4 Ways To Protect Your Hands If You're Always At The Gym

Going to the gym and lifting weights is generally a positive experience. You look great, you feel great and you are healthy.

For those who don’t lift weights at all, or for those who are new to the game, it can be difficult to find any disadvantages.

However, for those with a little bit more experience in the weight room, you will know exactly what I'm talking about when I say “gym hands,” won’t you?

The act of picking up heavy weights on a daily basis can have a massive impact on your hands: both how they look and how they feel.

Unless you are a gym rat who has nothing better to do other than spend your entire life in the weight room, the side effects of lifting weights can leave you feeling extremely embarrassed by the dry, callus-filled hands that were once soft and smooth.

Some call them battle scars.

In a way, they are. But when they affect your life outside of the gym, it’s time to start paying attention.

So, what are gym hands?

If you have ever lifted weights for any period of time, you will know exactly how dry and callus-ridden your hands can become after just a few sessions.

The rubber materials that cover a lot of the gym equipment you are exposed to on a daily basis can potentially lead to the development of eczema, and the constant friction between your hands and the weights can cause hard, stubborn calluses to form on the pads of your fingers.

Not only can these conditions be extremely painful, they can also be embarrassing, especially if you work in a job where you need to shake other people's hands all the time.

Here are the best ways to prevent gym hands.

If -- like the majority of men -- the presence of dry skin and painful calluses was not what you were looking for when you signed up for the gym, fear not.

I have come up with four simple ways to prevent these gym hands from developing in the first place.

None of these will impact your schedule, and they will in no way affect your results.

So, if you want to eradicate the embarrassment of having hands like a caveman, keep on reading.

1. Wear gym gloves.

The first one is fairly obvious: Wear gym gloves.

If you are new to the gym and your hands are free from the scars of battle, investing in a quality pair of gym gloves will be the best way for you to prevent them from developing.

Gym gloves can be picked up for just a few bucks, and they don’t look as embarrassing as they sound.

A lot of men wear gloves in the gym, so this is nothing to be embarrassed by.

Don’t let the egotistical, body-building dogma get to you. It’s better to be safe than sorry, right?

2. Moisturize daily.

That’s right. It’s not just for women anymore.

One of the best ways to protect your hands from dryness is to moisturize them at least twice per day: once in the morning and once at night.

It only takes a couple of seconds, but it will have a massive impact on the health of your hands.

No matter how hard you go in the gym, you will always be confident while shaking hands.

3. Soak your hands daily.

While this method of softening hands after a workout is more for those who have already developed gym hands, it can also be a great way to keep the hands soft.

The premise is simple.

Soak your hands in warm water for 15 to 30 minutes per day. For better results, you can add Epsom salts to the water.

Next, take a pumice stone and slowly scratch away at the rough parts of your hands.

This will get rid of any hard, excess skin that has developed from the friction of lifting the weights.

Doing this daily will keep your hands soft and free from calluses, no matter how hard you train.

4. Never pick calluses.

While it might be incredibly tempting to pick off the hard lumps of skin that can develop on the pads of your hands, doing so will only make things worse.

Picking dry or dead skin will only get rid of the problem temporarily. The skin will start to grow back thicker and thicker, to make the skin tougher.

There is nothing worse than a hand full of calluses. They are hard, uncomfortable and not very nice to look at.

If the temptation becomes too much, simply refer to the above soaking method.