis racquet overgrips might also be helpful on the D, especially if you are coming from the earlier handle and find the diameter a little small. I lifted the following from Tennis magazine's website: for heavy sweaters a dry grip offers the best absorbency, says David Bone, TENNIS equipment adviser and executive director of the U.S. Racquet Stringers Association. Dry grip options include Gamma Pro Wrap ($4), Tourna Grip ($5), Head Agassi Pro-Grip ($6), Wilson H2Overgrip ($5.50), and Prince No Sweat! ($6). Alex Frakt

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