And in sports, it works exactly the same way. Bodybuilders have a joke: "If you want to pump your arms, work your legs," and many others. Any knowledgeable coach with a "sculpted" physique will tell you that they do not train their abs because the core muscles engage during properly executed compound exercises, and so forth.
And what does this have to do with wrists?
Wrist mobility is an important characteristic in both sports and everyday life! | Photo: Yandex Images
The thing is, insufficient flexibility and tightness in our wrists significantly affect our ability to work with heavy weights. To lift kettlebells, barbells, and dumbbells with maximum efficiency, healthy and functional biomechanics of the body are essential.
However, many athletes experience problems with wrist flexibility. Many effective exercises require mobility from the hands. If this is lacking, you either train with poor technique or find your progress limited by pain.
For example, in exercises where you need to hold the barbell in front of you on your chest (or on your deltoids). These include front squats, barbell cleans, or jerks. And for a secure grip, you need to extend your wrists significantly. If you can't do this, you spend the entire exercise "fighting" with the barbell to keep it from falling.
Some individuals may even struggle with basic push-ups due to wrist issues.
So what should you do if your wrists feel "wooden"?
There’s a great technique in physiotherapy that can help you develop mobility in these important joints. You can do it right before the exercise where you experience problems with your hands. It’s even better if you dedicate time to this outside of workouts.
Important point! If you have joint issues, unhealed injuries, or any other limitations, address these concerns with your doctor! Torturing your body for your goals when it’s not ready is unacceptable! I’m talking about a method that suits those who are in good health regarding bones and joints but, for certain reasons, have relatively inflexible wrists (genetically or due to lifestyle).
Essentially, we need to make the wrist stretch a bit forward and then add an extension movement. For this, we need to grab two fingers after the radius and ulnar bones. You can easily feel where these bones end. Wrap your fingers around them, and all you need to do is to press this area of the wrist. When you press this spot, you should feel the wrist "release" a bit. Then you need to press your thumb on the proximal row of wrist bones.
Next, you need to extend the wrist. You can do this at the barbell. Approach a low rack (or any other bar or support), perform all the steps described above, and then lean on the barbell and gently (carefully!) push down, as shown in the picture. You need to press, squeeze, and lean several times. Do this about 10 times, and you will see how much your wrist mobility has improved. You will immediately notice that you can extend your wrist further now.
Try this method as a targeted warm-up before the necessary exercises.
Small in the big, big in the small, as they say. I often use the word "harmony" in my articles and videos. It’s an important process that I believe is worth striving for in any activity. And sports are no exception.
If you work on your health comprehensively and develop your body from various angles, you will be practically invulnerable. Treat your body as a high-precision instrument that requires care, attention, and proper settings.
Get to know your body, give it everything it needs, and it will respond with incredible capabilities.