Training your upper body can feel a little limited if you’re prone to painful wrists – but it doesn’t have to be, all you need are a few smart exercise swaps. This four-move dumbbell workout hits your chest, arms, shoulders and back muscles while minimising stress on your wrists so you can continue to build strength and lean muscle without the discomfort.
You’re probably wondering how this workout will keep your wrists happy. Well, it’s all to do with your grip positioning. All the exercises use a neutral grip – where you perform an exercise with your palms facing each other – as opposed to an underhand grip (supinated) or a pronated grip (overhand). By using a neutral grip, load is distributed more evenly and your wrists are put in a less compromising position where there’s less flexion and extension.
- Overhead tricep extensions (hold one dumbbell in both hands)
- Dumbbell floor/or bench press
- Hammer curls
- Dumbbell bent-over rows
As well as switching your grip position, it may be worth incorporating some forearm strength exercises into your weekly routine too. This can help your wrists as the muscles in the forearms are responsible for wrist flexion and extension. It'll also have a big impact on your grip strength too, which will make every day tasks and lifts easier – so it's a win, win!
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