I was playing basketball recently with a friend of mine. Something happened that gave me an idea for a post that I thought would fit well under the category of workout tips for beginners.
This guy was always a great basketball player. I am not. But I always thought the game was a great workout.
But this guy could do everything on a basketball court. He’s fast, agile and a dead eye from outside three point range.
He’s not even 6 feet tall but can dunk the ball like nobody’s business. Guys half his age struggle to keep up with him.
If you saw him before he stepped on the court, you wouldn’t believe what he was capable of doing with a basketball. Living proof to never judge a book by it’s cover.
I learned that one a long time ago. Especially in sports.
It became apparent as the game wore on that he wasn’t hitting his shots like he usually did.
I joked with him that it was good to see him struggling and that I might actually have a shot to make it a close game.
Now that’s comedy. He could beat me on one leg without looking. No joke.
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He’s not one to complain so I asked why he thought his game was a little off.
“Simple” he said. “My wrist is killing me.”
He couldn’t follow through on his shots as he usually did.
He exercises regularly and includes resistance training as part of his routine.
As it turns out, he’d been pushing himself a little more than usual and was starting to experience some wrist pain.
I told him if he spotted me 30 points, I’d help him out.
We had a deal. I probably needed 100 to have a chance.
Truth is, wrist pain is not uncommon for anybody who is regularly into resistance training. Especially if you lift weights.
When I was first starting out I would get some wrist pain from time to time. It quickly became apparent to me what was causing it.
As time went on it happened a lot less once I started to figure out what I was doing wrong that was bringing on the pain.
Additionally, there are things you can do to help prevent it.
Prevention is definitely what you want to be shooting for.
So what causes wrist pain while exercising?
There are definitely a couple of prime culprits in my experience.
You want to get on top of these things early because your wrists and grip strength are critical to so many things you’ll do while working out.
The wrist and grip strength you’ll need while exercising comes from muscles and tendons that work through your forearms.
If you’re doing a couple things in particular that ignore those muscle groups or force them to do too much, you could have wrist pain.
It’s not unlikely for pain to be brought on by repetitive stress as you might encounter with improper resistance training.
And with wrist pain, you’re just depriving yourself of maximizing your workout.
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Watch Your Technique
So this has always been my favorite highlight of workout tips for beginners because it was one that took me a while to really appreciate.
Once I did, it made all the difference in the world.
If you are experiencing wrist pain during your workout, there’s a good chance you are allowing too much strain on your wrists.
Usually this will occur from positioning your wrists incorrectly during a movement.
My favorite example is during dumbell curls or any exercise where you are incorporating the upper arm into the movement and have your palms facing upwards.
With the curl, you want to be sure your wrist and hand stay aligned with your forearm.
You don’t want to be holding the weight with your wrist bending back down towards the ground.
That will definitely cause unwanted stress on your wrists and eventually lead to pain.
Even worse, you won’t be focusing the movement on the muscle you want to exercise properly: the bicep.
This is because of all the additional strain you’ll be putting on your wrist from having your hand in the wrong position.
Another classic example of improper position that can cause wrist pain during a workout will often occur with the bench press. Similar with any exercise where you are lying on your back and pressing weight above you.
As you can imagine, the mistake is hand position again. This time during a pushing exercise instead of one where you are pulling towards you.
With the bench press, you want to keep your wrists in a solid line again with your forearms and don’t allow your hands to bend back towards you.
Your hands bending back will result in sustaining considerable strain again on your wrists and not bearing the weight properly on the muscle group you’re looking to exercise, in this case the chest.
As bodyweight exercises become more popular, another common movement causing wrist pain will occasionally be the push up. As well as any variation of bodyweight exercise that requires you to press up from the ground.
Not surprisingly, the position your wrists are in when doing the push up will for some people cause some discomfort.
It does require your wrist to be extended back so that you can position your hands correctly for the move.
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The good news is that if you enjoy the bodyweight exercises there are alternatives for your hands and ways to condition your forearms and wrists so as to avoid the pain in the future.
But before we get to that a quick note.
Check Your Weight (Classic Workout Tip For Beginners)
By check your weight I don’t mean jump on a scale.
I mean take a moment and think about how much weight you’re trying to lift.
There was a time I always had to remind myself about this one.
If your wrists are breaking from their proper position when you are attempting a press or curl, there’s a good chance you’re trying to lift too much weight.
Don’t be in such a hurry.
If you injure yourself trying to lift too much weight that will throw you off your entire workout regimen.
You’ll probably have to stop exercising for a while to heal. That’s such an unnecessary setback every time it happens because you’re not going to hit your fitness goals overnight anyway.
Take your time. Don’t rush. Use proper technique to execute the moves correctly.
If you’re breaking proper technique and putting any part of your body in danger, you’re probably not getting any benefit out of the movement and risking serious injury.
When it comes to figuring out the weight you should be lifting try using 2/3 your 1 rep max as a rough guide.
If that still feels heavy just drop down. You’ll be getting stronger and increasing the weight before you know it. But it’s a gradual process.
Give your body time and it’ll get you there. Put this on your list of favorite workout tips for beginners or for anyone for that matter.
