Why Do My Wrists Hurt When Weightlifting?
The wrists are amazing joints in the body! They have so many little intricate pieces working together towards a common goal. There are a significant amount of ligaments, tendons and bones that operate in unison to achieve a task. They are fairly resilient to the beating they take in the day-to-day stress that comes their way.
However, some movements are a little more strenuous than others! Weightlifting is one of them. When folks who haven’t used a barbell much start lifting weight, it can be a stress that the wrists are just not used to at all and the result is often discomfort during the exercise. With discomfort, we will see lower weights being used to keep the discomfort at a minimum. That is unfortunate, as we are allowing our wrist to slow down our progress!
Some easy ways to help your wrists stay happy and healthy are as follows:
- Invest in a pair of wrist straps for the time being. This shouldn’t be a crutch you rely on all the time though otherwise your wrists will not develop the strength needed to lift without them.
- Work on your mobility. Often the strain in the wrist is caused by a lack of mobility elsewhere. The body tries to “buy” mobility in the wrist to make up for it. Instead, let’s identify where the REAL mobility issue lies and tackle it first!
- Warm-up REALLY well! Don’t start lifting if the wrists haven’t gone through full range of motion many times. This will help loosen up the tight joint and get some active blood flow to the area.
Don’t forget to check in with your coach if you are really being hindered by your wrists! We can help you develop a plan so that you aren’t being held back by your own body.
Happy lifting!
Coach Caleb
