15 Best Wrist Strengthening Exercises To Reduce Pain & Injury
Medically reviewed by Dr. Sudhansu Singh, Physiotherapist by Charushila Biswas
ISSA Certified Specialist in Fitness & Nutrition
Wrist exercises and stretches are great for strengthening the wrists. They are helpful for people who have a wrist injury or fracture, wrist pain, or carpal tunnel syndrome, and for those who want to lift weights at the gym. Here are 15 wrist exercises you can do to reduce pain, improve your range of motion, and strengthen your wrist flexors and extensors. Scroll down.
Table Of Contents
15 Wrist Exercises & Stretches
NOTE: Do these exercises post-recovery under the supervision of a trained physical therapist.
Target – Wrist flexors, extensors, pronators, supinators, and brachialis.
How To Do Wrist Curl With Dumbbells
Sit on a bench or a chair and keep your legs shoulder-width apart. Grab a dumbbell in each hand, and place your forearms on your thighs such that your palms are facing up. Do not rest your wrists on your knees. This is the starting position.
Keeping your forearms stationary, curl your wrists toward them. Hold this pose for a moment.
Slowly extend your wrists back and down toward the floor.
Sets And Reps
3 sets of 10 reps
Tip: Do not use heavy weights if you are a beginner or have a wrist injury. Wear wrist support if needed.
Target – Wrist flexors, extensors, pronators, and supinators.
How To Do Reverse Wrist Curl With Dumbbells
Sit on a bench or a chair and keep your legs shoulder-width apart. Grab a dumbbell in your right hand. Place your right forearm on your right thigh, with your palm facing down. Do not rest your wrist on your knee. Place your left palm on your left knee for support. This is the starting position.
Keeping your forearm stationary, slowly flex your palm up and toward your body. Hold this pose for a moment.
Slowly bring the right hand down, pointing toward the floor.
Sit on a chair, wrap a tube resistance band around your right palm, and step on the other end of the band with your right foot. Place your right elbow on your right thigh, with the palm facing up. This is the starting position.
Move your fist down toward the floor. Hold this pose for a second.
Flex your wrist up toward your body.
Do this 10 times.
Wrap the resistance band around your left hand and repeat it.
Sit on a chair, take a tube resistance band in your right palm, and step on the other end with your right foot. Place your right elbow on your right thigh, with the palm facing down. This is the starting position.
Flex your fist up toward your body. Hold this pose for a second.
Extend your wrist down toward the floor.
Do this 10 times and then take the resistance band in your left hand and repeat.
How To Do Dumbbell Seated Supination And Pronation
Sit on a chair near your dining or study table. Hold a dumbbell with your right hand and place your wrist at the edge of the table, with the palm facing down.
Without moving your elbow, slowly turn your palm up toward the ceiling. Hold this pose for a second.
Slowly turn your palm toward the floor.
Do this 10 times and then do the same with your left hand.
Target – Flexor and extensor carpi ulnaris and flexor and extensor carpi radialis.
How To Do Dumbbell Radial and Ulnar Deviation
Sit or stand and hold a dumbbell in your right hand like you would to do hammer curls. Keep your hand extended at the shoulder level, and the left hand on your left thigh.
Without bending your elbow, flex your wrist up toward your body. Hold this pose for a second.
Slowly lower the wrist so that your knuckles point toward the ceiling.
Sit on a bench and hold a barbell in your hands. Your palms must be facing up, shoulders rolled back, and legs shoulder-width apart. Place your forearms on your thighs. This is the starting position.
Without rolling the barbell, extend your wrists down, toward the floor. Hold this pose for a second.
Kneel down and sit on your heels. Extend both your hands in front of you and ensure that they are shoulder-width apart. Flex your palms so that your fingertips point toward the floor.
Keeping your wrists flexed, place the back of your palms on the floor. Apply gentle pressure and hold this pose for 30 seconds. You can fist your palms and release them while holding this pose.
Release the hold after 30 seconds. Extend your wrists and turn your palms down.
Place your palms on the floor and hold this pose for 30 seconds.
Target – Pronators, supinators, wrist flexors and extensors.
How To Do Wrist Exercise With Putty
Hold a ball of putty in your left palm.
Pinch the putty with your right index finger and thumb and press it away. Release the pinch, turn the putty a little, and pinch it again until its edges are pinched. Do this with the other hand as well.
Take a ball of putty and roll it using a rolling pin.
Place your palms on the table or the surface on which the putty is placed. Place your thumbs on the putty.
Press the putty in the middle with both thumbs and move them outward.
Use a tennis or cricket ball to do this exercise/massage.
Place your wrist on top of the ball, with the palm facing down.
Apply a little pressure and roll your wrist and forearm in a circular motion. This will help massage the muscles and aid the rapid recovery of muscle injury.
Do the same with the other hand.
Sets And Reps
2 sets of 10 circular motions with each hand
A good understanding of the muscles in your wrists and forearms can help you do these exercises better. Check them out below.
Wrist And Forearm Muscles Involved In Various Movements
Wrist Flexors – When you flex your wrist or when your palm is moved toward your forearm.
Wrist Extensors – When your palm moves away from the forearm.
Supinators – When you flip your palms up.
Pronators – When you flip your palms down.
Here’s a list of injuries you can prevent by strengthening your wrists:
Wrist Tendonitis – Inflammation of the tendons around the wrist joint. Wrist stretching works wonders for wrist tendonitis.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – occurs when the median nerve is compressed as it passes through the wrist area. Light gripping and lifting exercises may help.
Boxer’s Fracture – Fracture of the bones that form the knuckles. These bones are attached to all the five fingers and the wrist. Wrist extension, flexion, side-to-side movement, grip strengthening, and stretching may help in post-fracture recovery.
Colles’ Fracture – Fracture of the radius bone of the forearm near the wrist. Post recovery, exercise therapy like supination and pronation of the wrist and grip exercise may work.
Smith’s Fracture – Fracture of the distal radius. It is just the opposite of Colles’ Post recovery, flexion, extension, and grip exercises that may help to achieve functional movements of the hand.
Tennis Elbow (Lateral epicondylitis) – An irritation of the tissue connecting the forearm muscle to the elbow. Ball squeezing and wrist stretching and strengthening exercises can help relieve this condition.
Golfer’s elbow (Medial epicondylitis) – Pain in the inner elbow or inflammation at the medial epicondyle. Ball squeezing, finger extension, and wrist extension exercises may help in recovery.
Conclusion
Consult a licensed doctor before doing these exercises. Do these 15 exercises regularly to build or regain wrist strength and reduce pain. Take care!
Charushila Biswas is a Senior Content Writer and an ISSA Certified Specialist in Fitness & Nutrition. She is an alumni of VIT University, Vellore and has worked on transgenic wheat as a part of her Masters dissertation from NRCPB (IARI), New Delhi. After completing her Masters, she developed a passion for nutrition and fitness, which are closely related to human psychology. This prompted her to author a review article in 2015. She has written over 200 articles on Fitness and Nutrition. In her leisure time, Charushila loves to cook and enjoys mobile photography.
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