5 tips for stronger wrists! Plus, a wrist prep video!

Do you avoid exercises like planks, pushups, and all 4’s because of discomfort and even pain in your wrists?

Do you find that your wrists hold back from other activities also?

Sometimes the most important components to our fitness are the small parts of the body, which can be easily overlooked.

I will never forget the first time I did a yoga class. I was surprised that what felt sore during, and after class were my wrists! There was a lot of planking in the class, and my wrists hurt so much that I had to skip a lot of the exercises. I remember my wrists being so sore the next day that I thought I had injured them, or maybe had done something wrong in the class.

Well, they were not injured, and I had done nothing wrong in the class. My wrists just needed strength!

At that time in my life, my focus was more on sports like soccer, and lower body strength. Although I had not previously experienced pain in my wrists, what I didn’t realize was that my wrists were not very strong. I had a very low tolerance for weight bearing on my wrists, and the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones were not used to tension or compression on them. I would slowly learn the value of working on the “small parts” of the body as I entered the Pilates and personal training world, and how much those “small parts” would make a big difference..

Let’s fast forward to the present day.

Over the last year I have switch all my clients to virtual workouts because of the pandemic. This means more time with Pilates and fitness mat work (versus equipment), more body weight and free weight exercises, and more floor time. We had more opportunities to work on weight bearing wrist exercises, wrist prep exercises, and grip strength.

As a result, many of my clients, and also myself have noticed a huge improvement in wrist strength, pain reduction, and increased wrist tolerance during weight bearing. Although there are many benefits to working out on equipment, I feel there is something to be said here for the improvements felt by adding more time and consistency with wrist exercises, and literally being on the wrists more!

(Please note: any information I state, or give out in my blogs and videos is my professional opinion based off my education, trainings, experiences with clients over 15+ years, and research. My blogs/videos are not meant to replace medical advice, or to diagnose/treat any injuries or illness. You should always consult your doctor about any pain or discomfort in your body before trying exercises.)

Why is wrist strength/flexibility important?

The wrists are a great example of an overlooked “small part” of the body!

Not having enough strength or flexibility in the wrists, or having a low tolerance for weight bearing on the wrists, can contribute to pain in the wrists and limit certain activities of daily life. Activities like carrying things around the house, gardening, carrying children or grandchildren, and getting up and down from the floor with help from the hands, just to name a few.

A lack of wrist strength or flexibility can also affect on a person’s overall strength! The ability to perform certain exercises like push ups, planks, certain weight training exercises, and many Pilates/Yoga exercises involve the wrists. These exercises are all great ways to progress full body strength, and many people avoid these exercises because of pain or discomfort in their wrists. Plus, doing weight bearing exercise on the wrists also improves bone density, which helps to reduce the chances of a break or fracture of the wrists, during a fall.

Why do my wrists hurt?

Pain in the wrists can be caused by many things. Some general causes for wrist pain include (but are not limited to):

Arthritis in the wrist or hands, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Ganglion Cyst in the wrists, present or past wrist injuries (even from childhood), a lack of mobility/ flexibility in the wrists, and lack of weight bearing activities on the wrists.

Each of these causes asks for different modifications, or exercise protocol. Some first need medical treatment, or physical therapy. If you have extreme discomfort or wrist pain, it’s very important to see your doctor FIRST to find out exactly what is causing your wrist pain before starting an exercise program that works on strengthening and mobilizing the wrists.

What can I do to get my wrists stronger now?

Once a more serious cause for wrist pain or discomfort has been ruled out by your doctor, then it’s time to start strengthening and mobilizing the wrists just like any other part of the body!

To get you started, I have included a “Wrist Prep Video” of my favorite wrist exercises and modifications.

Click HERE for the Video!

In addition, below are my top 5 tips for stronger wrists!

5 Tips for Stronger Wrist!

Tip #1 Stretch your wrists!

A lack of mobility/flexibility can make weight bearing on the wrists uncomfortable, and even painful. Before you start working on floor exercises (or dive into a set of push ups), work on some wrist stretches to get the wrists more flexible, and warmed up. I’ve included some of my favorite wrist stretches and mobilization exercises in the video HERE.

Tip #2 Strengthen the wrists in ALL directions!

What daily movements do your wrists do the most?

For me, I hold my phone a lot (something I’m working on doing less of), so my wrists see a lot of flexion along with my fingers. To offset this as much as possible, I like to work on stretching and strengthening my wrists in extension. Plus, I also make sure to work the strength on the sides of the wrists (the thumb and pinkie sides).

I try to incorporate wrist strength into every workout for myself, my clients, and my virtual classes as much as possible.

Tip #3 Know your limits, and modify if needed!

Although some discomfort with new wrist exercises is to be expected, sometimes it’s hard to know where your limit for discomfort ends and pain begins. When I took that first yoga class, I started out by passing my limits on my wrists and pushed them into a “pain zone”. Doing so actually discouraged me from trying more yoga for a few years after that, and I missed out on all the benefits of yoga during that time.

My suggestion for finding what your wrist can tolerate is to start SLOW by doing only 1 or 2 weight bearing exercises or strength exercises on the wrists each week. Then add more gradually.

You can also modify exercises like push ups, and all 4’s by padding up under the wrists with a towel, or a folded mat. Just place the palms of the hands on the front edge of the padding at a downward angle. (An example of this is demonstrated in the wrist prep video!)

Tip #4 Make your wrist exercises consistent and convenient!

Practicing wrist prep exercises consistently is what really made the difference this last year for myself and my clients. We were just using the wrists more and weight bearing on them more often, and we felt the difference!

Try incorporating your wrist prep exercises into your daily routine. For example, next time you’re sitting at the computer and need a 5 minute break, do some of your wrist stretches and rolls. If you are on the floor playing with your kids or grandkids, do the wrist rocking! (Exercises shown in video.)

Tip #5 Be patient!

Like most things worth doing, getting the wrists stronger will take time and work. Be patient with your body, and use wrist modifications when needed. Try not to get frustrated if you don't see results immediately, they will come in time!

If you need any guidance, reach out to an experienced professional (such as myself) to help you with form, modifications, or if you need a more personalized wrist prep routine.

I hope these tips help you as much as they have helped me and my clients!

I would love to know how it goes! Please feel free to email me (email listed below), and let me know how these tips and the video worked for you!