Girls With Calluses… What’s The Problem

Girls with Calluses Rate OR Hate? Personally, calluses are the small price to pay for ‘muscles’ (I mean there is always a tradeoff with everything). The way I see it is I have earned my calluses, they have come from ‘blood, sweat & tears’. They are proof that I work hard.

 It has however since been brought to my attention that some males have a problem with this ( & even some ladies)… So here are my thoughts on calluses on girls (so yes I’m going to be ‘bias’ as I do get them)…

 Okay, so just to clarify to make sure we are all on the same page – a callus is a toughened area of skin which has become relatively thick and hard in response to repeated friction, pressure, or other irritation (& yes I turned to the ever reliable WiKIPedia :p). So you know they are what you get from the gym, when you [insert Arnold Schwarzenegger’s voice] ‘lift things up and put them down’.

Personally, calluses on a girl says one thing … she is a BOSS.

So what sparked this article … Well a comment was made by a dear friend asking me about if I’m concerned that my calluses (to be fair I was moisturising and complaining about them being soar) being a turn off to the male species… Now before I launch into my thoughts on this comment/conversation, I would just like to reinforce my hands don’t look like this….

My hands are still girly I swear – I still paint my nail, my hands are soft (well I think they are), they have no cuts or splits, they are still girly hands, just girly hands which can lift … like a BOSS :p Yes there are baby calluses but they are tiny… Just so you have an idea, this is what they look like today …

Now I did do callus inflicting lifts last night (you know – deadlifts, barbell rows etc).

But to date this has been my worst callus experience, so really they aren’t that bad.

 

Obviously they are worse and the pic has been taken after just have finishing a gym workout… but yeh, still girly hands!!

Ultimately, the formation of those sexy trophy calluses of awesome on girls hands are inevitable when it comes to REAL training… Yes I went, there … You know deadlifts, chin ups, pull ups, barbell rows, or just about any exercise that involves gripping a bar or handle and pulling it … that will most likely cause calluses. Although a sexy kick ass physique is to gain so like why the hell not!

I mean if a guy actually has a problem with calluses I’m almost completely certain that he doesn’t lift, like proper lift (flick). Personally, I like to think I have a lot more worthy assets a guy could and should be focusing his attention towards to even have time to notice my baby calluses. I mean really, with all these bloody deadlifts and squats he should be looking at the bootyI’m building! And if all else fails I mean there are always the twins. & really if a guy is put off by a “girl with calluses”, it says more about them so why bother with such a person –they hardly seem worthy of having the honour of your presence. A girl with calluses means she lifts/trains and means she possesses a variety of appealing traits including: self discipline, time management, dedication, focus, motivation etc.

I have high fived, shaken and held hands with many people and comments haven’t really been made. You can barley notice. But girls if you are worried about your hands you do have options (and no it’s not just not train!) you can get gloves or use chalk. Personally I’m a chalk user when it comes to deadlifts. Yes I can still feel my grip sliding on the last 2 in most of my sets of 8. I have used gloves a couple of times and wouldn’t say no to them, just it’s another thing to stuff around and put on and off at gym, I like to get in get out. The downside to chalk tho is it gets everywhere and the amount of times I have forgotten its on my hands and have touched my face or have wiped my hands on my clothes to end up with chalk over me (prime examples, me with chalk on me!)

At the end of the day calluses are there as armour to protect your hands from tears and blisters, yes they aren’t the best looking thing, but beats tears and blisters, so look after those calluses ladies as if you don’t calluses can become a nuisance during your workouts, and at worst, rip right off (ouch – lucky I haven’t had to experience this!!!) which will ultimately hurt, interfere with your training and give you icky ‘man’ hands. So make sure you look after your hands! I moisturize my hands with Almond Oil ‘Hand Rescue’ cream from The Body Shop after I have showered after my gym session and then most mornings just with a generic body moisturiser so I can keep my hands all pretty, soft and ‘girly’. Apparently tho those pumice stones are good to keep calluses in check so that’s another idea for if you are worried about them.

 

So that’s it for my little rant and opinion on calluses. Thanks for reading and please let me know what you do to keep your calluses at bay.

JessE-B xx