We all want to avoid wrist pain. It is a well known issue that can effect anyone, in or out of the gym. And we know that it can be mild or severe, depending on the cause and the length of time it’s been troubling.
It is important not to ignore this type of pain.
Preventing long-term injury, something that takes a long time to recover from, is one of our fundamental health and fitness goals.
Avoid Wrist Pain With These Recommendations
When working out, it’s very common to work a large number of body parts, while forgetting about others.
Wrists are typically one area that is not focused on specifically.
But, as they do so much of the work in the gym, it is good to take the time to build strength and do things that help recover from any potential injury.
The fact is, some athletes lose the ability to continue in the sport they love because of wrist pain that has been ignored.
Not only athletes of course, anyone can experience this. If we think about it, it is not surprising, since today, the use of computers or mobile phones has triggered a lot of the carpal tunnel injuries.
It just makes sense to make the time to do some wrist exercises that build strength and enhance flexibility.
4 Simple Exercises to Avoid Wrist Pain and Get Stronger
1. Squeeze a Stress Ball
Without doubt you have seen them around somewhere, or even have one in your home.
These are small balls that are used to squeeze and release accumulated stress.
In addition to helping us with stress, these squeezable balls also help to strengthen our wrists.
You can also find other types of hand exercise equipment that can be great at improving your wrist strength.
It is a simple thing to do throughout the day, and even whilst doing other things. You don’t have to think too hard about it. Essentially you just squeeze the ball as hard as you can for a few seconds, before resting and then repeating 10 – 20 times.
You can also add wrist rotations into this activity to improve mobility at the same time. If you prefer, there are some objects in the shape of scissors that do the same function as the stress ball.
2. Use Rice To Avoid Wrist Pain
Yes, we are talking about using actual rice as one of your wrist strength exercises at home. It may sound crazy, but this is one of those things you need to try before you write it off.
It is a rather curious but very effective exercise, so we will explain what the exercise is and what it consists of.
To do it, you only need a container full of raw rice, which you should have access to at home.
When you have it ready, proceed to put your hand inside the container. If you can fit both, you can put both hands at the same time. If not, start with one and then alternate as you do the exercise.
The secret is to perform movements in a circle, opening and closing the hands, so that we work on the pressure of the fingers. You can also move your fingers in various directions.
Performing this exercise helps you gently develop strength in the hand and wrist.
This rice method for wrist strength is used by many people at the gym to improve their grip strength.
3. Intentionally Change Your Habits
This is not so much an exercise, as it is basic awareness of how you do things and trying to modify it.
To explain using an example, if you are right-handed you perform all the tasks with your right hand, overloading it.
But, if you want to take care of your wrists, we advise you to change the operating hand from time to time.
We do not mean that you become ambidextrous overnight or that you write with your left hand.
The idea is to realize that there are tasks that we can perform with both hands and adapting our habits, challenging our body in a different way, helps overall movement.
This can range from lifting your shopping bag with your opposite hand, to alternating the weight bearing wrist in an exercise.
It may seem like a small thing, but it can make small differences over time, improving strength in both wrists and avoid annoying wrist pain later on.
4. Don’t Forget To Stretch
Stretching is a fundamental part of your exercise that should be done before and after your workouts.
In the same way that you stretch other parts of your body, it is good to stretch the wrists after exercise sessions or prolonged efforts that engage them, particularly things involving weight bearing.
Part of avoiding injury is developing flexible and strong muscles around the wrist which support exercises.
To stretch your wrists you can perform various exercises.
One of the most effective is to put the palms together, pressing against each other and staying that way for half a minute. You can also slot your fingers together and push your palms away from your body while rotating your wrists. These are some examples that can help you prepare for intense workouts involving your wrists.
Give These a Go and Find What Works For You!
Give these four ideas a go and get started with your wrist injury prevention, rather than getting wrist pain that results in problems later.
Pay attention, see if you notice the difference. Your wrists will thank you!
