Sunday, January 1, 2012

How to Prevent Calluss From Regular Chinups?


The towel chinup is an effective exercise for strengthening the muscles of your back, biceps and forearms. It helps to build a strong grip, and is an excellent progression if you find regular chinups too easy. You can also use towel chinups as an alternative to normal chinups if you find that doing them on a bar gives you calluses. However, if you have particularly soft skin, you may still find you get calluses from towel chinups.

REGULAR CHINUPS AND CALLUSES

Calluses develop due to pressure or friction on your skin. When you perform regular chinups on a bar, this may occur frequently. Chinup bars are usually made of metal and covered in rubber. When your hands are sweaty, they can rub and slip while you're doing chinups, which leads to the formation of calluses. Over time, your hands will toughen up. Putting chalk on your hands may improve your grip and reduce friction, but will not necessarily prevent calluses.

TOWEL CHINUPS

Switching to towel chin-ups could help save your hands from calluses. To perform towel chinups, drape a towel over a chinup bar and grasp an end in each hand. Let your arms hang straight, as you would when performing a normal chinup, then pull yourself up until your head is over the bar. Pause for a second, and lower yourself slowly. Because the towel will absorb any moisture from your hands, they are less likely to slip, which should help aid callus prevention. Strength coach Nick Tumminello also advises that towel chinups are useful for building your forearms and biceps. Try doing your maximum number of reps, or just holding yourself in a raised position for as long as possible.

CALLUS PREVENTION

If you find that towel chinups still bring on calluses, then it's time to look at other methods of prevention. To prevent calluses and keep your hands soft, then try soaking them in warm water after training, use a pumice stone to remove tough, dry skin, and apply a moisturizer every day. Your other option is to accept that you'll get calluses, and let your hands harden up. Over time the skin will toughen.

CONSIDERATIONS

While towel chinups may be a viable alternative for preventing calluses, they more difficult than regular chinups. Another option to consier is wearing weightlifting gloves when doing your exercises. However, these can impair your grip, so use them as a last resort. If you plan to compete in a weightlifting or powerlifting event, your best option may be to simply let your hands toughen up over time, and file down your calluses so they don't tear.

 
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