Are your wrists hurting in the gym? Do you have a job where you use your wrists a lot? If so, you need to ensure that your wrists are strong enough to handle the demands of your activity.
You can do many exercises to strengthen your wrists, and in this blog post, we're going to talk about the best ones. Keep reading to learn more!
Benefits of Doing Wrist Exercises
There are several notable benefits to practicing wrist exercises.
Increase Flexibility
Wrist exercises are a great way to improve your health, and one of their advantages is increased flexibility.
Not only will these exercises help alleviate pain in your wrists, but they can also make everyday tasks much easier since you won't have to worry about limited movement.
Please make sure you take it slow when starting; it's important to start with gentle movements so that you don't strain yourself unnecessarily.
Over time, the range of motion of your wrists will increase significantly, giving you new opportunities to do tasks more comfortably and ultimately improving your life overall.
Reduce Wrist Pain And Injury
We often don't think about our wrists until it's too late. Too many of us go about our daily lives without considering the fact that we are using our wrists for various activities, from using a laptop to driving with hands-on-the-wheel.
This is why wrist exercises are so important – not only do they provide strength and agility to improve performance in everyday activities, but when done correctly and regularly, they also help you avoid wrist pain and injury resulting from overworking or straining.
In addition, if you have elbow pain at all... did you know that it could be because of your wrists?
So, if you want to remain ahead of the game while avoiding any nasty aches or pains, ensure you include some wrist exercises in your weekly routine; your body will thank you!
Build Grip Strength
Wrist exercises have numerous benefits - from increasing flexibility to promoting better circulation - but one of the biggest advantages may be improving grip strength.
Working out your wrists gives you the potential to have a much stronger grip, whether you're carrying heavy grocery bags or supporting your body weight on a pull-up bar.
These exercises can also be done anywhere and require minimal equipment, making them an accessible option for those serious about building their strength.
Exercises To Strengthen Weak Wrists
Palms Up, Palms Down
This gentle exercise strengthens your wrists and stretches them a bit. To do this, here are the steps:
- Put your arms in the ‘T’ position while sitting or standing and hold.
- Next, move your hand in a way that your palm faces up.
- Now rotate your hand down.
- Do this at least 20 times.
While performing this workout, ensure that your shoulders and neck muscles are relaxed. Moreover, move only your wrists, not your upper hand or shoulders.
Palm Stretch
The workout for your wrist strengthens and stretches the ligaments on both sides of your wrist. Here is how to do this workout:
- Keep both your arms in front, and keep your palms facing towards the roof.
- Now, take your left hand and try to clutch the fingers of your other (right) hand.
- Softly pull your finger downwards while holding and keeping your hand firm.
- Then flip your right hand over and pull your fingers downwards with your left hand.
- Switch sides as much as you can and repeat this workout.
Wrist Rotation
Do you find yourself typing away at your desk with tired wrists? It's time to try this wrist rotation exercise.
Not only can it significantly improve your 360-degree range of motion, but it will also stretch and strengthen your wrists and ligaments. When using a computer, this exercise is worth trying if you feel those aches and pains in the carpal tunnel area.
Here is how you do this:
- Grab light weights in both hands, and keep your arms in front of you fully stretched.
- Now start oppositely rotating your wrists. Rotate one wrist clockwise and the second counterclockwise.
- Try to achieve ten air circles while holding the weights and keeping your arms still.
- After rotating your wrists ten times, stop and rotate in another direction.
- Repeat this process two times.
Wrist Curls
Wrist curls are a wonderful way to strengthen the muscles in your forearms and improve your grip strength.
One of the best things about them is that you can perform them anywhere, anytime. You don't need much space or special equipment; you can do them with a resistance band, a dumbbell, or even your body weight.
When using a light resistance band or dumbbells to work out, proper form is important for reaping all the benefits of those exercises.
With a light resistance band, hold one end down with your foot and the other in hand you’ll be using to do the exercise. For an extra challenge, try repeating the motion on both sides; that way, you get an even workout.
As far as dumbbells are concerned, stick with 1-5 pounds depending on how intense you feel about taking your workout.
- Sit comfortably and keep your arms at 90 degrees, but ensure that your palms face upward. However, you can keep your arms on your legs, on a bench, or anything else.
- Next, curl or twist your wrist upward like you do while performing biceps curls.
- Then, return your wrist to the initial position.
- Repeat this process ten times, and then switch your sides.
While performing this workout, try to rotate your wrist only, not your arm. Remember, you are not doing a biceps curl. So, keep your shoulders and arms and let your wrists do the rest.
Pronated Wrist Curl
These resemble wrist curls. You can use a resistance band, dumbbell, or only your body weight for this workout. Here is how to perform Pronated wrist curls:
- Sit comfortably and keep your arms at 90 degrees but keep your palms down.
- Then twist or curl your wrist in an upward direction.
- Bring back your wrists to the initial position.
- Repeat these steps up to 10 times, and switch sides.
Squeeze
Squeezability is the name of this game! This wrist workout is perfect if you want to relax and ease out your wrists or increase your hand strength.
Whether you opt for a tennis ball or an exerciser, it will improve your grip strength notably. So why wait? Here is how you get started with this grip and wrist strengthening workout.
- Grab your ball or any other squeezable item and hold it in your hand but ensure that your palm remains open and facing up.
- Gently start squeezing the object or tennis. Squeeze it as hard as you can for up to 5 seconds.
- Then, gradually ease your grip and repeat.
- Repeat this exercise 10 times, and don’t forget to switch sides.
In The End
No matter the severity, any discomfort or pain is a huge distraction to your workout or daily life.
If you're looking for quality wrist support that can also allow you to still wear your Apple Watch or smartwatch in the gym, PROTECHT Wraps is here to reduce your pain and progress your gains.