Callouses, Hand Strength and Years

[BoogieMKIIA]

I recently turned 68 and it seems developing and keeping callouses is different than in the past. Anyone else notice this?

I also notice some loss of strength in the left hand, with fatigue from gigging often. 

Just keep going is what I'm doing but  curious if others here have experienced this and what to do about it.

[RobB]

3 minutes ago, BoogieMKIIA said:

I recently turned 68 and it seems developing and keeping callouses is different than in the past. Anyone else notice this?

I also notice some loss of strength in the left hand, with fatigue from gigging often. 

Just keep going is what I'm doing but  curious if others here have experienced this and what to do about it.

Glucosamine and/or collagen peptides are good for muscles/joints as you age. Being conscious of a death grip on the neck is important. 5min of slow, easy hand and arm stretches helps, too. 

[crunchee]

1 hour ago, BoogieMKIIA said:

I recently turned 68 and it seems developing and keeping callouses is different than in the past. Anyone else notice this?

I'm not much younger than you, and I still have my old video game callous on the side of my right index finger from playing tons of video games at arcades years ago back in the '80's and '90's.  I very rarely play video games anywhere nowadays (can't remember the last time I did), and I don't have a game system at home; but the dang callous keeps growing back, so I keep filing it off/down.  The only thing I really regret is not having all those quarters I spent years ago!   

[Steve Haynie]

In recent weeks I have been forcing myself to pick up an acoustic guitar with high action to learn how to play again.  Bending notes is not really working out so well.  Vibrato on some notes works.  30 minutes a day has been helpful.  

My fingertips toughened up quickly.  An increase in hand strength is hard to determine since the acoustic guitar is a little harder to play.  The plan is to be able to play clean, so playing slowly with attention to what is heard changes my approach.  There is no "death grip" on the neck.  At the age of 61, age related setbacks have not become apparent yet.  

[BoogieMKIIA]

I think callouses will settle in if I continue to play as much as I have been recently. They just seem to fade faster, unlike the video game callouses that @cruncheehas.

I try to make the Monday acoustic jam at the local pub. This helps callouses and hand strength. Then electric practice on Tuesday, sometimes an open mic on Thursday. One or two gigs each weekend, about two per week in September! It may help if I play more at home the weeks of less or no gigs. We have been playing fewer, longer sets, sometime 3 hours with no break not to loose the crowd.

I’ll look for wrist exercises I can do when at the gym. Wrist rolls with a light barbell on the curl bench and similar. Maybe one of those hand/finger exercisers. No where near ready to give up. 

Physically, I’m in pretty good shape or I wouldn’t be able to play long sets. Les Paul played until his 90’s. Like the Cody Johnson song, “Till You Can’t”.

[Brooks]

For me, it's my back, especially on 3 hour gigs. Compressed disc from lifting patients for ~14 years. The good news is a lighter call volume since I swapped counties in 2018, and only 1 monthly gig is 3 hours, the other 2 or 3 are 2 hours. I'll be 59 in December  (!)

Edited September 18, 2025 by Brooks

[Jimbilly]

On 9/16/2025 at 4:05 PM, RobB said:

Glucosamine and/or collagen peptides are good for muscles/joints as you age. Being conscious of a death grip on the neck is important. 5min of slow, easy hand and arm stretches helps, too. 

I have an older cousin who is now 70, and still works as a carpenter with no significant aches/pains. He swears by collagen, and eats some knox gelatin daily (which is a cheap alternative to health food store packaging). I've been trying to get in that habit, along with Turmeric. It's hard to argue with the older guy who is super active and strong with no complaints.  

 I've got a handful of aches/etc from some injuries, recently I overdid some tennis with running for the stray balls after an hour and half on the mountain bike, and afterwards got a big lower hamstring surprise cramp while sitting at the kitchen table (never ever had any cramping issues, even when bicycle racing at a fairy high level), it's taken a month to work out, I tried some different things (avoiding too much ibuprofen) and it seems that Creatine gives some relief.

 I have an 80% collapsed vertebrae (T9 or 10, can't remember now) from an injury 3 years ago, very slowly improving, using a stool for rehearsal is helpful, and heavier instruments/amps are more of an issue than they used to be.  I need to be better about my PT, which is pretty much the "McGill Big 3"

[RobB]

1 hour ago, Jimbilly said:

I have an older cousin who is now 70, and still works as a carpenter with no significant aches/pains. He swears by collagen, and eats some knox gelatin daily (which is a cheap alternative to health food store packaging). I've been trying to get in that habit, along with Turmeric. It's hard to argue with the older guy who is super active and strong with no complaints.  

I forgot to mention turmeric. That, too.

During the pandemic lockdown, I was very sedentary for a few months. (Q: Who watched every season of Mike and Molly twice? A: Me, that’s who!) I’d fallen off my vitamin regimen for months and started up again, revamping it for my advanced years. After a few weeks, my knee stopped popping/aching and I felt normal again. I can’t say it will work for everyone, but it fixed my shit right quick.

[Dave Scepter]

Protein, Turmeric, Hand therapy Ball, Light weight and or resistance band training.... Ya gotta keep moving man!

Comes in chocolate as well... Good luck! 

Edited September 19, 2025 by Dave Scepter

[gorch]

I‘m very happy with reflexology and autogenic training. Just yesterday my doc said congratulations to perfect blood values. Can‘t be more happy. Keeping the fluids floating is a big deal.

[Brooks]

Yeah, I take a handful of vitamins and supplements every morning; glucosamine, turmeric, multi vitamin, D, K, zinc, aspirin...