What to Do If Push-Ups Hurt Your Wrists
Push-ups are a great exercise, and almost everyone can find a starting point for their workout. But if you’re having trouble with wrist discomfort, here are a few things you can try. I’ll offer quick posture fixes, exercises to make your wrists more comfortable, and stretches to help you more easily maintain that wrist position in the future.
For a quick fix: use push-up handles or do knuckle push-ups.
In a standard push-up, our arms are at a 90-degree angle to our forearms. This is a position that most of us will become comfortable with over time, but it’s okay if you want to do a push-up differently. Enter the push-up handle , which allows your wrist to be in a more neutral position.
As a last resort, you can use dumbbells or weights instead of push-up handles. (If you use kettlebells, choose heavy ones that won’t tip over.) Another option is to make a fist and perform push-ups so that your knuckles are on the floor, not your palms. You may need some padding, such as a folded towel or yoga mat.
Warm up with CAR on your wrist
Another quick fix, but this time using your own body, is a CAR on your wrist. CAR is controlled joint rotation, and it simply means that you slowly move the joint through its full range of motion. There are shoulder CARs, hip CARs and, of course, wrist CARs.
To perform CAR on the wrist, firmly grasp your wrist (say your left) with your other (right) hand. Straighten your arm so that all fingers point in the same direction and make circular movements with your hand at the wrist. After a few rotations, do the opposite direction.
This video should give you an idea. I like to do wrist CAR with my forearm vertical and fingers pointing toward the ceiling, but this variation with a horizontal forearm will work, too.
After performing CAR on your wrists, you may find that your push-up problems are gone. If yes, then great! You’ve discovered a powerful tool to add to your warm-up routine on push-up days.
Adjust your position using towels.
If you’re still experiencing some discomfort and think it’s because your wrists just can’t stretch 90 degrees, take a couple of small gym towels (or something similar) and place your palms on them.
This works the same way as lifting your heels during squats . By changing the angle of your arms, you will no longer have to bend your wrists as much, and you will be able to keep the heels of your palms on the ground (or towel) without stretching.
Secure your hands in the ground
Another positioning tip that can help is to make sure that your hands are directly under your forearms and that you spread your arms to distribute the weight of your upper body. You don’t need to lean on the tips of your hands, but rather use your fingers, thumbs, and entire palm to grip the ground and support your body. If you don’t feel this happening, consider holding the lids of the jars in your palms and screwing them both outward (with your little fingers away from your body). This can help create some supportive tension in the hands, which often relieves wrist pain.
Do a gentle wrist stretch.
Before or after your workout, do a few gentle stretches to get your wrists used to working in a more extended position. ( Here’s another video that includes some great stretches.) This type of stretching shouldn’t hurt. Simply apply pressure until you feel a slight stretching sensation. This is enough to get the job done. If you want to be really thorough, four minutes of stretching during your warm-up, or ten minutes a week in total , should be enough to see results .