How to Strengthen Your Wrists

The wrists play an important role in most sports, so you want to make sure your wrists are strong and healthy. Keeping your wrists in shape can help you avoid carpal tunnel syndrome, which can be quite debilitating. Strong wrists are also less prone to fractures than weak ones. Try the following exercises to strengthen and maintain the muscles around your wrists. Read on to learn more.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Tennis ball
• Can or weight

How to Strengthen Your Wrists

1. Squeeze a tennis ball and hold for 5 seconds. Do 3 sets of 10.
2. Rest your forearm on a table with your thumb pointed toward the ceiling. Move the wrist up and down. Repeat 10 times.
3. With your elbow tucked against your side, turn your palm up to the ceiling and then down to the floor.
4. Hold a can or a weight handle in your hand with your palm facing up. Bend your wrist upward and then slowly lower the weight until it gets to the starting position. Try 3 sets of 10. If this feels too easy, increase the weight of the can or weight you are holding.
5. Do slow push-ups on your fingertips. Start with 3-5 push-ups. Make sure your fingers stay straight.

Tips & Warnings

• Doing these exercises just once won't make much difference. If you do them on a regular basis, though, you'll see results in your wrist strength.
• If any of these exercises hurt, consult your doctor about how to proceed.