How can I strengthen my wrists?

Posted by abi-abs on June 10, 2014 at 6:24pm

Hello :) 

I am an ex-gymnast (I stopped training 10 years ago) and currently a coach so I'm definitely a strong advocate of bodyweight training! I have recently started working on my own handstands, planches and levers again but am finding that my wrists tire out and become sore much earlier than my arms/shoulders/core. Does anyone have any tips on how I can strengthen my wrists so that I can start to improve my handstands, planches and levers without risking wrist injury??

Any tips and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Abi x

You need to be a member of The Frugivore Diet to add comments!

Join The Frugivore Diet

Email me when people reply –
Follow

Replies

  • Brett Mammel December 15, 2015 at 3:09pm

    Get an overhead bar and a hand towel. 

    Throw the towel over the bar. 

    Hold onto the bar with one hand.

    With the other hand, grip the towel.

    Switch hands. 

    This does wonders for grip strength and the muscles in the area of the wrist/hand.

    The end goal of this exercise working up through the progressions, is to be able to hang with one hand from a towel. The grip that you take holding a towel is much different than when holding onto a bar. Thus the different muscle groups are worked.

  • Windlord June 10, 2014 at 6:37pm

    How about pushups with as many wrist angles as you can think off.  On your knuckles, on the blades of your palm, on the back of your hand, etc, always respecting your limits of course.

    If that's too much, then work off a higher surface, even a wall, then a counter, then desk, bench, coffee table, and working down toward the floor.  

    • abi-abs > Windlord June 10, 2014 at 8:05pm

      That's a great idea, thank you! I always just do standard pushups, so I will give this a go! Thanks!

    • Windlord > abi-abs June 13, 2014 at 3:15pm

      Sure thing, let me know how it works for you.

      A couple more that came to mind

      -fingertip pushups, making sure your fingers are well warmed and flexible.  Again fine to push off a higher surface.

      -hanging from a bar not by the finger/palm grip but from your wrists in a false grip position.  Takes great strength to maintain that fully flexed position under load.  

    • abi-abs > Windlord June 14, 2014 at 6:30am

      thanks for all your tips!! ...I had no idea what false grip was so have just looked it up on youtube (obviously) and it looks crazy difficult!! It will take me a while to build up the forearm strength to do that I think! I would never have thought of that, thank you

This reply was deleted.