Wrist Strength

[Ricky0424]

I've come to believe that my wrist are fairly weak and ive struggled because of it. From lifting heavy or trying new workouts my wrist have been an issue when trying to carry weights. I have started working out again an wonder If I should be training my wrist? or should I just get some really good wrist wraps as many people advise me to? I'd like some explanations! thank you.

[jgreystoke]

Wrist and grip strength are often a problem because most people don't do hard physical labor on the farm etc that tends to build up these areas naturally.

You can have a strong crush grip, and yet have weak wrists. And vice versa.

Wrist:

Wrist curls with a barbell. High reps. Full range of motion, but don't bother rolling the weight down to your fingertips like some people do to increase their finger strength, aka crush grip*. Train grip separately.

Wrist curls will strengthen the wrist flexors. But if they get vastly stronger while you leave your wrist extensors weak, then you'll likely develop tendonitis or similar problems. And if you punch the heavy bag, your wrist can collapse inward, spraining it, because of the imbalance.

So do reverse wrist curls with an EZ bar(to reduce wrist or elbow issues that you can get from using a straight bar)to strengthen the wrist extensors. Use about half your wrist curl weight, again high reps, and superset the two movements.

An alternative for wrists is to use a lever bar(adjustable dumbbell loaded only on one side, or even not loaded at all to start). Pronate and supinate slowly with a pause in the horizontal position each side. Again high reps like twenty.

Crush grip:

Grip machine, if your gym has one. I've never been in a gym that had one so I got on made for me. Check out secondhand online. If you cant manage to find one then your best bet is:

Captains of Crush grippers from

http://ironmind.com/product-info/gri...rush-grippers/

An alternative for grip is to do chins from rope or towels. I use a plaited rope, and since am over 200, yes they are hard, you are hammering your grip as well as your upper back and arms.

Getting your grip much stronger will strengthen your finger flexors. But if you leave your finger extensors weak, then you can get tendonitis etc. The cure is to go to the post office or office supply and buy a pound of large rubber bands. Wrap a band a couple times around middle finger, and then loop around fingers and thumb and do extensions. Again high reps, twenty.

I do go on. Hope this gives you some ideas you can use Ricky.

Best of luck.

[grouchyjarhead]

Lever lifts are bar none the best wrist strengthening exercises out there in my opinion. They can be traced back to the beginnings of the Chinese martial arts and are still popular today because they work. Still big in martial arts, arm wrestling, etc.

[philgriffiths]

I used to find my wrists being the weak points when lifting (both weights and people - see profile pic) but then couldn't use wrist wraps as they limited mobility far too much.
Some generic athletic tape (with a zinc oxide adhesive - friendlier on skin) helped tremendously as it provided a little extra support but not so much that I didn't increase my strength overtime anyway.
I hardly ever use it now, only when I throw something (or someone) a little awkwardly or when it's a little too heavy.
The company I work for actually manufacture it so if you ping me a PM I will send you a couple rolls FOC.