Planks are one of the most basic core exercises and are commonly seen in gyms. However, when they are performed with the arms extended and the palms of the hands resting on the floor, it is common to feel discomfort.
In this article we explain what you can do to deal with this discomfort in the wrist and how to solve it.
Why do our wrists hurt when ironing?
First of all, we must say that it is something common. If we do the planks resting our palms on the ground, our wrist is in a position of maximum extension. This movement under normal circumstances is completely harmless but when we carry it out while supporting a load such as our body weight, discomfort can appear.
It is considered normal or at least frequent for this to happen since in our daily life we are never faced with a maximum wrist extension movement bearing such a high load. In fact, when we try to push an object for example, we do it with the wrist in a neutral position, that is, aligned with our forearm, which is the best way to transfer forces.
So, one of the first things that we can do and that are more obvious is to do the planks by resting the forearms on the ground or supporting the fists or even grabbing portable handles used to perform push-ups.
But if you don’t want to patch the problem, here are two good approaches to fix it.
How to gain mobility in the wrist
The first approach that we can take when dealing with wrist pain while doing exercises such as planks is to increase our mobility so that the joint has a small additional margin of effective movement.
For this, there are many ways of working on mobility, but one that can be very useful acutely, that is, temporarily, is the one we can see in the video using a resistance band.
The important thing is to get the rubber to pull down and back So for this we will help ourselves with a small raised surface and our other hand to force the rubber down.
How to strengthen the muscles that move the wrist
Finally, the second approach we must take when it comes to avoiding wrist pain when ironing is to strengthen the muscles of the forearm that cross the wrist.
A great option is the one we can see in the video, where long-handled objects are held with the hand. Between minutes 3:25 and 3:55 we can see examples with a broom, an ax and a shovel.
The important is do the movements in all possible planes that the wrist offers us in a slow and controlled waywithout dropping the weight suddenly. The lower we take a handle, the more lever arm there will be and the more difficult the movement will be.
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Videos | Squat University, Dominic Sky