Although not many people perform wrist exercises, they are useful for many athletes including:
- Bodybuilders
- Rugby players
- Martial arts
- Tennis players
- Football goalkeepers
- Mountain bikers
- Climbers
- Kayakers
Indeed, wrist exercises are appropriate for anyone whose sport places a heavy load on this area, or those who have previously suffered injuries.
Regular strength training will develop this area by virtue of the work involved in gripping weights, but additional wrist exercises can really strengthen up the area.
Among the most popular choices for developing this area are:
- Wrist Curls: Performed with either dumbbells of a barbell. Choose a light weight to start with. Begin with your forearms resting on the tops of your thighs, wrists resting on your knees, weight held with palms facing downward. Slowly raise the weight, moving only your wrists, then lower back to the starting position maintaining control the whole time.
- Reverse wrist curls: Performed as above, but with palms up. When the weight is lowered, allow your hand to uncurl until the weight is held by the ends of the fingers before rolling it back up.
- Hand grippers: Popular with bodybuilders, there are plenty of hand grippers on the market to choose from. Alternatively, small squeezy balls are good for developing this area.
Other popular exercises include reverse biceps curls (performed with the hands palms down), and hanging weight rolls ups - for these you attach a light dumbbell or plate to a stick with a rope, then holding the stick or pipe in both hands, use a back-and-forth wrist twisting motion to wind up the hanging rope.
Be sure to warm up properly before attempting any of these movements, and start by performing two sets of 10 reps per set.
