If Your Wrist Always Hurts During Planks And Pushups, Try This Simple Fix
Planks and pushups can be hard enough, and you don’t need wrist pain making them even tougher. For many people, though, these staple exercises get uncomfortable fast because of the strain they put on the wrists. This could be caused by improper form and tight wrists or conditions like carpal tunnel or arthritis, in which case you’d want to talk to your doctor for the best way to address the pain.
If wrist pain is stopping you from doing a plank, Kehinde Anjorin, functional strength coach, has expert advice to alleviate strain on the wrists and forearms and have you planking like a pro in no time.
Meet the expert: Kehinde Anjorin, CFSC, NCSF, is a functional strength coach and personal trainer.
Benefits Of Planks
There’s a reason planks are so popular. This isometric exercise is one the most effective (and efficient) ways to work your whole body, and oftentimes with no equipment.
Planks work your core (obviously), but they also work your back, shoulders, and hips. They also build up your stability and strengthen your core which helps with strength training, running, and every day activities.
Learn how to alleviate wrist pain during planks in the video below:
3 Tips To Nix Wrist Pain During Planks
In the video, Anjorin breaks down her top three tips that she shares with clients to alleviate their wrist pain during planks. They are:
Use dumbbells. Grip dumbbells instead of placing hands flat onto the ground. This keeps your wrist straight and in a neutral position and helps with alignment.
Use a yoga block. Lay your palms flat on a yoga block. This reduces the amount of body weight on your wrists.
Warm up your wrists and forearms. Before planking, stretch your wrists in order to make sure they’re warmed up and to improve wrist mobility over time. You’re going to want to move through several reps of wrist flexion and extension, which Anjorin demonstrates in the video.
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