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How To Improve Your Grip And Wrist Strength
More good news!
There are some really easy ways to build up strength in your hands and wrists so that you won’t be bothered by wrist pain anymore.
Before trying those exercises, first you can give your wrists and forearms a good stretch to limber up. This will also help prevent injury.
These stretches are easy to perform and will help keep your wrists safe from injury.
Start by lifting your arm up in front of you, palm down. Keep it flat in front of you from your elbow to finger tips and parallel with the floor.
Then slowly stretch your hand backwards towards the top of your forearm. You can use your other hand to help stretch your hand back. You should feel the stretch in you forearm.
Then repeat the stretch pulling your hand down and towards the bottom of forearm.
Do it slow. It shouldn’t hurt. Just enough to feel the stretch.
Then repeat it for the other arm. Holding the stretch for 15 – 20 seconds in each direction a couple times should do the trick.
Exercise Your Grip : Some Equipment To Consider
There are a number of good exercises you can do to strengthen your grip which will in turn, strengthen your wrists.
You can actually go out and buy a piece of equipment called an exercise grip. There are lots of them.
Usually they are shaped like a “V” and fit comfortably in your hand. Usually they are made of plastic and some have sponge grip pads.
They come with different tensions so depending upon your strength, there will be one for you.
Practice with those regularly and you’ll see your grip strength gradually increase.
You can also use a rubber ball or tennis ball. Something like that with a little bit of give that you can feel working your grip and your forearms.
Another really useful tool was shown to me by a friend who is into rock climbing.
I believe it’s called a grip ring.
Shaped like… a ring. It fits into the palm of your hand. You can do multiple repetitions with it or simply squeeze and hold it closed for 30 seconds at a time.
Which ever way you choose to use it, it will definitely help build your wrists and grip strength. If rock climbers are using it, you know it must be pretty good.
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Great Exercises With Resistance Training
If you have access to dumbbells or barbells there are some great exercises you can do to build wrist strength along with your forearms.
The great thing about these movements is that you really don’t need lots of weight.
Sit down on a chair or bench with a dumbbell in your hand.
Place your forearm along your thigh holding the dumbbell palm up so that your hand can just dangle over your knee.
From that position allow your hand to relax down and then curl up using just your wrist. Don’t let your elbow come off your thigh. And squeeze your grip as you’re curling.
Repeat with the other arm.
Then flip your arm over so the back of your hand is facing upwards. Repeat the curl from that position for both arms.
You should really be feeling this movement on both sides of your forearm.
Remember you shouldn’t be struggling. You’re looking to build grip strength. If it’s too hard, use a lighter weight.
If it’s too awkward to do it on your thigh, you can perform the move over the edge of a chair or bench as well.
Access to a bench will allow you to do both hands at the same time holding a barbell if you so choose.
If you’re at a gym and have access to a cable pull down machine there’s another great move you can do.
Attach a short flat bar to the cable. Stand in front of it with both hands holding the bar equal distance apart.
Pull the cable down so that your arms go fully extended downwards. While holding the bar in that position, just let your wrists go up a little and then curl them back down.
You’re basically doing wrist pull downs in that spot.
Again remember, you don’t need a lot of weight. You should feel this in your forearms right away.
See how it feels to do about 10 repetitions.
Finally, if you have access to a pull up bar there is one slightly more advanced move you can try to build your wrist and grip strength.
Simply grab the bar with your palms facing forward and keep your feet off the ground.
This is just basically hanging around without any movement. As basic as it sounds, I consider it slightly more advanced because you will need some initial grip and upper body strength to hold on.
But if you can do it and hold on for about 20 to 30 seconds, it’s a great way to build grip and wrist strength.
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What If I Like The Bodyweight Exercises?
Don’t worry I didn’t forget.
If you like the bodyweight exercises like I do, you’ll want to know how to keep your wrists pain free while executing moves like push ups or mountain climbers.
There’s a few things that I’ve discovered to help alleviate the stress on your wrists from this position.
First, if you’re doing these exercises on a mat or rug, try squeezing with your fingertips as you push or are holding yourself upwards.
I find it makes the move easier and this may be because I’m incorporating grip strength which also helps support my wrists.
You can go from a flat hand on the floor position to making a fist and allowing the weight to go across the knuckles instead of your palm.
This will probably require a little more strength but it will take all the pressure off your wrist as it aligns with your forearm during the movement and obviously won’t be bent back.
You can also purchase grips that are really just handles you place on the floor under each hand that you grip instead of having your hand flat on the floor.
Again, these align your hand and wrist with your forearm so your hand isn’t bent back.
These may be a little easier than the fist position since you won’t have your knuckles on the ground.
Finally, there are wraps you can get for your wrists if you are already experiencing a little pain or feel you need extra support to complete the movements.
The Wrap Up : Healthy Wrists For Beginners
So there you have it. Hopefully some useful workout tips for beginners.
If you’re experiencing some minor wrist pain try stretching to alleviate the discomfort or apply a wrap to give you the support you need until the pain subsides.
Looking to prevent wrist pain and build your grip and wrist strength? Try the exercises and stretches noted and you should be on your way to a pain free workout before you know it.
