Are you mindful of your wrists when you work out? Chances are, you don’t focus on them unless they hurt. But there are good reasons to strengthen your wrists, regardless of whether they bother you or not.

Stronger wrists translate to improved function in your elbows and shoulders, particularly with exercises like pushups, pullups, and tricep dips.

Not convinced you should do any work on your wrists? Wrist strengthening, along with grip strength, is a component of virtually every upper body strength move, from bicep curls to military press and tricep extension to reverse flies.

Strengthening and Stretching Your Wrists

Although I’m using the term ‘wrist strengthening’, it’s important to note that almost all the muscles that move your wrists and hands are located in your forearms.

Put your right hand on your left forearm. Move your left wrist and hand around and you’ll be able to feel the muscles contracting. The tendons for these forearm muscles attach to the bones of the hand to move it. This ingenious design removes muscle bulk from the hands and allows for the dexterity of movement we rely on for fine motor skills in the hand.

The video and written instructions below cover pointers for strengthening, stretching, and protecting your wrists.

Strengthening

As a general rule, try to maintain a neutral or slightly extended position of the wrists when using free weights, bars, and machines.

If you are just beginning to strengthen your wrists, start small. Use very light weights (or none) and do low repetitions. A good way to incorporate this into your workouts is to start with a few reps during rests between sets of core or lower body work.

  • Wrist flexion – elbows at 90 degrees, palms face up, hands lightly fisted or holding weights, flex wrists
  • Wrist extension – elbows at 90 degrees, palms face down, hands lightly fisted or holding weights, extend wrists
  • Wrist pronation and supination – elbows at 90 degrees, hands lightly fisted or holding weights, rotate palms up and down

Stretching

Use a similar approach for stretching. Start with low repetitions of very gentle stretches. Stretching the wrists is not like stretching large muscles like the hamstrings. You don’t need to apply a lot of force to get a good stretch.

  • Wrist and finger flexion and extension
  • Assisted wrist flexion and extension

Considerations for Plank Position

People often complain of wrist discomfort in plank. Follow these tips to avoid or alleviate discomfort:

  • Heels of the hands should be directly under the shoulders.
  • The elbows should have a slight bend in them. This results in better loading through the wrist. Usually, if the crease in the bend of your elbow is facing front, your elbows are locked in full extension.
  • It’s okay to move your hands wider or narrower for different types of pushups and planks. If any position is uncomfortable though, check your form and try the modifications below.

Modifications:

  • Plank on your fists to put wrists in a neutral position or…
  • Use dumbbells or pushup stands to achieve a neutral position.
  • Drop down onto your elbows.
  • Use an elevated surface or wall to decrease the load on your wrists. As your strength increases, you may be able to move to the floor.

Extra Credit

Many of us do workouts, particularly group exercise classes, that incorporate unweighted upper body movements. We do jumping jacks, burpees, and reach up or down repeatedly. You can get a lot more out of your workouts by making these movements strong and purposeful. Reach to full extension with your fingertips.

As an example, think of jumping jacks. A sloppy arm doesn’t move the shoulder through full range or take advantage of the long lever arm achieved with full extension.

Sure, you can do jumping jacks with half-hearted arms. You can skip wrist strengthening and stretching. But why not put in a little extra effort to make your workouts more safe and effective?

Stay fit!

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The information presented on this website is not intended to replace the advice of a physician or an assessment by other wellness professionals. To reduce and avoid injury, check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program.