Rowing · Skin is gear

Two thousand meters. Every stroke on the same strip of palm.

Rowers blister where the handle sits, at the base of the fingers, and they keep rowing on it. Water, sweat and the grip do the rest. Here is how rowers keep calluses flat, blisters closed, and backs and forearms ready for the next piece.

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Skin is gear
Why rowers blister

Wet skin, a turning handle, thousands of strokes.

Every stroke rolls the handle across the same strip of skin at the base of the fingers. On the water the hands get wet; on the erg they sweat. Soft, wet skin shears against the grip, and a blister forms under the callus that was supposed to protect it. Most rowers tape and keep going, and the blister never quite closes.

The routine that breaks the cycle is the one we give climbers and lifters. File calluses flat so nothing catches. Dry hands before the piece. Close an open blister the same night so it's skin again by the next practice. A rowing handle is a hold you pull ten thousand times a week.

A training week, day by day

From Monday's erg to Saturday's race.

Where rowers' hands and backs go wrong across a week, and what goes on at each stop.

The night before · SunDrier hands on the handle.

Performance on the palms before bed. Less sweat on the erg, less slip on the handle, less shear on the skin.

Performance
Before the piece · MonFlat calluses, taped spots.

File any raised callus. Tape the base of the fingers where blisters always start.

80/100 Skin FileRhinos' Own Adhesive tape
The blister · WedKeep it covered.

If it opens, Split stick over it and tape on top. Leave the roof on.

SplitRhinos' Own Adhesive tape
That night · WedClose it fast.

Split+ whipped balm on the open blister, Repair on the rest of the palm. Two nights running.

Split+Repair
Race day · SatBack and forearms.

Massage Cream on the lower back and forearms after. The roller on the hamstrings and glutes.

Massage CreamRAD Roller - HelixWave Tool - Dual Style Cupping set (6)
Find your way in

Tell us what happens. We'll point.

No score and no wrong answers. Pick what sounds like you, and every answer opens another door: a fix, a page, a longer read.

The pack

What's in the boat bag.

Travel sizes in the bag. Full sizes at the boathouse. Team pricing for crews.

Ultimate Athlete Recovery Kit
All of it, one boxUltimate Athlete Recovery Kit

Roller, cups, Massage Cream and Split+ in one box.

The whole routineUltimate Athlete Recovery Kit$145.00$119.95
10 items · pick a size, hit Add
The night beforePerformance$8.95
Calluses flat80/100 Skin File$2.00
Base of the fingersRhinos' Own Adhesive tape$3.95
Cover the open blisterSplit$4.95
Whipped balm, overnightSplit+$8.95
Every nightRepair$8.95
Back and forearmsMassage Cream$8.95
Hamstrings and glutesRAD Roller - Helix$49.00
The knot that won't quitWave Tool - Dual Style Cupping set (6)$39.95
The shower afterAll Natural Castile Body Wash$5.95
The crew

The people who test this on the water.

Club rowers, masters crews, erg obsessives. They tell us what kept them rowing.

Row a lot, use Rhino, want in? Tap to apply.

Seen at the boathouse

Show us the hands.

Dawn on the river, the taped palms, the split time. This wall is yours.

Grip-Enhancing Skincare for Gamers by Rhino Skin Solutions" – Close-up image of a gamer using Rhino Dry Spray to prevent hand sweat and improve control during gameplay@rhinoskinsolutionsRhino Skin Solutions Massage Cream for Gamers’ Hand Recovery" – Image of Rhino Massage Cream, providing relief from sore muscles and hand fatigue after long gaming sessions.@rhinoskinsolutionsPhysical therapist treating a shoulder — Rhino muscle and joint care.@rhinoskinsolutionsTag us
#SkinIsGear

Post it, tag @rhinoskinsolutions and #SkinIsGear. We pull the best ones onto this wall every week.

Field reports

From the comments.

Rower reviews land here as they come in.
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