Plate Pinch Problem

[GarytheDino]

When I pinch olympic plates the sharp edge cuts into the web of my thumb. When I use exercise plates it doesn't because they are rounded. Does anyone else have this problem? What do you do about it? It cuts my hand so bad that it interfers with the amount of weight I can pinch. I can get 5-10's on exercise plates and want to get it on olmpic ones but they are tearing me up. Same with the 2-35's. I can get them with 2 fingers if my thumb isn't busted.

[Dan Cenidoza]

I have the same problem. I usually just back off a bit until the skin heals and use corn huskers lotion religiously. It might help to file the edge of the plate down a bit.

[wsm_fan_uk]

It may just be a case of riding the problem out and waiting for your body to adapt, Rick Walker has recently mentioned that after lots of hard work and torn skin, his thumb has got to the point where there isn't a plate on the planet sharp enough to cut it.

In my experience, every time you tear your skin, it will come back tougher. I would experiment with volume so that you find a point where you tear you thumb a bit but not enough that you couldn't train with it the next day, it is my betting that your thumb will adapt quickly to this approach.

[odin]

I think some people put athletic tape over the edge of the plates. I believe David Horne sometimes pinches with a towel over the edge.

[GarytheDino]

Thanks for the replies.

It also seems that the sharp edge that digs in helps me hold on better also. I thought about fileing the edge down but didn't know if that was considered tampering with the plate, like for a 5-10's lift.

[Adam Black]

I had that same problem when I started pinching. Over time my skin has toughened up.

[Clay Edgin]

The best solution of course is just to work at it to help your hands adapt like Rick's, but in the meantime placing a small thin swatch of leather over the edge of the plate works.

[Dan Cenidoza]

Sure, the best way to get stronger is to keep working at it, and even though Rick hasn't commented in this thread, I can't say I agree with pinching everyday, which is what I believe everyone is referring to him for.

To me, it just doesn't make sense to keep doing damage to your body (be it the webbing on your thumb or the microdamage in your muscles) without giving it time to heal and grow stronger. I do believe brief periods of this type of training can be beneficial but eventually it leads to less than optimal training sessions.

Now I understand the need to train through pain/injury at times, but you can't deny a persons ability to train more efficiently when they are pain/injury free.

Are we trying to develop a effective training protocol or are we trying to develop the ability to train through pain?